How to Reduce Downtime on Production Lines
No industry likes to experience downtime; it causes a number of negative knock-on effects and repercussions for your business. Production line downtime not only results in loss of productivity and therefore production delays; customer confidence and reputation also suffer, along with the unavoidable financial implications. Businesses that suffer production line downtime experience a loss in revenue – and also business – to competitors, which is easy to lose and hard to regain.
The automotive manufacturing industry is one of the sectors that faces the most to lose from downtime; as the industry continues to become a data-centric sector, reliance on technological advancement continues to grow. There is also a need for a trustworthy, efficient Time Critical service partner in automotive manufacturing, to keep production lines moving. Deliveries of urgent replacement parts and essential equipment can make the difference between a production line maintaining operation and having to halt production. A Time Critical delivery partner needs to be able to provide Time Critical solutions within short notice, as well as being able to take care of the details on the behalf of your business. A Time Critical delivery company who offers an account manager to handle the whole process is also an essential addition that can help to further prevent production line downtime.
Automotive manufacturing businesses face the highest downtime costs, losing thousands for every second production lines are stopped. The number of reasons for halting production are also on the rise, whether it be computer or IT issues (due to the technology-dependent trajectory of the industry), or security issues surrounding intellectual property and company data. The need for replacement parts, which can be hard to come by, is also an ever-growing issue with the reliance upon technology. Replacement parts for computers and machinery can be required regularly, so acquiring and transporting these is another essential component of reducing downtime; yet another reason why a reliable, efficient and experienced Time Critical delivery partner is an invaluable asset to any manufacturing business.
All of this combined has caused an increased urgency when it comes to reducing downtime in automotive manufacturing. This can be done in many ways, such as the businesses themselves increasing their own internal data protection and cyber security, to partnering with companies who can provide a vital service to keep things moving. Through ‘downtime tracking’ the reason for such high downtime costs in automotive manufacturing (and indeed many other tech-reliant industries) is clear. Manufacturing relies on countless people and processes, such as servers, workers, software and international suppliers. A single unforeseen failure of any technological or mechanical element can cause production to grind to a halt, affecting the global supply chain of a business.
The best way to avoid downtime within the auto industry is to ensure that potential breakdowns that would cause a halt in production are not able to occur. We have put together a list of how your business can help to actively avoid downtime in the auto industry. Take a look at the below 5 simple ways to sidestep costly downtime in not only the automotive sector, but any industry where downtime comes with a high cost to your business.
#1. Planning & Scheduling
Downtime can often happen due to a lack of a cohesive plan or schedule being in place. By ensuring your business has a well organised production schedule, with clearly indicated timings and processes that are stuck to, you can avoid the loss of precious production hours by avoiding downtime. It is also essential that you collaborate with a logistics partner that can provide rapid, Time Critical deliveries of required parts as risk mitigation solution. An unreliable and inexperienced delivery schedule can cost thousands, so ensuring you use a logistics company who can provide a detailed delivery schedule, allows you to plan ahead and stick to it.
#2. Onboarding & Training
When your business hires new employees, it is important that they receive the necessary onboarding and training required. In properly training new starters, you can reduce the amount of time needed for them to become productive members of the team. Only as fully-fledged members of the production team can they then add their own knowledge and expertise to help with scheduling, and thus reducing the likelihood of downtime further.
#3. Maintenance & Repair
As previously mentioned, there are many parts of a production line that play their part, and any one of them malfunctioning, breaking or not performing their intended function in any way can have far-reaching implications. Whether software or hardware; machine or computer programme – everything on a production line needs to have regular maintenance to prevent problems before they become problems. Only with ongoing maintenance and inspection can downtime in the auto industry be prevented; if a business is forced to repair or fix a problem after it has happened, then the maintenance team is not doing their job, and downtime that could have been avoided, has stopped production. A reliable Time Critical service partner also plays a huge part when it comes to maintenance and repair. If a part is needed to keep an element of the production line working, businesses need to know they can get it quickly. In a more serious situation, if an entire machine needs to be completely replaced, you need to know that the Time Critical delivery company your business has chosen to partner with can provide a service of this kind.
#4. Preparation for Changeover
Changeovers – be it of staff, equipment, computer programmes or any other element crucial to the production line – can be smooth if planned. They need to be executed quickly, something that planning ahead can help with. If it’s a change-over of people, then the adequate training mentioned above will become even more critical to avoid downtime. Similarly, if the changeover is of equipment or more physical elements of the production line, your partnered logistics service provider (also mentioned earlier) will play a key role in ensuring Time Critical delivery that allows for a smooth, simple changeover that enables the production line to continue to run smoothly.
#5. Continuous Improvement
For all companies, but most specifically those in the automotive manufacturing sector, continuing to investigate and implement new technologies is crucial. Improvements such as these can increase a business’s efficiency of production, simplify the supply chain and overall help the business move forward. Everything from advanced machines that can simplify a section of the production line, new software that makes it easier and quicker to spot potential issues, to a reliable delivery service who can get you what you need when you need it, without unnecessary waits of days or even weeks, are crucial. All improvements of this kind can make the production simpler, more cost effective and, most of all, reduce the likelihood of downtime even more.
Hopefully, the five reasons mentioned will help to reduce downtime within the auto industry. Loss of business, revenue and reputation are just a handful of the repercussions that can be avoided by adhering to the above suggestions. Work with a technology company or companies that you know you can trust to keep your cyber-security and data protection up-to-date and working perfectly; ensure you have the workers who are qualified to fix and repair equipment as needed; and make sure you have a courier partner you can reply on, always, to prevent downtime within your business as much as possible.
Royale International is a global Time Critical logistics provider with 25+ years’ experience providing hand-carry, Next-Flight-Out and charter solutions across a wide number of industries, especially the automotive manufacturing industry. With dedicated account managers with real in-industry experience, they know the essential nature of keeping production lines moving. With their unparalleled Time Critical and On-board courier services, they can ensure that you don’t have a supply chain breakdown. With detailed tracking and enhanced delivery technology, they are also the ideal partner for any business in the auto industry who wants to avoid unnecessary downtime. Find out more about how Royale can help your business today: https://www.royaleinternational.com/services/time-critical-services/