Savings are not always in the main process
When people talk about streamlining production, most companies look at the technology and the work operations themselves. These are important, but often not the main source of hidden costs.
Hidden potential in support activities
There is a lot of room for savings in activities that do not improve the product per se, but without which production would not work:
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Material handling - unnecessary moves, poorly set layout, waiting.
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Maintenance - Lack of prevention, improvisation, unplanned shutdowns.
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Information transfer - Delayed or inaccurate data transfer between teams.
Often these are activities that no one questions because "that's just the way it is". And this is where the greatest potential for savings lies.
It's not about revolution, it's about patient work
Support process optimization is not about big revolutions.
It's about patient, systematic search and improvement that pays off in the long run in the form of lower costs and more stable production.