Newcastle Systems in the News

The greatest challenges in the manufacturing industry today stem from process inefficiency and wasted time and motion. In order to meet increasingly high demands, manufacturers need to get their product out the door quicker without sacrificing accuracy. In medical device manufacturing there is no room for errors caused by wasted motion. The production of medical instruments must be quick, yet precise, ensuring supplies produced are of the highest quality. One effective way to improve efficiency during the manufacturing process is to add a material replenishment specialist on the production floor. The job of this specialist is to make sure the workstations of each associate remain fully stocked with the necessary materials and refill as needed. With a material replenishment specialist floating around the production floor, associates never run the risk of running out of materials.

The time that manufacturing associates spend stepping away from tasks, removing their safety gear, and refilling their supplies results in non-value-added activity and countless wasted steps. With these replenished materials easily accessible via a specialist solely responsible for material replenishment, employees can keep production moving and focus on their task without stopping their work.
 
Succeeding with Material Replenishment – The Water Spider at Karl Storz

The leading value-added solutions distributor will now offer extended warehouse & manufacturing mobility products in coordination with Newcastle Systems.

How can supply chain professionals identify and address costly inefficiencies before they happen?

Manufacturing challenges in 2019 center around four key areas: speed, efficiency, demand and labor. The labor force is dwindling, yet demand and pressure have never been stronger. To increase efficiency while maintaining speed and accuracy, supervisors on the manufacturing floor need to get creative with tools and tactics. One way to improve efficiency is through the implementation of a water spider.

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The automotive manufacturing process is one of the most competitive and rigorous. Assembly plants move incredibly fast and there is immense pressure on the labor force to get things done quickly, and most importantly, accurately. Efficiency gains are essential to improve metrics and increase output. Over the past decade, numerous manufacturers have transitioned to automated technologies – implementing complex robots to replace human workers. However, the trend is now reversing. Brands like Mercedes-Benz have started “firing” robots and replacing them with human operators, largely for greater flexibility.

Regardless of industry, efficiency gains and increased speed provide a competitive edge. The ever-increasing competition in the manufacturing world makes it necessary to find new, efficient ways to speed up the process while remaining accurate and productive. While flying robots and miracle technologies may promise to reshape the industry, we still have a way to go until full automation, and thus the most important asset on the manufacturing floor in 2019 will remain its people.

 This article, an interview with CEO John O'Kelly, was written by Gabriel Perna, digital editor at Chief Executive Group, was first published on ChiefExecutive.net.

Speed, safety and efficiency are important to running a successful manufacturing floor. The more efficient workers are on the floor, the quicker products can be finished and sent to their destination.