World Class Manufacturing – Meaning and its Principles

Introduction

Manufacturing has evolved considerably since the advent of industrial revolution. In current global and competitive age, it is very important for organization to have manufacturing practice which is lean, efficient, cost-effective and flexible.

World class manufacturing is a collection of concepts, which set standard for production and manufacturing for another organization to follow.

Japanese manufacturing is credited with pioneer in concept of world-class manufacturing.

World class manufacturing was introduced in the automobile, electronic and steel industry.

World class manufacturing is a process driven approach where various techniques and philosophy are used in one combination or other.

Some of the techniques are as follows:

• Make to order
• Streamlined Flow
• Smaller lot sizes
• Collection of parts
• Doing it right first time
• Cellular or group manufacturing
• Total preventive maintenance
• Quick replacement
• Zero Defects
• Just in Time
• Increased consistency
• Higher employee involvement
• Cross Functional Teams
• Multi-Skilled employees
• Visual Signaling
• Statistical process control

Idea of using above techniques is to focus on operational efficiency, reducing wastage and creating cost efficient organization. This leads to creation of high-productivity organization, which used concurrent production techniques rather than sequential production method.

World Class Manufacturers

World class manufacturers tend to implement best practices and also invent new practices as to stay above the rest in the manufacturing sector.

The main parameters which determine world-class manufacturers are quality, cost effective, flexibility and innovation.

World class manufacturers implement robust control techniques but there are five steps, which will make the system efficient. These five steps are as follows:

• Reduction of set up time and in tuning of machinery: It is important that organizations are able to cut back time in setting up machinery and also tune machinery before production.

• Cellular Manufacturing: It is important that production processes are divided into according to its nature, with similar nature combined together.

• Reduce WIP material: It is normal tendency of manufacturing organization to maintain high levels of WIP material. Increased WIP leads to more cost and decreased WIP induces more focus on production and fast movement of goods.

• Postpone product mutation: For to achieve a higher degree of customization many changes are made to final product. However, it is important that mutation conceived for the design stage implement only after final operation.

• Removal the trivial many and focus on vital few: It is important for organization to focus on production of products which are lined with forecast demand as to match customer expectation.

Principles of World Class Manufacturing

There are three main principles, which drive world-class manufacturing.

• Implementation of just in time and lean management leads to reduction in wastage thereby reduction in cost.

• Implementation of total quality management leads to reduction of defects and encourages zero tolerance towards defects.

• Implementation of total preventive maintenance leads to any stoppage of production through mechanical failure.

Aspects of World Class Manufacturing

The main aspects of the world-class manufacturing are as follows:

• Industrial culture area
• Market/client area
• Product development area
• Operations area
• E-Performance area