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Episode 585. Matt Sobieski, How to Analyze a Manufacturing Company
- 2024/11/04
- 再生時間： 36 分
- ポッドキャスト
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あらすじ・解説
Matt Sobieski discusses the process of helping a manufacturing plant improve its performance by understanding the problem statement and 47 different analyzes. He suggests talking to the plant manager or head of operations to understand the biggest challenges, cost buckets, operational constraints, and capacity constraints. Diving into One of 47 Analyzes Matt explains more about the 47 analyzes, one of which is the cost of goods sold, breakdown, and margin analysis, which helps in understanding the cost structure of the plant. This includes examining production, backlogs, inventory levels, and other factors. In the case of an agricultural manufacturing company during the pandemic, the focus was on streamlining their ordering process to increase productivity. Matt also discusses the importance of understanding the big cost buckets, such as labor, materials, waste, and inventory management. He shares a case where a client had issues with their cost per unit, where they could not get their arms around their cost per unit. The data provided by the client was not high-quality, and it was difficult to differentiate between different lines. Matt shares a few ways to address this issue. Dealing with an Inflationary Environment In the current inflationary environment in the US, costs have been increasing, particularly labor costs. Consultants can help plants by asking questions and providing a fresh perspective to understand why material costs and overtime costs are high. This can lead to better scheduling and equipment utilization, which can help reduce costs and improve productivity. One example of this is an agricultural manufacturing plant where the plant manager was unaware of the importance of morning production meetings. By asking open-ended questions and being curious about how things run, consultants can identify areas for improvement. Overall Equipment Effectiveness Operations professionals should always have a plan for the day and recover from deviations when necessary. Asking open-ended questions and understanding the fundamentals of operations can help identify areas for improvement. One analysis that consultants like to use is the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), which is a measure of overall equipment effectiveness. OEE is calculated by comparing the performance of different pieces of equipment and identifying areas for improvement. Matt goes on to explain how the analysis of OEE is defined and quality calculated. He stresses that it is crucial to calculate the correct OEE and quality first time, as not all units are produced correctly. It is important to ensure that the correct approach is taken when analyzing OEE data. Identifying Waste in Manufacturing Plants Matt discusses the concept of identifying waste in manufacturing plants, including the classic seven or eight types of waste. They highlight the importance of removing waste to improve efficiency and productivity. One such type is intellect, which involves people using their brain power inefficiently. To identify waste, they suggest using GEMBA (Go where the work is happening) to observe people and their actions. One example is an automotive plant that had a production cell with two operators, causing a lot of motion. To address this, they moved parts from one end of the line to the middle, reorganizing the path for forklift drivers. This resulted in faster unloading times for parts coming in and out of the area. Matt emphasizes the impact of simple things like moving parts to central locations and reducing the time spent on unloading parts and shares an example that helped eliminate waste and improve efficiency and productivity. The Importance of Fresh Perspectives when Addressing Issues in Supply Chains Matt shares an example of a company that had to print labels for products and then wait for them to be printed. To address this, they developed a Kanban system where labels were printed ahead of time for all SKUs, eliminating the need for waiting for labels. This solution was cost-effective and efficient, as it saved labor costs. He also discusses the importance of managing risk in supply chains, particularly during the pandemic. He highlights the importance of understanding the risk associated with individual suppliers, which can help in making informed decisions about ordering buffer stock, onboarding another supplier, or building capability in-house. Matt explains the importance of eliminating single sources of failure in manufacturing. He cites examples of poor performing plants and underinvestment in automation and offers suggestions on factors that need to be analyzed and used to understand what drives failures. Asset Management Analyzes The discussion moves on to asset management analyzes, such as make versus buy, capex, effectiveness, equipment and technology, and life cycle management, which are crucial for businesses to understand their costs and make the right capital investments. Capex is important in determining the...