Managing Director Metroplan Production Management GmbH
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Holistic potential assessment for companies: the first step towards improvement
Systematically identify problems - render sources of potential usable
In order to assure one's own market position or even expand upon it, continuous improvement is an essential component of any company’s actions. Improvement can, however, only take place when the problems at hand are recognised and their causes clearly described.
Problems are predominantly expressed in the form of excessive production costs, missed deadlines and poor quality. These problems are frequently characterised by a sense of general chaos experienced within order processing, along with an overall lack of stability throughout production.
The causes themselves can vary, and can only be identified by a largely independent analysis of the entire value chain. On the one hand, there is often a lack of sufficient analytical expertise when faced with the problem of delivering an holistic potential assessment within one's own company. On the other hand, the underlying causes of problems often go unrecognised as a result of routine and “operational blindspots” in established structures.
A wide variety of problems can frequently be solved by applying simple resources, meaning that the exploitation of significant potential is often only a small step away in terms of financial investment.
The primary objective of any structured, holistic potential assessment applied to manufacturing, ancillary processes and administration is the quantification of potential for a company with regard to the respective costs and benefits.
Metroplan-Approach and methodology
The potential assessment for companies follows a multi-step analysis phase with predefined interim results, which is adapted to the customer’s needs. We remain flexible throughout the project, adjusting the analytical approach in order to enable the more detailed consideration of any identified problems.
Problems can be identified by combining the customer’s specialist knowledge with the Metroplan methodology. Sources of improvement potential are subsequently quantified in their entirety, in order to ensure the decisive measurement of a company's improvement success.
Approach
- We conduct interviews on site in order to obtain an impression of the company’s situation, to define any problems and determine key focus areas. This involves the implementation of a targeted and holistic analysis, in order to appraise the entire manufacturing process using process-independent methods:
- Multi-moment snapshots establish an initial impression of the distribution of non-value creating aspects within the entire process.
- Shift observations allow for the sample analysis of workflows among selected staff groups
- By applying value stream and tooling analyses, sources of potential within manufacturing and logistics processes can be identified. The main focus lies on the lead time, the production costs and the production quality
- Selected focal point analyses support the breakdown of customer-specific problems:
- Process snapshots reveal problems within individual manufacturing processes
- Tooling analyses aid the identification of waste as a result of tooling processes
- Path analyses with the help of Spaghetti Diagrams highlight cost-intensive logistical relationships
- By analysing order structures and planning processes, weak points can be identified within production planning and control.
- The process capability of production and the entire operating environment are analysed as part of the Lean Check, as a result of which organisational weak points are revealed in processes and interfaces.
- Analytical results are evaluated together with the customer, in order to ensure the problems are described in as great a level of detail as possible, as well as to exclude any potential for errors or unrealistic results
- We determine the causes of problems and develop possible solutions
- Exploitable, individual sources of potential and envisaged measures are evaluated on the basis of an ACTUAL situational analysis, and the overall potential is determined
- This is then followed by a prioritising action plan
Customer benefits of a potential assessment for companies
As part of any collaboration with Metroplan (as a general planner), you can benefit from the following advantages, among other things:
- Holistic consideration of manufacturing, logistics, planning and control
- Transparent mapping of problems and their causes
- Independent potential assessment and evaluation of processes without the limiting effect of “operational blindspots” and an absence of expertise
- Quantification of hidden potential
- Development of solution proposals to remedy the identified problems
- Prioritisation of measures, in order to generate a suitable optimisation schedule
- The basis for an holistic improvement concept is in place
Are you interested in the other services we provide to increase efficiency? Then why not take a look at our Performance Monitoring, with which we regularly assess and optimise logistical workflows. Or the Business Process Optimisation with which your administrative and planning processes can be rendered more efficient across your departments and locations.