Modern Industrial and Commercial Practice
Modern Industrial and Commercial Practice
Lean Manufacturing
- Lean manufacturing is a systematic approach to identify and eliminate waste through continuous improvement.
- It was originally derived from the Toyota Production System and focuses on delivering the highest quality product swiftly and efficiently.
- Essential principles include pulling the product in response to customer demand (pull production) instead of pushing products based on forecasted demand (push production).
- Lean manufacturing also emphasises kaizen, or continual small improvements, involving all employees from the shop floor to the senior management.
- The aim is to reduce waste, which could include time, inventory, motion, waiting, overproduction, over-processing and defects, thus enhancing productivity and profit margins.
Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing - CAD/CAM
- Computer Aided Design (CAD) is the use of computer software to create, modify, analyse, or optimize a design in 2D or 3D format.
- Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) generally denotes the use of numerical control machine tools in the manufacturing process.
- CAD/CAM systems are vital to modern manufacturing as they allow fast and accurate design and production, enable mass customisation and ensure consistent quality.
- They are also used in computer-aided engineering (CAE), computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), and other computer-aided technologies, offering enhanced control over the production process.
Just In Time (JIT) Production
- Just-in-time (JIT) production is a manufacturing strategy aimed at producing to order and eliminating stock holding costs.
- It involves making products as needed, in the required quantities and at the required time.
- Key elements include supplier relationships, flexible resources, cell production and total quality management.
- Risk of waste from obsolete products in inventory is minimised, but requires an effective supply chain management to avoid delays.
- JIT systems help reduce waste, improve efficiency and productivity, but can be disruptive if there are unexpected changes in demand or issues with the supply chain.
Automated Production
- Automation in production includes the use of robots, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and other industrial control systems that can perform tasks with minimal human intervention.
- It can increase the precision, efficiency, and safety of various processes.
- Automated production lines can be flexible or fixed. Flexible automated production lines can be altered to produce different products, while fixed automated production lines produce one product or parts.
- Automation often requires a high initial investment but can lead to significant long-term cost savings, especially in repetitive, hazardous or highly precise tasks.
- As automation in production grows, importance of understanding and working with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in designing and manufacturing also escalates.
Quality Control and Assurance
- Quality control (QC) refers to the techniques and activities aimed at ensuring a product meets the specified requirements.
- It might include inspections at key stages in the manufacturing process or testing of the final product.
- Quality assurance (QA), on the other hand, is about ensuring the consistency of product quality. This is done by enhancing the efficiency of production processes.
- Approaches like Total Quality Management (TQM) involve all employees and departments within the firm, with the view that quality is everyone’s responsibility.
- Understanding these strategies can aid designers and manufacturers in reducing rework, waste and improving customer satisfaction.