Two concepts that are important in achieving success for every business enterprise are effectiveness and efficiency. Effectiveness means achieving desired results by good planning, making the right decisions at the right time, and doing the right things. Efficiency means producing more outputs using fewer inputs without making mistakes. It is doing the right things in the right manner.
Every manufacturer wants to increase productions; to increase production rates, and these come from both effectiveness and efficiency in the operations.
Globally, the machine tool industry and the metal stamping industry continue to grow with significant benefits for improving manufacturing production quality and production rates.
What is a Production Rate?
In manufacturing, a production rate reflects the number of goods (products or units of production), that are produced during a given measure of time, compared to the amount of time taken to produce one unit. It also reflects the maximum output less the rate of product defects. The production rate, combined with the quality of products produced, can have a significant impact on pricing of the product produced. To increase productions simultaneous with output quality declines is not a recipe for success.
What Increases Production Rates?
The metal stamping industry with its use of sophisticated machine tools is a key means to increase productions and increase production rates in many manufacturing industries including telecommunications, appliance, food processing, automotive, defense, aerospace, electrical, and consumer electronics.
Efficient productivity is enhanced by:
- Machine automation and continual upgrades to programmable electronic controls.
- Stamping machine advances including tooling efficiency, maintenance, and operator ergonomics.
- Quick die change systems
- Pneumatic lifters
- Material improvements providing more consistent materials to work with, including thinner-gauge steel and higher quality metals with fewer impurities.
Keys to Efficient Production in Metal Stamping
Efficient metal stamping processes lead to increased productions and increased production rates:
- Management removes bottlenecks by increasing the number of stations utilized to produce more parts simultaneously, or by adding or eliminating a process.
- Automation is used to achieve more in less time. It transfers manual effort into more productive uses including planning and programming. At the same time, it eliminates repetitive mistakes.
- The latest tool and die design tools are used to make visualized prototypes and to enhance the accuracy of production.
- Employees are highly trained and fully qualified to produce superior quality products. The production team has a high standard of product quality control that minimizes the rejection rate.
- An array of stamping tools is used to produce the precise quality and number of produced items.
Tips to Increase Productions
These tips will lead to increased production rates and save money at the same time:
- Choose the right stamping material for the job.
- Clarify all specifications and performance requirements including desired tolerances.
- Review the production design for efficient material utilization to produce the most parts and minimize scrap material.
- Consider if there are similar parts that can be modified for efficiency.
- If secondary processes are involved in the production plan, work to complete all the processes with one supplier.
- Engage a supplier with strong project management skills and reputation.
Seek Proven Manufacturing Expertise for Precision Metal Stamping Needs
Contact Velocity Metalworks, serving the Greater St. Louis area and the Midwest. We have been recognized as a valued partner in the metal stamping industry for our strong tool design and build competency. With our metal stamping capacity, precision machining services, and EDM capability, we provide the superior experience, precision, and quality you can depend on.
