Material Handling Information - Bottlenecks in Material Flow and Production
Productivity
Bottlenecks in Material Flow and Production
Bottlenecks in material flow at Hewlett-Packard
slowed the pace of repairs for printers and computer peripherals.
Hewlett-Packard
cut repair cycle time 33% with a streamlined material
flow process that delivered products for repair directly
to technicians' workstations.
Problem
Not enough space to store material or work in process.
Excess material clutters aisles, impeding flow of workers and material.
Ergonomics, safety, and inventory control is compromised.
Cannot get material where it's needed when it's needed.
Processes are not effectively balanced.
Excessive semi-finished goods or WIP storage.
Non-value-added processes.
Solution
Evaluate and balance production processes to ensure workers are not under/overloaded in their assigned operations.
De-couple operations with a use-point manager to smooth flow of material, deliver material to workers where and when needed on a Just-In-Time (JIT) basis.
Take advantage of the available vertical space in the storage area(s), using:
Use mini load, unit load, or high-speed box buffers to provide high-density storage, automated material movement, direct delivery of material or work-in-process at an ergonomic level, and real-time inventory control.
