When it comes to improving your business, it can seem like you are unable to see the wood for the trees. However, there are a few ways in which only a small improvement cannot only make your business more profitable but can also make it a much better place to work for your employees. There are also the added bonuses of improving your customer relationships and building a much-improved reputation within your business sector.
The way in which your products are handled
It is important to look at the way in which your products are handled while they are moving around your manufacturing site. Too much handling cannot only result in lost time but also increase the probability of product damage, which can either occur due to lack of attention or care or because of operatives rushing. Both of these outcomes are detrimental to your bottom line as damaged items either have to be reworked, scrapped, or at best sold on at a much discounted price.
However, there are ways in which you can cut down on the amount of handling any of your products require – this is by installing a conveyor belt system. Having a conveyor belt carry your products from operator to operator will cut down substantially on the likelihood of damage to your products. It will also encourage your workers to keep working and cut down on the number of employees you have wandering around. It will increase production times as there will be a continuous supply of work circulating around your site.
Having your conveyor belt system designed specifically for your business can also be done, and by going to a reputable and established business, such as fluentconveyors.com, you will have everything you need to get the best from your conveyor belt for years to come.
Introduce step-by-step procedures
Introducing step-by-step procedures will also improve your manufacturing business as well as help when it comes to scheduling your workloads and working out delivery times for your customers.
When you are introducing procedures, be sure to consult the employees that actually carry out the work involved. If possible, sit with them so you can see what is involved with each stage. This will give you more of an idea of what you need to write, as well as give you an insight into the language you will need to use to get your instructions across and understood.
When working out timings, be aware that if you are timing someone who does the job every day, they are likely to be much faster than a new worker, so do not be too strict when recording the processing times, as this will affect any schedules drawn up.
Keep all your employees in the information loop
It is important from an employee morale point of view to keep all your employees in the information loop. This will encourage all your employees to work better as a team. Hold regular meetings to give them information about up and coming orders, issues that have arisen, and praise for work carried out – even if it comes from within the business rather than from a specific customer. Other information to convey includes any new vacancies within the business, as well as any other developments that may be beneficial to them.
Open communications will help everybody feel that they belong. It will disperse any negative rumours, as questions will be able to be asked and answered on the spot rather than hidden in emails. By doing this, you will lift your employee’s morale, which will be very beneficial to your business, as it will increase product output, decrease the frequency of mistakes, improve quality, increase employee retention, lower employee sick days, and make your business a happy place to work.
You can always back any meeting up with an email stating all that was discussed so that it can be reread through at your employees’ convenience to make sure that everyone, even those on holiday, has access to the information. If your employees do not have access to email while on-site, make sure to have their personal email addresses so that they do not feel left out.
Encourage your workforce to hit their targets
We all know how important it is for our workforce to hit their targets in order to get products to the customers on time. However, sometimes this is not as easy as it should be. It is always beneficial for a team to know what their target is before they start an order. This way, they can gauge their own speed and regularly check on how they are doing, increasing speed when they need to and relieving bottlenecks when they happen.
You will find, however, that if you offer more encouragement to hit targets, that they will be hit more. This will also help with team building. The incentives you offer do not have to be vastly expensive, but even little token gestures can go a long way. If, for example, you are a manufacturer of makeup, then offering a product to each of your employees on a high-performing team can boost morale and get other teams motivated to obtain the same rewards for their hard work.
Hire a dedicated quality-control team
Having a dedicated quality-control team checking that all your products going out to your customers are of the required standard is an area where your customers will certainly notice the difference. Whether the team is checking the products through the different stages of their manufacture or whether they are just looking at the overall product and packaging before they are boxed up to be sent out, this function is vital.
Having that quality seal of approval cannot only increase your customers’ confidence in your products, but also in your business as well, and with this, you may even be able to increase your products’ prices along with your profit margin, too.
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