Your machinists are not the problem

If you are in charge of production on a manufacturing shop floor, you likely have encountered productivity issues. Nothing is perfect, including your employees and equipment.

When productivity decreases, some leaders assume that machinists are not adequately doing their jobs. After all, they directly operate the machines. Before jumping to this conclusion, however, ask if you are being fair to these skilled workers who are the backbone of the manufacturing industry.

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, “When leaders are fair to the members of their team, the team members display more citizenship behavior and are more productive, both individually and as a team.”

With this in mind, here are three productivity problems and the tools you can use to combat them.

Problem: The operator is scrapping too many parts or behind on the job. Also, the shop still loads from portable media, such as floppy disks.

Solution: Direct-numerical-control software can handle programs for thousands of machines and help end CNC communication failures. Eliminate manual input of programs. Rest assured that Microsoft Windows-based CNCs can connect to DNC software via a secure Ethernet connection. In addition, program transfers are encrypted with secure DNC software.

“Programs for CNC machines will have different revisions of a program to perfect the product [coming off] the machines,” said Guy Barrow, account executive at Shop Floor Automations Inc., La Mesa, Calif. “ISO standards require that you make sure that the latest release, aka revision, is being run on the machine.”

Problem: Machines are often down.