Managing an industrial facility is a crucial task and is the main way to make production activities run efficiently.
Industrial management uses various techniques, as well as the knowledge and innovation of professionals to optimize productivity and order in a facility.
An industrial facility cannot exist without management, as it would become a non-productive chaos that would gradually ruin the whole industry.
Why is an industrial facility management so important?
First of all, industrial management is important because it allows efforts, skills, and resources to be directed towards productivity and efficiency.
Industrial management is composed of a wide set of techniques that seek to minimize time, costs and losses, in order to increase the value of production.
Although management is generally associated with the industrial facility production, the truth is it also covers processes such as storing, organizing and distribution, all of which are activities closely associated to production.
It should be noted that management is useful for planning and scheduling industrial building renovations (and/or maintenance) so as not to interrupt or affect production activities.
Who is in charge of managing industrial spaces?
In production, industrial engineer are the main managers, since they have the knowledge, experience and professional training to apply the techniques correctly.
An industrial engineer is familiar with production processes. This is a professional trained to carry out industrial optimization.
However, it’s generally the managing directors who are in charge of managing an industrial facility.
A manager has to organize, plan and control activities additional to production, such as storing, distribution, etc.
Techniques to efficiently manage a facility
Currently there is a diversity of efficient industrial management techniques, some with a more traditional approach and others with a more modern and innovative attitude.
Modern techniques differ from traditional techniques because they leave a linear way of thinking behind, adopting a more dynamic and flexible way of understanding complex activities.
Of all the industrial management techniques, these are some of the most important:
5S Methodology
It is a technique of Japanese origin, consisting of a set of 5 stages based on oriental principles. Its name is due to the fact that the name of each of the 5 stages begins with the letter “S”.
The stages of the 5s method are:
- Seiri: translated as classification, this stage consists of the identification and differentiation of the necessary and useless elements for production.
- Seiton: this stage includes order, so it basically consists of organizing the industrial space, placing the elements necessary for production.
- Seiso: is linked to the order and cleanliness of the industrial space.
- Seiketsu: translated as standardization, it is a stage in which anomalies are prevented, i.e., disorder and dirt, setting the rules and procedures suitable for production.
- Shitsuke: finally discipline, a stage in which effort is encouraged to continue improving production activity.
Kaizen
This is another oriental technique, which stands out for its philosophy status. Kaizen is a word that means “improvement”.
Its main goal is to manage industrial quality through a continuous improvement process, consisting of simple and specific actions.
This technique considers the industry as a whole, in which every component (workers, managers, engineers, directors, etc.) has an active role in the search for continuous improvement.
Total productive maintenance (TPM)
It’s a Japanese technique that has also risen to a philosophy status. It consists of the elimination of loss of time (stoppages, standstills, interruptions, etc.), quality and costs during production.
- Focused improvement: it is a continuous improvement process that determines the basis for making the pertinent changes in a planned and precise manner.
- Autonomous maintenance: set of activities carried out by machine operators to preserve and condition the state of equipment and machines.
- Planned maintenance: systematic activities carried out to renew the deteriorated state of machinery and equipment.
- Initial control: consists of learning from mistakes in order to reduce the deterioration of equipment and machines and to reduce maintenance costs.
- Quality maintenance: emphasis on compliance with regulations and quality standards.
- Training: process of training and preparation of labor personnel in the respective professional areas.
- Total productive maintenance in offices: refers to transferring the whole set of industrial improvements to office spaces.
- Safety and environment: consists of compliance with environmental and safety laws established by the government.
8D
This technique is constituted by 8 disciplines, which will be oriented to the resolution of problems. It is especially used to face problems in quality control.
The 8 disciplines of this method are:
- Formation of an expert team with expertise in various fields
- Precise definition of the problem
- Apply and test a provisional solution
- Identify the root cause of the problem
- Determine and examine permanent corrective solutions
- Apply and verify permanent corrective solutions
- Prevent re-emergence of the problem and/or its causes
- Recognize team effort