One of the best things that we have these days, is of course data. Even the smallest setups have technology that’ll allow you to understand your operational magnitude. It’s important to understand this, as it plays a vital part in the packaging line. With more and more automation and machines that are sophisticated, we’ve got more and more data than ever before. Here, we’ll go over the important data points to remember.
Why Care about Data
Data is vital for making sure that you know what’s going on in your warehouse. The collection is just the first step. Companies that benefit from this are able to see the insights, and improve their operations.
It offers better decisions in the following:
The planning of labor and how many need to use a piece of equipment to do some activities
Improves the safety margins
Lets you know about the inventory, also some smart planning of the materials that are there, and the transit too
The storage and planning of inventory and needs
The operational issues, and how to rectify them.
Critical Data Points to Know
Now that we’ve gone over why you need data, let’s talk about the three data points you should always pay mind to.
The first is order accuracy. This is looking at what's going out, and finally, what’s coming into this. if you’ve got inventory issues, you’ve got to explore how you order, and the shipments that suppliers have. For issues with order fulfillment, you might want to get a vision system so you can see what you’re going to be sending out, and also improve this.
The equipment downtime is another one. This is one that looks at the downtime of equipment, the problems therein, and the information to look at what’s wrong, and the structures that need to be upgraded. Without this one, you’re going to have machines that are down, and it’s going to throw a wrench in the whole operation.
The final one is warehouse capacity. This is one that’s important to understand because it shows how much of the warehouse is being used, and how much is getting done. You can also look at how much human capacity is happening, and where it’s falling apart. If you notice that the warehouse is constantly at, or even near max, the solution might be to improve the machines by getting better stuff, or scaling back if you have a lot of machines not being used. As for people, this shows how the people are being used, and you can manage and train them to see fit.
For humans, this also shows well, whether or not you’re using the facilities correctly. On the flip side, if you’re someone that notices that the business is constantly at under-capacity, you should scale this back, or look for new ways to manage that space, so that it’s not being used.
These are three data points that you can use if you’re looking to improve your business.
The key thing here is to look at these data points, and constantly stare at them. Data is vital for the production of companies, and it allows you to make decisions that are beneficial to you. if you notice that something is amiss inside your workshop, or that you’re not using everything effectively, then try to make sure that the data is there, put it in place, and if you feel like there are areas that you can improve on, do so, so that you can have peak operational efficiency too.
