A winning formula for manufacturing

As the sheer number of file formats grows, so do related problems associated with interchanging data between them.

More automotive and general manufacturing companies are turning to an interesting mix of production techniques, principles, processes: Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and lean practices. Of course, these aren’t the only ingredients that they’re mixing, but these two are really starting to show positive results when implemented together, because with time, they are both focusing more on process, and not just product. PLM has received a lot of attention the past couple of years, but I think that lean manufacturing is an equally important part of the big picture. Lean manufacturing practices, like PLM subsystems, are tied directly to manufacturing.

Lean manufacturing, isn’t just doing more with less. It is a complex set of practices with many dependencies that seeks to minimize the resources required for creating and manufacturing a product, as it simultaneously attempts to streamline and simplify processes.

For the most part, historically, lean manufacturing concepts have tended to focus on the things being produced through the processes occurring only on the factory floor.  But the full benefits of lean manufacturing are realized only when their principles are applied enterprise-wide.

A few months ago I began seeing and hearing about an emerging lean principle known as manufacturing process optimization (MPO), from a company called Pelion Systems (www.pelionsystems.com). While not exactly a new principle, MPO focuses on improving the most basic important aspect of any lean principle or process. Pelion Systems developed a unique model-based system for optimizing manufacturing processes that synchronize the supply chain with the factory floor.

To read more of this column on lean manufacturing and product development, please click on the link below:

http://www.advancedmanufacturing.com/NovDec05/colDesignInsight.htm