At the back of an exciting 2017, something that Australian steel manufacturers should continue to provide is a compelling value proposition for their customers when competing against cheaper overseas alternatives. How can Australian manufacturing businesses achieve this? The key to operational success lies in being able to manufacture high quality and fit for purpose products […]
Manufacturing has changed so much over the past decade. Now dependent on new technologies and cost reduction, manufacturing businesses must be prepared to learn and test new approaches. We have also found manufacturing businesses must be protected against machinery down-time and other potential disruptions to their operations. Driving continued efficiencies while maintaining product quality will […]
GREATER ACCESS TO MARKET OPPORTUNITIES was considered to be a challenge for steel businesses serving diverse industries in Australia. From our completed Steel Efficiency Review® consultations we have found widespread need for greater access to the market in addition to a combination of the other value proposition solutions. The need for increased exposure into new […]
Supported by the efficiencies offered by BlueScope Distribution, Australia’s leading raw sugar producer is using Australian-made steel in a large-scale cane bin manufacturing project that is not only using Australian materials – it’s also boosting direct and indirect employment along the Queensland coast. Milling company Wilmar Sugar turned its focus to making its cane bins […]
“Rework” tends to pose major challenges with steel businesses involved in manufacturing, fabrication and building. Having a direct impact to the bottom line, quality defects resulting in rework or scrap are a tremendous cost to steel businesses. Associated costs include quarantining inventory, re-inspecting, rescheduling, and capacity loss. In many steel businesses the total cost of defects […]
Excess Motion tends to hide problems on the workshop floor, which must be identified and resolved in order to improve operating performance. This waste is related to physically moving and is seen in all instances of bending, stretching, walking, lifting, and reaching. These are also health and safety issues to be considered by steel businesses. […]
Innovation can be defined as “the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay. This idea must be replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy a specific need.” We have found the process of innovation requires 3 key enablers – comprising: […]
Transporting product between processes is a cost – which adds no value to the product. Excessive movement and handling cause damage and are an opportunity for quality to deteriorate. Moving product can hurt your business and can be difficult to reduce due to the perceived costs of moving equipment and processes closer together. It is […]
Over Processing tends to pose major challenges with steel businesses involved in manufacturing, fabrication and building. Many businesses use expensive high precision equipment where simpler tools would be sufficient. This often results in poor warehouse layout because preceding or subsequent operations are located far apart. In addition they encourage high asset utilisation (over-production with minimal […]
Australia’s manufacturing industry has experienced continuous growth for 13 months, according to the AiGroup’s Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). In the wake of closure of the nation’s automotive sector, the move from traditional to advanced manufacturing is evident and forcing the government and the industry in general to rethink and repurpose their machinery and people. […]