Page 32 - MetalForming May 2019

FABRICATION
Metalformers and Fabricators Pay Attention:
Use Data to Drive Daily Decisions
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Manufacturers of durable goods will increase their investments in Internet of Things (IoT) technologies at a compounded annual growth rate of 29.4 per- cent through 2024, according to a report by ResearchAnd- Markets.com. And, according to a recent survey conducted by Decision Analyst (on behalf of IQMS), most fast-growing metal forming and fabricating companies credit recent suc- cesses to an intense focus on their IT operations and pro- duction-process management.
The increased emphasis on driving efficiency and prof- itability through IT represents a major driver for MetalForm- ing magazine launching, in 2018, its Internet of Things for Manufacturers Conference. Our second annual IoT for Man- ufacturers Experience takes place June 24-25, in Cleveland, OH.
Among headliner speakers for the conference is Louis Columbus, principal at IQMS, who will cover the 10 best practices emerging from the above-referenced survey. Here’s a taste.
1. Use Data to Drive Daily Decisions
“Top metal forming manufacturers share an unmistakable trait—a passion to use data, from the shop floor to the C- suite, to drive their daily decisions and to develop perform- ance-based incentives to motivate teams. It’s evident through- out plants,” Columbus says, “from the flat-panel screens displaying relative load levels by machine, yield rates by
line and machine, and the overall production efficiency of a given line. “One of the most interesting aspects of this data-driven approach to manufacturing,” Columbus tells MetalForming, “is how involved everyone on the shop floor is with achieving a given goal.” Columbus quotes a stamping press operator who completed the survey, who noted that with a good feel for relative load levels
Louis Columbus
30 MetalForming/May 2019
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and yield rates, “when a customer needs a short-notice pro- duction run, we readily can decide if we have the capacity, even if it means working overtime.”
2. Standardize on a Core Set of Metrics and KPIs
Those businesses struggling to grow often go through a continual trial-and-error approach to selecting the met- rics and KPIs used to manage their operations. By contrast, says Columbus, the highest-performing metal manufac- turers concentrate on a core set of metrics and KPIs and rarely deviate from them. In particular, they focus on the metrics that tell them the most about production effi- ciency, quality, supplier performance, quality and team performance.
Other best practices Columbus will reflect on during his presentation at our IoT Experience conference include: