technology

Industrial processes optimisation, automation and quality management (ISO standards, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen)

High return on capital assets is the key objective of process manufacturing competition. In order to achieve this goal industrial process should operate under optimal conditions by consuming less raw materials and energy resources for the design production rate at the required quality of the product. Environment imposes additional constraints by demands to produce less waste and pollutions.

Different ways may lead to the right solution: properly chosen technology, optimal design variables, maintaining of proper operating modes. With increasing complexity of the industrial processes it is practically impossible to find optimal solutions without information technology tools such as mathematical modeling, computer simulation, implementation of process automation and industrial control systems, etc.

We believe that extremely important when these powerful modern tools will be in hands of the specialists which are not only pureEinformation technology professionals, but they are also are experts in industrial process technology.

Product quality becomes increasingly important to the success of many manufacturing firms. Receiving ISO certifications may distinguish company from its competitors. The certification means that products, materials, services, systems or people measure up to the specifications of a relevant standard. Moreover, today many products require testing for conformance with specifications or compliance with safety, or other regulations before they can be put on many markets.

Two major standards should be mentioned in this regard: ISO 9001 (Quality managementE and ISO 14001 ("environmental management"). Awarding ISO 9001 certification means that the organisation does to enhance customer satisfaction by meeting customer and applicable regulatory requirements and continually to improve its performance in this regard. ISO 14001 certification is an indication that organization does to minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and continually to improve its environmental performance.

Concepts of Six Sigma, lean manufacturing and Kaizen are used to optimise production process and to improve total quality:

Six Sigma:

In this concept Sigma (Greek letter, designates standard deviation in statistics) is the measure used to determine how good or bad the performance of a process is, i.e. it represents how many mistakes a company commits while accomplishing its tasks. Six Sigma, the highest level, is defined as no more than 3.4 defects per 1 million opportunities, or 99.9997 percent perfect.

In the beginning that was just an initiative limited to eliminating product defects. Six Sigma has now grown into a highly structured methodology for improving business processes. It is used to define, measure, analyze, improve, and control the quality in all of a company's products, processes, and

transactions with the ultimate goal to of eliminate defects. Six Sigma brings the methods and analytic tools of engineers to bear on defining the issues that matter most to customers and where changes to work processes can most positively impact those issues. As a concept it leads to a corporate culture change, provides context around why an organization is in business, and promotes the need for improvement through knowledge.

Lean manufacturing:

Lean manufacturing strategy is to produce a high level of throughput with a minimum of inventory. The task is accomplished by placing small stockpiles of inventory in strategic locations around the assembly line, instead of in centralized warehouses. This significantly lowers waste and enhances productivity on the factory floor. In addition to eliminating waste, lean manufacturing aims to optimum quality by building in a method whereby each part is examined immediately after manufacture, and if there is a defect, the production line stops so that the problem can be detected at the earliest possible time.

In this respect, large inventories are seen as a type of waste that carries with it a high cost. Another major focus is to empower workers, and make production decisions at the lowest level possible. Additionally, supply chain management factors heavily into lean manufacturing, and a tight partnership with suppliers is necessary; this facilitates the rapid flow of product and parts to the shop floor.

Kaizen.

Companies utilizing the Kaizen approach much more oriented towards the well-being of their employees, with a more "people-centric" view by management: happy employee is a productive employee.

At its most basic the concept of Kaizen is one of restructuring and organizing every aspect of a system to ensure it remains at peak efficiency. Kaizen is founded upon five primary elements (quality circles, improved morale, teamwork, personal discipline, suggestions for improvement) in combination with a number of principles. These include standardizing as many aspects of the organisation as is possible, removing all inefficiency, and the rules for a good environment:

Kaizen has been proven effective in a number of major Japanese and Western companies even at those corporations which have for years utilized hard-line Western approachesE such as business process engineering

Please contact us to discuss your particular situation and as how we can improve your company's production efficiency.

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