By Kurt Nordlund, President
Given today’s extremely competitive
manufacturing landscape, shops are spending more time scrutinizing every aspect
of their production processes to identify areas of potential improvement,
including their cutting tool selections. And this is a good thing because it
shows the “good enough” mentality of days past is out and continuous
optimization of complete manufacturing processes is in.
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| Seco works closely with its customers on process optimization. |
In the past, shops often overlooked many
aspects of the part-production process, having a tendency to focus heavily, or
even exclusively, on just the machine tool. They failed at paying equally
important attention on complementary technologies such as tooling, software and
automation. It’s almost like buying a Ferrari without a high-performance engine
and tires.
Consider a shop that purchases a new machine
tool with the latest technological advances, but then equips it with tooling
used on the shop’s previous machine. Multiple problems can arise from this
scenario. At best, the shop will likely be forgoing getting the maximum
performance out of its costly new investment, representing lost potential and
wasted money. Even worse, the older cutting tools may perform worse in the new
machine than they did in the old, and it’s entirely possible to end up with the
new process providing results that are inferior to what could previously be
obtained.
With the drive for more comprehensive process
optimization, shops are relying more heavily on their suppliers. In fact, the
dynamics of these relationships have changed and grown into collaborations and
partnerships, where both parties work together for mutual support, problem
solving and developing total manufacturing solutions. In fact, the process
improvement work our Productive and Cost Analysis Team and Component Engineering Tooling Group have done for our customers are great examples of
such collaborations.
Utilizing suppliers’ in-depth knowledge of
manufacturing technology as a resource allows shops to keep abreast of the
latest advancements in manufacturing, as well as understand how those
innovations play into process optimization. The end result is that a shop
continues to increase its competitive advantages and differentiate itself as a
technology leader in the increasingly challenging global market.
However, the responsibility for
continuous process optimization should never be placed solely on the shoulders
of manufacturing engineers or the shop’s suppliers. For sustainable success,
companies must develop and integrate continuous improvement programs that drive
and support business development.
Additionally, training – whether
provided by shops themselves or by their suppliers – must accompany and further
support any type of continuous improvement program. At Seco, our STEP program
provides customers with a blend of hands-on training and classroom discussion
to help them implement changes within their operations to improve overall
productivity. After all, the
more knowledge and training people have, the more energized, enthusiastic and
motivated they are to offer suggestions and to work together for continuously
re-evaluating and re-optimizing manufacturing processes.
Continuous improvement programs
may not require fully staffed physical departments, but they do have to
strongly encourage and support a company-wide continuous process optimization
initiative. At every level of the organization, there must be a true drive to
improve. Because in the end, when a manufacturer can be more productive and
profitable through better machining practices, they can pass on more savings to
their customers and, in turn, gain repeat business. It's a win-win for
everybody.
Relevant Seco Video Links
About the Author
Kurt is the president of Seco Tools Inc.
NAFTA, responsible for overseeing the company’s operations in the US, Canada
and Mexico. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, golfing
and other outdoor activities. Contact Kurt at knordlund@secotools.com.
