OEE and the Hidden Roll Former Part II: Analyzing Opportunity Costs

It’s not uncommon for roll formers to have an average 20% OEE. Some may even say that 20% OEE is a great number. As established in Part I of our OEE discussion, a 20% OEE says that you’re only experiencing 20% of what your roll former can produce, and you’re walking away from the remaining 80%. What is the opportunity cost of being satisfied with a 20% OEE?

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Understanding the True Cost of Quality

When the subject of how to improve product quality comes up in a management meeting, it won’t be surprising if one of the suggestions offered includes adding a final inspection before shipping to make sure all orders sent out are accurate. Sounds reasonable enough. A final inspection sounds like an effective way to double check orders before shipping. How good is a final inspection in maintaining quality?

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Industry 4.0: How it has Changed the Metal Forming Industry

There has been a lot of buzz about Industry 4.0, and how it is going to change the face of manufacturing. We’ve all read the very promising and lofty statistics such as a 30% increase in productivity, and a 2-year ROI on investment. The “smart factory” has been held up as an ideal that appears futuristic and unattainable to most metal fabricators. Before you dismiss Industry 4.0 as nothing more than marketing hype, let’s talk about past industrial revolutions and where we are today.

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OEE: Uncovering Your Hidden Roll Former

If you could produce more, could you sell it?

If you said yes after reading the question above, congratulations! You are in position to significantly increase your revenue any time your metal forming machine is running. This is an enviable position indeed.

So how do you ramp up production to meet sales demand?

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Folding Machine Sequencing

Meet Joe. He has been a folding machine operator at ACME Buildings for over 15 years. ACME Buildings has relied on Joe to run the folding machine and fulfill their trim orders. Joe seems to magically and effortlessly pull off amazing profiles. Joe is fantastic. ACME Buildings has full confidence in Joe. But there is one thing that makes Joe’s manager reach for the bottle of antacid: whenever Joe requests time off.

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June is National Safety Month

It’s no surprise that people get hurt. Some by sheer clumsiness or inattentiveness, some by negligence, and sometimes accidents just happen. People get hurt. It happens.

In the manufacturing sector, the inevitability of employee accidents is a concern for business owners. Employee safety equates to a better work environment, happier employees, and less risk of judgements or fines. In recognition of June being National Safety Month, it’s good to focus on safety and celebrate its importance; keep in mind however, safety should be a mindset year-round.

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The Importance of Partnership with Your Metal Forming Controls Provider

The right controls partner can do more than just provide and support a controller that helps improve efficiency. Controller companies in the metal forming industry have been exposed to many different scenarios and design challenges, and the good ones have solved them. They have worked as consultants, helped troubleshoot, and offered new solutions to metal formers.

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Marking or Printing and the Sheet Metal Industry

Within the metal construction industry, there are many reasons why marking is important. From code compliance to brand marketing and even packaging, adding the appropriate part or package marking to the production process can bring many benefits to a manufacturer: increased brand visibility, increased part adoption, inventory tracking and much more.

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Don’t Throw Out That Old Folding Machine Just Yet

Remember the thermostats of old? I could never clearly figure out what was the temperature based on the red needle that seemed to dance around over unclear tick marks. And when you adjusted the temperature setting, it always ended up either too hot or too cold. Getting what you wanted was a test in trial and error, and lots of patience.

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We Live in a Subscription Economy

One can almost say subscriptions are a way of life. Pioneered by magazines and newspapers to provide a valuable and reliable service to consumers, the subscription services of today have exploded to provide consumers a repeatable, dependable supply of products ranging from pet food, razors, clothes, and even entertainment.

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