Boosting productivity remains one of the main goals of any manufacturing organization. Traditionally measured as the total units of output per unit of input, productivity represents the amount of useful work produced for the effort put in.
When it comes to manufacturing, productivity is the total sum of the various number of factors, including employee efficiency, equipment, and process efficiency. Therefore, it makes sense to calculate your current productivity levels before you go about trying to increase them.
Here, we talk about how to figure out your current productivity levels, how to increase them, and what can plant productivity system offer you in this regard.

How to go about Calculating Plant Productivity?

A step by step procedure to calculate plant productivity in the manufacturing system is described below. Before you try and increase the levels of productivity at your manufacturing floor, it is essential to follow these steps and figure out where improvements take place.

Getting the Definition of Productivity Right

Productivity is not about how much you pay your labour; it is about how much the labour gives back to you for what you pay them. Therefore, the focus on labour costs per product when calculating productivity.

An efficient productivity calculation should be able to tell you your ability to take raw material and churn out useful products, and not a set of costs related to a single part of the process.
The formula to measure productivity remains as simple as this-
Productivity= (total output units)/(total input units)

Get Multifactor Productivity into the Picture

Instead of focusing on productivity as a single concept, divide it into factors that affect the process. For instance, consider a plant that produces motors, plant productivity is the total sum of the raw materials productivity, labour productivity, and capital productivity.
A plant productivity index that focuses on more than one factor is bound to give you the bigger picture and deliver more scope for improvement of productivity.

Try Not to Overlook Crucial Parts of the Process

While calculating plant productivity, we often tend to forget two significant factors. These are the production time and the role of employees other than those working on the floor. Measuring the unmeasurable, in some respects, thus becomes essential when calculating plant productivity.
Time is a crucial aspect of productivity. For example, if one manufacturing company takes three days to ship out an order, and the other takes a week, their productivity will inevitably differ. So, time is an instrumental factor while calculating productivity.

Strategies For Improving Productivity

Once we know what is meant to improve and where we can design appropriate strategies and methodologies to improve plant productivity. Subsequently, we also talk about plant production system, and why manufacturing companies should opt for one.

Strategies For Improving Plant Productivity

1. Examining the existing workflow. Procedures, tools, people, processes, and technology- everything comes under the workflow of a system. Analysis of this workflow is the first step towards improving plant productivity.
   
2. Develop plans for improvement of business processes. Working with project managers, and discussing problems with people that know what is happening at the manufacturing floor is the next step. Systematic evaluation of performance and analyzing all appropriate changes subsequently follows.
3. Update your tools. With the advent of technology, it has become easier to get more high-tech, smarter tools for machining purposes. While these machines may be costly initially, their long term benefits outweigh the initial costs, and it becomes more productive to get high tech machines even if we have to spend more,
4. Maintenance is important. New equipment, as described above, can boost productivity in the long term, but it also requires proper care and support. Lack of maintenance can result in declining productivity levels; therefore, adequate importance to maintenance should be given to keep plant productivity at healthy levels.

Plant Productivity System, and their Importance for Manufacturing Companies

A plant productivity system is tools that help you get more performance out of your manufacturing plant. For instance, PulseNet Productivity System by Softrol is great tools when it comes to making the most out of your plant’s performance.
Plant productivity system can perform a range of functions. From monitoring and managing people, to keep a close eye on machine performance, these systems reduce human intervention and help manufacturing companies save resources. This system also provides real-time feedback and progress reports to help you monitor every aspect of the process.

Why Plant Productivity System?

The variety of benefits provided by plant productivity system is unmatched. Reducing human intervention to save both time and money directly leads to an increase in productivity for plants and manufacturing companies.

1. Real-time information on operators, machines, and their throughput is collected, analyzed, and then presented for the maximum potential increase in productivity.
2. Production data is usually stored on-site, and your team members are managing the system, rather than experts at some other location.
3. With regular feedback and reports, you can instantly figure out where you need to make a change to boost plant productivity.

Plant productivity system, thus, is great tools to utilize when it comes to boosting productivity. With so many options available today, there is bound to be something for all kinds of manufacturing companies. Analysis, data storage, and subsequently boosting productivity using data at hand becomes more comfortable with plant productivity system.
Want a Plant Productivity System that is tailor-made for your business needs? Connect with our team at enterprise@affle.com for a quick demo.