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12 Things to Look For in a Manufacturing Operating System

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    I love all things manufacturing. And I love operating, (especially because I played a doctor on TV). So, what's left? The system part.

    Now that the puns are out of the way, let's get down to business. The Manufacturing business. Your business. It would be great if everyone could come to work, have everything they need to do their jobs, and all the details would take care of themselves. Particularly some of the less fun details: like getting the right materials into your plant, on time, every time; like all of the equipment up and running, all the time. Like not having to worry about nuisances like scheduling, performing PMs, doing inventory and cycle counts. All the paperwork that accounting and auditors love so much. Sign me up for the 'Everything always works right factory', please.

    How It Used To Be

    When this young lass started her manufacturing journey, there were obviously Manufacturing Operating Systems in place. Nothing like the systems available today. My personal modus operandi came from my older sister, who worked for our parent company, which I didn't realize at the time. Yes, I was young and naive.

    Her advice to me: "Do whatever you have to do to get your foot in the door. Sweep the floors if you have to. And sweep them so well, they'll ask you to take on more and more." She was right. Many times I swept the floor because I wasn't really sure what else to do. I didn't want to hear my Mom's voice in my head saying, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." I worked and learned and swept and learned and worked and sometimes slept manufacturing. Yes, that means I dreamed about it.

    Back then, the keys to the Manufacturing Operating Systems kingdom were in the hands of people much farther up the food chain than I. Youngsters just starting out today have no idea how good they have it now! Transparency wasn't the cornerstone of manufacturing principles that it is now. We had to sweep uphill through the snow in steel toed shoes to get a glimpse of the entire Kingdom.

    So, when another sister entered the Wonderful World of Manufacturing just a few short years later, she had the benefit of my experience to start her down the path of manufacturing knowledge. My advice to her: "Keep your eyes open, keep your mouth shut, and keep your nose to the grindstone." Yes, we used words like grindstone back in the olden days of the 20th Century.

    Cathy had not only the benefit of my wisdom, for which she will be eternally grateful, she had joined manufacturing when the need for transparency in our plant was gaining traction. Everything was not made to feel like a state secret. More and more 'regular' folks had access to actual data, so they knew immediately if we were ahead of the curve or losing the battle. As we embarked on our collective journey toward Lean Manufacturing, the culture shift necessitated more and more transparency.

    The Manufacturing Operating Systems used throughout our plant had to be accessible to everyone. The time for scrawling hand written notes and making tick marks on spreadsheets was over. Expecting folks at all levels of the production organization to spend hours manually inputting numbers was no longer realistic, not that it ever was.

    Manufacturing Operating Systems of Today

    Fasten your seatbelts as we're about to fast forward to the 21st Century. Enter L2L! Finally, one Manufacturing Operating System capable of delivering what your shop needs! And not just an umbrella pulling all of your other systems together, which L2L does exceedingly well. A full Lean Execution System (LES).

    You are called on to execute every day. Your Manufacturing Operating System must be able to execute every day as well. Want to know the secret? What does L2L bring to the party that no other software solution can?

    L2L is the ideal Manufacturing Operating System because it was conceived by people who know Manufacturing, born out of necessity, and designed and developed by people who understand the needs and realities of Manufacturing. Because they have lived Manufacturing, in all its wondrous complexity. L2L is not the product of a cluster of isolated pocket protectors high up in a lofty tower where the air is definitely thinner and everything works out on paper.

    This is what manufacturing operations leaders demand from their Manufacturing Operating System:

    • Facilitates the production, consumption, and delivery of materials and services simultaneously
    • Allows for easy management and allocation
      • Resources
      • Materials
      • Time
    • Production Scheduling
    • Manufacturing Execution

    What indicators can you look for so you will know you're making the perfect software solution selection? Make sure your Manufacturing Operating System hits these points:

    1. Efficient & Effective - not the same thing
    2. Drives ROI - some systems are just too expensive and / or take too long to implement.
    3. Real-Time data, immediately available
    4. Intuitive: easy to use, easy to understand, easy to train
    5. Versatile & Flexible
    6. Visual - allows everyone to grasp the situation at a glance
    7. Enhances and encourages Transparency
    8. Manages all manufacturing processes, beginning to end
    9. Outstanding reporting capabilities
    10. Integrates throughout your business to pull it all together
    11. Provides actionable, accurate, decision making data
    12. Customizable escalation protocols and notification capabilities

    With L2L as your Lean Execution - Manufacturing Operating System, you can be assured that we will help you do what you do, only better.

    If you're interested in learning more about how L2L can help you, See how L2L can help you improve your operations.