The economic scene of recent years has seen a very close link between electrical panel construction companies and the demand coming from markets, both national and international, to measure and improve PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY.
Relationship that leads to another need, that of OPTIMIZE PRODUCTION PROCESSES.
These two needs mean that every company must start a moment of reflection and analysis to understand how to PRODUCE in an INTELLIGENT way.
But what does it mean for a company that builds industrial electrical panels?
Analysis, data collection, order progress control, standardization, and increased product quality. This means producing intelligently, efficiently, and optimised.
Given this premise, let’s now see in this article how the desire to automate the construction of industrial electrical panels is a fundamental action for intelligent production.
It is known that work contexts are different, each has its own characteristics and requires an in-depth analysis that takes these characteristics into account in order to say what to change or what to improve.
However, we can make a general reflection on some efficiency actions that are transversal to all panel building companies. In our opinion, they can be summarized in 5 fundamental steps, which every management MUST follow to optimize the production process and reach the goal of automating the construction of industrial electrical panels.
1 – LISTEN, COLLECT AND COLLABORATE WITH YOUR TEAM
Change will only be successful if supported by the entire work group. Therefore, we always suggest involving those who will then have to operationally change their habits and processes.
This phase is an excellent opportunity to listen and collect data. If your company does not yet collect production data instantly, it is time to build a work plan that integrates this very important aspect. Thanks to the data, you will be able to know everything that happens in the department, anticipate the weak points of the production system, make effective decisions to increase productivity and efficiency.
This is the absolute starting point.
2 – SIMPLIFY WORK PREPARATION
First of all, an optimal process depends on the right drawings and information. What does your team need? Will a good 3D drawing and wiring lists be enough? Working together with the technical office can achieve shorter delivery times, at lower costs and with fewer errors.
With planned production it will also be easier to manage the warehouse inventory and structure the entire supply chain. The idea is that purchases will be made only when the products are required, limiting stocks as much as possible.
3 – SEPARE WORK PROCESSES
Let’s start with work preparation, which means project planning.
Nowadays, in the construction of electrical panels, it is customary to follow different operational phases separately: logistics, mechanical processing, component assembly and wiring. However, in many manufacturing companies, these phases are performed manually by the same employee who works everything in the same station.
To improve the process, it is advisable to always separate the phases, so as to be able to use the employee’s knowledge for a specific task, verticalizing it, so as to make the process easier to plan and manage. Furthermore, the separation of the phases allows for better standardization and automation of the process, making it more flexible and adaptable to changing business needs.
Finally, this approach leads to lower and more transparent costs, allowing companies to remain competitive and prosper over time.
4 – REORGANIZE WORK SPACES
The work environment must also be organized according to the production phases. A good flow is essential to ensure that the product can pass easily and quickly from one phase to another, allowing you to work with the fewest possible steps.
An ideal flow could be this:
Incoming logistics –> Mechanical processing –> Parts of the infrastructure –> Parts of the components –> Wiring –> Testing –> Outgoing logistics.
Keeping each workstation clean and tidy is also a crucial aspect. We suggest setting aside a moment at the end of the day to tidy up so you are ready to start again immediately the next day, eliminating everything that is not needed and giving everything a fixed place. It is also important to make sure that everyone knows how to move.
5 – INTEGRATE DIGITALIZATION
Another fundamental step is to digitize the entire flow of information, this will facilitate the transition from manual actions to the use of automatic machines in the production phases. Because automatic machines for wiring electrical panels need the entire flow of information, from design to delivery, to be digital.
Digitization will also allow the creation of standards for each project to be replicated or used as a basis for subsequent ones.
Once all these steps are structured, it will be easier to identify the areas where to intervene to optimize production, perhaps replacing manual operations with automatic machines and systems that allow for improving quality and production efficiency.
Are you a manufacturer of electrical panels and don’t know where to start this journey?
Kablator comes to your aid, with experience, innovation and tools.
info@kablator.com | +39 331 346 6711
