Is Your Manufacturing Process Global Ready?

Companies wanting to grow and expand globally must have strategies in place that support growth, which includes eliminating operational silos, automating manual processes and gaining visibility across the entire supply chain. To become a leader in your industry, you need to bring high quality, innovative products to market faster than your competitor.

Innovation represents the best way for the US to compete for new economic activity and job creation, both by using technology to dramatically boost productivity, process improvements and quality as well as by developing the next generation of innovative manufactured products. Innovative products need innovative production operations that incorporate lean principles.

The Toyota Production System, a just-in-time production methodology, emphasizes a continuous flow method in production. This methodology requires that parts are moved through operations from step to step with no work-in-process in between. To accomplish this, all necessary equipment and parts are located within a cell in the sequence in which it is used.

Not every product is suited for this type of production line. For example, processes must consistently produce quality products and processes must be repeatable with no variation. Equipment used in a continuous flow production line must have a high uptime so that manufacturing can continue. Continuous flow manufacturing is best for discrete manufacturing, not batch production.

When innovation is the key to your competitive advantage and global growth, you need to speed your production of products through a continuous flow production process. UNEX Manufacturing provides UNEX Flow Cell workstations that are modular, dynamic storage units that can be placed within a continuous flow production line, holding inventory close by to maximize pick efficiency.  UNEX Flow Cells can be mobile, stationary or lineside to facilitate lean principles, reduce waste and speed production.