Strategies for Tackling Manufacturing Challenges

The manufacturing sector is still experiencing growth, even with labor and supply chain obstacles. Despite the many challenges of political reforms, tariffs, and climate shifts, manufacturing continues to have a positive outlook for the future. Continue reading to discover the challenges manufacturers are facing and potential solutions.

The challenge of attracting or retaining new manufacturing employees and finding technical support in the industry remains. PTA Plastics is automating product molding to shift labor towards assembly or new technical skills. PTA’s commitment to full servo robots on our molding machines allows for more flexibility in tasks like palletizing, packing, loading inserts, and clipping gates. PTA has made a commitment to developing a formal Automation Engineer Department, which has experienced substantial growth in the last year. This department consists of dedicated engineers and technicians specialized in automation. Additionally, sharing knowledge and expertise among veteran employees is a key aspect of internal training as well.

In response to a challenging labor market, we’ve implemented automated systems to optimize labor utilization. By doing this, the number of operators needed for a job has been reduced, enabling more secondary work press-side and eliminating the need for finishing operations. With hindsight, this leads to improved workforce efficiency and increased output.

A true challenge in manufacturing lies in identifying the root causes of internal and external issues. When using problem-solving tools, a team approach is far more effective than working alone. Examples of these tools are the 5 Why Method, Cause & Effect (Fishbone), and tapping into the team’s collective experiences to arrive at the correct solution.

There is a noticeable increase in both internal and external scrap costs. By adopting a team approach and the pareto principle, establish a systematic method to review data, assign action items, and track progress, effectively addressing and eliminating this challenge. For instance, the manufacturing department set up a monthly scrap team at PTA. This team concentrates on the parts with the highest scrap cost, documents action items, and follows up during the next meeting. The use of this approach resulted in a consistent decrease in scrap, month after month. Without the necessary accountability and visibility for scrap, these problems and difficulties may keep increasing.

Managing fluctuations in demand for tooling and services can pose another challenge. Customers might decide to release programs based on readiness rather than capacity. Perhaps managing these highs and lows will solve the problem. By communicating, the future demand is evaluated in relation to the available future capacity. PTA has created important positions to provide support for these programs when necessary. Additionally, there may be challenges in attracting and retaining future labor, but PTA is implementing various measures to address this. Labor can be eliminated by employing hot tips, valve gates, or other runner-less tool designs. The demand for labor is greatly reduced as robotics and automation become more prevalent, even for short production runs. There are numerous unexpected ways in which automation can be implemented.

Global supply chain issues were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases the lead-times for raw materials doubled and tripled. Materials were occasionally placed under force majeure circumstances. These issues can be addressed with the help of a few items:

Consider the supply chain when choosing materials for a new program. Minimize lengthy supply chains and prioritize domestic sourcing. Don’t rely on global supply chains involving long-distance shipping of materials.

Whenever feasible, make sure to use and verify two distinct materials for each application. It is crucial to source the dual materials through distinct supply chains.

Labor shortages and high employee turnover have been common challenges across all industries in recent years. PTA has addressed these challenges by working on several initiatives:

Place a strong emphasis on automation. PTA has prioritized automation and has assembled a team specifically for this task. Automation enables PTA to utilize higher skilled labor for specific tasks, reducing the manufacturing operation’s dependence on manual labor.

Concentrate on training. Robust training protocols are essential to ensure a seamless and expedited onboarding process in the face of frequent employee turnover.

Drawing in a younger group of employees. The key to attracting and retaining the younger workforce and promoting manufacturing lies in committing to job fairs, STEM, and a wide range of available programs. PTA’s tool shop in Colorado saw a shift from an older workforce to now having 70% of employees under the age of 35. Despite the challenges, perseverance and networking have made this solution successful.

Although there isn’t a simple solution, successful strategies exist to overcome these manufacturing challenges. Businesses can adapt to a constantly changing market by investing in smart manufacturing and modern approaches. PTA Plastics is dedicated to investing in the dynamic complexities that come with these challenges.