Growth Demands a Flexible Mind-Set

Today’s manufacturers continue to balance the demands of aligning production requirements with customer demand, all while trying to increase spindle utilization. The challenge of producing a diverse product portfolio with shorter production runs and keeping inventories low requires higher spindle utilization and increasing process optimization.

Many companies are finding that conventional manufacturing methods are no longer sufficient for their current requirements. Many times the biggest challenge lies internally—and that is in getting over the discomfort related to changing a process. This is where a flexible mind-set and flexible-enabling technology can make that process a reality. Companies need this enabling technology for them to become efficient enough to keep up with the increasing and changing demands.

Implementing flexible automated technology can help a company standardize operations, push product out faster and achieve the kind of quality that helps them better compete against pressures from low-labor-cost countries. These companies thoroughly understand how their investment ultimately impacts their overall cost and their bottom line.

With less downtime (the result of a robust and reliable machine platform), increased capacity and enabling automation technology, the results translate into meeting customer demand.

The original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) featured in this issue of Competitive Production all have one thing in common: innovation. They innovated their machining operations with the kind of flexible technology that keeps them agile enough to switch between orders as their business situation changes. They were open enough to work with Makino engineers who understood how to help them execute their vision—whether that involved implementation of horizontal machining centers in flexible modular systems or achieving specific output quantities or a quality standard. Having that open mind has helped them meet mounting just-in-time requirements, no matter what the volume or variety, while providing reliability and tangible value.

Is your company willing to change its mind-set about its current manufacturing process?