The data speaks for itself; today, the global economy is ready for a super V-shaped recovery and the great challenge for manufacturing companies will be how to best handle the increase in production while maintaining a high level of efficiency.
This very aggressive increase in demand is putting many companies in the manufacturing sector under serious production stress.
Now more than ever is the time to identify the right strategy to manage the increase in order volume and the real market challenge is in identifying the right tools.
Though it may be perfectly clear which technology and tools to use to produce small batches, the same cannot be said when we go from small volumes to greater quantities with batches of over 500 pieces, where things get complicated and devastating mistakes can be made.
LOW PRODUCTION VOLUMES =
MACHINING CENTERS
MEDIUM-LARGE PRODUCTION VOLUMES=
???
In the first case, low production volumes, the best solution is with no doubt Machining Centers, where there is only a single spindle for machining operation and, therefore, the cycle time is an algebraic sum of all the tools that machine the piece in sequence.
This technology is ideal to produce batches up to a maximum of 500 pieces.
But what if the volumes increase?
In the second case, when production volumes grow, most manufacturing companies have the “unhealthy” tendency of increasing the number of machines in an attempt to increase output.
How? By purchasing multiple Machining Centers to line up in the department, generating the “Battery of Machining Centers” phenomenon.
At first glance, this seems to be the only reasonable strategy to keep up with increased demand but actually, nothing could be farther from the truth.
This production model brings with it numerous disadvantages, the most significant of which being higher structure costs.
Attempting to increase output by increasing the number of Machining Centers is a recipe for bankruptcy with several critical issues.
THE 8 CRITICAL ISSUES YOU HAVE IN PRODUCTION WITH A BATTERY OF MACHINING CENTERS!
Below are the 8 main issues you will face if you keep purchasing Machining Centers in battery:
- YOU ARE FORCED TO TOOL 3 MACHINES (longer tooling times)
- YOU ARE FORCED TO HAVE A TRIPLE SET OF TOOLS RIGHT AWAY (higher equipment purchasing costs)
- YOU ARE FORCED TO CHECK PIECES PRODUCED BY 3 DIFFERENT MACHINES (less reliable CPK)
- YOU ARE FORCED TO TAKE UP MORE SPACE (more space used = more warehouses = more fixed costs)
- YOU ARE FORCED TO SPEND MORE IN AUTOMATION
- YOU ARE FORCED TO ACCEPT HIGHER ENERGY COSTS
- YOU ARE FORCED TO BEAR MORE EQUIPMENT COSTS
- YOU ARE FORCED TO EMPLOY MORE SPECIALIZED OPERATORS
At this point, you might think that with the right method you could resolve the issue, right?
The point is that there is a myriad of production methods in the manufacturing world but almost all of them have a flaw … they don’t take into account the proper tools.
In fact, process innovation requires the right tools to help production departments deal with change and without these tools, you can wreak havoc in the company.
HOW DOES NOT HAVING THE RIGHT TOOLS WREAK HAVOC AND CAUSE STRESS IN A COMPANY?
I’ll give you an example.
- Every day, the sales office is faced with a constantly changing market.
- With the data available, they can’t make long-term plans or predictions.
- Without long-term predictions and planning, the production manager has a hard time managing batches from 500 to 5,000 pieces.
- With quantities that change from one month to the next, the production manager is caught between the market needs and the production department.
- This situation forces the production manager to come up with parallel production cycles (either in-house or outsourced) in order to meet the demand.
- These parallel cycles statistically generate significant waste, loss of efficiency, and many nonconformities in the final product.
- These circumstances do nothing but increase tension between the company’s sales office and production department, thus triggering a cold war between the various company units.
- There’s the risk of damaging the company’s reputation.
In other words, a real domino effect.
Let’s argue in favor of Machining Centers. In fact, tooling time with these machines is short, equal to about 20% of the total time, while the remaining 80% is dedicated to production.
But there’s a big problem: these machines are slow, leading to long delivery times for the end customer, which is often unacceptable.
Plus, the logistics department is often overloaded with work due to the mountain of mini-shipments needed to appease the customer.
As I mentioned, the most common mistake when attempting to increase output is setting up a BATTERY of Machining Centers which, as we said, means installing 3 or 4 machines in a row to manage production, getting caught in an infernal trap.
Today, the manufacturing industry is facing a very particular process, which is seeing an increase in volumes and requests.
If you are a Machining Center user, it’s obvious that you can’t face this new market challenge with the same tools and technology you used in the past.
WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT TO HAVE A MACHINE TOOL THAT COULD INCREASE PRODUCTION SPEED WITHOUT INCREASING THE NUMBER OF MACHINES AND STRUCTURE COSTS?
It’s precisely this new necessity and the serious issues described earlier that created a new segment in the metal processing Machine Tool market, categorized as a MACHINING CENTER but 3 times faster and more productive.
This category of machinery has all the “Lean” features of Machining Centers but with a distinctly superior production capacity, cutting both cycle time and cost per part in one fell swoop.
We’re talking about 3-spindle Machine Tools like the PORTACENTER.
These machines are based on TRANSFER technology, where the 4-station pallet is rotating and, therefore, fast.
Meanwhile, instead of simple transfer units, there are 3 actual independent MACHINING CENTERS, with tool change and tool rotation B axis. This guarantees flexibility.
The PORTACENTER is the leading 3-spindle machine in its category.
THE PORTACENTER IS THE IDEAL TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY AND DEAL WITH BATCHES OF OVER 500 PIECES.
3-SPINDLE MACHINE TOOLS ALLOW YOU TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU WORK, BECOMING 3 TIMES FASTER IN PRODUCTION
Below is a summary of the strengths of the PORTACENTER, the 3-spindle Machine Tool in line with the new Lean Manufacturing processing methods!
- VERY FLEXIBLE: IT CAN BE ADAPTED TO ALL KINDS OF PIECES TO BE MACHINED (MAX 72 OPERATIONS)
- SUPER FAST TOOLING: CHANGEOVER IN 15/20 MINUTES
- FAST IN PRODUCTION: 3 SPINDLES ALWAYS OCCUPIED AND CYCLE TIME MORE THAN 3 TIMES LOWER THAN MACHINING CENTERS
- LOWER EQUIPMENT COST
- LOWEST INVESTMENT COST IN ITS CATEGORY
- SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER COST PER PART
In addition, you’ll have a wide competitive advantage with RECORD response times to your customer requests, which will allow you to beat the competition that keeps insisting on the old business model based on conventional MACHINING CENTERS!
Well, this is obviously my explanation so I might seem biased.
Let’s read the testimony from a PORTACENTER user.
The Testimony…
“Before, we had to create the piece in several steps and we had problems with dents, critical thicknesses, burrs.
Then, thanks to PORTA Production Method, we optimized the cycle, resolving critical quality and cycle time issues.
In addition, now we go from machining one piece to the next in only 15 minutes, thanks to the continuous availability in the tool magazine and the fact that re-tooling only requires changing the jaws.”
Giuliano Pintossi
Production Department Manager
CAVAGNA GROUP (Ponte San Marco, Brescia)
Since 2005, for over 15 years, Porta Solutions has gradually been introducing this new product, opening a new market segment that is a tried-and-true alternative to the common battery of MACHINING CENTERS.
Today, the company boasts the largest machinery fleet in this category, with over 150 3-spindle PORTACENTERs sold both in Italy and abroad.
In addition, the PORTACENTER is a standard Machine Tool, produced in series. Here is why:
THE PORTACENTER HAS THE LOWEST COST IN ITS CATEGORY!
Now it’s your turn!
Stop for a moment and take 10 minutes to answer the following 3 questions. I recommend writing them down on paper: it’s very important to put the answers in writing rather than just thinking them. Writing is more difficult because it requires concentration, that concentration that we often do not have for lack of time but that makes us make WRONG decisions or, even worse, prevents us from deciding at all.
WHAT WOULD CHANGE AT YOUR COMPANY IF YOU INSTALLED A PORTACENTER FOR BATCHES FROM 500 TO 5,000 PIECES?
INSTEAD, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU CARRY ON INSTALLING TRANSFER MACHINES OR MACHINING CENTERS?
FINALLY, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU WERE TO DO NOTHING AND POSTPONE YOUR DECISIONS?
REMEMBER: it is not the strongest who survive but those who quickly adapt to new scenarios!
Ask for a FREE consultation with one of our TECHNICAL TUTORS.
Phone: +39 030 800673
Email: info@portaproduction.com
To learn more about Competitive Production and PORTA Production Method
CLICK HERE >>> www.machiningcentersbook.com <<<
My book dedicated to users of machine tools who want to make the leap in quality is waiting for you!!!
To your results, Maurizio Porta
Master Trainer PORTA PRODUCTION METHOD
Leave a Reply