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Let’s Take This Behind the Screen
Lessons learned from 2 virtual shop tours with WEB-CAB’s Production Assistant.
If you missed our WEB-CAB virtual factory tour, here are some key questions and answers from the presentation that will make you want to sign up for the next one!
You think you know what your waste is, but do you?
Mike Baker of the Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario (formerly Blue Water Wood Alliance) opened the lid on Lean principles and gave us some fresh ideas about old waste.
- Define value. Understand what your market is and what your customer wants. You want to provide what customers are willing to pay for and what they see as valuable. Providing anything beyond that is waste.
- Map your value stream. Identify all of the activities that add value and that don’t add value by mapping them out. More often than not, your non-value-added time is more significant than your added value time.
How is Lean just like life?
The point is not to get to the end all at once.
It’s a journey, not a destination.
– Mike Baker, Blue Water Wood Alliance
No matter your shop’s size or technological maturity, you can start attacking goals now with scalable, easy-to-implement software. You can have a real-time view of what’s happening in your shop and the ability to create flexibility in your factory—ultimately improving your quality of life. (ie. Go fishing, get to the cottage, see your kids before they retire.)
Hot tip: If your company is growing in a positive direction, WEB-CAB’s Production Assistant can scale up to adapt to your growing business.
A smart factory, no matter the size.
-Jonathan Saucier, WEB-CAB
How do you implement a new system when you’re so busy?
Find software that pulls from your existing systems – whether that’s CAD/CAM, ERP or spreadsheets.
With Production Assistant, there’s no library to build, and there’s no data to enter. It takes the information you already have and uses it to track and manage what’s happening in your shop. Your staff has eyes on what projects are on the go and their progression so that they can avoid repetitive questions or errors.
What are some of the most exciting features of WEB-CAB’s Production Assistant?
- 3D cabinet view right in the work order. If you’re pulling from CAD software, your team will see the relevant cabinet right in the work order.
- The Warning Center. Your station operators can scan parts to flag them as damaged and alert the office so the parts can be reproduced without wasting time or materials.
- Automated sorting and assembly. With the scan of a barcode, the system will show the operator where on the rack to place each part and ensure that every part is in place before signalling that it’s ok to move on to the next step.
- Track the progress of each project and measure if your team is on track, ahead of time, or behind. Know your numbers so you can stay on track with objectives, budget, and schedules.
- Labelled kits. Reduce errors at shipping by giving your loading team a full view of the contents of each kit in just one scan. Nothing is lost; nothing gets on the wrong truck. The information is easily shared with the truck driver and the installer, so you’re reducing errors all the way to the job site.
WEB-CAB’s Production Assistant is quick to implement, easy to learn and provides fast ROI. We’re sad you missed the Virtual Factory Tour, but we’d be happy to show you a demonstration.