5 Ways to support continuous improvement in production with Real-Time Tracking (Part 1)

Manufacturers face constant pressure from clients to deliver better products. They want better quality, faster delivery, and lower prices. The common way to address these demands is to implement a Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) approach to production processes.

However, an even better way is to implement Kaizen together with new Industry 4.0 technologies that are already transforming manufacturing thanks to the use of data and increased automation.

The first step to improving something is knowing how it actually works. In the industry, Lean practitioners have traditionally relied on observations to understand a given process, but now it’s possible to use actual data. They can be collected not only from stationary machines and automated production lines, but also about non-automated processes thanks to real-time tracking of moving objects such as forklifts, AGVs, tugger trains, tools, workers as well as WIP.

In this article, we will explore how the use of so-called Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) can support Kaizen in real life.

Why use Real-Time Tracking for Kaizen?

Kaizen seeks to optimize manufacturing by providing a strategy to reduce seven specific wastes (illustrated in Image 1) and fostering a culture where everyone works to identify and correct inefficiencies.

Real-time tracking helps to implement Kaizen by provides data that can be used to:

• identify sources of wastes
• design waste-reduction initiatives
• monitor implementation of these initiatives
• assess results; and repeat the whole process as many times as needed

Source: Indoorway