Limited social or other compliance oversightĪ good factory takes steps to plan well for disruptions, whether they’re using sub-suppliers or not. Misunderstandings regarding your quality requirements. Increased production and shipping delays. But an overreliance on sub-suppliers can complicate your supply chain with the following: Most factories must rely on sub-suppliers for different manufacturing inputs, like packaging, for example. You can often validate this claim for yourself while visiting the factory.Ī supplier with a lower capacity than promised might outsource production to sub-suppliers. Factory capacity: Production planning boardĪ supplier will often tell you their production capacity exceeds your order quantity to convince you to place an order. Are materials and components labeled clearly and accurately? You should be able to spot signs and labels next to materials, even if you can’t read the local language.Ģ. Are parts or semi-finished goods stacked neatly in an accessible location? Disorganized items could be damaged or lost between production stages. Do employees seem to be walking far from one production area to another? Moving long distances to transport materials can cause bottlenecks and slow down production. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself when visiting a factory to evaluate its organization: While you might see 5S posters when touring factories, it’s rare to see small- and medium-sized factories that actually implement the 5S method. 
Sustain: Train employees to make 5S a habit and monitor implementation. Standardize: Schedule regular cleaning and maintenance. Shine: Clean the factory area on a regular basis. Set in order: Organize remaining items and arrange for easy use. Sort: Sort through all items in a factory area and remove unnecessary tools, parts and instructions. The rough English translation of each of the five S’s is: Poor organization can cause many problems-from order delays to wasteful production processes, poor quality and even safety issues ( related: Factory Efficiency: 5 Common Examples of Poor Factory Layout & Process Setup).īut how do you know what a “good” factory looks like? All you need to remember is “5S”.ĥS is a workplace organization method originating from Japan as part of the “just-in-time” manufacturing methodology. You often don’t need a black belt in Six Sigma to spot serious organizational issues during a factory visit. 
Whether your factory is in China, Vietnam, India or elsewhere, here are six areas to check during your next visit. But visiting the factory is a valuable opportunity for you to informally evaluate the factory for yourself.
There’s no substitute for a formal audit of a supplier’s facilities. If you’re not prepared, your factory contact might rush you through a brief tour of parts of the facility before you have a chance to see any issues or ask any questions. Productive factory visits can lead to improved product quality, smoother communication and fewer production delays.Īnd preparing before your visit helps ensure you get the maximum benefit and insight from your trip. Many importers use factory visits as an opportunity to strengthen their relationship with a supplier and evaluate their capabilities. But how can you verify what they’re saying is true? Managers and salespeople from overseas factories will often assure you they can make any quantity of any product you want, all of the highest quality. Here are six areas that you should check when visiting your factory. Visiting a factory can be a valuable opportunity to informally evaluate the factory.
0 kommentar(er)
