The TOP 5 Lean Production Methods for factory planning

Planerin bedient Touchbildschirm Prozessplanung mit logix in der Software visTABLE

Lean production methods and lean management traditionally focus on continuous improvement (KAIZEN). Many lean methods therefore logically focus on discovering waste in existing processes. In this way, they trigger the continuous improvement process in the company. In factory planning, on the other hand, completely new productions are created on the drawing board. Innovative processes are … Read more

What is a production cell?

metaphor for a production cell in form of an island in the ocean

In contrast to our illustration, which may seem sarcastic in view of climate change, production cells refer to a type of manufacturing in which different machines or workplaces are usually grouped together locally. This allows similar work on several different products to be concentrated in one area, ideally producing functionally self-contained outputs (intermediate products, assemblies). … Read more

What means Cardboard Engineering?

illustration of cardboard engineering in factory hall

Cardboard Engineering is a lean management method for designing workplaces on a 1:1 scale using cardboard or wooden models. This is carried out as a workshop involving the people who (will) work at the workplaces. Therefore, the Cardboard Engineering solutions are well accepted. In addition, production and processes benefit from the ideas and experience of … Read more

Turning planning costs into benefits

Turning planning costs into benefits.

Larger investments are an extraordinary burden on the budget and should pay off over several years. Minimizing the investment sum is therefore one of the TOP 5 targets for most people. It is not uncommon for savings to be made where the benefits are not really apparent – in the planning costs. But are investments … Read more

What is a material flow matrix used for?

The material flow matrix is a simple model for the tranportation processes in production.

The material flow matrix (also: transport, flow, or intensity matrix) is one of the best known and not least simple formal models for the representation of logistical processes in manufacturing companies. The following is recorded in it: Sources and sinks for material flow: In logistics, this refers to the locations (resources) from which material is … Read more

Floorspace dimensioning in factory planning

illustration of floorspace dimensioning in a factory full of equipment

If a new production layout is to be planned, the question of space requirements always arises. In factory planning, the resulting task is called floorspace dimensioning. It is assigned to the planning step Dimensioning. In the course of a factory planning project, dimensioning is a prerequisite for layout planning. This is because only objects that … Read more

What does ideal factory layout mean?

ideal layout as red thread which leads through factory layout planning

In philosophy and technology, ideal stands for a model of perfection. The eponym is the idea (lat. idea), the thought of the perfect. At the same time, the ideal hoovers in the space of the unattainable, and it is therefore often classified by pragmatists as an ambitious goal, which gradually erodes in practice. The theory … Read more

Rough layout vs. fine layout

illustration of different perspectives on rough and fine layout in layout planning

Rough layout and fine layout are terms often heard in factory layout planning. Usually, they are also used intuitively. Almost everyone has an idea of what they mean. The rough stands for rather imprecise or conceptual, while the fine is rather associated with sophistication, accuracy, and high detailing. And this is where the intuitive basic … Read more

Contemporary IT for the War for Talents

Digital native on job hunt in times of skills shortage

The “War for Talents” has accompanied industry for many years. Small and medium-sized companies, in particular, are now struggling to recruit talent. The Corona pandemic only eased the situation briefly. The problem remains. Qualified personnel is lacking in many places. Although or precisely because they are of fundamental importance to the industry. They ensure a … Read more