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Increase productivity: focus

on outputs versus inputs

AS THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY APPROACHES A ‘NEW NORMAL’, THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
WILL SEE SOME CHANGES, AND THOSE QUICK OFF THE MARK MAY GAIN AN ADVANTAGE. HERE
RACHEL CHANCELLOR, MARKETING MANAGER AT ADHESIVES SPECIALIST INTERTRONICS, EXPLORES
HOW MANUFACTURERS CAN INCREASE THEIR PRODUCTIVITY POTENTIAL

he UK has a painful recent record on productivity, proportionally increasing input does result in greater because this is what often makes the biggest difference in
but will need to compete hard as the economy productivity, an equally valid approach is to achieve the terms of keeping input levels to a minimum whilst
restarts. This will mean using your workforce and same output while decreasing input. producing a consistent, high-quality product. It’s a simple
Tresources more efficiently and by being astute Perhaps the current market size for your product is equation: better productivity comes from increased outputs
enough to give your employees the means to do their jobs limited to what you are already producing at the moment. and/or decreased inputs. Improving productivity doesn’t
more productively. When we think about how to increase Making even more widgets wouldn’t help. So, could you have to be about making big leaps; it might be about
the productivity of an organisation, we often immediately produce the same amount faster/in fewer shifts, or with finding ways to increase your production or decrease your
jump to how to raise output. less waste/rework, or with fewer processes or people inputs in small increments on a regular basis.
How can we make more of that widget, or a better required in the assembly process? With fewer inputs? We all know that the UK has fallen behind in
version of the widget, within the constraints of our productivity compared to our G7 cohorts, but it can seem
production space or other limited resources? Maybe the Future productivity risks daunting to even consider where to start improving our
market is growing rapidly and we need to scale up What if you have a process that is done manually by own processes. If you would like someone to come have a
production. Or perhaps our local market is buying from Martha, and she’s a real expert at it, but if she leaves, no look at what you’re doing and see if they can contribute
abroad because there isn’t enough local supply. one will know how to do what she does? That’s a big risk some ideas for doing that process more efficiently or to a
Maybe our competitors are leading the charge on for future productivity. Or Steve, Diego and Suzanna all higher standard, let us know.
defining people’s expectations for that kind of product, perform the same task, but there is variation in how they Our particular areas of strength are in processes
and we don’t want to become irrelevant or an also-ran. do that, so each widget produced might differ slightly from dealing with adhesives: bonding – sealing, potting,
These are all good reasons to find ways to improve our the others. That can result in quality issues or customer encapsulating, temporary masking; accurate dispensing of
output while maintaining the same or lower variable cost frustration. liquids – and the operations around these functions:
per widget. Productivity isn’t analogous with output, At Intertronics, we talk a lot about accuracy, mixing materials, surface preparation, curing, etc.
though; it’s an equation. Whilst increasing output without repeatability, speed and predictability of processes, MORE INFORMATION: www.intertronics.co.uk/productivity

16 INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY • May/June 2020