Mistakes in the manufacturing industry can happen anywhere, and at any time, regardless of whether you are a small manufacturing business or a large one with hundreds of machines and employees. Luckily, mistakes can be learned from and avoided if you take into consideration the warnings and advice from others who have already made these mistakes. Here are some common mistakes that you should avoid when running a manufacturing business. 

Poor Quality Control

If you run a manufacturing business then it is vital to have a thorough quality control process in place. If there are imperfections coming through on your production line then it is important to pick up on how many, and how frequently these issues occur as it will allow you to take steps or investigate what is causing the problem. If you can identify and fix these issues before sending out any products to your customers and clients, it will also save you and their time, money, and effort.

Lack of Proper Maintenance on Your Machines

Industrial products can fail or become faulty over time due to the high loads and continual usage of the machines, especially with a lack of proper maintenance. This can be a costly mistake if ignored, and not addressed. The most common ways in which this happens is either from poor planning or the reluctance for any downtime on the machines. Just be sure to consider that if one of your machines has a failure or fault and you don’t deal with it, it could make the situation worse and more expensive. It may also possibly lead to a longer downtime than if you initially picked up and solved or replaced the part in your routine maintenance schedule. Make sure you invest in high quality industrial automation products and maintain them properly. 

Not Doing a Test Run

Before you program your machines and then set them running to produce a thousand identical parts, ensure that you do a test run. Mistakes can happen anywhere, from the written instructions and specifications being wrong to human input errors, or even machine malfunctions. You can avoid these costly, and time-consuming problems by simply performing a test run on the first part, this way you can check that the parts you are creating all meet the correct specifications, and are within the set tolerances.

Not Properly Training Your Staff

Like in any industry or role, the training and quality of your staff and employees is very important. You should ensure that you are firstly employing the right people for the job, and secondly that you provide them with the proper training for them to complete their role to the best of their ability. Failure to do either of these can cause an avalanche effect when it comes to making mistakes.

Purchasing Faulty or Low-Quality Equipment or Tools

Some businesses try to corner-cut or save on initial costs when purchasing or supplying their employees with equipment and tools. However, if you want to save yourself problems along with constant replacements or repairs, it is often better to invest in higher-quality tools and equipment.

There are plenty more things to look out for and consider when it comes to mistakes that can be made in the manufacturing industry, but be sure to consider these common ones.