For all businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a commercial curved ball that has required some major re-thinking of operational norms. In the manufacturing and logistics sectors, many companies have had to adjust quickly with measures such as PPE, daily health checks, split shifts and changes to capacity. As we look ahead to an easing of the lockdown restrictions, it’s clear that we will not be going back to business-as-usual, so the question now is how do we prepare for the new normal on the factory floor?
Operational Efficiency
Whether your company increased capacity, kept to normal throughput, reduced output or closed completely during the restrictions, it is likely that you will need to rethink how you operate your facilities in the short to medium term after lockdown.
Layouts that were previously carefully considered to ensure operational efficiency or implement lean management strategies may not allow effective social distancing regimes. While PPE to protect workers has been vital in the effort to keep production moving while the pandemic has been at its height, in the longer term this could cause discomfort to operatives working long shift and prove expensive to maintain. Introducing additional shifts to reduce the number of operatives on site at any given time is another alternative, but there may also be safety and operational issues with lower staff numbers working a shift.
How We Can Help
At AIS Vanguard, we are already helping businesses across a diverse range of manufacturing, production, packing and logistics sectors to implement an alternative strategy. By considering the floorplate, equipment and workflow requirements of a facility, we can help companies plan how the layout can be changed to optimise operational efficiency while allowing the team to work two metres apart.
Our experience of factories and packing environments means that we are able to advise customers and work collaboratively with them to understand their needs. We can then create a critical path to implement the new layout, phasing the movement of equipment before beginning the process of decommissioning, moving and re-installing machines.
The manufacturing and logistics sectors have played a critical role in ensuring goods have been available and efficiently delivered to the point of use during the pandemic. These sectors will play an equally important role during the recovery and maximising capacity and profitability will have to be balanced with keeping workers safe. It is likely that social distancing requirements will need to be in place for some time after the lockdown so considering revised layouts to enable safer working environments is a key consideration.
To find out more about the reconfiguration and movement of machinery services offered by AIS Vanguard contact us on 01257 441111.