3 Risks Hurting Your Steel Shop’s Productivity

For steel fabrication projects to run smoothly, it seems like a million bits and pieces need to work together. Sadly, this is not always the case; three main pitfalls in production can result in lost resources and failed projects. 
     

1. Gaps in Workload and Productivity

A big part of your workday is most likely spent waiting around for other tasks to be finished, like material updates, the next cut list or the truck to be loaded or unloaded. For production to work efficiently, you need to be on top of who is doing what, in what order and with what timelines. 

This requires a lot of information, coordination and preparation. Lacking vital knowledge means there’s the chance you’ll evaluate workloads wrong, and either underuse your resources or find yourself understaffed. Both are costly for the company, even more so if these issues aren’t corrected. 

2. Failed Scheduling 

A product is only truly successful if it’s delivered on schedule. So when you’re planning a project, several things need to be taken into account. First, you need to have a clear understanding of the priorities of each project’s schedule, since often more than one is being worked on at the same time. Second, it’s important to stay on top of material handling. If routing to and from subcontractors is not handled properly, you risk wasting time and material. 

Finally, successful operations require everyone to know their tasks throughout the entire project. Inefficient or unclear communication about expectations and deadlines can result in unsuccessful production, late deliveries or no deliveries at all.

3. Inefficient Projects Inhibit Workflow

When planning operations, you need to ensure planned deliveries are shipped on time, every single day. If your staff isn’t aware of what’s expected of them, or they’re missing clear, updated information of inventory levels, it’s difficult to ensure that the right material is ready at the right time. Your shop’s efficiency suffers when staff are frequently running to you asking for drawings, material locations or other instructions.

Smooth workflows require real-time information and streamlined processes. If they’re not in order, your business slows down because time and effort go into tasks that could be avoided with better planning. 

Every part has to work together seamlessly, or your production is in danger. Ideally, different parts of the production process should come together effortlessly, resulting in a cost-effective, desired outcome. The above factors, however, put this at risk. Each pitfall has the potential to disrupt production at a different stage of the process. If workload, scheduling and external collaboration are not all carefully planned, you may end up with too little time, unleveraged manpower or, at worst, a late delivery.