Increasing Productivity in Manufacturing and Logistics

Increasing productivity determines whether delivery times can be met and costs go down. Rising costs and growing competitive pressure demand fast, measurable improvements in manufacturing and logistics.

A productivity analysis by Fraunhofer IML creates transparency about performance and losses, and it names concrete potentials for cost reduction. We combine data-based evaluations with on-site studies and methods of industrial engineering. The result is a set of measures that plant and production management can implement at short notice.

Productivity losses rarely arise at a single point. In most cases, people, machines and processes interact. Labor productivity drops when non-value-adding tasks dominate the work content. Equipment productivity suffers from unplanned downtime, performance losses and quality defects. Long idle times and complex setup processes add to this. Without reliable data, this web of causes remains blurred. That is why we start with a data-based productivity analysis. REFA time studies, work sampling studies and the analysis of workflows and performance data reveal where productivity losses occur and which causes have the greatest impact.

Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML quantifies losses along clearly delimited fields. On-site studies produce a reliable picture of actual performance. On this basis, we assess every potential in terms of impact, effort and feasibility.

Five steps lead from the study to measurable impact in manufacturing and logistics.

• evaluate performance data and identify non-value-adding shares with data support
• capture processes on site: value stream, material flow and time management according to REFA or MTM
• assess metrics: overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), setup times according to SMED, capacity utilization
• assess bottlenecks and trace transport, waiting and idle times back to their causes
• prioritize measures by impact, effort and feasibility

Request a productivity analysis

Our service portfolio combines analysis, assessment and implementation planning. Six fields are at the center. Labor productivity, equipment productivity and equipment utilization show how well personnel and technology are utilized. Examining material flow efficiency, lead times and setup times reveals losses and weak points in the process.

For employee productivity, we capture work content, task proportions and time expenditures; this makes labor productivity metrics comparable. For equipment, we examine availability, performance and quality; loss times and unplanned downtime become visible.

Anyone who wants to increase machine productivity receives concrete starting points through overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and setup process analyses according to SMED. Benchmarking of processes and performance metrics puts the results into context. We plan efficiency improvement in manufacturing all the way to the individual measure: optimized workflows, adapted layouts and improved production control.

"For us, increasing productivity means combining data with process knowledge. We identify non-value-adding shares, analyze workflows and material flows, and show which measures can specifically improve costs, lead times and capacity utilization."
Felix Borgmann M. Sc., researches productivity analyses in manufacturing and logistics at Fraunhofer IML

Decision-makers receive transparency, quantified potentials and implementable measures. Our expertise ranges from time management according to REFA or MTM through value stream and material flow analyses to OEE assessment. Setup time analyses according to SMED increase equipment availability and flexibility. Capacity and utilization analyses show bottlenecks whose elimination shortens lead times. Typical results: lower personnel and process costs, higher labor and equipment productivity, reduced inventory levels.

Reducing Lead Times in High-Pressure Valve Manufacturing

A high-tech company manufactures valves for high-pressure applications of up to 14,000 bar. Strong volume growth and long delivery times increased the pressure on lead times. Value stream mapping revealed weak points in the order flow. An analysis of production equipment capacities determined bottlenecks on a data basis.

The previous "ad-hoc logistics" was replaced by a logistics concept with demand-oriented production supply. In addition, we examined the interfaces to engineering, quality assurance and external contract manufacturing, and derived measures for efficiency improvement that can be implemented immediately.

Long delivery times, rising costs, unclear causes of loss: decisions need figures instead of assumptions.

• receive quantified causes of loss – a reliable basis for short-term decisions
• get potentials prioritized by impact, effort and feasibility
• gain access to methods of industrial engineering: OEE, SMED, REFA or MTM
• efficiency improvement consulting straight from research – fast and by direct route

A first conversation remains non-binding and is guided by your specific question in manufacturing or logistics.

Review productivity potentials