How to boost productivity using sewing and fabric welding technologies
In today’s fast-paced world, where demands for many products are at an all-time high, how can you maximize your resources and enhance productivity?
The term productivity refers to a performance measure that compares the output of a product to the input (resources) required for its production. These resources may include labour, equipment, or financial investment. Essentially, productivity evaluates how efficiently something is created or achieved. For example, in the business context, it is often calculated by comparing the number of product units produced to the labour hours invested or by analysing net sales in relation to labour hours
How do we measure productivity?
That depends on what size and type of business you have. What matters to 1 company will be very different for another. It very much depends on you - your focus might be the number of units out of the door each day. You could want the least waste possible or it could be the highest of quality standards. For many cost will be one of the most important factors but that shouldn't affect the quality of your product because you still need to sell it. You should decide what is the most important for you.
How can you improve productivity?
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Improving productivity depends significantly on your company’s unique context. Here are some strategies to enhance productivity in your business, particularly when using sewing and fabric welding technologies:
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Optimize Factory Layout: Arrange machinery and workstations logically to follow the natural flow of production. This minimizes the time spent moving products between stations, ultimately speeding up production.
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Prioritize Machine Maintenance: Often, sewing and fabric welding machines are neglected by operators who lack a sense of ownership. Implement a regular cleaning and maintenance program—just a few minutes each day or week—to prevent downtime and maintain optimal machine efficiency. This can reduce the need for service engineers’ visits.
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Embrace Multi-Skilling: If your sewing or welding work hours are limited, consider cross-training employees. Instead of hiring a dedicated sewing machinist, empower workers with multiple skills. This flexibility ensures efficient utilization of available labour.
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De-Skill Processes: Invest in user-friendly equipment to simplify processes. Upgrading to sewing or welding machines with intuitive interfaces can reduce the skill level required. From basic joining and hemming tasks to fully automated systems, prioritize ease of operation.
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Some examples:
Durkopp Adler Delta series of sewing machines - these are electronic sewing machines with built in operator screens. They can offer on-screen instructions to the operator on the piece that they are sewing and it can alert the operator to a problem with the machine, with access to parts lists and the ability to call a service engineer.
Solent S-1010H-P pattern sewing machine. Instead of an operator sewing box patterns on webbing, just insert the webbing into the simple jig, press a button and hey presto you have a box pattern sewn in seconds - the same every time.
Solent Texsew Pro Conveyorline sewing system used mainly in the digital printing industry but can also be supplied with tooling for many other production requirements. The sewing system is operated with 1 pedal and has sensors to do the start and end tacks as well as cutting and inserting the keder used in Silicone Edge Graphics (SEG). It also has tooling for hems, pockets and attaching Velcro or webbing reinforcements. This is an example of de-skilling and also future-proofing your investment so that it can do those sewing jobs that you don't even know exist just yet.
Miller Weldmaster T300 fabric welder joins and finishes the edges of thermoplastic materials. So, instead of sewing the fabric is bonded together using heat. It is a fast machine with the versatility to make anything form banners to inflatable boats, filter tubes, lorry tarpaulins plus many more. It can be connected to a Solent Conveyorline system to help with material handling.
Miller Weldmaster HG50 is a fully automated welding system for making banners. Weld straight from the roll, insert eyelets and cut-to length. This type of system totally de-skills the operation and can be run by 1 person.
These are just a few examples on how to boost productivity. If you'd like to talk about how you can boost your productivity, call us for a chat or arrange for us to visit you to see your bottlenecks. You might be surprised how much you can save or how much you can increase output with simple changes.
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