WITH support from the Queensland Government’s Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry, QMI Solutions has published a book detailing the journey to excellence of ten Queensland manufacturers and includes advice and tools for beginning your own journey.
The book is titled The Journey to Manufacturing Excellence – the Queensland Experience and is available free to manufacturers with an operation based in Queensland.
It explores the continuous improvement journey of ten manufacturers across various sectors including; metal fabrication, marine, food, pharmaceutical, therapeutic and medical devices.
The ‘journey to excellence’ is the path a company takes to become world class, usually through the adoption of best practices such as Lean Manufacturing. Best practices are proven ways to get the best results from having the right processes and technologies in place and are those typically used by successful companies like Toyota.
According to QMI the first step in the journey to excellence begins with cultivating an awareness of the concepts. Second, it requires an education and training of key personnel, or champions, who are charged with the task of leading change in the organisation.
Thirdly, it recommends engaging a consultant to help support the champions, usually on a short-term project, to initiate change in a specific area of the business.
Fourth, to maintain momentum, embark on a medium-term project that extends the implementation of manufacturing best practice across different divisions or tiers within the business.
Lastly, the long-term project may involve collaboration with industry partners or academia to investigate emerging technology or practices to position your company closer to being categorised as ‘world class’.
Importantly, you should benchmark yourself along the way to ensure your journey to manufacturing excellence remains on track.
Through this book, you’ll learn more about manufacturing best practice and some of its supporting principles like 5S, Value Stream Mapping and Set-up Time Reduction.
To request a copy of the book contact 07 3364 0700 or info@qmisolutions.com.au.