Skillful, effective people tend to share a common practice: self-evaluation.
In their own unique ways, they ask themselves: What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Where am I going? How do I get there?
1. What We’re Doing: Continuously Evaluating Compressed Air Systems
Successful manufacturing leaders practice the same principle of continuous, unflinching self-evaluation. When it comes to the question of where they’re going, the conventional answer is Industry 4.0. The future of manufacturing efficiency and productivity will involve increased reliance on automation, more data-driven decision making, and the integration of machine learning (ML) technologies.
These are disruptive technologies that tend to come with a lot of moving parts, which means manufacturers are in a perpetual state of evaluating and re-evaluating their processes. What are we doing here? Why are we doing it? Where are we going? How are we going to get there?
Adhering to the ineffective ethos of This is just how we've always done things is not a viable approach in today's rapidly shifting industrial landscape.
Lean manufacturing promotes finding ways to increase efficiency and reduce waste while preserving quality. It keeps manufacturers competitive and thriving in a time where adapting to change is vital. So it becomes important to look at the energy that powers many of the processes happening in your plant: compressed air.
Compressed air systems often account for a significant portion of energy usage in manufacturing plants. Making sure they’re reliable and energy-efficient is a key component of lean initiatives. Air compressors (especially rotary screw air compressors) power a wide range of equipment and tools used in production processes. Because compressed air is used in so many large-scale industrial applications, manufacturers always run the risk of excessive energy consumption and waste. That’s why optimizing your compressed air system’s day-to-day reliability is so critical. No plant manager wants to get a staggeringly high or unexpected energy bill.
Compressed air auditing and training are two excellent ways to evaluate if your plant is as lean as it could be.
A compressed air audit involves a comprehensive plant walk-through and a detailed examination of the compressed air system, from the compressor room all the way to the process groups and outliers.
With compressed air training, plant engineers, managers, technicians, and other facility personnel learn innovative, sustainable, cost-effective ways to approach their compressed air challenges. Throughout the course of the training, it often becomes clear that they can solve nearly 100% of their compressed air problems without capital expense.
Let’s dive deeper into the ways that expert-led audits and training can identify process inefficiencies, promote waste reduction, and increase reliability to actuate lean manufacturing principles.
2. Why We’re Doing It: Compressed Air Audits Maximize Efficiency
We often see that plant managers have a “set and forget” mentality when it comes to their plant’s compressed air system. They’ve bought enough equipment to meet their demand profile and are ready to focus on the important stuff.
As time goes on – and sometimes in the normal course of wear and tear – compressed air output can no longer meet the facility’s demand profile. And many managers believe the best, most efficient way to solve that problem is to contact the manufacturer and purchase a bigger compressor; sometimes multiple compressors. There’s not much evaluation happening in a damage-control method like this. Whereas a lean approach asks:
Are our workers properly trained at identifying and troubleshooting issues in real time?
Do our compressors need preventive or predictive maintenance?
Do we have leaks and/or damaged components in our system?
Where are we losing air, and why?
What is the current energy consumption of our system?
Do we have permanent monitoring in place that trends peak compressed air use and other insightful patterns?
How much waste do we have?
How much waste are we creating when we add compressors we might not need?
An expert-led compressed air audit involves a detailed examination of the plant’s compressed air system. The auditor can identify areas of inefficiencies, pockets of unreliability, and recommend changes or improvements. The audit covers all aspects of the system, including air compressors, air dryers, air receivers, distribution piping, and end-use equipment.
The audit fleshes out all the issues that are detrimentally impacting your system or preventing it from performing at maximum capacity. The critical insights audits provide can have an immediate impact on your plant’s ability to use energy in a leaner way.
So why do we go to the trouble of hiring an expert to do an air system audit? The simple answer is that it gives us concrete, measurable, instant ways to make our processes more efficient and tightly controlled.
3. How We Get There: Learning From In-Plant Training Experts
We have a saying at Industrial Compressor Solutions: You can solve 99% of your compressed air problems without any capital expense.
Before you take your manufacturer’s suggestion of adding more compressors to your compressor room, pause. You might not need another compressor – particularly if your operation hasn’t expanded and your demand profile hasn’t changed since the system was installed.
With proper training, your employees will be equipped to troubleshoot, service, and maintain your air compressors and air system without costly downtime. When training is non-manufacturer-specific and individually tailored to your plant’s needs and machinery, you can feel confident that the instruction your team receives will be truly objective and without ulterior motive.
The practice of enhancing your employees skills and adding new tools to their arsenals is a critical element in lean manufacturing. By providing on-site education to employees, your plant can eliminate variables that detract from the value stream – another key element of being lean. Empowered employees are more productive and take ownership of their equipment and processes. In the end, everyone that touches the manufacturing process benefits from the investment.
In-plant training also promotes safety, and the importance of being safe around compressed air systems cannot be overstated. Any of the elements can be dangerous (or lethal) when approached or handled incorrectly. With proper evaluation, training, and a broader understanding of your compressed system, you minimize hazardous variables for your employees.
Where We’re Going: Optimized Compressed Air Use in Industry 4.0
When air compressors can no longer keep up with a plant’s demand, the first call is typically to the manufacturer.
When they have you locked into service and parts replacement exclusivity because of “custom” design or murky warranty language (in other words, forced brand loyalty), you’re at the mercy of variables you can’t control: the manufacturer’s schedule, their availability, their inventory, their opinion, their motivation. Nothing in that scenario is efficient or frugal.
So it makes sense to guard your plant against a situation like that as best you can.
A compressed air audit and/or training is an investment on the front end, to be sure. But the cost of keeping your plant reliable and efficient pales in comparison to the cost of corrective maintenance when you don’t.
So let’s answer the important questions. Are we continuously evaluating our process? Do we fully understand what is going on here? Are we utilizing lean initiatives at each level?
Industry 4.0 will continue to build on itself. This is especially true in manufacturing plants. As technological advancements continue to disrupt manufacturing practices, what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, where you’re going, and how you’ll get there are questions of paramount importance.
Keep evaluating. And when you're ready to audit, give us a call.
