There are few other places where the old phrase “time is money” is more accurate than on the shop floor. Put simply: When spindles spin, you make money; time spent doing other things around the shop that keep spindles from spinning costs money. That said, it’s also possible to lose value while spindles are spinning. When old methods or equipment are used or modified to work for a particular job, speeds and feeds are slowed, and sometimes costly, and unnecessary, secondary operations are implemented. For example, on the workholding front, we find that it’s not typically until setup costs reach 20-25 percent of the total time cost to manufacture a part that customers inquire about a better solution. It’s an extreme example, but inefficient secondary operations can increase costs. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to reorganize your shop, reinvent your processes or invest in expensive machinery to eliminate these hidden inefficiencies. In fact, there are simple strategies and relatively inexpensive equipment that can turn wasted time into money-making time. We’ll run through 20 scenarios, some you probably deal with on a daily basis, that provide opportunities to operate more efficiently.
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