How do you create a more efficient studio?

Profitability starts with efficiency. The less that is lost in time and raw materials, the more you can get out of your production. A guarantee of higher productivity. But that, of course, is easier said than done when you, as a company manager, have to juggle a wide range of orders and deadlines. How can you become even more efficient when it's more and more about customization? You can do so by bringing a breath of fresh air into your studio.

The biggest source of inefficiencies in the workplace? That's your employees. Don't get us wrong, your team is worth every penny, but the issue is exactly how they spend their time. In most workplaces, a big chunk of that goes to looking for things. Sometimes a tool, other times a drawing or fixture materials. Even if it only takes each employee a few minutes of time each day, at the end of the day it will be a hefty calculation. And the larger the area of your business, the more time they can lose. There are simple solutions to this, but they come with an investment cost. For example, replace the tool cabinet in the middle of the workshop with tool stations for specific jobs that are also within easy reach of your employee. That will initially cost you more in tools but the gain in labor hours can already offset that. Or consider tool management systems that always keep an overview. Still not convinced? If your team has an average wage of 20 euros per hour. If they spend one hour a day together looking for materials, after 220 working days that comes out to a sum of 4,400 euros. You can already do something with that.

Invest in training and education

In most work workshops, training begins and ends after the first few days your employee has started working for you. The other operators show him how the machines work, from then on it is up to him to master it. In most cases, this way they will develop their own solutions and habits to deal with certain things. This will not always be consistent with the goals and processes you have in mind. The best way to ensure that your employees are perfectly aligned with your process is to provide regular training. Formally or informally, by senior profiles on the shop floor or by external people. Involve you suppliers and machine manufacturers in this as well. They can best explain how to get the most out of their devices. An added benefit of training is that your employees will be better informed about how everything should run under ideal conditions. They will therefore be able to more easily identify inefficiencies that arise. And just because they are most closely involved in production, they may even discover things you never thought of.

Decisions based on facts and data

Gut instinct still dictates the law for many metalworkers to make decisions. When there is an urgent deadline ahead, that is often the only way. But in other situations, it doesn't have to be your only option. Do you know how much each job costs you in materials and hours? Correct pricing determines how much profit you can make. Do you know what margins are needed to cover overhead costs? This is information that an ERP system can provide you with. It allows you to make decisions based on data. Price quotes and planning are better done not on intuition, but rather on facts, black and white. This, too, will help you eliminate inefficiencies.