Exploring Advanced Manufacturing Technologies. Steve Krar
and community colleges, and trade-training organizations
▪In-house training programs
▪Off-site manufacturer- and vendor-based training
▪Professional organizations such as The Society of Manufacturing Engineers
▪Distance learning courses
▪Virtual or online machine-specific courses
Technical and Community Colleges
▪The nation’s community colleges are dedicated to showing small- to medium-size manufacturers how to recognize the potential of new technologies.
▪They can set up specific courses for manufacturers to be taken on site or given at the manufacturer’s plant.
▪Courses can be at hours suitable to the college and the industry.
In-House Training
Some companies develop their own in-house training solutions to improve the educational level of its workers. They build their own training centers, hire or develop training staffs, or use their own managers and workers as trainers. They offer workers cash incentives for advancement from one level to another, and provide courses in everything from reading to computers. One company has seen the workers achieving record-level productivity.
Some companies use electronic training services to develop their own employee training programs. Firms are also training their workers according to their own unique needs, such as:
▪Basic skills such as communication, team building, reading and essential math
▪Achieving regulatory compliance
▪Process improvement with highly sophisticated machinery
▪Information technology computer training
Involve mechanics, electricians, and others in building the equipment, serving on the implementation team, and developing the training. This type of program will receive positive feedback from the workers. They like the excitement and challenge of working on new technological equipment.
Off-Site Manufacturer and Vendor Courses
Many firms find it makes more sense to purchase training programs from outside, professional sources such as the manufacturer. These include training companies or professional consultants expert in a given field.
▪Machine tool builders with training programs charge about $1000 a week for each trainee.
▪Costs can run $5000 - $6000 a week plus expenses per trainer working at the user’s plant.
▪The vendors that charge far less than their costs see training users of their equipment as an investment.
▪The better a person understands the machine or system, the better it runs and there is less downtime for service calls.
Professional Associations
▪Associations such as the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) place great emphasis on new technologies associated with the metalworking and related industries. This organization, with chapters throughout the world, is in an ideal position to keep its members informed about new technologies that affect manufacturing. They pass this information along through:
▪A monthly magazine always featuring a new technology
▪A central database available online to members
▪A variety of technical seminars given by industry experts, are offered frequently throughout the country
▪The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) that attracts the world’s leading manufacturers who use this show as an opportunity to introduce new technology
Distance Learning
The growth of distance learning as an employee-training tool in manufacturing has been remarkable. Distance learning is defined by the Distance Learning Network, a nationwide organization committed to advancing distance education, as the ability to teach or communicate with large or small groups of people, spread across a wide geographical area, through the use of single or multiple telecommunications services.
Distance-learning programs are becoming common in manufacturing. These programs are serving smaller companies as well as the needs of educational institutions. More traditional models, such as the use of video links between students and instructors, are expanding to include learning activities, including conferences, specific credit courses and more formal certification and degree programs using multiple institutions.
On-line training and distance learning reflect the creativity of American industry. But one of the most striking developments in the field of training has less to do with a particular kind of training than with the underlying philosophy. Increasingly, the norm is not merely a one-time refresher course but a process of lifelong learning. No longer can a worker learn a basic skill and use it all of his or her working life. Due to the increasingly fast pace of technological change, employees need training on a regular basis to stay current with the latest developments in their fields and to help their companies remain strong in the competitive international marketplace.
To continue growing, it is important to help employees develop new technological skills. It is also important to reduce the time employees spend away from work and ensure that our business grows. A Virtual Learning Center may help meet these goals.
Everyone has great creative potential, and possibly many have been frustrated in the past. The team approach creates an environment for great creativity. Everyone can come up with improvement suggestions.
For more information on MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES see the Acknowledgement section for the Websites of an industry/organization listed.
INTERNET SOURCING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
(Steve Krar, Consultant – Kelmar Associates)
The world of manufacturing has undergone tremendous changes since the introduction of numerical control (NC) for machine tools in the late 1950s. In the past 40 years we have seen the introduction of CNC (computer numerical control) machining and turning centers, EDM (electro discharge machining), lasers, robots, and countless of other developments. These modern machines and processes increase productivity, produce high-quality goods, and lower manufacturing costs.
During the last two decades, manufacturing technology and especially advances in machine tools restored the competitive power of the United States as a world-class producer of durable goods.
MANUFACTURING COSTS
Every company must constantly work to improve product quality, increase productivity, and reduce manufacturing costs. This is a never-ending process and the manufacturing professional must apply the lessons learned through experience to develop practical solutions to keep ahead of the competition. To compete successfully, it is important to look at all phases of a manufacturing operation in order to reduce waste and lower costs. This involves departments such as product design and development, engineering, accounting, purchasing, manufacturing, and marketing.
SOURCING FOR GOODS AND SERVICES
One of the functions of a purchasing department is to provide the manufacturing operation with the raw materials, tools, and equipment required to produce a product. The critical elements in Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing has introduced many changes to the way purchasing departments operate. With JIT they are responsible for finding suppliers of the best quality goods and services, at the lowest price, and the reliable delivery of these as required.
High technology has brought tremendous changes to manufacturing operations, but until recently seemed to have bypassed the purchasing department. There are now a few companies that have developed computer-based technology that help a purchasing department quickly source its requirements with a wide variety of suppliers