We warmly welcome you to our new series on production processes and the key role of the WMS system in supporting manufacturing operations. Below you will find the first introductory article in the series, which will focus on the 7 types of waste according to the Lean philosophy.
The Lean methodology helps optimize production processes and allows them to be adapted to ever-changing market demands. By implementing changes in your organization, you can maximize the value of produced goods, eliminating obstacles that affect their quality and production speed.
Offer a simple path to achieving satisfying results through quick work reorganization with minimal resource investment, which translates into a significant improvement in process efficiency.
Overproduction is not only linked to unnecessary queuing of production plans but also to the forced storage of surplus pallets in already overloaded warehouses. A key solution to this problem may include proper preparation of production plans and collaboration between warehouse staff and operators in production areas. A WMS system managing production orders automates this process for both continuous and discrete production. It enforces the just-in-time principle by delivering only the raw materials and components that are actually needed at the right time.
Inventory is not just a safety buffer or a positive response to increased market demand. It also incurs real costs, such as occupied space that could be used for production expansion, e.g., additional workstations or production machines. To satisfy customer needs, we must focus more on optimizing product manufacturing rather than risking overproduction and stockpiling. We observe that the market demands high variability in production, which complicates planning and changeover processes. Moreover, materials used for different production orders need to be managed economically. The WMS system provides full control over material consumption in real time.
Overprocessing includes all activities that do not add value to the final products’ quality. The main challenge can be communication between planners and warehouse leaders, as well as unnecessary paperwork and the demand to track goods produced on various production lines without support from dedicated systems. The Invident WMS with a production module enforces the production plan automatically. It ensures proper stocking of materials in different production zones and allows additional material orders from production according to needs. The human factor in warehouse task planning is completely eliminated, and information flows automatically between planning applications like APS and production systems such as MES or laboratory LIMS.
Moving materials without adding value affects operator efficiency and unnecessarily burdens equipment. It is difficult to identify a single solution because the causes arise from shortcomings at different process stages, leading to additional warehouse movements. Examples include poor warehouse space organization and incorrect production task planning. Lack of digitization in this area may cause delays and errors in raw material delivery, resulting in costly downtime or production irregularities. A good example is using incorrect packaging materials, such as labels, which might require recalling a batch from the market.
To ensure employee safety and availability, excessive and unproductive movements that prolong production tasks must be minimized. Conveyors or workstation reorganization are often used to address this. Additionally, the WMS system harmonizes tasks and maximizes the use of internal transport means. For example, a stock replenishment forklift automatically receives tasks to return unused materials from production or pick up finished goods.
Delays are usually caused by poor communication between departments involved in production or by poor organizational structure. The key to success is good production planning on individual lines to minimize machine changeovers or to schedule production of similar recipes to maximize the use of raw materials already on the lines from previous plans. Efficient system integration and intelligent algorithms managing operator workflows can increase efficiency by up to 30%.
It’s better to produce slower but more effectively — a few words about the risk of potential product rework. While the usual focus is on speed, volume, and low cost, rushing can be costly. Errors in production create risks of unnecessary movements, returns of defective goods, and often require redoing completed processes — causing duplicated work that ultimately burdens the company budget more than slower but better-thought-out production plans. The quality control module, which allows inter-operation recording of production parameters (e.g., correct labeling, weight, labeling methods, etc.) and sample collection for laboratory testing via LIMS, practically eliminates the possibility of releasing defective products to the market. Its advantage is full digitalization of records, allowing real-time processing and sharing.
If you are still wondering where in the above challenges there is room for a warehouse management system (WMS) to help and how strongly its functionalities can impact efficiency in your plants, we recommend following our upcoming publications.
With the growth of e-commerce, companies face the challenge of optimizing logistics processes. The Invident WMS system supports order processing, warehouse space management, real-time reporting, and product security. Flexible fulfillment solutions help meet customer demands and increase the efficiency of warehouse operations.
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