The following blog post is part one of a multi-part series in which Mestek Machinery discusses the importance of a good shop layout and the ways in which our customers can improve their shops’ productivity by creating an efficient environment for production.
The Importance of Good Shop Layout
In order to get the most out of your employees, they must each be kept working as efficiently as possible. Having an efficient shop layout is crucial to helping you and your employees run an efficient business. By creating a smart shop layout, an organization can work toward make ductwork as cheaply and quickly as possible. Although creating an efficient shop layout does not necessarily mean investing any money, you may find that purchasing some new equipment may end up working in your favor.
Common Shop Layout Problems
Oftentimes, a poor shop layout does not mean the entire shop is set up poorly; but rather involves only several misplaced pieces of equipment. After analyzing your current shop layout, you may realize that your shop’s current problem can be solved by one of the following solutions:
- A larger work area for a specific operation
- A smaller work area for a specific operation
- Moving a work area for a specific operation
- A completely new operation work area
- A completely new shop layout
- Simply relocating some equipment in your shop
Often, when a business purchases a new machine, it is placed where there is open space in a shop with the intention of later setting up the shop properly. When this happens, work usually starts to get in the way and there never really seems to be any time to be able to stop production and move things around. This is usually the reason as to why so many shops are set up poorly and create an inefficient workflow.
An Efficient Shop Layout
In very few cases are sheet metal shops built to suit a contractor’s specifications, but rather the building is adapted to the contractor’s needs. There is no one universal shop layout that every contractor should adhere to, but rather many variations depending on the size of the building and the equipment used inside of it. Many sheet metal machinery manufacturers (including Mestek Machinery) offer shop layout services if needed – setting up your shop for maximum productivity and efficiency is no easy task.
A proper shop layout should result in your organization producing the largest amount of work in the least amount of time. This should take into account the machinery you have available as well as the talent you have employed in your shop. Efficient shop layout will essentially eliminate all unnecessary movements of employees and materials. Building a proper sequence of movement will keep employee footsteps to a minimum as well as reducing any wasted space. Wasted space is essentially wasted money.