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Concurrent Engineering Blog

The problem with production scrap in your organisation

Posted by Emma Rudeck on 10-Jan-2013 12:45:00

production scrapProduction scrap can be a serious problem for manufacturers. It can trigger extra costs, as materials can be one of the most expensive aspects of manufacturing. Plus, it can even result in more time being spent on your latest project. So, controlling and even reducing any production scrap can have a positive impact on the overall cost and time management of your product development.  

What is production scrap?

Production scrap can come from a range of different stages in your manufacturing process. It can be anything from parts not fitting together into the finalised product, right through to a customer not liking the product. Key examples of production scrap include:

Unnecessary prototypes-

Physical prototypes are an important aspect when designing and developing new products. But, they can also be a costly aspect of manufacturing. By reducing the total number of physical prototypes, it can also reduce your production scrap.

Unsuitable parts-

Late stage design changes, which are an unavoidable aspect of global-scale manufacturing, can also cause production scrap and waste. If one part of the team doesn’t receive the latest file versions then this can lead to them making parts that are now unsuitable.  

Alterations in the material used-

Sometimes, when the material that you want is not available, your supplier will recommend a different material. But, this information can be misplaced, resulting in costly mistakes.

Products turned-down-

If your customer decides that they no longer like or want the final product, then you are left with a product that may never make it to market. Though there may be instances when it can be reused, more often it will just result in production scrap.

Product recalls-

Occasionally, a defect in your product can result in an expensive product recall. In this instance, the defect product has no use and so must be scrapped at great cost to you and your company.

What is the impact of production scrap?

Production scrap can be particularly hard on small and medium sized businesses. Delays in production can be costly and put significant pressures on the company and individuals. It is clearly a big problem that does need to be addressed, so that product development and profit are not impacted as a result of production scrap.

Want to limit the impact of production scrap on your company? Find out the four steps you can take to reduce your production scrap

Download Four Steps to Reduce Scrap

[image credit: http://www.scrap-metal.co.uk]