Tips for profitable shop management

By Jonny Suchor. 

Saving money in your production process starts with organizing your shop. 

Managing where your machines are located on your shop floor can be an effective strategy for trimming production costs. Ryan King, national sales manager for CIDAN Machinery, is an expert on understanding how the rush of everyday business can interfere with shop organization. His many hours visiting architectural sheet metal shops have helped him learn how the best shops operate. Ryan shares with Rollforming Magazine, “The most efficient shops …. have a flow from start to finish.”  

This sounds like common sense, but not all shops follow those standards.  

Shop floor configurations 

For contractors, you may have few options for shop floor configuration. Ryan s it is vital machines are situated in a way that maximizes production by requiring fewer steps for the operator to maximize production time.   

“Workers should all be working in the same common area,” Ryan shares. “A new slitter should be put with the slitters, a folder should be with the folders, a roll former should be with the roll formers. You may have to move this, this, and this, but in the long run it makes more sense.” 

Your shop floor configuration has significant financial importance. For small shops, focusing on the little things can make a difference. It is important to take advantage of the slow times of the year to rearrange and organize your shop floor configuration.  

Utilizing space in new and old buildings 

While retrofitting an old building’s floor plan might seem easier, working with a new building means you’re working with a blank slate according to Ryan.    

And no matter how much floor space you’re working with, Ryan recommends having your machines close together for efficient and safe operations. Don’t forget to prioritize easy access to maintenance areas! 

No matter the floor configuration, there are simple ways to help enhance productivity and reduce manual effort. For example, hand-made ramps can be used to help hold heavy materials as they are being fed into machines, and wheels can be added to tables to easily move them closer to production machines.   

Truck traffic  

When planning shop floor configurations, an important area to consider is shipping. An example is the accommodation of a shipping drive-through so trucks can enter at one end and exit at the opposite end. This isn’t just a safer pattern but is more efficient by allowing one driver to pull in just as another is leaving.  

Read more about how to profit by managing your shop here.