For those looking to streamline their processes, increase productivity, and achieve repeatability, is a custom or ready-made solution the way to go? Simplifying operations is a manufacturers’ dream and one that takes tweaking and finessing to achieve.
A simplified process equals ease of training and ease of consistent performance. However, these processes can vary largely depending on the products, human resources, and physical resources of the particular manufacturer.
Specifically, the masking process is different at every place you look. While one operation may hand-tape the protected areas and edges on their part – causing increased time and money spent on labor and materials – another business may use a ready-made, off-the-shelf solution that isn’t 100% accurate to their part.
Some operations use custom-fit masks that adhere perfectly to their designated part, leading to more efficient production speed and consistency with reduced margins of error. This does beg the question: is a custom design worth the investment?
Every Product Is Unique
No two product lines are the same, and while pre-made solutions have worked well in the past, they do not consider the vast amount of product customization occurring today. Complex shapes, contouring, threadings, and materials can complicate a simple process.
Most often, masking is a hands-on task. Masking then relies on the employee’s speed, accuracy, and diligence in performing the cutting and applying. An employee can only work so quickly to achieve the task, costing a supply chain more time and money than is necessary. Additionally, an employee can get injured on the job or out sick, leaving that essential spot open. As a specialized job, your masking expertise is gone, leaving you to rely on other employees who may not know the process or be able to complete the work as quickly.
Is it time to simplify your production line based on employee needs, time and money concerns, and a desire for improved consistency? We’ll review the four questions to ask when considering a change to the masking step.
Four Determining Factors
Are your processes further streamlined?
Beyond the benefit to the bottom line from faster production, however, is the long-term improvement that adding custom masking can make to your overall processes. For example, being able to perform masking faster can allow you to increase the rate of production, making it possible to scale up operations and increase manufacturing volume. This can reduce the lead time for order fulfillment or make it possible to ramp up production to meet increased customer demand.
A custom masking solution can:
- Improve the consistency in your finished product
- Reduce waste and loss for products during finishing and treatment work
- Reduce customer issues and complaints
- Remove the threat of worker injury
Does the cost justify the gains?
With numerous benefits of custom masking kits, it is easy to see the appeal of procuring this new technology. Do not let the word custom intimidate you. Custom is not synonymous with high-costs, and in the long run, custom kits may save you considerable time and money. Manufacturers will need to weigh whether this investment is best for their current processes.
The ultimate advantage of custom masking is contracting an experienced company. For example, AIM develops custom tape masking to suit the customer’s needs and offers unmatched customer service. Since 2008, finishing companies across the nation have looked to AIM to improve the quality of their finished products, eliminate re-work, and reduce lead times.
Will you save on labor?
Let’s look at an example: your single employee takes at least five minutes to mask one part, possibly more if placed incorrectly. If you manufacture one thousand production units, your employee will spend around eighty hours per week just masking.
If you invest in a custom mask or custom masking kit, that time can drop substantially. For our example, let’s say masking time drops from 5 minutes to 1 minute. In turn, that reduces your labor cost to just under 17 hours — a savings of approximately 66 hours of labor per month and tens of thousands of dollars saved on masking labor over a year.
Do the costs balance out with the savings?
Developing a custom masking solution can be as easy as choosing the material, the quantity, and inputting the measurements. However, a manufacturer will need to work with a partner to analyze needs, develop a custom design and produce the new protective masking – more time needed than off-the-shelf solutions.
For example, if you spent fifteen cents per mask per part and that cost tripled with a die-cut custom mask, it would increase your production costs from $150 per month to $450 per month. While significant, the savings from reduced labor time, reduced human injury, and reduced errors, the savings outweigh the costs.
Simplify To Maximize
At AIM, our goal when partnering with you is to ensure that your losses are minimized so your profit is maximized. Learn more about AIM’s custom masking kits and receive a free sample customized to your exact specifications and needed materials.