I am having a growth problem.

My little 3 man shop has been steadily working away through the various ups and downs we all face. Last year was fabulous but we had a slow winter and spring. Things have been slowly improving through the summer until about 3 weeks ago when for some reason all hell broke loose and orders and RFQ's started coming in the door by the shovelful. Most of our work has been in fixtures and short run production of parts of our own design. Suddenly one customer is giving us large orders, mostly turning and up to 10,000 pc. and in a number of different "exotic" materials such as Ti and C-300. We have not worked on this scale before and I need to figure out how to streamline and manage the shop operations to keep these guys happy.

Is there a "standard way" to do these things? I am not looking at ISO systems right now but need to get started on some type of method of control. We are on the cusp of some great opportunities with some customers and I'm trying not to trip myself up.

For instance, I know I should have a material quarrantine area so the wrong part dosen't get made from the wrong stuff. (how do you manage that properly?)

Quality assurance, we don't have any system, whoever made the parts checked their own stuff and that was acceptable. And we never kept records either, you measured as you made the part and that was all we needed.

Are there any books out there on this stuff? How do we know we are doing it the right way? In a small shop it's impossible to hire an inspector because we don't make enough parts, yet. I mean, sure, we know how to measure, but if you create an inspection form will your customer accept it?

I know there are lots of you out there that have had to go through this, How did you learn?

Great post Steve....wish I had an answer for you, but I am going to keep a very close eye on this thread, because we are going through a very similar situation here. We have always been very busy, but this year is whole different story...it's crazy busy! Most of the work we do is in the military and defense electronics industry, so accountability is a MUST! Between keeping track of certified material, and inspection reports it is very time consuming, and paperwork intensive. Like you, I am sure there is an easier way, and you know what that means......an added cost involved.....but there has got to be some solution for keeping everything in order and running smoothly as I'm sure a lot of the bigger shops have figured out along the way. Should be interesting to see what comes of this. Good luck to you, and congrats on your accomplishments!

Best Regards,
Russ

On the inspection side of things, I believe that 2 eyes are always better then one and 2 butts being on the line are always better then 1. With that said, having two people check the parts with different tools and methods then having them both sign off on that fact on some type of job router can add accountability for your parts and hopefully make better parts.

Secondly, router sheets are a must, it lets everyone know what the part is doing without going to someone else and ask questions. It creates a simple flow through the shop.

I've not done this for a shop, but I have long experience with various human systems, and offer the following:

1. Write it down. Write it down in a computer to remember it, and write it down on paper and attach it to the material, machine, pallet, part for quick, accurate access.

2. Be as simple as possible, but no simpler.

3. Systems that are quick, and which people use over and over, are more likely to become good habits. Systems that are only used once every 4 or 5 weeks, and are complicated, will tend to be riddled with mistakes.

4. Align goals and tasks and rewards. Beware of situations where people are paid bonuses for production of something (say), and therefore resent time lost filling out some form (say).

Just gotta keep on top of it for now. 3 weeks isn't long, but hopefully it will last of course.

Just make sure that each step is done efficiently. I've been in a few places where instead of taking the 5 minutes to finish a job and get it out of the way, they'd make the person (sometimes me) take it all down, do this other widget, then lose an hour setting everything back up. Can't have that happen.

Do you have shelves set up for materials and job orders? I found that worked quite good. Just pick up the material, drawings, special fixtures and go. Someone took care of putting it all together. This way we didn't have to run for things all over the place. Before this was implemented, a lot of time got wasted not finding things.

Track materials and such, doesn't take long when you already have it in your hands. Since I deal in small quantity I just label(masking tape haha) the material and keep a folder for each type of materials.

Do your sample inspections if required. Some of my customers say on the PO what they need to see. Sometimes they want certs and all, sometimes nothing at all. Bad parts should be found before the job is done anyway so if you can trust all your guys to not try to pass a bad part, you're already 90% of the way there.

Steve,
Having worked in mostly large manufacturing shops before starting my 25 man shop I have few suggestions.

Material control:
Ask for typical certs from the place where you buy your material. Assign a PO to each material order. Keep both together in a folder. Color code each type of material and paint both ends of the bar stock. If the machinist cuts off both ends have a paint can handy to re-mark the end before it goes back in the rack.

Make job routers for each batch of parts that you run and keep track of when you switch material purchased under a new PO. It's not perfect for certified work but is a great system to fall back on when questions about material come up. Purchase plastic bins with a different color for each material type and keep the running/finished parts there. The bottom line on material control is to be able to pull a finished part from a bin and be able to identify when the material was purchased and produce typical certs for that material.

Inspection:

The above answer about having multiple machinists check the parts is great. Now that you are up and running you need to identify a couple of things. What dimensions are critical and how many parts can you run before tool wear, shift changes, etc. starts changing sizes. You can cut down on the QC time (if allowed by your contract) by spot checking every 10th or 50th or 100th part 100% and checking only the critical dimensions on every part(if needed). Also, as mentioned earlier, a different person should do the final checking. A good habit for any machinist is to double check a mic measurement with a caliper every so often to eliminate gross errors (1 rev of mic).

Again, record the results obtained from checking on the job router.

About spot checking.. If you check 1 part out of every 100 and find an error that is not a 1% error. It is a potential 100% error. The other 99 parts become potential scrap due to the sampling criteria you have in place. You find an error you pull the previous parts back to the last good inspection. Again, keep records of your QC work.

ISO standards is not an inspection standard. ISO certified shops only had their existing or new standards certified. They still needed to come up with good standards for all phases of their manufacturing process.

The bottom line is when you are doing multiple parts you need procedures to insure that the parts remain the same no matter who is running the machine and you need procedures for handling the material as well as inspecting the parts.

This all takes time and money but will pay off when your customer either asks questions or needs a repeat order next year.

Best of luck,
Walter

At first I thought this post was about a mole or pimple, or a Viagra question!

Anyway....
It's tough to manage all the information you're talking about managing without the use of a computer. Nobody has time to 'write it down' strictly using paper records, considering you may have to 'write it down' more than once. Type it in ONCE. Back it up.

Having said that......
www.shoptech.com OR http://www.henningsoftware.com/ or many others....

NO affiliation.

None of this software is quick to learn or cheap to buy. How quick and how cheap are your customers replaced?

At this point you're sailing on the machine shop seas without even a map or compass. You really need a "GPS".
Like you I am a guilty party....

Books?
Haven't read this one, but want to:
https://www.hansergardner.com/dp/hgweb/detail.cfm?isbn=1-56990-297-6%20%20

dk

This might sound like a dumb question, but what kind of information do you need on a router sheet? Should we color code all materials or just the important ones? (we use so many different grades and types in the shop I don't think we could cover everything.)

The idea of implementing these things and getting staff, (including myself) to stick to it is by biggest fear.

If you apply these things to production, how do you apply it to the broken shaft you make for a customers widget, or that small fixture without it getting to complicated?

Route sheets can be complicated or simple. A complicated route sheet might be something like the following

Station 1 - mill complete
tools needed - ???????
program needed - ????

Station 2 - deburr
Ultrasonic duburring

station 3 - clean
Dip tank

Station 4- package for customer
Package parts in special customer supplied crates

That type of router makes a better definition of what you are doing. A simple router would just list the station that you are going to be working at. You should label each machine or type of machine a different number. For example above, milling was Station 1, ect.

If you have a shelf full of jobs, and each one has a router, all a person needs to do is grab the router and get to work. Include part drawings with routers, with the most up to date drawing.

I think if you are doing a lot of 10,000 pieces, are you likely to do that job again? If so, then you should great a detailed documentation for that part at each machine that may follow the router. This types of documentation could be made by the machinist as the part is running the first time, meaning that there is no time involved in making the documentation. Its also nice to have pictures, as pictures are worth 1000 words so they say. Digital, on a computer works.

Steve,

1. A router will contain at the top some basic information about the job. Work order number, Part number and description and one very important item, the drawing revision level. You will also have the order due date. In the body of the router you have a list of operations including QA stop points. You can get pretty detailed in the operation descriptions but I found that you are best to make it very plain and simple including the needed details. On each line you can but do not need, to have a time estimate and a place for the operator's signature. You should have a place to sign at the QA stop point. Encourage operators to make note of needed information so future routers can include that. One thing I always did was include a new drawing with each router. That way I knew the operator always had the latest revision as well as a clean copy.

2. In our shop all material is color coded except mild steel. Some shops color code all material. Ask your steel supplier to give you a copy of their chart. If you buy from multiple sources they may all be different. You could also stamp the grade on each piece but color coding works best. Without it you really can lose control of your material fast.

3. The small job or repair should also be treated the same way. If you start making exceptions to your procedure where do you stop? It becomes very hard to draw a line. For simple jobs just use a simple router. Walk-ins for a broken shaft can be done with a quick hand written router and a sketch. If the walk-in is giving you verbal instructions make a sketch and get them to initial it.

4. dk included the need for software and computers in your business. You are on the CNC forum so I would assume you are almost there. Software can be purchased but all you need is a spread sheet program to design a real simple one. When I first started my business I used a TI 99/4A computer and homemade forms. Now we use E2 software which the cost alone gave me a headache. One thing that is very important is to keep a history of all the manufactured parts. Each part I have ever made has a history file (On computer). In that file I can see each time that it was made, the cost, the quantity, the revision and any notes that will help the next time. As you can tell I really hate to re-invent a process. I also keep an electronic file of every drawing. If the customer emails the drawing I file it and include the revision level. If the drawing is faxed or mailed I scan it and file it.

5. CYA - Confirm each order in writing back to your customer. We usually don't do this for walk-ins but make sure we do it for all our other customers. It has saved my tail a few times when the purchasing agent made an error and tried to cover it.

6. Implementing it will allow you to make the next step up in production without getting lost along the way. Sometimes it's easy to ignore your own procedures when time is tight. You have to start by making the rules, believing in them and making sure no one takes that away from you. At the same time you have to be flexible enough to make your system evolve along the way.

Good luck,
Walter

Shop routers should be set up so the whole system is very flexible and easy to change. Keep your certified stock seperate from the mystery metal. Paint is great for marking stock but it is a PITA to use. A vibropeen marker hanging on the end of the stock rack never dries up and you never run out of blue. Using the P.O. number as the "job" number and also as the lot number on the stock can keep it simple. Dont decide on shop paper systems and then try to force the work into them. Let a system grow that works for you and your people.

A quick side question because I think every1 has already covered what you need to be doing

How many other shops are going through the "all hell broke loose and orders and RFQ's started coming in the door by the shovelful" stage

Because we are, our customers are, and former customers are coming back saying ' we need this made quick... and in batches far bigger than you used to make"

Boris

Most of what I am seeing growth in our customers business. When I first started dealing with one customer we did a paticular part 16 pc. at a time for a years worth. now we do 150 pc. 4 times a year. Our shop has grown along with our customers, but you throw in one new customer and it can overload things. We tend to be sole source supplier to most of them and when we get to busy I am reluctant to say no. Most of them won't take no for an answer anyway. Right now customers are sending in jobs for late October del. And I am nervous about being able to pull it off even though the majority of jobs are not very big. It's just the quantity.

We went through this last year. I put some processes in place and bought some Shop Floor software. I use E2. It works nicely and is very flexable to do quoteing, scheduleing, purchasing, A/R, General Ledger, Work orders, inventory. all that stuff.
Get organized with your material storage and mark everything. Keep track of quantities.
We have a rule about inspection. If you made it, someone else needs to inspect it. At least two sets of eyes.
I have a lazer scanner to wand in on a work order. You may not log in on an op if the previous op is not done. (concurrent ops get manually entered, a 15 second thing to do)
Get organized and reduce the setups. Get more organized and reduce the setup time.
Figure out how to do a job win fewer steps to reduce the nomber of setups. Setups cost you money.

PBMW......any hint what E2 costs?
Annual support fees??

Private message me if you'd rather........

dk

I second E2.

To keep track of material, you can print up lables with E2 for each bar if you want, or for the bin/shelf there in.

They also have quality control option that helps keep track of part inspections.

You can hound them for a working demo copy. I did and after a few weeks of "no I don't have highspeed internet and I'm not waisting time with a web demo" they gave in and sent me a free demo. I must have called the sales guy a dozen times before I got the software working, but I didn't need any tech support after that.

pbmw, you have the data collection option. Do you use a computer or there lcd box? You say you can't clock in on a different step of the job if you are running a previous step? This kinda defeats the lean manufacturuing idea doesn't it?

We also have E2 and find it to be very helpful. It costs several thousand with the final price depending on how many modules are added and how many users (planning, QA, Accounting, estimating) will be on it. There is a yearly fee as well. Before we purchased the system we got a list of current local users and contacted them about the technical process. They gave us some pretty good information. Setting up you initial values in inventory control is one of the very important items. You also need to determine a material identification code to use.

pepo, I have to disagree on using the customer's po number for the routing number. We have a couple of school type notebooks by the phone. Each time we take an order we write a consecutive number, date, customer, and brief description on that line. Our WO numbers start with the year code and run in ascending order. (070001 & up for 2007)

I handle PO numbers the same way in the 2nd notebook. We still enter the data in E2 but the notebooks are the number reference.

These numbers are also the shipper and invoice numbers as well. Using the customer PO for you number can get really confusing fast.

Walter

PBMW,

I have not set up a Work Order scanner for the shop hours yet. Do you have any suggestions?

Walter

While I have no experience with machine shop practices, I do have experience with traffic management (job tracking through various departments, and QC) at a large advertising agency. The basic benefit is that it reduces the incidence of human error.

My suggestion is to look into bar code printing & scanning. If materials are "serialized" with a bar code when it comes in the door while the cert is attached, it's possible to associate that material with a job number and routing slip.

Each routing slip will have a bar code that requests the a bill of materials from a database, and when the material is pulled, the correct bar code must be entered for approval before cutting.

Other things that come with bar coding are the ability to track the amount of time spent on each aspect of the job, if you're willing to invest in a bar-code reader for each station. I don't know if that's beneficial, but it's possible.

Just a couple thoughts from "outside the box".

Tiny bit of experience here. As far as stock traceability is concerned, I don't paint or color code. I have a sheet posted that tells me A=303 stainless, B=304, C=316, G=440C, AA=6061 T6 Alum... So I have stock prefixes that identify it, then a four digit number that links it to a filed/scanned material certification (from the supplier), and this is written on the metal with a Sharpie in several locations. This number will be written on the "traveler" or "route sheet" when pulled.

As far as inspections, sure, great, inspect in-process. But if you can provide a sheet that the machinist can "tick off" for each measurement, then you have the proof that you measured it. Also use initials and date when documenting anything, to further identify.

A route sheet will identify the job to the machinist, and can be as simple or complex as can get the job done without error. Of course if you heat treat a part before its complete, that make it more difficult to finish. It should have a sequence of events that get "ticked off" as the process move along. Include something that will link the route sheet to the customer's PO, and any special requirements from that PO that are not included on the print.

If you can afford software now, it will make things a little easier, but its better to have a working system in place before making the jump.

I know I've left alot out.

My 2 cents. Good luck. I hope to have the same sorts of problems in a year or two, less if lucky.