Manufacturing Magazine February 2018 | Page 20

MANUFACTURING 4.0

owner segments as the ‘ Traditionalist ’ who values highly durable and simply designed appliances . This owner is also price sensitive and takes longer to reach a purchase decision .
Using this data , all functions from product design to distribution must pool their knowledge and create a cohesive plan to meet the owner segment ’ s need . What style of refrigerator is our Traditionalist asking for ? Where will we manufacture it ? Which quality materials are essential ? What added features are not ? Can delivery be improved ? Component costs cut ? And what messaging will connect with this owner ?
To take lean thinking beyond the manufacturing environment , a team-centric , systems-thinking approach is necessary to ensure the problem or issue you are solving is , in fact , the same one the customer is experiencing .
OPTIMISING THE SYSTEM We are shaping a supply chain where pace is purely dictated by the pull of orders from our customers . When each function in the system is operating together to reduce total system lead time ( as opposed to
20 February 2018