Production consulting has been around a long time, but the gradual and ongoing decline in manufacturing in Australia has resulted in a lower demand for consulting in this area. However manufacturing flourishes in other countries, so even though new thinking and methods to innovate are not being created locally, that doesn’t stop your organisation adopting, adapting and implementing them. The production consultant comes back into play as the ‘adoption agent’.
Production consulting can be leveraged for strategic, tactical and operational issues and opportunities.
Sample production consulting projects
Common manufacturing consulting projects at the strategic level include:
- Innovation – for more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or solutions to known problems
- Manufacturing strategy
- Product design and management
- Product packaging
At the tactical level, consultants are leveraged to help define, develop, evaluate or implement across areas such as:
- Continuous improvement –using an established methodology such as KAIZEN, Lean, Lean Six Sigma
- Operational excellence – apply principles, systems and tools to create sustainable excellence in manufacturing operations
- Production logistics –including new or enhanced concepts, services and solutions, and improved planning and management control
- Total quality management – policies, procedures, services and solutions for a total quality management system.
Manufacturing consulting projects also help companies define, develop, evaluate and implement across operational areas such as:
- ERP systems
- Maintenance management
- Plant layout / relocation
- Productivity improvement quality assurance / control.
What to look for in a production consultant
Your production consultant has to be the ‘been there done that, and I know what’s coming next’ type, who will keep you abreast of global developments. Importantly, given the capital-intensive nature of manufacturing, they must have demonstrable business acumen and insight to innovatively and effectively work with your organisation.
If you are ready to speak to a production consultant for your needs, select the "Production" category in our quick online wizard.