In metals manufacturing, high-temperature asset tracking is more than a logistical need — it's critical for maintaining efficiency, quality control and compliance.
Ignoring a problem in production can increase the risk of production downtimes, leading to costly errors. Similarly, not capitalizing on a potential upgrade can hurt your business as production, the core of the company, slips into inefficiency and better suppliers make themselves available to your customers.
Plant supervisors, quality control engineers and operational managers must manage current production while constantly evaluating efficiency and new techniques, systems and technology. In this article, we’ll look at how you can balance current production needs with the future investments and upgrades to ensure you are optimizing your operations.
Many supervisors will still delay upgrades because of perceived costs or potential risks. They understand and are more comfortable with the status quo, even if the production results aren’t optimal and problems still occur.
Today, with a greater risk of market disruption and increased competition, being proactive with efficiency updates, especially asset tracking updates, is critical. Staying on top of new technologies, systems and products ensures plant supervisors have the information they need to make smart decisions. They can identify and address these risks early.
When evaluating the return on investment (ROI) for investigating and investing in new tools and techniques for asset tracking, consider the following:
Improved labeling or tracking systems, like hi-temp RFID, streamline operations, enabling real-time data collection and minimizing manual effort. This improves overall workplace productivity.
Automated tracking not only meets current industry regulations but also ensures businesses are prepared for future requirements. This mitigates the risk of fines and compliance issues.
Accurate inventory records are critical for operational efficiency. A lack of inventory accuracy can create problems that can quickly spiral out of control — from difficulty turning inventory and problems with meeting customer demands, to challenges with production scheduling. Asset tracking supports accurate inventory control.
Complete asset production records are necessary for quality assurance. Faulty asset tracking can impact quality and lead to waste and rework.
Inefficient asset tracking can take time away from production and lead to employee safety risks, while late detection means increased disruption. An optimized tracking system will reduce misplacement rates and waste and increase process velocity. Recent case studies from manufacturers utilizing modern high-temperature labeling solutions have reported savings of over $4 million through better tracking processes.
Accurate asset tracking provides supervisors with invaluable data on production to streamline processes, evaluate maintenance protocols and improve quality control. Advanced systems allow supervisors and engineers to track productivity, manage bottlenecks and set performance metrics, enabling data-informed decision-making.
By actively assessing current systems, manufacturers stand to enhance operational efficiency, improve quality control and reduce unnecessary costs.
Not addressing issues and problems early or waiting for a problem to happen can lead to costly consequences, including:
Faulty tracking systems, like lost tags or faulty and unreadable labels, can halt production lines. These delays can trigger cascading impacts down the production chain.
Untracked or misidentified materials can lead to waste, lost trust with customers, and rework.
Inefficient tracking can lead to compliance failures, particularly in industries with strict standards for traceability and workflow documentation.
Have you ever had to remake a product to accommodate a customer’s immediate need when you couldn’t find it in your inventory? Reworks are a problem that can quickly scale for a manufacturer if asset tracking challenges aren’t addressed.
As you consider when and how to update your asset tracking, consider both the perceived benefits and risks when tracking your expected ROI. Too often, companies wait until a critical issue forces them to act, and any potential return from the benefits over time is lost.
To remain competitive and ensure smooth operations, manufacturers need to address problems or challenges in production as quickly and efficiently as possible. To do so, they need to understand their options when it comes to addressing those challenges.
Here are operational best practices for evaluating and improving asset tracking at your facility:
You should already have production records, but are you tracking the right data? Do you know how much waste you’ve created and the revenue you’ve lost from chain of custody issues? How many times do faulty labels cause a problem? How much time is spent applying a label, and how much upkeep is required to maintain your tracking system? You need to know the true cost of asset tracking to properly evaluate if a change is needed.
Most companies have a quality control team and a technical asset available to manage asset tracking, but they often aren’t the employees using it in production. You need to include a floor manager and production supervisor to provide feedback on the true efficiency of your current asset-tracking processes. Build a team and include employees with a stake in the process. They will provide clarity that no one else can.
For many companies, the current processes and system are good enough, so they don’t see a reason to evaluate anything else. This is like letting money slip through your fingers. You need to be aware of the latest technology to make informed decisions and better manage your asset tracking. Do your research on new products. Talk to the experts, and even if you aren’t ready to make a change now, document the expected costs and savings to make a change. That way, you’re ready when the time comes.
Evaluating a new high-temperature asset tracking system during optimal moments — like planned maintenance periods or slower cycles — can help integrate these systems seamlessly, driving measurable improvements in efficiency, quality and cost savings.
Looking to explore robust, high-performing asset-tracking solutions designed specifically for high-temperature environments? Learn more about GO2 Partners’ high-temperature RFID labels or our complete portfolio of high-temp and HOT! tracking solutions.