Kitting services provide many advantages to production and assembly lines in a variety of manufacturing processes.
Kitting Services Provides Advantages to Many Production Processes
Whether producing automobiles, appliances, furniture, or various consumer goods, kitting streamlines production processes to support lean manufacturing goals. Kitting can improve inventory management and delivery times, as well as improving internal quality measures and several key performance indicators (KPIs). Assembly lines in manufacturing processes must experience streamlined material flow to keep the lines rolling – just one missing part can cost auto manufacturers tens of thousands of dollars per hour lost. It is critically important that established assembly lines in OEM manufacturing plants experience no unintended downtime.
What is Kitting for Assembly Lines in Manufacturing?
Kitting for assembly lines is simply kitting together various components that go together and are needed at particular times during the manufacturing process. This eliminates the need for assembly line workers to gather individual products that are needed during the manufacturing process. Kitting involves taking several individual components with individual SKUs, and combining them into one new SKU to represent the kit.
This makes the assembly process much simpler by not only providing the right components at the right time, but also by simplifying inventory management practices. Assembly line workers do not need to go hunting for small parts needed to finish their process, and there is no need to scan dozens of items in and out of inventory as they are received and used. The kit contains all necessary parts in the Bill of Material (BOM). This is exceptionally beneficial for just-in-time manufacturers who strive to continually improve cycle times.
Top 5 Benefits of How Kitting Improves Assembly Lines
Kitting in manufacturing provides many valuable benefits that ultimately improve the productivity and profitability of manufacturers. Some of the most important benefits of kitting and assembly lines include:
- Improves efficiency – kitting significantly improves efficient operations in a number of ways. Assembly line workers enjoy reduced movements by having all necessary components handy when needed, which optimizes work time. This improves material flow and eliminates bottlenecks in assembly processes.
- Improves inventory management – by working with one kit and one SKU that represents all kitted components, inventory processes are simplified. This drastically improves production speed, allowing workers to scan one kit in and out of inventory instead of dozens of components.
- Reduces errors and improves quality – Kitting improves inventory accuracy when all components are already accounted for and kitted prior to the assembly process. This helps assembly line workers to have exactly what they need and eliminates the chance of error by grabbing the wrong part and realizing at the last minute that they do not have all required components. Quality is improved by eliminating the chance of using an incorrect part in an assembly process.
- Maximizes capacity – when all kitted components are in the right place at the right time, extra space is not needed to put together small parts that are needed for an assembly process. Outsourcing kitting for assembly line manufacturing further optimizes space by eliminating the need for in-house kitting and assembly processes.
- Boosts productivity – preparing all necessary materials in advance in a convenient kit boosts productivity by ensuring a continuous, uninterrupted assembly process. Increasing productivity directly relates to increased profitability and a better bottom line.
Kitting Provider for Manufacturing and Assembly Line Improvements
Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, offers kitting and assembly services for manufacturing and assembly line processes for companies of all sizes. We have been providing kitting and assembly solutions for more than 80 years to some of the largest companies in the country including Fortune 100 manufacturers, food and beverage suppliers, healthcare suppliers, subscription service companies and more. PPS boasts a large, modern, state-of-the-art facility with 17 shipping and receiving bays, allowing for a streamlined flow of goods. We offer a climate controlled facility and an FDA certified clean room for medical kitting processes.
PPS provides experienced kitting and assembly with a dedicated staff fully trained on the use of automated equipment and meticulous work instructions. We follow strict quality policies as part of our ISO9001:2015 registration and practice value stream mapping (VSM) and cross training procedures to maximize efficiency and meet on-time delivery goals. Contact us to learn more about improving your supply chain and assembly processes by outsourcing to an experienced kitting and assembly service provider.