Last week over 2,000 professionals proved that manufacturing is alive and well in the USA at the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) annual conference in Dallas. A Potomac team member was invited to speak on the environmental aspects of 3D Printing and we were thrilled to see companies large and small embracing new digital fabrication technologies in order to advance manufacturing of biotech, medical device, pharmaceutical, electronic and consumer products.
Lean Thinking
AME’s mission centers on Lean Thinking. Lean is a methodology that grew out of quality work at Toyota in the mid-20th century. Lean companies strive to engage the workforce in continuous improvement for the simultaneous benefit of customers, the employees and the company. Continuous improvement leads naturally to cost savings, but also healthier and safer work environments, higher quality parts, time savings, and more efficient factories.
The entire workforce, from upper management to operators on the factory floor, is involved in the lean process. Communication and reporting on both positive and negative elements of the manufacturing process come from the bottom up with operators generating data. Staff is actively involved in solving problems and coming up with viable solutions within the factory’s constraints. The result is a better product, improved customer relations, and a workforce that feels engaged, as well as reduced costs and higher profitability for the company.
Lean is Green
Lean is Green founder Joe Rizzo, pulled together a sustainability track to demonstrate that Lean can go beyond waste reduction to having true impact on the environment. In the 3D Printing presentation, our team member showed photos of 3D Printed parts from the prosthetics and aerospace industries that take advantage of the technologies’ unique capability to create complex geometries.
3D Printing new designs of traditional parts allows for substantial advances in weight reduction. Airbus is reporting as much as 55% weight reduction in metal parts that are 3D Printed, resulting of course in reduced fuel consumption by aircraft. The reduced weight also translates to shipping cost savings.
People-Centric Leadership
All lean starts with respect for people and there was much discussion at the conference on People-Centric Leadership, which we practice daily here at Potomac. People are the key to Potomac’s success and we work together as a team to serve our customers. It’s especially motivating to everyone involved that we are manufacturing solutions for some of the world’s most innovative projects. From new cancer treatments and personalized medicine to microfluidic devices for Lab on a Chip point-of-care diagnostics, Potomac works at the forefront of advanced manufacturing. It’s exciting for each of us to be involved in the future of the world and every day our staff pours out not just labor and manufacturing expertise, but our hearts as well.
