It’s beneficial to make an annual visit to your doctor for a physical—to check in on everything and make sure all the systems in your body are working well and operating as they should be. The same goes for your welding operation. By doing an annual “check-up”—or welding efficiency analysis—you get the benefit of knowing that your company is healthy and operating well.
Let’s take a look at how an welding efficiency analysis can help you ensure that all aspects of your welding operations are functioning as they should.
One of the first steps at your annual check-up is probably a blood test—a simple, yet comprehensive test that helps doctors evaluate how well your organs are working, diagnose diseases, identify potential risk factors, evaluate your current course of treatment, and ensure your system is operating correctly.
Regular analysis of your operation (like the blood test) helps evaluate costs associated with your welding processes, finds areas for improvement and monitors productivity and efficiency. These regular evaluations also allow you to compare your results to other like companies to see how competitive you are in your market.
A comprehensive evaluation should include a plant walkthrough and review of purchasing data on key consumables used in the welding process. This allows the person conducting the evaluation to see the flow of the shop as well as understand in-house operating procedures. While it is possible to evaluate in-house, it may be beneficial to bring in a third-party vendor as well. In addition to providing an unbiased opinion, your vendor should also have a level of expertise that adds a different perspective to the way you evaluate your operations.
We know it can be hard to have an outsider poke around your business, but sometimes an objective viewpoint can be beneficial. It can help to bring in a new perspective, give you insight as to what others in your field are doing and come up with a game plan based on the results of the evaluation.
Just like it is recommended for all people to get annual check-ups, regular evaluations are always something that can and should be considered for every type of welding operation. Regardless of whether your process is manual or automated, regular check ups can lead to a more profitable and competitive business in today’s market.
