Factory Physics Inc.'s approach in assisting you is to provide a practical scientific framework, software support tools, training and consulting services to quickly and effectively resolve the challenges you face in your manufacturing or supply chain environment. Our practical, comprehensive scientific approach is what distinguishes us from other alternatives and enables you to:
- determine the best strategic and tactical execution options for your company.
- implement an optimal portfolio of buffers: the best possible solution for your unique challenges
- get quick results given your existing resources.
With these goals in mind, we enable companies to focus and accelerate existing Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma efforts--we don't advocate eliminating those resources. FPI strongly supports Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma efforts. We have FPI personnel who are expert in the use of Lean and Six Sigma tools through years of industry experience. On the other hand, we have found that basing productivity improvements on imitation of other companies' programs tends to lead to inconsistency, ambiguity and redundancy in adapting those programs to a different environment (your company). As briefly discussed below, the practical science provided through the Factory Physics framework gives you the information you need to resolve conflicts and solve your manufacturing and supply chain problems fast.
Companies are continually introducing ways to be more productive. Meanwhile, the drivers of productivity are fundamental laws of nature that never change. Companies constantly re-invent the wheel. In fairness, there are plenty of companies where years of neglect or a change of management warrants an initiative to get the company on course. On the other hand, it is a problem that industry in general tends to lurch from one consulting initiative to the next looking for the "system constraint," the "perfect value stream," "six sigma levels of quality," a new information technology solution or any of a number of proposed silver bullets offered as "the answer."
Since 1986, researchers at Northwestern University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have been developing a new paradigm that provides a comprehensive, scientific framework to control and optimize the fundamental operations of any manufacturing and supply chain system. The result is the Factory Physics framework that provides a comprehensive, practical set of solutions for manufacturing and supply chain managers and executives. Factory Physics is the title of both an award winning book and of our company. Formed in 2001 by Dr. Mark L. Spearman, Factory Physics Inc., began providing training and consulting based on the Factory Physics framework to improve manufacturing and service operations. Since then, in a strong endorsement for the Factory Physics approach, the National Science Foundation has awarded Factory Physics over $1,000,000 in grants to develop the C-Suite software to standardize and advance the framework. This combination of software, training, and consultation has been proven and strengthened in application, saving millions of dollars and increasing competitiveness for our clients.
In the Factory Physics framework, the primary objective is to be as profitable as possible over the long term while being true to your values and ethics. Factory Physics principles and applications will provide you the means to most profitably meet your customer's demand and expectations. We call this matching transformation to demand. The laws of nature tell us that we will always have variability. In the presence of variability, it is impossible to have transformation exactly meet demand without some loss or buffer. If you don't believe this, try planning for customer demand without considering scrap losses, batching requirements, or seasonality.
You don't have the option to work without buffers. Buffers will appear and there are only three types:
- Inventory
- Capacity
- Time
You can be responsive by keeping a stock of inventory, or you can have extra capacity to handle demand fluctuations or you can give up on responsiveness and make the customer wait a longer time. The only way to reduce the need for buffers is to reduce variability. In solving your management challenges, it is imperative that you determine and implement an optimal portfolio of buffers to get the solution that works best for you and your company.
A key problem with current approaches to improving profitability by controlling manufacturing and supply chain operations is that they ignore random events that increase risk. The result is that a great deal of computer power is used to create a detailed schedule that becomes obsolete as soon as something unanticipated occurs within the production system or the supply chain. A supplier with a problem or a new large order coming in can completely wreck an "optimal" schedule.
Unfortunately, randomness and risk are a fact of life and cannot be wished away. The practical approach of Factory Physics Inc. explicitly considers randomness and risk. The idea is to determine the best possible portfolio of buffers and variability reduction for your company's unique market position and your company's objectives. Then, continuous and dynamic information is generated to provide robust control for best possible profitability. This approach exploits the natural behavior of your value stream.
How do you apply this practical science to your company?
- Determine your most effective manufacturing and supply chain strategy.
- Understand where your company's performance is versus where it could be.
- Identify and implement improvements. Train your employees
- Adapt your planning and execution systems to the natural behavior of your operations for simplified management and improved control.
There are as many different combinations of these efforts as there are companies, but the Factory Physics approach enables your company to adapt the appropriate elements to solve your unique challenges. Contact Factory Physics Inc. to explore the benefits of the Factory Physics approach for you and your company.