Trying to manage production in the aluminum industry without modern asset tracking is like driving a car with a blindfold on in rush hour traffic.
You aren’t really “managing” anything. You’re just trying to keep production going in the right direction while you wait for the next disaster to strike. You don’t have enough visibility or information to optimize. You’re just hoping for the best.
That is no way to run a business. You need critical data to make informed decisions and stay competitive. Without asset tracking, your profitability is based on chance and guesswork.
Fortunately, modern asset tracking is easier than many manufacturers realize.
Tracking Assets for the Aluminum Industry
The truth is, every manufacturer has some type of asset tracking in place to manage production. Sure, it can be as simple as a piece of chalk and a numbered spreadsheet, but manufacturers need some way to track assets and monitor processes.
The problem is, many of these methods create problems that can bite deep into the bottom line. The easy solution may not be the best solution.
Problems with Label and Tagging Processes in the Aluminum Industry
We’ve worked with many manufacturers in the aluminum industry. Here are a few of the problems we’ve heard time and again:
- Illegible Labels, Tags or IDs – Handwritten identification, often nothing more than a chalk on coils and slabs, can easily become unreadable. Human error is another problem. Transpose a number in the code, or use the wrong number, and you have a break in asset tracking your production team will need to overcome.
- Missing Labels – Not all labels are created equal. The wrong adhesive can cause a label to fall and be lost. Labels can also be mistakenly pulled off, especially during transport, leaving you with a batch that has to be scrapped or re-identified.
- Unreadable Labels – A scrape can remove critical information from a barcode or make a label unreadable. Ink can also fade or be smudged, leaving you with missing information. At this point, you’ll need to spend time re-identifying the asset, or you’ll have to put your trust in an estimate or guess.
- Lost Coil or Slab – A slab or coil can go missing in production or in the yard – another example of a lack of production visibility. Time and resources are wasted tracking down the missing asset, or you eat the cost of a new shipment to the customer.
- Mis-Shipments – The wrong order can be shipped to the customer, and you end up paying for a new shipment and the return – compounding the cost of the mistake. Mis-picks can also lead to quality issues and rejected parts, problems that hurt the bottom line.
- Inefficient Labeling Processes – In this age of shorter production times and hyper-efficiency, a mistake can happen when a liner doesn’t release from the label. The wrong adhesive can leave your team scrambling to solve a problem in the middle of production. Inefficiency is waste.
We’ve covered only some of the top problems here. Every plant and production team is different, but the core of the problems we solve for the aluminum industry often fall under one of these categories.
Custom Asset Tracking Solutions for the Aluminum Industry
In this age of smaller orders, drop shipments, rapid turnaround times, and increasingly tight margins, manufacturers have no room for errors. To better manage production, you need the best information possible. You need to cut costs, deliver better customer service, and continually provide value.
You need to better track assets so managers have all the information they need to make better, more profitable, decisions.
A Solution Designed for you
The challenge in this industry is every manufacturer is different. Every vertical and every order has different requirements and different challenges. There is not a single solution that will work for every process or production environment.
This is why an order with GO2 starts with a consultation. You’ll work with a label and tagging expert to understand your processes and identify your requirements. The goal is the best possible solution – a solution designed around your needs and requirements.
GO2 works with the industry leaders in label and tagging, allowing us to select and use the best possible products. You aren’t forced into one product line when there may be a better solution from another vendor. Our goal is to deliver real solutions, not just sell you products.
Get control of production with modern asset tracking that works. Contact the experts at GO2 today.
