Shake it up

Since its launch in 2001, the DTI-funded Process Industries Centre for Manufacturing Excellence (PICME) has served manufacturing clients from all walks of the process sector - chemicals, polymers, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and agrochemicals. All UK-based process manufacturers qualify and can apply to benefit from the redcar-based industry forum´s diagnostic and performance measuring/benchmarking activities that aim to save manufacturers money in areas such as stock management, machine utilisation, lead-times, process variability and supply chain efficiencies. According to an expert, waste minimisation or elimination should be the driving philosophy behind most manufacturing and operations improvement; not only in terms of wasted end-product, but also in terms of other wasted inputs to the operation. PICME uses tried and tested systems to analyse for all types of waste including the traditional seven as well as a few other categories in which experience suggest needs special focus in this sector including the waste of good ideas which are essential to innovation. This paper discusses how PICME helped process industries strive for process excellence.