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The F Factor: Running A Factory Operation

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The F Factor: Running A Factory Operation

Overseeing a factory is a challenge of varying proportions. You are overseeing the product is being generated quickly enough to meet demands, which can be a high pressure environment. Dealing with complex machinery, stock demands as well as large amounts of people, sometimes into the thousands requires a firm but fair approach to leadership.

When running a factory or warehouse, take some notes on the following and implement it into your leadership style.

Pay Attention To Detail

Assuming that the product is right every time is an incorrect approach to manufacturing. Ensuring a follow up system is necessary. Human error occurs, and this is a fact of life. So adequate steps need to be taken to minimise the risk of error. Team discipline is something that can be encouraged in a factory line to increase productivity. Use some basic sociology to encourage groups to have team dependency and you might be quite surprised at the increase in productivity!

Have A “Common, Common, Common” Goal

Reinforcing the fact that everyone is in it together helps to create team spirit. Factories have a tendency to be segregated, and so continuously reiterating that common goal will break down barriers. In 1984 the General Motors reorganization occurred. It created two car groups, each one focused on unique products, engineering, tooling, and processing. The result was that billions of dollars were wasted in duplicate tooling investment and engineering costs. That meant that the quality and productivity decreased. That structure was abandoned in 1994 and the company refocused on the three C’s – common, common, common.

Utilise Your Space Well

From using van storage systems in the delivery vans to the canteen, it is easy to overcrowd a factory with everything under one roof. Look at the layout of your operation, can it be altered to bring two linking production lines together? In doing so, it can create a more cohesive process.

Get The Legal Details Right

If you are a business owner and are looking to acquire a factory to start manufacturing, visit local government websites. Or talk to people who have experience about the kind of licenses needed to set up shop. Once this is done, you can go ahead and buy equipment and hire employees confidently.

Keep Your Workers Happy

A factory setup can make for an uncomfortable environment. Based on my experiences of working 12 hour nights in a meat packing factory at the age of 17, I was cold, tired and not having fun. Finding ways to keeping people happy will help workers in their mental health and relationships with colleagues. Encouraging social functions outside of the work environment can help with this.
Running a factory operation is not a one size fits all approach. Encouraging the manufacturing of the product to be perfect every time in the face of human error is difficult. Likewise, keeping an eye on a large business like this is difficult. At the same time encouraging working towards the same goal can feel like a standard military operation. If you feel you have the F factor, then put yourself and your business on the (factory) line.

I am the founder of Startup Today. I am the main writer and have put in many hours of work into creating this blog. If you want to find out more about me then lets get in contact.

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