Productivity gains are the mantra for every foundry manager. Often, gains come in small, incremental steps, so improving productivity means looking at every aspect of foundry operations. One step to improving productivity and reducing costs should be an abrasives audit. Conducted throughout the foundry, and looking at the cost, usage and application of every abrasive product, an abrasives audit can lead to significant productivity improvements, as several companies recently learned.

Completing an abrasive audit and implementing the findings can lead to cost reduction opportunities, improvements in production processes, or even opportunities for supply consolidation.

An abrasive audit is a targeted, detailed listing of abrasives bought by a foundry, coupled with details of the plant location where they are used. This list may be organized by abrasive product required to clean, rough and finish a particular part, or by the department or machine in which a particular abrasive is used.

WHEN PLANNIG FOR AN ABRASIVE AUDIT, IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW :

- the abrasives being used for each part and cost per part
- the number of pieces or parts you are able to finish per abrasive product
- the amount of each abrasive you buy per year
- current part production levels

Decide on a period of time on which to base your audit. A day or week is not enough time to reflect average consumption; a year is too long. A good guideline would be to perform the audit over a two-week period.

Next, identify key people to perform the abrasive audit, being sure to solicit input from management, supervisors, engineers, operators, vendors and suppliers.

Then, list each abrasive item used (either by specific product or by machine) and record quantity, usage, operating parameters, and problems or issues encountered. From this list, identify one or two areas for initial testing and improvement and potential cost reduction, and work your way from there.

It is critically important to begin an abrasive audit by identifying key areas for improvement and establishing the goals you hope to achieve. You may choose to study the parts in your plant that have the highest abrasive costs per unit, bottleneck areas in your production line, areas requiring safety and ergonomic improvements –– or any step of your processes where you think productivity could be improved.

Do you want to consolidate inventory? Make process or productivity improvements? Improve plant safety? Achieve better stock management and order quantity?

KEY QUESTIONS

Start by asking questions such as :
* Does one operator or operation consistently consume more grinding or cut-off wheels than another ?
* Does one area of the production line have higher abrasive usage than others? Do you know why ?
* When was the last time you evaluated specific abrasive products for specific applications?
* Have there been changes in abrasive technology that might help improve productivity ?

FITTING THE PRODUCT TO THE APPLICATION

Another reason to conduct an abrasive audit is to ensure that you are using the correct abrasive product for the material you are grinding. As a result of an abrasive audit, foundries have discovered that, just by changing the abrasive currently being used, they can make substantial productivity improvements and reduce machine down time.

To prepare for your own abrasive audit, gather past order information on the abrasives you purchase, along with part production information. Compile a list of products you buy (sizes, specifications, quantities) and the parts you produce with them (quantity, machines, shifts, etc.).