The World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodology is capable of improving processes and helps optimize production, allowing machines to operate without downtime, with total safety and quality.
As an important automation milestone, its main function in Industry 4.0 is to enable the alignment of production with manufacturing technologies, using data as a reference to optimize results.
Discover in this article how the concepts, techniques, and principles of World Class Manufacturing, inspired by the Toyota Production System (TPS), enable integrated management focused on cost reduction. Also, understand how Industry 4.0 impacts WCM!
What is WCM?
WCM is an operational excellence program based on technical and managerial pillars, ten of each. Today, the method is considered the most important trend focused on quality.
Check out the technical pillars of WCM:
- safety, through the creation of a safe environment that reduces accident risks;
- cost deployment, by identifying and eliminating losses in the production system;
- focus on continuous improvement, by searching for tools that enable solutions to chronic problems;
- autonomous maintenance, allowing all machines to operate at full efficiency;
- shop floor organization, focusing on minimal movement to optimize operators’ work;
- professional maintenance, capable of performing highly difficult and demanding tasks;
- quality control, ensuring high delivery standards;
- logistics and customer service, increasing work efficiency;
- early equipment management, based on understanding company demands;
- operator training, for the best performance of their tasks;
- environment, respecting standards and regulations.
Get to know the managerial pillars of World Class Manufacturing:
- management commitment, which must be attentive to WCM results;
- clear objectives, with clarity and transparency in deliveries;
- roadmap, which provides clarity for autonomous maintenance processes;
- allocation of the best operators, working with highly qualified professionals;
- commitment to the organization;
- organization’s competence to implement improvements;
- time and budget, focusing attention on financial planning and organization;
- level of detail, indicating which points will be necessary for project implementation;
- expansion level, through the creation of islands of excellence that should serve as a reference;
- operator motivation, who must be engaged with the project.
In WCM, a project for change or improvement implementation starts in a model area, which serves as a reference for applying learnings across the entire plant. Commonly in the World Class Manufacturing process, in the case of a factory, the worst-performing machine is chosen — and transformed into the best!
The core objective of WCM is to eliminate failures, losses, defects, waste, and other problems. Driven by the pursuit of high efficiency, changes are implemented using the plant’s best performance as a benchmark.
WCM must be implemented in companies in stages, through training, corporate process changes, and clear practices, with a commitment to direction and results.
WCM is applied through:
- Combating waste in the production chain;
- Developing employee skills;
- Using tools capable of minimizing problems in the production process.
How does Industry 4.0 impact WCM?
As a technological trend, Industry 4.0 uses innovative solutions to boost company performance and competitiveness. Cutting-edge technologies, data collection, and analysis are applied, along with the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing, enabling connection between factories, managers, suppliers, third parties, and employees. This creates a highly automated and efficient production chain!
This integration improves results and also contributes to operational excellence. Once equipment is interconnected, logistics services improve proportionally. Thus, process monitoring becomes increasingly secure and robust.
Focusing on high-level process management, WCM (today) brings together techniques capable of raising a company’s productivity, reducing waste, increasing safety, and managing maintenance within a system of continuous improvement.
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