Efficient, customer-oriented processes form the basis of sustainable value creation. Our goal is to discover malfunctions and inefficiencies and to eliminate them in the next step. We combine quantitative methods with know-how and experience from our own line responsibility and numerous successful projects. We consistently pursue the idea of ​​LEAN Production, but supplement this with methods to ensure the necessary flexibility in order to take into account the reality of fluctuations in customer requirements, employee qualifications or technical stability. The selection of the methods used is adapted to the task at hand and encompasses the entire range of optimization, from “5S” for structuring the work area to sustainable assurance of success through audits.

An efficient achievement of goals on the shop floor requires the definition and monitoring of standards in the structures and processes: Tasks, competencies and responsibilities are defined, control groups are organized and the necessary data for process management and support for decision-makers are made available with little effort. Aids can be visual – markings, pictograms, barriers, boards – but also technologically sophisticated, for example in the form of tablets for production foremen to provide information in real time and means of communication. At the core, however, is the design of management and value creation processes to secure corporate goals.

Recording and increasing productivity at IMX includes the dimensions of material and personnel costs in relation to output. To examine deviations from targets – derived from plans or benchmarks – quantitative analysis methods are used, taking into account the underlying production process. Process design, supplier management and support through constructive optimization are building blocks for increasing productivity, for example in the sense of a sustainable reduction in disruptions in the production process. After the implementation of productivity measures, KPI-based productivity monitoring complements effective control of performance.

A “flowing” production does not necessarily require a clocked assembly line. Rather, the focus is on a smooth production process without disruptions and waiting times as well as the efficient mapping of a large number of product variants. The minimization of throughput times promotes both the efficiency and the flexibility of the system. Fluctuations in time and capacity requirements are part of the planning in terms of an exact recording of the framework conditions. Internal and cross-company production networks are demanding challenges both in the configuration and in the design of operational operations. We not only have the technical expertise to design and implement effective production networks, but also the know-how to design effective management processes as well as controlling and management tools.

Logistics is defined very broadly in the INSTITUTE FOR MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE (IMX) and includes the control of all material and information flows in addition to the “classic” functions of storage, provision and internal and external transport. During the conception and implementation of logistics systems, the material flows of the processes required to secure the movement of materials are determined on the basis of a continuous value stream analysis. Operating resources and personnel requirements in terms of type and quantity are based on this. In particular, however, the control logics are defined according to which material requirements arise and are met.
Information flows and visualizations are implemented in terms of content and technology throughout the network using the latest technologies. Particular emphasis is placed on ensuring flexibility in order to ensure that the functionality of the system is guaranteed even in the event of malfunctions and changes. IMX works in the design of logistics systems both with regard to the creation of technical concepts and the use of technologies on the basis of the latest findings. The many years of practical experience of the IMX consultants play an important role in the content and procedure, not only in the conception, but also in the implementation.

Stocks of production material, circulating and finished goods stocks are not only associated with the cost of capital and the tie-up of liquidity, but also indicators of the stability and efficiency of processes. The active control of these stocks therefore supports both the commercial success of the company and the process design. The IMX consultants know from their own experience of responsibility the various factors influencing inventory and analyze weak points from supplier management to balancing the production processes. The focus is not on the undifferentiated elimination of stocks, but on achieving a cross-departmental optimum. Selective buffers and their dynamic adaptation are part of the design of supply processes, the primary objective of which is to meet customer requirements.

To the extent that products are not the result of a singular production process, but rather complex value creation processes in production networks, the integration of suppliers into the process design and the management of the supply relationship becomes a critical factor for the company’s success. The creation of supplier portfolios, the selection of suppliers and the supplier evaluation must be coordinated across departments with construction, quality management, purchasing, production and logistics. The supplier performance in terms of quantity and adherence to deadlines, compliance with quality targets and other specific criteria must be monitored and safeguarded preventively and reactively by active management. A structured supplier development helps to make the production supply sustainable and efficient.

The physical provision of the product expected by the customer at the right time in the right place requires not only effective production, but also the control of the upstream supply network. The IMX approach pursues a consistent alignment of all processes with end customer requirements with a special focus on minimizing throughput times. From the rolling production planning based on sales planning through technical and commercial order processing to production, control loops are installed for information and organization so that seamless and interlinked process control and monitoring is ensured. Faults are ideally recognized and eliminated in advance. The use of modern technologies enables the role-specific provision of information for decision support.