Managing a factory is much more than just taking orders and issuing orders. The management of the factory requires managers to be capable of more and more. Managers need to have a clear mind, clear logic, and high efficiency for the purpose of whether personnel safety, environmental protection evaluation, or from production capacity layout, cost reduction and efficiency enhancement, etc. The success of the factory requires the concerted efforts of the team to support the execution. This article gives us a general understanding of the overall management of the factory.
Every foundry should be concerned about increasing productivity of each process and reduction of related costs. For this purpose, it needs to study all facets of its operations; processes and equipment establish best principles and reach optimum utilization of recourse. The general foundry management will need to study all aspects starting from building layout and design, transportation, scrap, yield, raw material, production scheduling etc.
Building Layout - The first step in general foundry management should start with a study of how well the building space is being utilized and what changes can be brought about. The building should provide for easy passage to and from the complex for workforce, vehicles and equipment. It should provide a good environment to workforce with enough ventilation, light, sans dampness, proper storage for raw materials. Planning should be done for proper placement of exhausts, probable expansion in future and dust removal.
Transport System - Next a study of transportation system being used should be managed. All vehicles should be kept in proper shape and regularly serviced. Routes should be planned in such a way that various jobs can be clubbed. For a new plant, it should be studied if the plant has easy access to roads, railways etc.
Periodic Maintenance of Plant and Equipment - it is very necessary that the plant and equipment maintenance should be done from time to time and not only at the time of any breakdown. This will not only help avoid delay penalty, shutdown costs, but also help upkeep the foundry's good position in front of the customers.
Production Scheduling - The production scheduling should be done in a manner that some processes can be shifted to times when demand for power is least in order to avoid peak hour penalty. Also, maintenance processes can be conducted in weekdays so that premium charges of power can be reduced and cheaper weekend rates can be utilized. Employees can be given a share in cost saving by way of reduced wastage and better productivity. Better control over various processes should be exercised.
Increasing Yield - This can be done by better casting processes. It helps increase profitability and reduce wastage in form of raw material, workforce, power, and resultant increase in per unit output.
Handling Scrap - Scrap is the residue left after various processes, but is not always a waste. Any foundry with a good management setup, not only tries to minimize scrap, but also tries to extract the maximum possible usable material from scrap. It can also be sold to outside processes or internal scrap may be used in foundry's own processes.
Planning for Change - Change management means, studying opportunities for up gradation or improvements in existing processes and equipment, planning for such changes and efficient implementation of the required modification. This will include a study of the costs for bringing about the required change.
Working in a foundry presents a range of work health and safety risks including:
• explosion and burns from molten metal and other hot materials
• respiratory effects from exposure to gases, vapours, fumes and dusts
• skin effects from contact with corrosive or sensitising chemicals
• eye damage from light radiation, metal fragments, dusts and chemical splashes
• heat stress, heat stroke and fatigue from hot working conditions
• slips, trips and falls
• joint, muscle sprains and strains
• physical injuries from machinery and equipment e.g. by entanglement or crushing
• health effects from machinery and equipment e.g. caused by vibration and noise.
1. A person who conducts a business or undertaking
• ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, workers and other people are not exposed to health and safety risks arising from the business or undertaking
• eliminate health and safety risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and if this is not reasonably practicable, minimize those risks so far as is reasonably practicable.
This includes risks associated with using, handling and storing hazardous chemicals safely, airborne contaminants and plant, as well as other hazards associated with foundry work like noise and heat.
2. Designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers or installers of plant or substances
Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant or substances they design, manufacture, import or supply is without risks to health and safety, including carrying out testing and analysis and providing information about the plant or substances.
3. Officers such as company directors
Exercise due diligence, including by taking reasonable steps to ensure the business or undertaking has and uses appropriate resources and processes to eliminate or minimize risks from foundry work.
4. Workers
• take reasonable care for their own health and safety
• take reasonable care not adversely affect other people’s health and safety
• co-operate with reasonable work health and safety policies or procedures
• comply, so far as they are reasonably able, with reasonable instructions
5. Other persons at the workplace, like visitors
• take reasonable care for their own health and safety
• take reasonable care not to adversely affect other people’s health and safety
• comply, so far as they are reasonably able, with reasonable instructions.
Manufacturing high-quality cast iron products requires high quality in selecting raw materials, tooling and equipment. Our customer support from the first dialogue about drawings on to handling and delivery, guarantees a satisfying end product.
Our quality management department controls all aspects of manufacturing including foundry sand and core sand and performs metallurgical and metallographic analyses at different production stages. Final physical tests and continuous monitoring of current process parameters ensure superior quality of Besser products with regard to customer standards.
Waste management of Besser Casting includes control, appropriate collecting, manipulation, storage, and removal of the waste, which is produced in casting process. The basic goal of the waste management is to define, and organize individuals, who are responsible for performing of particular procedures on such a way that human health is not in danger and with such methods, which reduce environment pollution to minimum. It is especially important to prevent:
• excessive air, water and soil polluting,
• spreading bad odors and noise,
• substantially deterioration of living conditions, and
• bad influence on environment in the region.
