Improving operations through productivity per unit of time, equipment utilization, and operation with fewer people

Improving productivity does not mean rushing operators

When production falls behind in coating operations, it is tempting to think in terms of “coat faster,” “move faster,” or “add more people.”

Work speed is, of course, important.
However, simply rushing operators will not produce a sustained improvement in coating productivity.

Rushing can instead increase variations in film thickness, missed areas, sagging, foreign matter adhesion, insufficient drying, missed inspections, and rework.

What truly matters in improving productivity in coating operations is not making operators move faster.

What matters is reducing wasted time and creating conditions in which people and equipment can concentrate on producing acceptable products.

At CoatureVietnam, we regard improvements in coating operations as process improvements that raise quality, productivity, and safety together, rather than simply improving individual tasks.

Coating operations contain many hidden losses of time

Even when operators are constantly busy in a coating process, substantial time losses may be hidden within the operation.

Examples include the following.

• Time spent waiting for parts from the preceding process
• Time spent waiting for coating materials or thinner to be prepared
• Time spent changing colors and cleaning
• Time spent cleaning the coating booth
• Time spent waiting for drying
• Time spent waiting for an inspection decision
• Time spent waiting for a decision on how to handle defective products
• Time spent on rework and recoating
• Time spent on equipment stoppages and adjustments
• Time spent by operators moving between locations
• Time spent looking for the required fixtures and tools

Each of these may appear to be a small loss when considered individually.

However, if they occur every day, they can lead to substantial losses of productivity over a month or a year.

In coating operations in particular, surface preparation, coating, drying, inspection, and shipping are connected.
Waiting or rework in one process disrupts the overall flow.

Improving productivity therefore requires a review of how time is used throughout the process, as well as operator speed.

Productivity per unit of time means generating valuable results within limited time

Productivity per unit of time is a way of assessing how much valuable output is generated within limited working hours.

Here, output does not simply mean the number of products produced.

The results that coating operations should actually assess include the following.

• Whether acceptable products are produced consistently
• Whether rework and recoating are decreasing
• Whether the burden on operators is decreasing
• Whether conditions make the work manageable for new operators
• Whether experienced operators’ knowledge is shared
• Whether the cause can be traced when a defect occurs
• Whether equipment is being used to produce acceptable products
• Whether the operation is building its capacity for improvement

For example, even if more products can be coated in the same time, actual productivity has not improved if defects and recoating have increased.

Conversely, even if a task takes slightly longer, overall process productivity may improve if the proportion of acceptable products rises, rework decreases, and production becomes more stable.

Productivity in coating operations must be assessed in terms of the ability to produce acceptable products consistently, as well as speed.

Equipment running does not necessarily mean high productivity

When a coating booth or drying oven operates for long periods, productivity may appear high at first glance.

However, equipment running and efficiently producing acceptable products are not the same thing.

For example, in the following situations, actual productivity is low even though equipment is running.

• The equipment is processing mostly products requiring recoating
• The drying oven is filled with reworked products
• The booth spends long periods stopped for color changes and cleaning
• The equipment is operated at a reduced speed
• The defect rate is high
• Operators must make strained movements to keep up with the equipment
• Poor coordination with preceding and subsequent processes causes frequent waiting

When assessing equipment efficiency, simply recording how many hours it ran is insufficient.

The following 3 points are important.

1. Whether the equipment can be used without stoppages
2. Whether it is operating at a speed close to its intended capacity
3. Whether the output consists of acceptable products

These 3 aspects must be assessed separately to understand the equipment’s true efficiency.

Overall equipment effectiveness considers time, speed, and the proportion of acceptable products

Overall equipment effectiveness is a useful concept when assessing coating equipment efficiency.

It separates equipment efficiency into the following 3 aspects.

1. Availability

This is the proportion of the time available for use during which the equipment actually operates.

Long stoppages mean the equipment’s capacity is not being fully used.

Downtime includes not only breakdowns, but also changeovers, color changes, cleaning, waiting for materials, waiting for decisions, and waiting for the preceding process.

2. Performance

This measures the equipment’s operating speed relative to its intended capacity.

Even when equipment is running, it may actually be operated at a reduced speed.
Reasons vary and may include operator workload, unstable coating quality, insufficient oven capacity, conveying problems, and defective fixtures.

3. Quality

This is the proportion of the products produced that are acceptable.

This proportion is particularly important in coating operations.
Even if the equipment is running, a high number of defective products or products requiring recoating reduces its efficiency in generating value.

Improving coating equipment requires an integrated assessment of operating time, speed, and the proportion of acceptable products.

High-performance equipment delivers no benefit unless it is used effectively

New coating equipment, automatic machines, robots, or conveying systems may be introduced to improve productivity.

Investment in equipment is important.
However, installing high-performance equipment does not automatically improve productivity.

Even after equipment is introduced, benefits may be difficult to achieve under the following conditions.

• There are no work standards
• Few people can adjust the equipment settings
• Preceding and subsequent processes do not match the equipment’s capacity
• Fixtures or workpiece arrangements are unsuitable
• Material conditions are unstable
• The maintenance system is weak
• Operator training is insufficient
• The proportion of acceptable products has not improved

Coating equipment must be used effectively in a way that suits the conditions of the operation.

Even with the same equipment, the best way to use it changes with the workpiece, coating material, required quality, production volume, operator skill level, and building conditions.

CoatureVietnam emphasizes not only introducing equipment, but also operating it to suit the workplace and using it to produce acceptable products.

Insufficient standardization causes quality variation and lower productivity

Experienced operators’ skills are a major asset in coating operations.

However, a process that depends entirely on experienced operators cannot be considered stable.

Insufficient standardization causes problems such as the following.

• The finish differs between operators
• Film thickness varies
• Decisions on thinning ratios and viscosity differ between people
• Defect assessments differ between people
• Training new operators takes time
• Quality becomes unstable when an experienced operator is absent
• Improvements do not become established in the operation

Standardization is not intended to constrain operators.

It provides a foundation for achieving consistent quality regardless of who does the work.
It also helps operators work without uncertainty and make correct decisions when abnormalities occur.

To operate with fewer people and improve productivity in coating operations, it is important to establish work standards, inspection criteria, responses to abnormalities, and training methods.

Poor coordination between departments consumes time in coating operations

The coating process does not operate entirely within the coating workplace.

It is connected to many departments and activities, including surface preparation, production control, quality assurance, purchasing, equipment maintenance, shipping, and customer support.

Weak coordination between departments therefore creates waste in coating operations, including the following.

• Work cannot proceed because materials have not arrived
• Parts do not arrive from the preceding process
• Work waits for approval of a quality decision
• Deciding how to handle defective products takes time
• Changes to production plans do not reach the workplace
• Purchasing changes alter coating material or thinner conditions
• Customer requirements do not reach the workplace accurately

Effort by the coating operation alone will not improve productivity if information and decision-making flows are poor.

Improving a coating process requires reviewing information sharing and decision criteria between departments, as well as work performed on the shop floor.

Operating with fewer people does not simply mean reducing headcount

Labor shortages and rising labor costs may create a need for coating operations to run with fewer people.

However, pursuing this merely as a reduction in headcount makes the operation unstable.

If people are removed while waste and quality variation remain, problems such as the following occur.

• Operators face a greater burden
• Defects and rework increase
• Dependence on experienced operators increases
• Training new operators becomes more difficult
• The risk of staff turnover increases
• There is no time for improvement activities

The true aim of operating with fewer people is not simply to reduce headcount. It is

to establish a process that consistently produces acceptable products even with a small team.

This requires reducing waste, establishing work standards, using equipment effectively, and enabling operators to make decisions.

Create a process that lets operators concentrate on valuable work

Coating is a process that requires skill and involves demanding working conditions.

If experienced operators spend much of their time on rework, recoating, cleaning, searching for items, and waiting for decisions, the overall capability of the operation is weakened.

Experienced operators should instead be able to focus their efforts on work such as the following.

• Coating difficult products
• Training new operators
• Improving work standards
• Analyzing defect causes
• Adjusting equipment conditions
• Responding to customer requirements
• Proposing improvements

Improving productivity therefore does not simply mean increasing the amount of work performed.

It means creating conditions in which operators can focus on valuable work without being consumed by wasteful tasks.

This is closely connected to CoatureVietnam’s concept of care for people.

Productivity challenges commonly encountered in Vietnamese factories

Coating operations in Vietnamese factories may face challenges such as the following.

• They depend on operators’ experience
• Training for new operators depends on individual trainers
• Rework and recoating are frequent
• Color changes and cleaning take time
• The booth or drying oven is a bottleneck
• Reasons for equipment stoppages are not recorded
• Changes to production plans reach the workplace slowly
• Defect decisions wait for a manager’s approval
• Quality or production is disrupted when an experienced operator is absent
• Equipment has been introduced, but operating standards have not been established
• Operators work in strained postures or demanding environments
• Alternatives to recruiting more staff have not been identified as responses to labor shortages

These are not solely problems with work performed on the shop floor.

They arise from connections between materials, methods, equipment, people, and the management system.

Points to check when improving productivity

When reviewing productivity in coating operations, checking the following items is useful.

Time losses

• Which process has the most waiting time?
• How long do color changes and cleaning take?
• Do you know how much time is spent on rework and recoating?
• Are operator travel time and setup time excessive?
• Does work stop while waiting for a decision?

Equipment efficiency

• Do you record equipment downtime?
• Do you classify the reasons for stoppages?
• Does the equipment run at its intended speed?
• Do you assess the proportion of acceptable products together with equipment efficiency?
• Do products requiring recoating consume excessive booth or oven capacity?

Standardization

• Are there documented work standards?
• Does the actual work follow the standards?
• Are conditions in place for new operators to perform the same work?
• Are defect assessment criteria clear?
• Is experienced operators’ knowledge shared?

Coordination between departments

• Is information shared sufficiently between the preceding process, coating, drying, inspection, and shipping?
• Do changes to production plans reach the workplace promptly?
• Are material changes and changes to customer requirements shared accurately with the workplace?
• Is the decision-making route clear when a defect occurs?

Operation with fewer people and operator workload

• Which processes are short of staff?
• Is the workload concentrated on particular people?
• Which tasks do operators find burdensome?
• Could the burden of any tasks be reduced simply by improving fixtures or conveying?
• Can the process operate consistently with a small team?

How CoatureVietnam can help

CoatureVietnam does not view productivity improvement in coating operations as something that should rely solely on operators’ efforts.

We review operations from the 4M perspective, make time losses, equipment stoppages, the proportion of acceptable products, and workload visible, and support improvements that raise quality, productivity, and safety together.

Coat Visioner

We make the state of the coating process visible.
We organize working time, downtime, rework time, recoating rate, the proportion of acceptable products, and equipment operating status to identify where improvements are needed.

Work standards and process control

We support work standardization, inspection criteria, decisions when abnormalities occur, and operator training.
We aim to establish processes that consistently produce acceptable products with a small team, without depending solely on experienced operators.

Coat Systemizer

We support design of the entire process, including coating booths, drying ovens, conveying, fixtures, work routes, exhaust ventilation, and safety.
We emphasize effective use that suits the workplace, as well as introducing equipment.

Paint Voyager / Paint Optimizer

We assess the suitability of coating materials and auxiliary materials, including drying properties, workability, defect rates, and rework burden.
We also contribute to productivity improvements through materials.

Coating the Future with Science and Care

Improving productivity in coating operations requires science.

It is important to make working time, downtime, the proportion of acceptable products, recoating rate, equipment utilization, and deviations from standard work visible and to identify their causes.

Improving productivity also requires care for people.

Reduce wasteful tasks rather than rush operators.
Improve strained postures and demanding working conditions.
Reduce time consumed by rework and recoating.
Create conditions in which operators can use their skills and concentrate on valuable work.

CoatureVietnam aims to organize coating processes scientifically, reduce the burden on the people who work in them, and raise quality and productivity together.

Summary

Simply rushing operators does not improve productivity in coating operations.

What matters is reducing wasted time and creating a process in which equipment and people can concentrate on producing acceptable products.

It is necessary to check not only whether equipment is running, but also whether it runs at its intended speed and produces acceptable products.
Operating with fewer people does not simply mean cutting headcount; it means establishing a process that consistently produces acceptable products with a small team.

If a Vietnamese factory faces lower productivity, labor shortages, equipment stoppages, rework, recoating, or excessive operator workload, making time losses and equipment efficiency visible is the first step toward improvement.

CoatureVietnam reviews coating processes from the 4M perspective and supports operational improvements that raise quality, productivity, and safety together.