Manufacturers often kit final products to bundle items together for sale to consumers but kitting also plays a beneficial role in the manufacturing process.
What Is Material Kitting in Manufacturing?
Manufacturers are focused on the most cost-efficient production to produce quality products, with a focus on continual improvement, reducing waste, and streamlining processes. Kitting materials that are required during a production process can significantly improve production cycle times and shop floor efficiency. When certain jobs require specific tools, materials, and work instructions and the required kits are available where and when they are needed, this significantly cuts down on operator time hunting down all the materials required.
Kitting may include certain raw materials that go into a particular product, packaging materials for that product line, or labeling materials. Quality control inspection checklists combined with the equipment necessary for specific jobs could be kitted to improve efficiency during QC inspections and ensure that all required parameters or critical dimensions will be checked as required. Material kitting in manufacturing can significantly improve production times by ensuring that all materials, parts, or components that are required during a process are available when needed.
When to Use Material Kitting
When considering incorporating or changing a material kitting process in your manufacturing application, there are some situations where kitting adds significant value. If the following conditions exist, you might want to evaluate your material kitting process:
- When a large variety of small components are required to be incorporated into the production process
- When time is being wasted locating materials and components on the production floor
- When some products require customization of things like shape, color, accessories, or packaging
- If there is a shortage of space that prevents stocking required materials closer to the area needed on the production line
Material kitting can enhance the production process if any of these situations exist or other conditions which can be improved with streamlined methods.
How to Use Material Kitting in Manufacturing
As manufacturers create the Bill of Material or BOM, for specific production jobs, everything that is a part of that finished product, including all materials and labor, is accounted for. When components in the BOM arrive at the production process when and where they are needed, in a ready-to-use kit, operators save time for improved efficiency.
All of these individual components can be kitted to create a new SKU, which simplifies inventory and handling. Quality is also improved with a kit of parts that have already passed all quality control measures and are assured to be within acceptable specifications. Kitting requires production managers to determine the most beneficial products and materials to bundle for improved manufacturing efficiency.
When kitting multiple components in large quantities, it may be beneficial to utilize the services of a contract kitting and assembly provider.
PPS Provides Material Kitting for Manufacturing
Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, offers kitting solutions to manufacturers of all sizes, including some of the largest Fortune 100 manufacturers in the country. We utilize our large, modern, state-of-the-art facility with the capacity to dedicate kitting stations designed to meet customer specifications. With a dedicated staff, automated equipment, and a commitment to detail and quality processes, PPS improves production efficiencies in a variety of industries and markets.
We are experienced in efficient kitting processes, practicing lean operations including value stream mapping (VSM), to improve efficiencies and reduce waste. PPS offers a variety of secondary production solutions such as kitting, assembly, packaging, and many secondary packaging solutions customized for the manufacturing line or display-ready products.
PPS is an industry-leading production solutions provider with more than 80 years of experience. We differ from other kitting providers in our kitting expertise and commitment to our staff and customers. Contact us to learn more about improving your material kitting to enhance your production processes.