“The application of lean manufacturing creates a cultural and operational environment conducive to a substantial reduction of waste, for the benefit of the environment”*

Lean Manufacturing and the Environment: United States Environmental Protection Agency, study EPA100-R-03-005

“RFID technology is considered to be one of the best ways to oversee lean manufacturing. Automated data collection enables increased visibility of inventories and production flows”

RFID opportunity analysis for leaner manufacturing: International Journal of Production, Issue 9, 2010

We provide industrial IIOT solutions dedicated to Lean Manufacturing for producers seeking to increase their performance in terms of productivity, quality and safety, while reducing their environmental impact.

NEXESS solutions enable real-time inventory, traceability, and geolocation of all types of industrial objects during production, supply chain, maintenance, or operating processes.

The aim of Lean Manufacturing is to identify and reduce all activities that have no added value for the final product. This means producing just as well – or better – with less: less work, less storage, less transport, etc.
An important aspect of Lean Manufacturing is flow management in the production process. Each production stage is considered as a response to a direct demand (“pull”) in the next stage. This eliminates the accumulation of parts and reduces overstock and waiting times.

NEXESS smart solutions reduce the following types of waste:

Unnecessary movements/transport
  • Inaccuracy in storage and shipping schedules leads to unnecessary movements. As an IoT solutions company, NEXESS smart solutions make it possible to oversee the manufacturing process with enhanced visibility and optimization of availability times. Materials supplied by the manufacturer can be delivered directly to the assembly line, ready for use.
Unnecessary stock
  • Overstock takes up space, costs money, and monopolizes staff. Using automated, real-time inventories, NEXESS smart solutions precisely identify stocks in order to reduce emergency stock requirements.
Overproduction
  • This occurs when a manufacturer produces more, faster, or earlier than required for the next stage. By improving visibility over raw materials, production flows, and distribution, NEXESS RFID solutions make it possible to precisely establish projected needs at every stage in the process.
Defects
  • These exacerbate waste, due to additional inspections, handling and repair costs, and time lost during the manufacture of the original product.
    NEXESS smart solutions enable complete traceability of products throughout production. The increase in automated controls brings significant quality improvements.
Waiting periods / labor
  • Inadequate work planning, high turnover, and incorrectly located parts require operators and machines to await completion of the previous stage. NEXESS smart manufacturing technology improves information collection and analysis. It supports decision-making and helps to reduce workload.

Lean and Green Manufacturing is one of the latest methods of operational management. While this has long focused on reducing material waste, Lean Manufacturing now represents the best practice for reducing waste more broadly, for the benefit of the environment.

Safety: NEXESS smart solutions for preventing industrial accident risks

Every day, numerous industrial accidents occur around the world, causing injury, loss of life, and environmental damage.

In industry, as in any other activity, there is no such thing as zero risk. Governments and industrial companies must prevent such risks in order to reduce accidents as much as possible.

Monitoring hazardous materials:
  • Hazardous materials typically contain explosive, flammable, oxidized or radioactive substances, or toxic gases. Exposure to these harmful products may cause irreversible damage to human health or the environment.
  • Due to current production methods, these risks are inevitable in industrial processes. In addition, these materials are very often transported through residential or environmentally sensitive locations.
  • NEXESS Smart Solutions modernize the management of hazardous materials, while aiming to improve safety and security, and protect workers and the environment. These solutions are deployed in nuclear power plants to track and supervise contaminated containers and radioactive materials. 
NEXESS reduces FOD risk

In the aerospace industry, Foreign Object Damage (FOD) refers to the risk of a foreign body being present, posing a significant accident risk.

FOD includes all devices, tools, equipment, and miscellaneous items that may impede the correct operation of aircraft or control mechanisms. The damage caused may be minor or major, but will most often prove costly. Indeed, repair costs can easily exceed 20% of the original price of the damaged part.

The National Aerospace FOD Prevention body estimates the cost of FOD, across the entire Aeronautics and Aerospace industry, at $4 billion per year. This is a substantial cost that can be greatly reduced through the use of RFID tracking technology.

NEXESS RFID tool management systems, deployed on assembly lines and in maintenance centers, have demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing FOD risk and the environmental damage which may be caused.