The activities are several, among the most important are:
Control of Materials.
This function deals with the types, quantities, location and movement of the various materials that an industrial company uses.
The time factor is essential in this control, since the materials must be available when they are needed.
The purpose of controlling materials is to prevent theft, eliminate waste or misuse of materials, drawing the attention of whoever is responsible for these acts.
One of the essential objectives of materials control is to reduce the cost of obtaining the materials used in the manufacturing operation.
The applicable procedure for the control of materials must cover four phases, which are the following:
Obtaining Items (Purchase)
External transport. Boarding, traffic and delivery.
Storage of materials. Planning and control of inventories.
Internal transport. Management and conservation of materials.
The production schedule is essential to determine with some accuracy the class of materials, how many and when they will be needed. By establishing indicator times based on how quickly the material is used, how long it can be stored and how long it takes to obtain it, with this information the maximum and minimum limits of stocks can be set with precision.
Purchasing:
It is in charge of dealing with external suppliers, everything related to obtaining raw materials, materials and supplies.
The person in charge of this function must take care of four factors in this activity, which are:
Quality.
Purchase Amount.
Time of delivery.
Price.
The mission of whoever directs the purchasing function is to act as a mediator between the foreign market, governed by factors of a commercial nature, and the manufacturing production departments, whose operation is regulated by technical and administrative factors.
Shopping activities:
- Know materials and keep records of them, sources of supply, prices, available quantities Review specifications in search of simplifications and standardization of raw materials or unreasonable demands Accumulate, analyze, evaluate and update supplier quotes Place the Purchase orders or orders with the selected suppliers Supervise the purchase orders so that they are delivered to the suppliers in accordance with the specifications Review the invoices to be paid to verify compliance with the agreed terms Keep records of all purchases made. Coordinate with the other departments all matters that have to do with the function of obtaining raw materials.
Traffic.
It refers to the transport of materials from the supplier to the client, which involves the shipment and receipt of them.
Its main function is to study and decide which shipping lanes and routes are the most appropriate for materials that are purchased from foreign suppliers (national or foreign), controlling all aspects involved in the movement and documentation of materials, from the warehouses of suppliers, even the company: import permits, insurance, freight, import taxes, customs duties, etc.
The means of transport must be specified in the purchase contracts, to define responsibilities and demand possible compensation.
Reception, storage and dispatch of raw materials.
Reception: The activities are carried out whose objective is to enter the company all the raw materials acquired by it and dispose of them properly, according to the different sections to which they are destined.
Your responsibilities are:
- Unloading of transport equipment Unpacking Identification and classification of raw materials Administrative verification of received quantities Quality control Updating of accounting records Disposition of materials and distribution to production areas.
Storage:
The raw materials warehouses house those activities related to the maintenance and orderly care of all raw materials that arrive at the plant, previously identified and before being dispatched to the manufacturing area, it is responsible for the delivery and review of raw materials.
Basic functions of warehouses:
- Maintenance or storage of raw materials or materials Delivery of raw materials in accordance with what is requested by the production center Inform the Department. From Purchases the replacement, according to the minimum quantities for each raw material. Keep an accounting record of stocks and use of raw materials.
Dispatch:
Its main activities consist of preparing, assembling and sending the raw materials, tools and accessories necessary for production to consumption centers.
Quality control:
It is a preventive device used to reduce the differential aspects of the product, so that all the manufactured items are within the prescribed quality limits.
Quality control has the following advantages:
Reduction of losses and waste of raw materials, of labor due to overloading of machines, rejections that cause remanufacturing, reclassification or disposal.
Cost reduction and inspection.
Better uniformity and regularity in production processes and better use of resources.
Obtaining better quality standards, either with a better market price or with a higher volume at a given price.
Uniform production quality.
A quality control program should include:
- Standards and specifications Inspection methods Statistical techniques Inspection log and graphical techniques for recording inspection data Recovery methods Inspection devices
Maintenance:
It is the function of keeping the physical plant in good operating and efficient conditions.
The goal of maintenance is to keep the plant in such condition, that unforeseen failures are as few as possible, and that equipment, worker safety, and efficiency are maximized at minimal cost.
Maintenance ways:
Preventive: executed in advance of the need, it is applied more frequently in companies that operate with continuous or intermittent processes.
Corrective: It is applied on the rectifications of the faults as they appear.
Maintenance purposes:
Economic objective: consists of minimizing costs through good maintenance.
Technical or immediate objective: it consists of maintaining productive operation in perfect working conditions.
