Business Continuity For Dummies

Understanding What’s Important to Your Manufacturing Business

In order to run your manufacturing production line, you need to avoid disruptions in three areas: staff, materials and machinery. We describe these main contributors to your manufacturing process in this section and what you can do to keep it going from beginning to end – leading you from components to products.

Thinking about staff issues

Your staff members are integral to keeping your production line running. They can be the key to surviving a disruption but also the cause of disruptions. Here we look at some of the things to consider with your manufacturing staff.

Whether they’re directly employed or part of an agency, ensuring that your staff members have the proper training is essential. Mistakes when operating machinery that occur through lack of training can result in disruptions and even a complete standstill while you put things right. Investing the time and money in proper training is well worthwhile, because these mistakes are likely to cost you far more in downtime and repairs.

Also train your staff in the areas of health and safety. Obviously, you want to do so anyway as a responsible employer, but note that you have legal obligations in this regard as well. (For more information about your legal health and safety requirements, take a look at Chapter 12.) In addition, the loss of a key member of staff through injury can mean that you’re unable to fulfil orders. In this same vein, ensure that all staff members ...