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Having absolute certainty that a cycle time study calculation on the processing of one or more components is 100% true and verified is an impossible operation.
The studies, as such, remain only pieces of paper until they find a direct PRACTICAL APPLICATION on the Machine Tool on which calculations have been made and put into production.
It is therefore clear that if you deal with metal processing and want to evaluate a new machine for a piece or a group of pieces, relying purely on a study without the support of a practical test is a very risky choice.
Basically because, until you have evidence from real world application, we are just talking about promises that could be very far from reality.
And even if you insert the cycle time in the contract, binding it to the withdrawal of the machine, when it’s time to test even if you can assert your rights you don’t have time to find another solution.
What would you tell your customers? That you have not been able to select the right supplier of machinery?!
Looking for a Machine Tool manufacturer who, within his proposal, has the ability to offer a service to solve this important problem is fitting and useful at the same time.
But this is all the more true when you are thinking of moving on to a new technology or type of Machine Tool.
I’ll give you an example.
Let’s say that you are a user of Machining Centers and have been one for years. A Machine Tool which you are very fond of and of which you know every single detail.
Obviously this situation creates a sense of “safety” in you that leads you to always make the same purchase choice for future Machine Tools.
For this precise reason you will tend to buy more and more Machining Centers and you will hardly move to different and alternative solutions.
However, in some cases, figures may prove you are wrong.
This situation is a cognitive BIAS created by our brain that bends the truth, changing the perception we have of things as a shield of “self-defense”.
Exactly, because by nature our brain is set to make us avoid pain, escaping from the unknown and blindly trusting what it already knows.
It is as if an inner voice were telling you:
“Do not change your situation, continue to buy the same machinery that has always been good for you. After all, you’ve always done this, why change it now? Remain with old habits …”
This mental dialog, however, is a double-edged sword and often destroys your company.
Because if on one hand your brain is trying to protect you from external events and potential dangers, on the other hand, and in many cases, it is doing damage, because it makes you lose opportunities to improve.
This happens because both you and I are naturally inclined and set to always do the same things.
But I have a duty to tell you that this is not good, because if you continue to only ever buy the same machines, relying on the same old solutions, you will continue to give your competitor a huge advantage.
Continuous improvement and field testing are the basis of production companies that grow and win on the market.
So which is the solution?
The solution is to test, to go in search of new alternative solutions to those we have always used.
At the risk of experiencing discomfort and insecurity, inevitable for anyone aiming to improve.
I understand you may be afraid of changing, because if you make a mistake investing in the purchase of the Machine Tool, you could be fired on the spot, causing damage not only to the company you work for, but also to people around you.
I fully understand it.
And here comes the importance of the TEST DRIVE.
That’s why it becomes important to look for and rely on Machine Tool manufacturers who can guarantee you a direct test on the type of machine you want to buy:
- with the family of pieces you have to work with;
- with the correct equipment you want to use;
- concretely carrying out the processing techniques you will do in your production department.
But let’s see in detail the main advantages of a Test Drive.
THE ADVANTAGES OF PERFORMING A “ZERO RISK” TEST DRIVE BEFORE BUYING A MACHINE TOOL
As just said, the most important aspect to consider is that the Test Drive helps you make that mental leap that freezes you, preventing you from changing.
The cognitive bias mentioned above is the first real obstacle that does not allow you to serenely face change.
The main advantages of the Test Drive are:
- The possibility to test the machine BEFORE delivery to your company.
- The possibility to test EQUIPMENT.
- Check whether the CYCLE TIME presented to you in the study is true or whether it has been fixed.
- Make changes and improvements in real time, even before buying the machine.
- Check the set up time from one product to another, verifying the ease of execution and what the manufacturer promised you.
All this before your eyes, without the risk of making a wrong investment, buying a new system just on the basis of what the manufacturer writes on a piece of paper.
With this service I introduce the concept that I call:
REVERSE RISK
The reverse risk is the practice that allows the buyer NOT to RISK anything, not to have to make decisions based on theoretical facts that he cannot control.
One day I asked myself:
“Why do people have to trust what I say and hope it is true?”
“Why does the buyer, and end user, have to bear 100% of the risks in purchasing decisions?”
From these questions the idea of the “ZERO RISK” TEST DRIVE was born.
A service that allows you to reverse the risk, that is (said in a super simple way):
“If I promise you something (an advantage, a result), then I have to bear the business risk, not you as my customer.”
It is simple, isn’t it?
Actually, it isn‘t, not for everyone.
I would add that if you work well, the risk is close to zero, I guarantee with my experience of over 25 years in this sector.
Then, once it has been proven that what was promised is true, I will no longer have to sell anything, because the customer will be free to decide whether he wants to buy the machine or not.
That’s why I decided not to have salesmen in my company, but only Technical Tutors, who are able to carry out the “ZERO RISK” TEST DRIVE.
In the image below you can see an example of a TEST DRIVE in progress, carried out together with a customer at the American headquarters of Porta Solutions S.p.A..
The test was carried out on a PORTACENTER, a Machine Tool with 3 independent SPINDLES, which allows you to produce 3 times faster than a single Machining Center, remaining flexible thanks to the SMED system which guarantees a change of production in just 15 minutes.
3 Spindles = 3 times faster than 1 single Machining Center.
And all this, as mentioned, while remaining super flexible!
Thanks to the systems and parameters of the PORTA Production Method, we can identify the correct production balances, to stay Lean and increase the efficiency of each individual project and process that the customer requires.
The PORTASOLUTIONS Test Drive service is present:
- in Europe >>> Italy, in Villa Carcina (BS)
- in America >>> U.S.A., in Charlotte (NC)
To request your “Studio + Test Drive” package, simply write to the email address sales@porta-solutions.com, indicating your interest in studying the components you would like to work with and expressing your desire to receive an offer for the Test Drive dedicated to you.
WRITE YOUR EMAIL in the form below to receive the video of a Test Drive created by PORTASOLUTIONS for a European customer.
DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO NOW!
As Master Trainer of the PORTA Production Method, I will never tire of saying that in many cases it is essential to do what is correct instead of what you like.
And if the market tells us to change (and to change quickly), we cannot think of doing it by always remaining stuck on the same working methods and procedures, using the same Machine Tools.
If you have only ever bought and used Machining Centers, it’s time to ask yourself if this is really the best solution for your company.
There is a need for innovation and continuous research and the TEST DRIVE is the right tool to deal with change risk free.
The PORTA Production Method was created for this specific reason, to help manufacturing companies that use Machine Tools for metalworking to face change and make their production departments as efficient as possible.
MORE EFFICIENCY
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MORE PROFIT
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MORE CORPORATE WELFARE
(INCLUDING SHAREHOLDERS AND STAKEHOLDERS)
If you are a user of CNC Machine Tools for metalworking and you want to understand how to innovate and win in the market, lower the production risk and obtain the best balance for your company … NOW you have the opportunity to do these studies together with a Technical Tutor, an expert in the sector who will guide you, step by step, in finding the best production model for your specific case.
ASK FOR A DIRECT CONSULTATION
with one of our Technical Tutors.
Send an email to porta@flexible-production.com to get more information.
If you want to go deeper on the topics of Flexible Production and Competitive Production
CLICK HERE
>>> www.flexibleproductionbook.com <<<
My book dedicated to users of Machine Tools who want to make the leap in quality, is waiting for you!!!
To your results,
Maurizio Porta
Master Trainer PORTA PRODUCTION METHOD