🏭 The 20 Laws of Manufacturing
A strategic, technical guide to efficiency, quality, and culture in industrial operations – especially in cable manufacturing and related sectors

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EFFICIENCY & OPTIMIZATION

• Parkinson's Law 
Work expands to fill the time allowed. 
Practical Tip: Use aggressive but realistic deadlines and automate scheduling in extrusion, winding, and packaging areas.

• Theory of Constraints (TOC) 
Identify bottlenecks in your process (e.g., insulation line), elevate them, and restructure flow for continuous improvement. 
→ Focus first on constraint KPIs: uptime, changeover time

• Amdahl's Law 
System speed is limited by its slowest process. 
→ Example: Fast copper drawing is meaningless if jacket extrusion is slow.

• Hick's Law 
More choices = slower decisions. 
→ Standardize operator panels, reduce SKU variation

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SUPPLY CHAIN & PRODUCTION

• Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) 
80% of impact = 20% of causes. 
→ Focus on top-selling cables and top 5 causes of rework.

• Bullwhip Effect 
Small demand changes ripple into large inventory fluctuations. 
→ Use Kanban or real-time demand signaling

• Lean Method 
Eliminate muda (waste), focus on value-added tasks. 
→ Apply 5S, SMED, and visual management in the plant

• Little's Law 
Throughput = Inventory ÷ Lead Time 
→ Reduce WIP for better flow and space utilization

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QUALITY

• Six Sigma 
Data-driven defect elimination 
→ Apply to tensile strength tests, flame tests, continuity issues

• Deming's 14 Points 
Systematic management for continuous improvement 
→ Useful in cable certification and customer complaints resolution

• Juran's Theory 
Quality is "fitness for use". 
→ Train operators to own product quality, not just inspectors

• Total Quality Management (TQM) 
Quality = Everyone's job 
→ Build a culture of accountability and process discipline

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TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

• Conway's Law 
System design mimics communication patterns. 
→ Cross-functional collaboration = better process mapping

• Brook's Law 
Adding people to late projects = more delays 
→ Optimize your planning before expanding the team

• Moore's Law 
Tech improves exponentially 
→ Invest in smart machines, PLCs, and AI-driven quality inspection

• Amara's Law 
We overestimate tech short-term, underestimate long-term 
→ Adopt gradually, plan for long-term integration (e.g., IIoT, MES systems)

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PEOPLE & CULTURE

• Peter Principle 
People rise to their level of incompetence 
→ Promote based on skill, not just tenure

• Hawthorne Effect 
People perform better when observed 
→ Introduce transparent metrics boards on shopfloor

• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 
People need stability before motivation 
→ Provide fair wages, job security, and growth paths

• Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory 
Motivators (growth, recognition) vs hygiene (pay, policies) 
→ Don't confuse removing dissatisfaction with true motivation

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Tip: Use these laws not as theory but as operational filters for better decisions across maintenance, production, HR, and planning.