Finding savings and improving productivity in a manufacturing facility requires looking at every aspect of the overall operation, including the ones that seem to play a small part, such as metal cleaning, cutting and grinding. Some companies may view abrasive products as nothing more than interchangeable consumables, but choosing the right abrasive for the application – and using it properly – can significantly impact production upstream and downstream.
Abrasives affect operator efficiency, labor costs and overall quality of the finished part. Therefore, finding efficiencies with a new abrasive can result in substantial time and cost savings. Analyzing data from a production process can help ensure that a company is choosing the right abrasive product to optimize efficiency and savings.
The overall operation
It is best to consider the entire operation when choosing the right abrasive product for a specific task. Choosing an abrasive based solely on the initial price may increase costs in the long run. Using a cheaper one or the wrong one for the job can affect throughput, downtime and productivity. Labor is typically the largest expense in any operation, so any change that reduces downtime and improves productivity can positively affect the entire production – and bottom – line.
No matter the type of abrasive product being used – whether it is a grinding wheel, flap disc or cut-off wheel – the choice of product can affect the overall operation in several ways. Here are a few common challenges related to abrasive products that can add time and costs:
Shortened product life: Using the incorrect abrasive for the job or the material can reduce expected product life. This forces users to change the product more frequently. It also increases costs because more products are being used. The right abrasive for the job can be used to its full life, helping improve efficiency. Ultimately, this uses fewer abrasives and saves labor time.
More downtime needed for changeover: When the wrong abrasive for the application is used the product may not perform as needed. This may cause premature failure or simply more frequent changeovers. This unnecessary downtime can create bottlenecks and labor inefficiency upstream and downstream of the cutting and grinding processes. Minimizing changeover reduces downtime and improves efficiency, allowing companies to reallocate employee time elsewhere in the facility.
Increased rework: At the end of production, many parts must be inspected or tested to meet certain customer specifications. A part that does not meet the standards may require rework or could even be scrapped entirely. This additional work adds material expenses and labor time, driving up costs. Choosing the right abrasive for cleaning, cutting and grinding can help minimize rework and ensure quality results.
The comprehensive review
What savings could result monthly or annually if even a few minutes were shaved off each hour of the cutting and grinding process? Companies can determine this type of information with a comprehensive review of their processes. Measuring the total costs associated with abrasive consumables can help identify potential efficiency gains and time savings. Companies must look at the entire operation and all the factors involved with the abrasives process to get the full picture. A small change in one part of the process can have ripple effects throughout production.
Take an example where there is poor part fit-up in material preparation. When this happens, workers must spend additional time downstream to correct the poor fit-up. They may need to use extra filler metal to fill the gap in welding. Using a standard cutting wheel to prepare material for production can potentially leave burrs and an uneven cut. Switching to an ultra-thin cutting wheel delivers faster, smoother and cleaner cuts. This allows operators to spend less time on burr removal and possibly use less filler metal to complete the weld.
The right partner
To ensure all the aspects of the production process are being considered, it is a good idea to partner with an abrasives manufacturer to conduct a comprehensive review. The evaluation should go beyond simply swapping out the current abrasive for something else as the problem may stem from elsewhere in the process. All factors, from the angle of the tool to the work environment, must be considered. The analysis should also examine the process’s challenges, goals and measures for success. Taking all this information into account helps ensure a comprehensive improvement plan.
The Weiler Consumable Productivity (WCP) program can help companies save money in their manufacturing and fabrication operations. The process efficiently measures data and requires minimal effort to deploy in a facility because abrasives experts implement it. The program evaluates the overall operation and how abrasives are used, which can help identify potential improvements.
An on-site assessment by abrasives experts allows them to learn firsthand about the production process and collect data on how abrasives are used. A baseline is established by capturing data on the current process. Testing of the current process and alternative abrasives follows. The experts then calculate the estimated annual savings that a product change could provide based on labor, time and consumption. They use data to eliminate inefficiencies in production by using the best abrasives for the application and improve productivity and throughput.
In one pressure vessel application, the evaluation process helped find a better abrasive solution that could hold up to the demanding work and deliver longer life. The company found an expected annual abrasives savings of more than $62,000. Data from the 120 WCP tests performed at facilities from June 2024 to June 2025 shows estimated total annual savings of $12.3 million and estimated total time saved in those tests at nearly 180,000 labor hours. That averages out to $102,500 and 1,492 labor hours in savings per WCP evaluation conducted.
Manufacturing operations today face many challenges – from labor shortages and high rework rates to pressing timelines and rising costs. A comprehensive evaluation of the operation can be a good choice for any manufacturer or fabrication shop looking to make improvements. By getting a full picture of the operation thanks to data from the abrasives process, companies can uncover solutions that deliver significant cost and time savings.
