In 2019, about 15.07 million people were employed in the private sector manufacturing industry. This statistic is easily measurable because of the tools we have. In the field of manufacturing, numbers are not always easily measured and can result in a facility not meeting it’s potential.
OEE software can change that. With OEE, statistics can be easily attained to improve efficiency and productivity. Read on to learn more about what OEE is and how it can help industrial production:
What is OEE?
OEE stands for Overall Equipment Effectiveness. OEE is an essential metric used in manufacturing facilities.
Using this in a consistently measurable and correct way can increase productivity. It can also enhance the quality of overall operations in which can improve results. This type of software has amazing potential, but it is not used as much as it should be.
OEE cannot reach its potential in most facilities because they don’t have the tools and resources to measure it. OEE software can give facilities the right tools and resources to measure OEE effectively.
In the manufacturing field, OEE can show how an operation is being run compared to the full potential it has. A seamless OEE solution implementation can give companies a lot of detail about what they are doing right or wrong.
OEE manufacturing allows facilities to get a good look at their OEE score. This score is rated based on the entire facility and by other key attributes such as by line or shift. The score will tell companies how much of their assembly line production is productive.
This score is compared to a standard score that is set. The score is calculated based on quality, performance, and availability.
Quality
The quality portion of the score assesses products that do not meet standards. These standards are based on your facility individually. When a product does not meet the standards, they encompass quality loss.
For example, a quality loss could mean products that require rework or products that are scrap. Once all of the quality loss is accounted for in the calculation for OEE, the next step is to figure out the potential productive time.
Performance
In the performance segment of the score, the factors that cause production to run slower than the preferred speed are assessed. This could include problems like machine malfunctions and jams. These are just two examples of things that can cause a loss in performance.
This number gets subtracted to leave the facility with the net run time. This is the time it takes for production to occur in the facility.
Availability
Lastly, availability will assess any interruptions. Availability loss is anything that halts production for a considerable length of time. If the production line is halted for a few minutes or more, this is taken into account.
Some examples of availability loss include equipment malfunctions, changeover times, and any reason why production is stopped for any amount of time in OEE manufacturing. Once the availability loss is subtracted, the run time is leftover.
Once all of the numbers are calculated into a score, facilities will be able to easily see how even the smallest of changes can affect the company. Changes in quality, performance, and availability can make a facility lose a lot of profit. OEE software is important in this field so that manufacturers can measure correctly.
The OEE score can also help determine scheduled losses. This means the times the plants are shutdown will be excluded from the score. An OEE calculation will only look at planned production time.
Understanding the Score
The higher the score, the better. This means that a score of 100 is perfect.
A 100% score on the OEE software test would mean that good products are being produced, machinery, and all operations are running as quickly as they can, and nothing is being halted. The quality, performance, and availability are all at 100%.
Although this score sounds very nice to those working in manufacturing, it is almost impossible to get. It is especially hard to receive a perfect score in the food industry because waste is inevitable.
This does not mean you shouldn’t try to get the highest score possible. The entire point of measuring with OEE is to see how well the facility is doing but to also heighten quality, performance, and availability. The score will push you towards the best values you want to have.
How OEE Software Excels You
OEE is used as a baseline for many manufacturers to try to boost production. The baseline can act as a goal. When it is used as the basis for comparison, manufacturers can understand their operations versus the industry standards.
Sometimes it can even be helpful to compare to key thresholds or compare with the past in your facility. You can compare the performance of a product line to some other product line. You can also analyze your own OEE from a past shift to one now.
As a baseline, OEE can help facilities notice their devices. Any deviances cause by improvements or areas where there are problems that can be easily fixed because they are easier to catch with OEE. It will be easier to strive for a better outcome when you use OEE as a benchmark.
There are a lot of ways OEE can help industrial production. The three key benefits are improved accuracy, real-time data, and loss analysis. But, OEE software can work for you in other ways too.
Improved Accuracy
The underlying factors od availability, performance, and quality can be more accurately measured because OEE software automates data. Take any downtime, slow cycles, and small stops as a loss. The accuracy of these main factors is a major benefit to becoming more productive as a whole.
Real-Time Data
OEE software works fast, meaning you can see data in real-time. When you can provide your staff with real-time information, they can adjust and address losses during a shift. The outcome of a shift can dramatically change because of real-time data.
The best way to look at real-time data from OEE software during a shift is by focusing on the underlying losses. Even providing operators with a shifting target can be beneficial.
Loss Analysis
It may be difficult to see how much loss your facility is taking in, but the information will only boost numbers in the end. Knowing your losses is the best way to see improvement.
OEE software has specific extensions that can work with loss analysis. These logical extensions can do more than see the loss of availability, performance, and quality.
There are key areas to analyze when it comes to loss analysis. For example, stops are an important factor to look at. Planned stops are necessary for some instances.
For example, operations need to shut down the line for a period to sanitize. These stops are usually scheduled in advance. Other examples of planned stops include scheduled maintenance, adjustments, and setup time.
In contrast to planned stops, there are unplanned stops that can hurt production. Unplanned stops usually occur because of equipment failures that can easily negatively influence productivity. OEE software will be able to track when unplanned stops happen and how long they stop production.
This can allow managers to make better operational decisions that are strategically put in place to continue productivity. To combat this issue, additional maintenance could be scheduled to save time in the end.
Another part of loss analysis is performance loss. Although we have already covered this topic, it is important to understand that the cycles that run below-average speed may only be a minute, but can add up. The OEE software will let you see patterns of performance loss so you can get to the bottom of the issue quicker.
Rejects are also considered in loss analysis. Food companies especially will have a lot of losses due to defective products. These company types can still impact the bottom line by trying to reduce waste.
Reducing waste can be done by minimizing the number of rejected products or reworking the system entirely. OEE software can find the exact location where quality losses happen the most. From this, you can pinpoint where the issue is coming from such as during operational errors.
Greater Yield
Greater yield can also be a benefit of using OEE software. With yield, you can see the percentage of non-defective items per number of manufactured items. OEE will maximize the number of products that get finished.
It can also increase yield by maintaining on-time deliveries. These strategic actions will all be considered from the OEE insight.
Reducing Cost
When your facility is more productive in every aspect, you are saving money. Whether it is from eliminating waste, fixing underperformance, scrap, etc., your costs will be cut.
Try OEE Software Today!
If your facility is struggling, but you don’t know where it’s going wrong, you could benefit from OEE software. Measuring through OEE can pinpoint the quality, performance, and availability within your company.
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