OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is a metric that measures how efficiently a manufacturing system is used. There are numerous approaches you can take to try to boost OEE:
- Identify and remove bottlenecks: If a certain process or piece of equipment is generating delays, strive to improve it. This could entail purchasing new equipment, optimising the process, or training employees to operate more effectively.
- Improve quality: If you produce a significant quantity of defective products, your OEE will suffer. Determine the root causes of faults and put quality control procedures in place to limit the amount of defects.
- Increase uptime: Downtime has been shown to drastically reduce OEE. Implement maintenance programmes and perform preventative maintenance on a regular basis to reduce the frequency of equipment breakdowns.
- Shorten transition time: The time it takes to move between items can help reduce OEE. Simplify the setup and reduce the number of stages needed in the changeover procedure.
- Use data to optimise processes: Gather information on equipment performance and use it to find areas for improvement. For example, you may use data to identify bottlenecks or enhance production run scheduling.
