In the manufacturing industry, there is a standard for how to best calculate and measure productivity known as the overall equipment effectiveness, or OEE. It is the single best way to figure out how productive your facility is, particularly as it pertains to how equipment is running. Understanding how to calculate OEE will help you make future plans on how to make your facility run even better and lead to greater profitability.
What factors play into OEE?
One of the most important factors that plays into measuring OEE is the actual time that employees spend being productive. If production is moving along at the correct pace, it is a good thing and this time should be recorded. Of course, things don’t always go smoothly, which is why it’s important to record stoppages in production and events that impact performance. Some stops, such as employee breaks, are planned, but mechanical failures, power surges, and other unplanned factors cut into productivity and thereby lower OEE. The quality of production should be accounted for as well, as having to take time to correct mistakes and produce less will impact OEE negatively.
How to best calculate OEE.
The simplest way to calculate OEE is to calculate the ideal time production would be running, in a perfect world, and divide it by the actual time spent on production. This measurement, however, won’t break down everything that you need in order to correct issues with OEE. Instead, all of the above factors should be multiplied together, factoring in any issues with production, equipment maintenance, and everything else. This will not only give you a more accurate reading on your facility’s OEE, but will also make apparent where the problems in the facility lie and therefore allow you to correct them.
If your OEE problems are centered around equipment not running efficiently or time needing to be taken for maintenance, now is the time to invest in a preventative maintenance plan. We at MaintenX specialize in this kind of facility care and would be happy to work with you to limit issues with production and have your facility be as productive as it can be. For more information about our services, please call us any time at (855) 751-0075.
