OEE or Overall Equipment Effectiveness continues to pervade the world of manufacturing as evidenced by the number of OEE templates that are downloaded each and every day from our downloads page. In this regard, it is interesting to note the number of OEE solutions that operate in complete isolation.
A medium to large sized company typically deploys some form of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system to manage almost all facets of day to day operations. Ideally, an integrated OEE solution could take advantage of the existing data streams.
The argument against integration is the lack of “granularity” in the current ERP database system. Some databases simply do not accommodate the detailed reporting of downtime events such as set up, material changes, process faults, or other lost time events. Another related factor is whether these data elements can be reported in real time.
In reality, the requirements to support OEE data collection were simply not considered in the original database design and, as a result, two independent systems co-exist. An opportunity exists for software developers to expand the capabilities of their ERP solutions.
At a minimum, it is possible to bridge two or more independent databases to create a single report using a third party software provider such as Crystal Reports. Unfortunately, true integration requires more than simply generating a report to better manage and improve your enterprise.
This is a topic that warrants further review. If we’re writing about it, someone is either working on it or has already done it.
Questions, Comments, Future Topics
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. Feel free to leave a comment or send us your feedback by e-mail to LeanExecution@gmail.com or VergenceAnalytics@gmail.com. We respect your privacy and will not distribute, sell, or share your contact information to any third parties. What you send to us stays with us.
Subscribe to our blog and receive notifications of our latest posts and updates. Simply complete the e-mail subscription in the sidebar. Thank you for visiting.
Until Next Time – STAY lean!
1 thought on “OEE in Isolation”