OEE For Manufacturing

We are often asked what companies (or types of companies) are using OEE as part of their daily operations.  While our focus has been primarily in the automotive industry, we are highly encouraged by the level of integration deployed in the Semiconductor Industry.  We have found an excellent article that describes how OEE among other metrics is being used to […]

Benchmarking OEE

Benchmarking Systems: We have learned that an industry standard or definition for Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) has been adopted by the Semi Conductor Industry and also confirms our approach to calculating and using OEE and other related metrics. The SEMI standards of interest are as follows: SEMI E10:  Definition and Measurement of Equipment Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability. SEMI E35:  Guide to Calculate Cost of Ownership […]

OEE and the Quality Factor

Many articles written on OEE (ours being the exception), indicate or suggest that the quality factor for OEE is calculated as a simple percentage of good parts from the total of all parts produced.  While this calculation may work for a single line part number, it certainly doesn’t hold true when attempting to calculate OEE for multiple parts or machines. OEE […]

How to Improve OEE – Any Questions?

Ask any Quality or Engineering manager and they will tell you that measurement systems are valuable tools to identify problems and opportunities.  The measurement system itself is not the answer – it is the data source, the EVIDENCE that drives the questions.  It is a part of the discovery and validation process to confirm the opportunity or problem and the effectiveness of the solutions to resolve it. A well […]

OEE Integration: Can you fix it?

As we are all aware, inspecting or measuring parts does not change the quality of the product.   Likewise, measuring and reporting OEE alone does not solve problems or improve performance.  While it is fair to say that increased focus and measurement of any process usually results in some degree of improvement, these are typically attributed to changes in human behavior due to […]

OEE Integration – Where do We Measure OEE? – Part I

OEE Integration Part IX – Where do we measure OEE? Our recent posts have included numerous examples to calculate OEE correctly. We also discussed integration of OEE as an effective metric for managing your processes and ultimately how to analyze and use the data to improve your profitability.  We spent little time discussing where this measurement should occur.  OEE can […]

OEE Integration: What Software should I use?

OEE Integration Part VII – What Software Should I Use? Many readers have noted that we have avoided recommending a specific OEE software solution.  The reasons for this are as varied as the number of companies looking to implement OEE in their facilities.  Our experience suggests that every manufacturing facility has differing or varying needs. A recent Google search produced […]

OEE Integration – Part IV

OEE and APQP – New Equipment / Program / Process Launch In parts I – III we discussed the role of leadership to define policies and procedures.  We also discussed developing the infrastructure of your team through training and development.  However, this still doesn’t put OEE at the forefront of your company.  If the goal of your company is to achieve world class […]

OEE Calculation Errors

Database Errors We agree that collecting and tracking OEE data is a task best suited for a database, however, all the bells and whistles of an OEE system don’t serve much purpose if the calculations are wrong.  Before you make a significant investment in your OEE data collection, tracking, and monitoring system, make sure the system you plan to purchase […]

Upcoming Topics for March 2009

We have received several topic requests that we will work on for the month of March, 2009.  If you have a topic that you would like to see featured on our site, send an e-mail to LeanExecution@gmail.com. OEE on the Shop Floor – Measurement:  What should we be measuring to make OEE practical at the shop floor level.  What factors […]