As Sunil Bharitkar, co-founder of Intrasonics and a leading expert in Data Science and AI once said, "In the domain of manufacturing, optimizing Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a keystone to operational success." So, what exactly is OEE, and how can organizations harness its capacity to drive improvements in their manufacturing operations? More importantly, how does one go about making sense of OEE in the current digital age?
Ironing Out the Fundamentals
Overall Equipment Effectiveness, a term coined as a part of Lean Manufacturing methodologies, is essentially a standard for measuring productivity. It scrutinizes three critical operational parameters: Availability, Performance, and Quality representing uptime, speed, and the rate of defect-free products respectively. Leaders must comprehend that a high OEE score does not guarantee productivity, but it provides invaluable insights for Performance Management and spots potential areas for improvement.
Machinery and Human Resources—Two Sides of the Same Coin
Effectively managing Overall Equipment Effectiveness extends beyond machinery. It also involves the efficient utilization of teams working on the manufacturing floor. Some relevant questions executives should ask are: Are machine failures a result of human error or vice versa? Are there training opportunities that could decrease downtime and boost quality?
Digital Transformation and Overall Equipment Effectiveness
The information age has bestowed upon the manufacturing industry the tools to improve OEE significantly. However, successful execution depends on management's comprehension of Digital Transformation in the context of OEE. The advent of IoT and big data analytics allows organizations to harness data from equipment on a granular level, leading to Operational Excellence.
Addressing OEE within Strategic Planning Sessions
It is essential for the C-suite to incorporate OEE considerations into broader organizational Strategic Planning. The ripple effects of OEE reach beyond the walls of the factory floor, impacting supply chain dynamics, customer relations, and even the broader competitive landscape. Therefore, executives should position OEE as a pivotal driver in the organization's strategic decisions.
Risks of Relying Solely on OEE
While on the surface, OEE may seem like the quintessential metric for manufacturing operations, overreliance on OEE could inadvertently result in Risk Management oversight. Executives need to be clear that OEE is a measure of perfect production (only good parts, as quickly as possible, without stop time). However, assessment moments should balance OEE scores with other operational and business metrics to build a more holistic view of the organizational performance.
The OEE as an Enabler of Continuous Improvement
OEE optimization is also a stepping-stone towards Continuous Improvement (CI), a principle at the heart of Lean Manufacturing. A strong CI culture ensures that teams are continually seeking ways to improve operations. This, in turn, safeguards the organization's competitiveness and paves the way for more robust growth trajectories. Therefore, the journey doesn't stop at achieving a high OEE—it’s part of an ongoing journey towards operational perfection.
Wrapping Up
Implementing OEE as a monitoring system is not complex. However, understanding its implications in an interconnected world that is rapidly being reshaped by technology can be a daunting task. Careful calibration with employee training, incorporated within Strategic Planning, and balanced by Risk Management helps organizations achieve success. Turning the lens of OEE onto operations is not an end goal, but a means to achieving Operational Excellence.
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS
"One of the great discoveries that I have made for my business is the Flevy library of training materials.
As a Lean Transformation Expert, I am always making presentations to clients on a variety of topics: Training, Transformation, Total Productive Maintenance, Culture, Coaching, Tools, Leadership Behavior, etc. Flevy usually has just what I need to make my point.
It is well worth the money to purchase these presentations. Sure, I have the knowledge and information to make my point. It is another thing to create a presentation that captures what I want to say. Flevy has saved me countless hours of preparation time that is much better spent with implementation that will actually save money for my clients."
– Ed Kemmerling, Senior Lean Transformation Expert at PMG
"I have found Flevy to be an amazing resource and library of useful presentations for lean sigma, change management and so many other topics. This has reduced the time I need to spend on preparing for my performance consultation. The library is easily accessible and updates are regularly provided. A wealth of great information."
– Cynthia Howard RN, PhD, Executive Coach at Ei Leadership
"FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it's like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead."
– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd
"As a young consulting firm, requests for input from clients vary and it's sometimes impossible to provide expert solutions across a broad spectrum of requirements. That was before I discovered Flevy.com.
Through subscription to this invaluable site of a plethora of topics that are key and crucial to consulting, I have been able to exceed expectations and deliver quality advice and solutions to my clients. The quality and expertise of the authors are exemplary and gives me great confidence to use as part of my service offerings.
I highly recommend this company for any consultant wanting to apply international best practice standards in their service offerings. "
– Nishi Singh, Strategist and MD at NSP Consultants
"Flevy is now a part of my business routine. I visit Flevy at least 3 times each month.
Flevy has become my preferred learning source, because what it provides is practical, current, and useful in this era where the business world is being rewritten.
In today's environment where there are so many challenges and there is the need to make the right decisions in a short time, with so much scattered information, we are fortunate to have Flevy. Flevy investigates, selects, and puts at our disposal the best of the best to help us be successful in our work."
– Omar Hernán Montes Parra, CEO at Quantum SFE
"The wide selection of frameworks is very useful to me as an independent consultant. In fact, it rivals what I had at my disposal at Big 4 Consulting firms in terms of efficacy and organization."
– Julia T., Consulting Firm Owner (Former Manager at Deloitte and Capgemini)
"As a consulting firm, we had been creating subject matter training materials for our people and found the excellent materials on Flevy, which saved us 100's of hours of re-creating what already exists on the Flevy materials we purchased."
– Michael Evans, Managing Director at Newport LLC
"As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value."
– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting
SELECT CUSTOMERS
Since 2012, we have provided best practices to over 10,000 businesses and organizations of all sizes across the world—in over 130 countries.
Below is just a very small sample of our customer base.
Did you know?
The average daily rate of a McKinsey consultant is $6,625 (not including expenses). The average price of a Flevy document is $65.
Download our free compilation of 50+ Strategy & Transformation slides and templates. Frameworks include McKinsey 7-S Strategy Model, Balanced Scorecard, Disruptive Innovation, BCG Experience Curve, and many more.
Download our free compilation of 50+ Strategy & Transformation slides and templates. Frameworks include McKinsey 7-S Strategy Model, Balanced Scorecard, Disruptive Innovation, BCG Experience Curve, and many more.