Improving OEE over the Big Six
One of the major goals of OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) programs is to reduce and/or eliminate what are called the Six Big Losses – the most common causes of efficiency loss in manufacturing.
The Line of Site System is a continuous monitoring solution that addresses all Six Big Losses. LSS kits are an excellent countermeasure tool to be used in addressing the Six Big Losses and have proven to be especially beneficial in root cause analysis, improving line efficiency, elimination of “short-stops,” and line speed increases.
Plants have reported the technology paid for itself within the first few weeks of use on the plant floor. The vast majority of customers will no longer operate without LSS Continuous Monitoring Solution.
Availability
The portion of the OEE Metric that represents the percentage of scheduled time that the operation is available to operate. Often referred to as Up time.
Planned Downtime
Every production line has several different procedures that could include planned downtime including product change over which could include tooling equipment changes, cleaning in between different materials and mixtures, and scheduled maintenance on hardware. Planned downtime is not included in the Availability calculation.
Breakdowns
Like every mechanical device in the world, every production line will eventually break down from unexpected circumstances. These normally include equipment/mechanical failures which cause starvation or blockages in other parts of the production line.
Performance
The portion of the OEE Metric that represents the speed at which the Work Center runs as a percentage of its designed speed.
Idling and Minor Stoppages
Often there are technical failures that are on a very minor scale which could include small jams in product or equipment, blocked sensors or trapped products in the line. These are all considered minor stoppages and can easily add up to reduce the total OEE of the production line.
Speed Loss
Speed losses occur when a production line is not operating at the designed maximum operating speed. For instance, this can be when a bottling line is designed for 900 bottles per minute, but is operating at 600 bottles per minute because the labeling module is having minor technical problems when operating above 600.
Quality
The portion of the OEE Metric that represents the Good Units produced as a percentage of the Total Units Started Commonly referred to as the First Pass Yield (FPY).
Production Defects
This is losses based on products that do not meet specific quality standards and have to be scrapped or reworked.
Rejects on Start up
Startup losses are the losses that occur right at the beginning of a production line startup. Often the first products out of the production line are not up to par and have to be scrapped until production flow produces consistent quality products that meet the production standards.