In the industrial world, getting the most out of equipment is no longer optional—it's a necessity. A machine running below capacity or not being fully utilized can quickly weigh heavily on financial results. To stay on track and enhance performance, companies rely on a key metric: Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
OEE focuses on three critical dimensions of production: availability, quality, and performance. When properly managed, it becomes a powerful tool for identifying areas of improvement and optimizing processes. However, common mistakes can limit its impact.
In this article, we will explore the most frequent errors related to OEE and demonstrate how PlaniSense can help you avoid them.
OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), is a key metric in industrial management. It is closely monitored by most executives and plays a critical role in financial results.
OEE measures the gap between actual production and theoretical production. Improving OEE means finding solutions to increase actual production and bring it closer to theoretical production, which remains fixed as it depends on the technical specifications of machines and tools.
One of the main advantages of OEE is its ability to condense the performance of a machine or process into a single figure. However, this simplicity can quickly become a trap. There’s a tendency to compare this number across different sites or production systems without fully accounting for differences in machine type, product manufactured, or operational context.
These often-biased comparisons lead to incorrect conclusions. In reality, OEE is far more valuable when used to track the performance of a machine or production line over time. By analyzing trends, you can identify variations, understand what works (or doesn’t), and adjust processes accordingly.
With PlaniSense, our analytical tools are designed to focus on internal progress rather than generalized comparisons, ensuring a relevant and targeted interpretation of data to guide your decisions.
Aggregating the OEE of multiple machines to get an overall average might seem useful for gaining a general overview. However, this approach risks hiding issues specific to certain machines or production lines. Simply put, a global average will never pinpoint exactly where the problems lie or reveal your greatest opportunities for improvement.
The key to effective improvement lies in detailed analysis. By examining each machine individually, you can diagnose the sources of loss, develop specific action plans, and then extend these best practices across all equipment.
For OEE data to be actionable, it must be collected over significant periods. Focusing solely on a single day or shift risks missing the bigger picture. Analyses based on isolated days or shifts are often biased: they lack sufficient data and exaggerate the impact of one-off events, such as an unexpected stoppage.
A longer time frame, such as a week or a month, smooths out variations and provides a far more reliable overview. This gives a more realistic picture of performance and helps prioritize corrective actions.
PlaniSense offers flexible tracking tools that allow analyses to be tailored to timeframes aligned with each client’s reality, ensuring reliable and meaningful data.
Operators and technicians are at the heart of production processes. They know their machines better than anyone and can provide valuable insights into the root causes of inefficiencies. Excluding them from the analysis process or the implementation of corrective actions is a common mistake that limits the effectiveness of improvement initiatives.
By involving teams from the outset and fostering open communication, it becomes possible to develop solutions that align with on-the-ground needs while strengthening employee engagement in continuous improvement.
OEE provides a clear overview of performance and highlights losses, but it doesn’t necessarily reveal their root causes. Too often, companies focus solely on the overall number without digging deeper to understand the underlying issues.
OEE should be seen as a starting point. In-depth analysis is required to identify the causes of losses in availability, quality, or performance. .
Today, with automation and digitalization in the industry, manual collection of OEE data has become obsolete. Not only is it time-consuming, but it also introduces the risk of human error, making results less reliable.
Automation ensures accurate, real-time data without the risk of bias or oversight. This frees operators to focus on addressing the issues that are hindering the OEE of machines or processes.
OEE is an essential tool for measuring production system performance. However, its effectiveness depends on how it is utilized. Inappropriate comparisons, short analysis periods, and manual data collection—these errors can limit its potential.
With PlaniSense, companies have a comprehensive solution to overcome these challenges and improve their OEE. Through precise analysis, tailored visualizations, and enhanced team collaboration, we help our clients achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency and performance.
Ready to transform your production with an advanced approach to OEE?
Contact PlaniSense today for a demonstration of our solutions and discover how we can help you improve performance, reduce costs, and achieve your strategic goals.