OEE data collection

In order to manage short lead times of order fulfillment, meet cost targets, handle the pressure on budgets, and the demands to quality, the right priorities must be set. But where to start and what to do? This blog series is about the fundamentals of OEE. We will answer the 10 most important questions around the subject of OEE and give an insight into the possibilities it offers.

10 things everybody should know about OEE
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Question number 6:

6. OEE data collection: which data should you collect for OEE?

Before measuring OEE, it must be decided what exactly will be measured. The basics are finding losses regarding availability, performance, and quality. The data that will be registered, differs from equipment to equipment. However, the goal is to visualize all losses, planned or not, explainable or not: Because in the end, they need to be eliminated!

Who is in charge of collecting the correct OEE data?

The operator is responsible for collecting the correct OEE data. The processing of the data is the responsibility of the employee that oversees the line and shifts – the line manager, in most cases. The OEE data should be presented to the production floor in clear diagrams. By sharing this knowledge, the production team will be – and feel – involved. This often is neglected, however has proven to bring effectiveness to a higher level. Extra work for the operator? Measuring OEE should not create an extra workload for the operator. The implementation of OEE is a good moment to look at all the things the operator currently registers. Scrutinize each datapoint and ask yourselves: What do we really do with this data?

In many situations, the currently value-adding registered items are also registered in the OEE (and with the right OEE Software it can be reported). In all such cases: eliminate old registrations and replace them with one easy and fast registration; The OEE. In this way, the OEE registration might lead to quite a relief for the operator.

Building a business case with a quantified overview

Some guidelines for OEE data collection

If you would do it on paper, a complete shift registration should fit on a single A4 form
The (imaginary) form contains time, quantity, and quality registrations
A good registration form will replace many other registrations
Good registration is not a time-consuming matter

In this way, complete shift data can be gathered in a simple and fast way, either on paper or electronically. Either way, it is crucial to involve and empower the operator, since this is the person directly connected to the process. They have immediate (access to) knowledge of what is really happening and they can and should influence this.

Remember: management and staff can do a lot to support the manufacturing process, yet in the end, it is the operators and their machines who do it. Do not make the mistake to try and exclude the most important persons in your value creation!

Daily feedback loop on OEE data

The full potential of OEE is reached when the operator not only collects the data daily but also gains feedback daily. This feedback should be presented to staff and management daily. Not to justify what happened, but to explain where the shop floor experiences problems and difficulties. The staff members now report what they are doing to help improve this.

The fundamental difference in this way of working is that shift-reporting does not occur top-down but bottom-up. If the organization is not used to this way of working, it may require some training and guidance, and a lot of hidden problems may become visible over a short period of time. It is the task of the management to stop hiding such problems yet solve them since these problems may cost a lot of money.

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