Mastering OEE summary and key takeaways
- Recap of the main points covered in the course.
- Final thoughts and encouragement for practical application.
Now that we’ve explored OEE in depth, let’s take some time to reflect on the key lessons you’ve learned in this course.
Mastering OEE is not just about understanding the metric—it’s about applying it effectively to drive real improvements.
1. The foundations of OEE
We began by defining OEE as the combination of availability, performance, and quality, expressed as a percentage. It’s a straightforward but powerful metric that provides insight into how efficiently your equipment is operating. Importantly, OEE gives you a clear focus for improvement.
This course also emphasized the history of OEE, showing its roots in the Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) philosophy. The guidance in this decades old book from Nakajima is still useful today when trying to get a grip of OEE.
2. Breaking down the Six Big Losses
One of the most valuable insights was the identification of the six big losses that impact OEE:
- Breakdowns
- Setup and Adjustments
- Idling and Minor Stops
- Reduced Speed
- Startup Rejects
- Production Rejects
The exact categorization is often different from organization to organization these days, but when used effectively, these categories help you target specific problems.
Whether it’s reducing breakdowns to improve availability or tackling quality rejects, these losses are the building blocks of OEE improvement.
3. Tools and methods
You’ve also learned practical approaches to calculating, implementing, and improving OEE, such as:
Factbird’s OEE Waterfall Approach: A modern, granular way to analyze OEE with clear visualizations of downtime causes. By breaking OEE into detailed components like TCU, OEE1, OEE2, and OEE3, this method helps you pinpoint specific areas for improvement, making it easier to prioritize actions effectively.
The Highway Solution: A structured framework for rolling out OEE solutions, developed by Mikkel Rauff Simonsen, a senior plant optimization expert. The Highway Solution emphasizes stakeholder engagement, reliable data collection, and gradual implementation. It’s designed to ensure a smooth transition to automated OEE tracking while building a strong foundation for sustained improvements.
The OEE Uplift Approach: A structured six-step framework for driving sustainable improvements, from setting baselines to standardizing processes. Also developed by Mikkel Rauff Simonsen, this approach focuses heavily on team engagement, making sure that those closest to the equipment take ownership of the changes, increasing the likelihood of long-term success.
These methodologies are designed to take the guesswork out of OEE and provide actionable insights.
4. Real-World Applications
Through case studies, we saw how companies like Broxburn Bottlers and Raymundos applied OEE to achieve tangible results.
Their experiences demonstrated the versatility of OEE across different manufacturing settings and roles.
5. Continuous Improvement
Finally, OEE is about mindset. It’s not a one-and-done metric but a continuous improvement tool. As challenges evolve, OEE provides a framework to adapt, measure progress, and keep improving. Remember, even small, incremental gains can add up to significant productivity boosts over time.
Conclusion
With these takeaways, you now have a robust understanding of OEE and how to use it as a strategic advantage in your organization.
Let’s move on to the final lesson—what you can do next.