Author: Igor Temprano, Spain & Portugal Operations Manager at Lantek
What is OEE?
One of the most important KPIs is OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), an internationally recognized indicator that measures the performance of the plant based on production factors and parameters.
For an industrial plant, introducing OEE systems to improve the equipment’s ability to react to any setback that may occur in day-to-day operation of machinery is critical. It is evident that events that are not measured in a factory will remain unknown. To solve this dilemma, we need a tool that can measure each machine process and time period, and which can also be used to view possible incidents allowing engineers to take the necessary corrective measures.
OEE efficiency measurement system
This system measures the productivity of industrial equipment using a formula that covers three essential factors:
The product of these three factors provides us with a wide overview of the company’s performance and productivity. That is why it is helpful to apply this system to each individual machine to obtain more detailed results. The detail in the data will help to identify errors such as misuse and excessive use of the equipment or detecting errors in the design of the manufacturing process.
Expected results
In order to properly understand the results obtained with OEE , there are percentage parameters from 0 to 100 that give an indication of factory performance:
OEE and MES, maximize plant performance
The key to making the most of this indicator’s three factors is to use Lantek’s MES software which can capture all of the plant data. With the Manufacturing Execution System, companies have a complete overview of everything that happens in their factory, in real time. It is the ideal program designed for the sheet metal sector for optimizing production planning. Thanks to the OEE indicators, Lantek MES can measure the performance of machine loading, availability, efficiency and quality as part of its MES KPIs.
OEE in the Industry 4.0 environment
Advances in technology help companies to improve production and, the introduction of new Industry 4.0 enablers, make it even more essential to have KPIs to measure production efficiency more accurately, especially with real time automatic data entry. Without an OEE System managers would be working blindly. Being certain that they are on the right track with accurate information will help them to detect errors that reduce factory performance.
Ultimately, by using the OEE indicator for their measurements, they can make the most of and optimize the production process and achieve greater profitability.
At Lantek, we are specialists in software platforms that improve the productive efficiency of your plant with the incorporation of an OEE System into the MES production planning program, optimizing the performance of your factory.
Lantek also has additional software programs that manufacturers can use to design and optimize cutting processes and monitor the status of production while finding out the company’s behavior patterns and KPIs. The aim is to increase competitiveness and optimize production efficiency. Lantek is a leader in the Industry 4.0 ecosystem, working on developing a 360 platform that includes Smart Factory tools to take sheet metal cutting manufacturers to a higher level, adapted to a remote working environment. These developments will deliver agility and versatility to the manufacturing process through the accurate measurement of each piece of data.
