Computers and software programs have changed the world in many ways. Across the board industries utilize software to calculate profitability, forecast sales, estimate labor requirements and much more. But software can go beyond financial for business and improve core processes.

Advanced Software can make a business more efficient by increasing output while decreasing scrap. This may sound like an easy task, but increasing efficiency without sacrificing quality and safety is extremely difficult to do without the right system. OEE is a new type of software system created to accomplish this task.

OEE or Overall Equipment Effectiveness calculates manufacturing performance as a percentage. It combines production speed, unplanned downtime, and good pieces produced. By monitoring and reporting on these issues, decision makers can understand where the root causes of their top problems originate. The next step is to develop corrective action plans and implement procedures to follow through with them. Once correctives actions take place, charts and other reports can be reviewed to determine the impact of the action plan. If the same problem persists, other ideas are generated, if the original problem is solver, but another problem arises, a new process to determine the root cause begins.

An OEE system can be generic for some manufacturers without cause problems, but due to the nature of manufacturing, many companies prefer to have a configurable system. Tailored OEE systems are less expensive than custom systems but provide the flexibility that most shop floors require. A higher implementation success rate gives this type of software a substantial advantage over it’s competition.

Cambridge Manufacturing Journals


Manufacturing.gov