How is your production line doing right now? Do you know how efficient it is? Is there any downtime? Where are the bottlenecks? Manufacturing businesses are complex operations. Even the smallest manufacturers can struggle to keep an eye on what’s going on, let alone if you have multiple production lines and multiple sites. Imagine if […]
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Peter Drucker One of the most important quotes in business management couldn’t be more important for Australian manufacturers today. With the right metrics, you can understand what’s working in your production line, and what’s not. You can find weak spots and barriers to efficient production. […]
Why is OEE such a popular manufacturing-operation metric? The reason is simple: OEE can deliver accurate and actionable information to manufacturers for significant productivity improvement. First, a reminder of some OEE basics: OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is a best-practice metric for measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of a manufacturing process.Calculated asthe product of three factors […]
Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a powerful metric. Considered the gold standard for measuring manufacturing productivity, the OEE key performance indicator (KPI) brings together data on availability, performance and quality to tell you the percentage of manufacturing time that is truly productive. How to calculate OEE OEE is measured as the product of three factors […]
They say that if you can measure it, then you can improve it. In manufacturing today, measurement is critical to success. You need to have a strategy in place to measure and improve your performance (and your bottom line). OEE should be a part of that plan. So, what does OEE stand for? What is […]
Remember when Lean principles were the one and only way for manufacturers to do business? Fast forward a decade and Industry 4.0 is the new buzzword. But does this mean Lean management is down and out, or can the two be intertwined to create a whole new level of operational excellence? The Lean approach is […]
What gets measured gets done. It might be an old cliché, but it still rings true for manufacturers today. Only by collecting the right data in your business can you make steps to improve. But which measures should you rely on? How can you know you’ve got your finger on the “quality pulse” of your […]
Is information-driven manufacturing (iDM) the stepping-stone to Industry 4.0? Collecting, visualising and analysing machine, process and sensor data promises to open a whole new world of opportunities for manufacturers. Here, we look at exactly what iDM is and how it could help manufacturers realise the potential of Industry 4.0. (Here’s some good background information on […]
If your New Year’s resolution was to create a more efficient, lean organisation, then it could be time to automate. Automation is no longer the sole realm of larger companies. With technology more affordable than ever, an increasing number of small and medium enterprises are tapping into the advantages of automating manufacturing processes — and there […]
If you can’t count on your equipment to work when production is scheduled, it’s unreliable. In the manufacturing industry, unreliable equipment has a greater cost than just monetary: it can affect workers, customer relationships, brand reputation and beyond. So before you make any cuts to your maintenance budget or delay on replacing failing equipment, take […]