Why to visualize ALL losses

OEE as Motivator

OEE is intended to promote continuous improvement. However, when you want the OEE to show all losses, it may have impact on the motivation of the operators. The OEE can be low even though the operators worked hard to prevent losses. For that reason, state that the entire organization must be responsible for- and involved in improving the OEE. Make clear to the operators that registering the losses does not mean that they alone are responsible for them. Many losses are not only their problem. On the contrary, this tool can help everybody to focus on the problems that become clear at the machine (and may frustrate the operator…).

OEE as Indicator for improvements

The registration of time losses can be used as a warning signal for general problem areas. If the Pareto-diagrams indicate that a certain use of time is a great loss for the machine, you can get to the heart of the problem with methods such as the 5x Why-analysis and the Ishikawa (cause and effect)-diagram.

OEE and Kaizen

The OEE-analysis is an excellent instrument to start up Kaizen-activities. The different types of losses showing up in the OEE and the ability to analyze them are a starting point for eliminating these losses through Kaizen activities (such as Small Group Activities) are the key to the success of TPM.