13 steps for the OEE improvement coach

Step 1: Start determining OEE, the Overall Equipment Effectiveness. OEE’s strength lies in clearly identifying the most important instances of waste. That’s where the improvement process starts. Determine the actual machine output first.

Step 2: Take inventory of all possible waste. Start with possible machine availability waste, from pausing to cleaning, and from changeover to repairing.

Step 3: Now, take inventory of all possible performance losses, for instance, short breaks, caused by malfunctioning or an uneven product flow through the production line.

Step 4: Finally, take inventory of all possible quality losses, or reasons for rejection (e.g., too thick, too small, or the wrong color).

>>> Want to know more about OEE calculation? Then read our blog “How to do an OEE calculation.”

Step 5: To read the OEE value and to know what’s being measured, the improvement coach creates a process map, a schematic representation of the process you want to measure, from input to output.

Step 6: Record the attributes of every process: which process steps are made?

Step 7: Determine which quantity or unit is used when something goes into the process, which quantity or unit comes out of the process, and at which speed. Once this is known, you can start measuring.

 Step 8: Determine during which step of the process OEE needs to be measured and where the measuring norm of the process is located: what needs to be improved to determine if the improvement process was successful?

>>> Want to know more about the best location to measure OEE? Then read our blog “Measuring OEE in a production line.”

Step 9: Determine how you’ll measure OEE. You can use a scorecard, or choose an online or automated real-time method. The measurement must show what waste occurs in availability, quality or performance, and what the amount of output is.

Step 10: Chart the production output: total, approved and waste (rejection, or breaks). When does the machine run, when is production halted?

Step 11: Register everything; use a scorecard, the online method or the automated real-time method. With Cierpa OEE, you can fill it in yourself or you can also choose real-time online measuring. Cierpa OEE has a lot more to offer besides recording OEE: for example, the software shows you the performance norms of the machine or process step and can visualize where the most waste occurs.

Step 12: The OEE improvement coach has visually charted where the most waste in availability, performance, and quality occurs. Which one will you address first? Start with the most valuable instance of waste. When an assessment shows a 40% availability loss and only a 2% performance loss, then choose availability (unless 2% performance is more valuable to you than 40% availability).

Step 13: The improvement teams can get going! Together with the improvement coach, the teams can address all instances of waste, from significant to small. 

Cierpa and OEE software

Cierpa likes to think with you on how to improve your OEE. Cierpa OEE shows you instantly where waste occurs in your process and reveals the underlying reason. Why do you get less than optimal results? Cierpa combines manual, digital, or real-time data and converts it into insight. That knowledge alone immediately delivers an output improvement of 3 to 5%. Cierpa can also bring you into contact with an OEE improvement coach.