Real-time OEE Dashboards focus on cost & reduction

We’ve been getting some good press recently for some work we’ve been doing with a well know foods company. This project implemented a real-time Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) dashboard so they could collect and report on Key Process Indicators (KPIs).

As the project manager states, “The Hertzler System’s color-coded and real-time display of production line performance has given our operators a heightened sense of ownership over the plant’s performance. Rather than analyze performance reports the next day, employees can act on real-time data from the performance boards, leading to faster issue resolution and better overall performance. Furthermore, this system will allow us to maintain a historical record of our performance, which will guide our long-term improvement efforts.”

This project actually began several years ago when we began collecting package weight data from check weighers on the production line. The company used this data to help reduce overpack and save money.

With that success under our belts, they asked us to help them collect downtime and other data associated with OEE, and to display these Key Process Indicators (KPIs) automatically on flat panel displays on the factory floor.

Corporate had mandated that they get this information out to the workforce, and they were manually updating white boards with markers at the end of each shift. It was a time consuming, error-ridden process.

Here is a picture we took from inside the plant showing the shop floor data collection station, with the large flat panel display suspended from the ceiling.

And here is a screen capture of the OEE Dashboard display. This was custom-developed for this customer and combines data from a variety of sources. The column labeled Downtime Reason scrolls to show all of the reasons for downtime during a particular hour.

Research shows that real-time data is one of the key strategies that differentiates Best-in-Class performers. You can read more about that research in this Aberdeen Report on Event Driven Manufacturing Intelligence and in our accompanying white paper on the The Role of Real-Time Data in Improving Profitability and Customer Satisfaction.