Downloads, White Papers

15 Truths About OEE: Keys to Supporting Strategic Improvements in Manufacturing
by Vince O'Rourke and John Clemons, EnteGreat

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Paper Overview
The goal of this white paper is to present some real world lessons EnteGreat and our clients have learned about what it takes to be successful with an Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) program.  OEE offers companies an excellent tool for gaining information about production effectiveness.  The name is somewhat of a misnomer in that the information gleaned from OEE goes way beyond the effectiveness of the equipment alone.  OEE is a metric that helps to uncover inefficiencies in production processes by showing how well a production line is functioning overall in terms of availability, performance, and quality.  The OEE numbers reported from a line can be compared to reasonable expectations for the numbers that should be achieved on that line, to the numbers reported from the same line at other times, and to the numbers reported from other lines (in the same plant or in other plants).  The data produced by OEE helps to direct the focus for diagnostic efforts, such as root-cause analysis.  Actions can be taken in response to the knowledge gained, and the result can be greater efficiency.  However, it must be remembered that nothing is guaranteed to improve, because OEE is only a tool.  The improvements come only by taking advantage of the information that OEE provides.  The improvements come only by analyzing the information provided by OEE, determining the actions to take, then taking those actions and evaluating the results. The keys to success given in this paper are drawn from the experience gained from hundreds of OEE implementations in a wide variety of manufacturing industries, and they show how to make the best use of this valuable metric. 

About the Authors
Vince O'Rourke has over 35 years of experience in Food manufacturing. Prior to joining EnteGreat, Vince spent 25 years with Kraft Foods in various assignments, including: Corporate Audit, Systems Development, Plant Systems Management, Division Systems Manager (Maxwell House), and was most recently Director of Manufacturing Systems for North America.

John Clemons, Vice President of EnteGreat, has over 23 years of experience in manufacturing, including work within the Food & Beverage, Consumer Products, Pulp & Paper, Steel, Specialty Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotechnology industries. John has spent his career working for industry-leading systems integrators and consultants, and he has done consulting work almost exclusively for Fortune 500 Companies. John's papers, industry press articles, and technical sessions have helped people throughout these industries gain a better understanding of manufacturing systems integration within the Enterprise IT environment. John has also co-authored the book "Information Technology for Manufacturing: Reducing Costs and Expanding Capabilities."

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