Availability, commonly known as uptime, is the percentage of scheduled time that the unit is available to operate. Performance is the speed at which the unit operates, expressed as a percentage of the speed at which it was designed to operate. Quality is the percentage of “good units” produced compared with the “total units started” or “first pass yield” in non-OEE parlance.
Multiplying these three percentages gives you an overall performance score. It’s a simple concept that can be applied to any machine, cell or line in the plant—or even to the entire plant itself—shining a light on areas that need improvement.
The goal of OEE implementation, says Tom Jensen, program manager, OEM business development for Lenze Americas, “is to drive productivity while maintaining a stable state of operation.” In other words: Wring more productivity and value out of existing assets.
>> Read Automation World's OEE feature story: OEE in Packaging: Deceptively Simple
