OEE a popular subject

In the December 10 issue of this newsletter, Mark Hanley, Worldwide Performance Indicator Program Lead at Kraft Foods, shared a few observations on Kraft's experience with OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness). Within a few hours we received several requests for further information, confirming our suspicion that OEE is a hot topic across all of manufacturing, packaging included.

I spoke with one of the project engineers who inquired about Hanley's comments to see if I could learn a little bit about OEE from his perspective. He elected not to have his remarks attributed, but I found them interesting enough to share here.

"Levels of complexity—that's an issue we wrestle with. We paid for an OEE system a few years ago that ran on multiple lines. But it had no ability to account for relationships between or among machines. We identified anywhere from 10 to 20 states on each machine. Take the filler, for example. We identified such states as 'is out of product,' or 'has door open.' Yet when the filler was supposedly available to run but was still down, we had no idea why. Was it because the labeler ahead of it was down? We couldn't tell. So all we had was an instantaneous dashboard of a line. But it wasn't much good at telling us anything about causes of states."

Don't forget, Hanley and others will be delivering presentations on OEE and other aspects of data acquisition at the Packaging Automation Forum 2009. Learn more at www.packworld.com/paf.
Simplify robotics projects
Take control of your automation journey. Learn how to reduce risks and drive success in packaging robotics.
Read More
Simplify robotics projects
Pharmaceutical Innovations Report
Discover the latest breakthrough packaging technologies shaping the pharmaceutical sector. This report dives into cutting-edge innovations, from smart containers that enhance patient safety to eco-friendly materials poised to transform the industry’s sustainability practices. All from PACK EXPO. Learn how forward-thinking strategies are driving efficiency and redefining what’s possible in pharma packaging.
Learn More
Pharmaceutical Innovations Report