Equipment effectiveness

Availability, performance, and quality determine Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE). A loss in one or all three factors has a negative effect on this, and thus impact production costs. Ingenics increases the OEE for the long term by optimizing utilization of the equipment — with respect to the entire production system and the staff who operate the machine. The aim is to reduce set-up time, to remedy faults, and to improve quality standards.

The way in which production equipment is used has a bearing on costs for the overall manufacturing process. Ingenics therefore examines the complete production system in order to improve overall equipment efficiency. All areas are identified where there could be losses in quality, performance, or availability. Such losses always mean unproductive time and thus unnecessary costs.

Correct machine utilization and lower set-up costs

The optimization process includes identifying the right working time model. The number of shifts worked with the capacity of a machine being utilized properly influences the return on investment as well as the costs. In addition, Ingenics analyzes all the relevant downtime, set-up time and breakdown time during which a system is not being used – or at least not efficiently.

In many companies, reducing set-up costs is the central focus of efforts to increase OEE. Here Ingenics ensures major improvements with standardized make-ready processes and flexible set-up times in the work schedule. After all, what matters is not just the time in which a certain number of units can be produced, but rather the set-up times for the production of multiple variants. Standardization saves time in this respect, but the make-ready process also becomes something that can be planned, and processes are more reliable as a result. The Ingenics set-up time matrix for the overall manufacturing process also affects production planning and control. On top of this, set-up workshops complement the services geared toward increasing OEE.

Reducing labor costs and boosting availability

In addition to the general conditions of proper equipment utilization, Ingenics focuses on machine operators as part of OEE optimization. The aim is to find solutions that reduce labor costs on the one hand and increase system availability on the other. As a rule, greater overall equipment efficiency reduces the number of shifts required to deliver the same output — possibly improving quality at the same time.

The most important tools at a glance

As a client, you stand to benefit from the optimization of overall equipment efficiency as this will increase plant productivity and thus reduce costs. To ensure long-term success in your company, Ingenics will train and coach in-house experts to establish the relevant methods.

To increase OEE in your company, Ingenics mainly uses the following tools:

Analysis of the production system and operation of the machine
Definition and establishment of the right key figures and targets for production
Development of the organization and staff training (e. g. set-up workshops, set-up time matrix, troubleshooting task force)
Establishment of optimal overall equipment efficiency for the long term, taking into account multiple machine operation

Conclusion

The OEE optimization service provided by Ingenics can create the perfect conditions for fewer losses in quality, performance, and availability. Plant utilization that is more effective and optimized for a particular process increases availability and productivity, thus reducing a proportion of production costs.