Plant View with XL800 OEE Systems - coming soon!
April 2, 2009 by david.evanson
Introducing our new OEE Factory Dashboard: Plant View with XL800 OEE Systems
- Would it be useful if you could look at one screen and see a summary of your entire plant OEE?
- Is it important to you to instantly know in real time how well your entire plant is running?
- Imagine how much easier it would be to allocate resource to your worse performing areas…
Now you can with our brand new “Plant View” screen
When you have multiple XL800 OEE Systems installed on your network you can instantly see the real time performance of each machine in one handy factory dashboard.
If you’re a Production Manager or an Engineering Manager you can now see the real time performance of your plant on one screen without even leaving your desk!!!
Naturally we’ll be offering this upgrade free of charge to all existing customers and will contact you directly to pass on this great new feature towards the end of April.
Click on the picture below to see it full screen:
View Multiple XL800 OEE systems on one page
As ever, we are keen to recieve your feedback - let me know what you think about this new addition.
OEE and equipment commissioning
March 30, 2009 by david.evanson
Are you thinking about investing in new production line equipment?
Would you like to avoid having your OEE demolished in the process?
Here are our 5 top tips for minimising the length of time that your line is down for the install:
1. Agree to use automated electronic measures to sign off the new equipment - most equipment suppliers we meet are very happy to sign off large projects using tick sheets and manual observation both of which are subject to significant errors. Use PLC data for the commissioning exercise - when/should the OEM argue that the numbers are incorrect at least you know that their PLC code is also incorrect!
2. Agree the range of performance metrics well in advance including a total line metric for the trial.
3. The industry standards are Mechanical Efficiency and Running Speed. We would also recommend insisting on: Mean Time Between Failure, Mean Time To Recover, OEE (Availability, Performance, Quality), and Loss to Critical/bottleneck Machine.
4. XL800 systems are extremely useful for signing off new equipment as they can be installed in a matter of hours with a completely standard setup - just bolt it on, plug it in, run the machine, and there’s your sign-off data generated completely automatically.
5. Make sure you consider the line control - we’ve seen many installations in which new equipment is installed with only the absolute minimum line control adjustments. Typically this can kill as much as 5% of your total line efficiency. Very shortly we will post our Line Control philosophy to support you here.
We’ve been involved in the commisioning of everything from individual machine upgrade to full multi-million pound production lines and hope that these simple tips help you with your install.
Incidentally i’ve just spotted this blog which also has a great post on this topic: Click Here
Your biggest OEE mistake?
March 26, 2009 by david.evanson
So you’re measuring OEE and breaking out some of the losses - do you want to know one of the biggest mistakes i believe sites make at this point?
I believe that one of the biggest mistakes people regularly make is that they don’t measure the accuracy of their data.
What does this mean? Well it means that you are potentially taking action on highly inaccurate data with absolutely no idea of how inaccurate it is! In reality the chances are that your team are fudging the numbers so that they always add up to 100%. If you doubt me do this: Walk out onto the line and discretely observe how many minor stops are accurately recorded by the operator. Look at the tick sheets - how many of your stops are nice round numbers; 1min, 5min, 15min?
Whilst our MachineView and XL systems get 100% accuracy on a single asset when it comes to calculating losses on an entire production line even our LineView system which is an extremely accurate fully-automated causal downtime system only averages 98% efficiency on a complex line!
Whenever we work out an OEE number we look for:
1. Completed production
2. Maximum theoretical production
3. Mins attributed to downtime
4. Unallocated downtime
If I ever see an OEE calculation with 100% accuracy then i would lay £50 on the table that someone is fudging the numbers at some point. This is because most manual systems get calculated at the end of the shift - your 4hr of non-production time is assigned to whatever downtime reason codes the team want.
For good quality information you need to know not only how many mins of downtime were captured…but how many were missed out as well.
OEE on a flow line - installing your XL800 OEE system
January 28, 2009 by david.evanson
One question that comes up quite regularly when i’m demonstrating the XL800 OEE System is: “How can i get the most from an XL800 OEE System when i have more than 1 machine that i want to measure?“.
If you have 1 machine that you want to monitor, or a simple block process, the location for your XL800 OEE System is extremely obvious - you install it on either the single machine, or (and) in an area where the operators can see it easily as per this example:
XL800 OEE System on a single machine
How to get the most from XL800 OEE System on a Continuous Flow line:
If you have run a continuous flow line (typical of most food, drink, confectionary manufacture) then when we talk about XL most manufacturers say: “We want to install this on the bottleneck machine, and we also want to analyse the other machines on the line”. This presents us with a couple of technical issues; firstly XL800 is optimised to provide detailed analysis of a single machine, secondly as part of analysing a single machine you would need our LineView system to analyse the “causal downtime” i.e. the effect of your other machines on the bottleneck machine. Secondly it presents an operational issue: I know many sites that try to collect everything but don’t act on the data, and they don’t improve. To drive your OEE up - collect only what you need, as simply as possible, and act on it vigorously.
So here’s a work-around that i outline in this scenario:
- Install the XL800 OEE system on your Bottleneck machine as normal
- Install a “lack of product” signal from your infeed conveyor. This signal machines that your bottleneck machine is available to run but cannot run due to lack of product = upstream stoppage.
- Install a “build back” signal from your outfeed conveyor. This signal machines that your bottleneck machine is available to run but cannot run due to build back of product on the outfeed = downstream stoppage
- Install whatever additional faults you want on your bottleneck machine and other machines
How this will help:
- You will know the efficiency and downtime on your bottleneck machine, which is crucial
- You will know that of all the time the bottleneck is not running, how much of that time is due to upstream or downstream issues, rather than the machine just being not available.
XL800 OEE System on a Flow Line
With this information i would:
- Carry out a Short Interval Control every hour or 2 hours - SEE MY POST ON THIS HERE
- If the greatest loss to my bottleneck machine is lack or buildback then i would identify which machine has caused that loss, and why.
- If i can’t identify why or the root cause, I would put a manual tick sheet on that machine for 1 hour only and ask the operator to get some good quality downtime data.
- I would fix the root cause and review my downtime loss to the bottleneck machine
- Repeat
In my opinion one of the greatest pitfalls that a site can fall into is “I want to collect everything right now”. I promise you that if you try to collect everything you will either collect rubbish by spreading your resource to thin, or you will not be able to take action because you’re reviewing data. Collect only what you need to improve and act on it vigorously.
The more simple and elegant your initial solution, the greater the likelihood of it adding value.
OEE Journey from OptimumFX
January 26, 2009 by david.evanson
Introducing the OptimumFX OEE Journey:
One of the questions we often bounce around as a team is; “We’ve all heard of ‘The Toyota Way’, so what is ‘our way’? What is the UK FMCG way?”.
This question has pointed us in one direction - there isn’t one….so let’s create it! We’re calling this way the: “OptimumFX OEE Journey”.
Click here to download OptimumFX OEE Journey
A little bit of background: Over the last 7-8 years we’ve been developing systems such as LineView, MachineView, and more recently the XL800 OEE system, and fine tuning the processes that you can use alongside our systems to get great results. We’ve used these processes to support some of the biggest FMCG brands in the UK to get some great results.
As we move into 2009, our objective this year will be to publish these processes, document our OEE Journey, and to make our OEE systems as readily available to you as possible.
Our goals for the OptimumFX OEE Journey in 2009 are:
- Throughout 2009 OptimumFX will be publishing a number of white papers and articles to consolidate our theories for OEE improvement.
- We will be working with a number of UK Manufacturers to jointly test and publish the results from our implementations.
- Our goal is that if you want to improve OEE, we want you to be able to pick up our systems and theories, and apply them straight away.
What does this mean for you?:
- We will share our OEE Journey completely free of charge - just sign up to this blog for more details.
- XL800 OEE System trials: You can get Free Trials of our XL800 OEE Systems. Free trial of great data completely free - we’ll even help you create robust processes to get results straight away. At the end of free trial either give the system back, or buy it.
- LineView trials: Every year we intend to give one site a copy of LineView on a 6 month free trial. This year we’re working in collaboration with the “Best Factory” team from Cranfield School of Management to deliver this project. To find out more and apply follow this link: http://www.optimumfx.com/freelineview/index.html
- Or download our LineView trial document: Click here to download the LineView Trial Offer
Improve OEE by >20% FREE web conference
January 15, 2009 by david.evanson
Would you like to improve your OEE by >20% for free?
How useful would it be for you to know how to use your production data to improve the OEE of your line by 20% for absolutely no charge?
I would like to train you FOR FREE in a process that we have helped to implement on the production of some of the world’s most famous brands. Our SHORT INTERVAL CONTROL process has helped lines add an additional >20% to their OEE over extremely short periods of time.
To accomplish this, i am hosting 5 introductory web demonstration sessions over the next week at the end of each session you will know:
- How to improve your OEE by an average of 20% using SHORT INTERVAL CONTROL with whatever data you currently have available.
- How to take your improvement to the next level by using an XL800 OEE System
These sessions are highly exclusive and i will be taking a maximum of only 16 people at a time on each session.
In each session i will be covering:
1. How to create huge OEE improvement using a Short Interval Control process
2. The KPI’s that an XL800 OEE System can help you monitor in your production process, including OEE.
3. How to use an XL800 OEE System as a visual display system (andon system) on your line with your operators
4. How your management team can use the real time reporting functionality of the XL system to prioritise actions
5. How to create shift reports for your short interval control in a matter of seconds
To get started, at 5mins before the conference is due to start, click the conference link below and follow the onscreen instructions to enter the conference. Unfortunately if there are more than 16 people present then you will have to attend another time.
The sessions are:
16th January @ 16:00 GMT
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/991280949
Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended. Or, call in using your telephone.
Dial +44 (0) 203 355 7648
Access Code: 991-280-949
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting
Meeting Password: xl800
Meeting ID: 991-280-949
22nd January @ 10:00 GMT
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/139019988
2. Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended. Or, call in using your telephone.
Dial +44 (0) 203 355 7649
Access Code: 139-019-988
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting
Meeting Password: xl800
Meeting ID: 139-019-988
22nd January @ 15:00 GMT
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/193241279
2. Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended. Or, call in using your telephone.
Dial +44 (0) 203 355 7649
Access Code: 193-241-279
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting
Meeting Password: xl800
Meeting ID: 193-241-279
23rd January @ 10:00 GMT
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/390509013
2. Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended. Or, call in using your telephone.
Dial +44 (0) 203 051 4835
Access Code: 390-509-013
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting
Meeting Password: xl800
Meeting ID: 390-509-013
23rd January @ 15:00 GMT
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/884044492
2. Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended. Or, call in using your telephone.
Dial +44 (0) 203 051 4835
Access Code: 884-044-492
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting
Meeting Password: xl800
Meeting ID: 884-044-492
Andon Systems and OEE improvement
January 14, 2009 by david.evanson
What are Andon systems or Andon lamps?
Andon lamps are an extremely simple system of visual management for helping teams identify when there is a problem with a process or machine. Originally they were developed as part of the Jidoka quality-control method within the Toyota Production System and have now been incorporated into standard lean manufacturing practice
Originally andon lamps were used to notify teams of a quality problem, and more frequently we see them installed on continuous flow lines to help inform operators of why machines have stopped. For example if i have an operator running two packaging machines and one of the machines stop, a simple Andon light stack can instantly tell the operator if he has a problem (and has to intervene) or if the machine has just run out of product.
Here are some sample Andon Systems courtesy of google images:
Andon lamp block
A traditional andon light stack
Andon panel with fault alarms
Andon Text display
Benefits of traditional Andon systems in your visual factory:
- Reduce reaction times for machine problems - operators see the state of machines quickly
- Reduced downtime for fault fixing - lamps indicate most common “faults” e.g. low reel, jams etc
- Improve management efficiency - Managers can quickly see which machines are stopped on a busy floor
Drawbacks of traditional Andon systems in your lean implementation:
- Signals need to be interpreted - complex systems need a code or key card to help operators remember what the alarms mean.
- Can be hard to see - if they’ve been in place for a long time lights often get damaged and dirty and can be hard to see. They can also often become ‘background noise’.
Taking Andon systems to the next level…XL800 for the ultimate visual factory
The XL800 OEE system brings Andon systems into the 21st century by taking all the strengths of existing systems, adding even more functionality, whilst keeping the core simplicity.
When you install an XL800 OEE System on your machine or line the highly visual alphanumeric display system can be used to highlight KPI’s and running conditions just like any display system.
Basic functionality:
Almost instantly the XL800 OEE system can support your lean manufacturing implementation by very quickly enabling you to show:
- MACHINE DOWN + Duration of downtime
- BREAK TIME REMAINING + Duration of break
- CHANGEOVER + Duration of changeover
More advanced functionality:
If you can get a signal from your machine to indicate why that machine has stopped then your XL800 could automatically display additional faults or alarms such as:
- Stop - Build Back (too much product on outfeed)
- Stop - Lack (no raw materials on infeed)
- Stop - No raw material
- Stop - Guards open
- Quality check due now (based on the number parts produced)
- Stop - SPECIFIC FAULT MESSAGE
- Target achieved - Good job team
- …..and the list goes on! If you can get us a signal, the XL800 OEE System can give you a display!
So what are the benefits of an XL800 as your Andon system?
- All of the benefits as traditional Andon systems
- Inform and motivate your team: by displaying real time data for how long each alarm has been triggered, and by showing targets for the production run
- Increase productivity: Simplify your shop floor - the display is 100% user configurable so you can quickly select the alarms that make the most difference to you
- Save money: Your operators will be able to respond to the right causes of machine downtime and get your machines fixed faster.
- Increase OEE: With machines being fixed faster you will produce more product than ever before
- Essential for TPM: The built in reporting and analytics software in the XL800 system is ideal for driving your TPM implementation as part of your lean journey.
Changing IT priorities in 2009?
January 12, 2009 by david.evanson
The Annual Manufacturing report 2008 which came with The Manufacturer last month and i’ve just been reading the IT section.
When this survey was taken:
73% of business said that IT was essential
When asked about priorities in the LAST 12 months companies said:
- 73% upgrading IT infrastucture
- 67% Management information systems (MIS)
- 33% system integration
- 33% Enterprise resource planning
When asked about priorities in the NEXT 12 months companies said:
- 60% Management Information Systems (MIS)
- 47% Upgrading upgrading IT infrastructure
- 40% CRM
- 33% Enterprise resource planning
For me this leads me to several conclusions and a big question.
1. A lot of companies now have an IT backbone entering 2009 that wasn’t present in 2008 - this implies to me that systems are becoming more integrated and that solutions will need to meet that requirement
2. MIS is becoming increasingly more important. We’ve been providing MIS systems targeted on OEE improvement since 2001 with our LineView system leading the way, and more recently with MachineView and XL800 and we’re certainly finding that people are far more interested in talking about MIS systems now than a few years ago. For us this means that 2009 is about making our systems known and ensuring they meet your needs with elegance and the right cost.
3. With 33% of companies in 2008 and 2009 looking at ERP systems this is very heartening - part of our focus for 2009 is in linking our LineView system up with systems such as SAP to enable demand planning (ERP) across multiple lines and multiple sites.
The million dollar/pound/yen/euro/rupee question…how has the current economic situation changed these priorities?
- For me MIS is one of the areas in which the implementation of a system can directly improve the performance of a line. Therefore if you’re looking to implement an MIS system this year then do so in the knowledge that it can directly improve your productivity, but only if your teams use it. We have a huge amount of experience in this area and are very comfortable saying that a system is only so good as how it’s used!
So let me know - how are you expecting the current economic climate to effect your business this year?
Massively reduce your Overtime bill
January 7, 2009 by david.evanson
If you run a plant with lots of hand packing how interested are you in reducing your overtime costs?
I’m guessing that the answer is a big resounding “VERY”!
I believe that just 5 steps with our XL800 system will provide you with the answer you need - and the payback is likely to be within our free trial (depending on the size of your overtime bill!). Call us now on +44 121 447 8520 to find out more.
Just this week i was in an FMCG plant with a hand packing hall. Every individual unit is manually lifted from the line and placed into a cardboard box, sealed, and then hand palletised. The manager i was with explained how amazing it was that when the team were behind on performance and needed overtime to finish the run, just how frequently the amount of time needed was exactly 1 or 2 hours! Perhaps this may sound familar to you?
So here’s a suggestion that could massively reduce your overtime bill: Install an XL800 in your manual handling hall and use it to display the performance of your packing team.
Here’s how to massively cut your overtime bill:
1. Get a signal:
- Firstly find some way to get a pulse for every box packed.
- This site had a really simple automated tape machine built into the conveyor - fully mechanical with 3 spring-loaded moving parts. The answer: install a £20 laser eye to pick up the movement of one moving part.
2. Work out a reasonable run rate (cycle time) for the packing team:
- What takt time do your team need to work at to meet output? What speed can they realistically achieve? Calculate the first one from the speed of your slowest automated machine. Calculate the second one through some line based timings - ensure you consider your health and safety requirements.
3. Install your XL800 system to display:
- Target packing speed
- Actual packing speed
- Mins lost due to slow running/stops
- Units left till end of run
Goal Count Down Scoreboard
- Or work out what KPI’s are most motivating for your team - remember that the XL800 is recording over 100 KPI’s all the time, including; number of slow cycles, number of minor stops, mins changeover time.
4. Review their performance….with the team….several times in the day. Ensure that they understand the metrics. Ensure that your front line management team use the metrics to support and encourage the team rather than to beat them up.
5. Watch your overtime bill freefall as the team become engaged with real-time data that they can control.
Warning: THIS WILL IMPROVE THE PRODUCTIVITY OF YOUR TEAM AND YOU MAY NEED TO FIND THEM MORE JOBS TO DO, OR GET MORE PRODUCT TO MAKE.
I remember seeing this process used most effectively in an electronics company where the teams were told their daily target, and given responsibility to deliver that target however they wanted. If that meant working faster so that they could all go for breaks at the same time, then that was their choice.
If you would like to massively reduce your manual handling overtime bill, give OptimumFX a call right now on +44 121 447 8520, or follow the link to send us an email.
“The end of the world is nigh (again)”
December 2, 2008 by david.evanson
I’ve just finished reading this awesome blog post by Reg Connolly about the power of perception and think you will also find it interesting.
NLP is an integral part of the OptimumFX business with 1/2 the team trained, and the other half gaining exposure all the time. I wrote a short article on this on our main website in February 2007.
For us our experiences to date with NLP have helped us to set really powerful internal goals that we have the capability to communicate to each other in meaningful ways.This article is a great example of how different people experience events in different ways - the example of the journalists on the train. To a lesser extent whenever we set business or project goals the potential for the same misunderstanding always remains and NLP processes can help us to maximise the effectiveness of our communication.
We also frequently refer to specific NLP processes when talking to sites about OEE improvement and the ways of helping people to understand what the improvement means to them. Most specifically when we’re working with a management team to create a plan for change we have found that our NLP training can help us to ask even better questions to facilitate the process.
There are 2 points that really resonated for me in Reg’s blog:
1. The power of frames - how the way in which we tune our mind to pick up information on the world…and more specifically, how these frames can be set by the press to help them sell more papers. For us I wonder how we can tune people into finding and delivering change?
2. Creating change. The “shock-sadden-scare” approach that Reg outlines is effective, and i wonder how else can we support people to create results through empowering them to change, rather than driving them to change.
When we talk to you about change and about using data (be it manual collection, XL800, or LineView) to drive that change what we are attempting to do is support your requirement to improve OEE (sell more papers) through the use of factual data that provides transparent comparison for robust decision making.
READ REG’s GREAT BLOG ENTITLED “THE END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH (AGAIN)” BY CLICKING HERE
