Optimizing OEE by capturing knowledge: how does it work?

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is an excellent method for measuring your machine efficiency. But how do you translate measurements into concrete improvements? This can be achieved by combining it with the capturing of (expert) knowledge. How does that work? We will explain.

OEE and securing knowledge: forces that reinforce each other

OEE provides the data and insights that show where improvement potential lies within your process. This can be supplemented with a human component: capturing and sharing knowledge on the shop floor. In addition to work instructions, manuals, and training, a great deal of critical process knowledge is ‘floating in the air’. It is hidden in the mind of that one experienced operator, or the team leader who has worked there for thirty years. That knowledge ensures he can resolve a malfunction in a few minutes, while a colleague might struggle with it for hours.

By extracting this knowledge from the expert’s mind and recording it, you can make this knowledge available to everyone in your organization. Now and in the future. This allows you to work continuously on efficient production. Successfully.

How does it work in practice?

Imagine: the OEE dashboard signals a performance dip at one of your packaging lines. You have captured the knowledge in a highly structured way, so the operator checks the data, reviews the expert knowledge, and identifies which instructions match the specific performance dip. He adjusts the machine settings according to the correct parameters. The dip is resolved, the ‘damage’ is limited, and the recurrence of problems is prevented. Furthermore, every operator can use it. In this way, the entire team works on a continuous improvement cycle.

Four ways capturing knowledge strengthens your OEE strategy

1. Improving availability

By having the right knowledge available, you accelerate fault diagnosis by operators. They now possess troubleshooting knowledge at an expert level. Common problems are resolved faster and unplanned downtime is minimized.

2. Optimizing performance

Experienced operators know exactly how to set up and operate machines optimally. By capturing this knowledge, you make it accessible to everyone and provide space to add new knowledge, making production (permanently) more consistent.

3. Ensuring quality

Quality issues often arise from variation in execution. Knowledge securing ensures consistency by recording standardized quality checks and corrective measures. The result: fewer rejects and stable quality.

4. Continuously improving your OEE

By capturing successful working methods, you make continuous improvement of your OEE possible. Every improvement is recorded and shared, so that best practices spread and become anchored in daily operations.

How do you capture knowledge?

Capturing expert knowledge may sound abstract, and making it quickly accessible to other employees even more so. In practice, however, it is much simpler than you might think. ELICIT has developed a user-friendly, proven, and effective solution for this. ELICIT extracts knowledge from the minds of your experts and records it in accessible, multilingual knowledge files. These knowledge files lead to a user-friendly dashboard where you can see exactly the information you need at that moment in just a few clicks. That dashboard is accessible to everyone on the shop floor. In this way, expert knowledge becomes collective property on the shop floor, enabling everyone to perform at a top level.

ELICIT results in practice

FrieslandCampina saw the number of requests for assistance to the technical department drop significantly after operators were provided with ELICIT knowledge files. They are now ‘in control’ of process deviations more quickly because operators can independently make the right choices.

JDE Joure sees fewer questions and shorter downtimes with ELICIT knowledge files. They reach solutions faster and see fewer quality deviations, which significantly improves process efficiency.

Foremen and the technical department at Van Merksteijn are less burdened with questions because employees arrive at solutions independently. They notice that production improves, downtime decreases, and failure costs drop.

Strengthen your OEE program with ELICIT knowledge securing

Would you like to know exactly what ELICIT does? And are you curious about what ELICIT can mean for your OEE strategy? Contact us via info@elicitonline.com for a non-binding discussion about the possibilities for your production environment. Want to see how it works immediately? Request a demo here.