The line study is one of the basic tools in every operational toolkit. Reviewing performance of a line after the event is a futile exercise unless you have a very robust Shop Floor Data Capture solution.
OEE was 65%, that’s great. Why? Is that good or bad? What were the causes for the 35% loss? Were they avoidable?
In many operations line performance is masked with WIP or buffer stocks, with extra capacity on alternative resources.
Poor performance will be excused due to plan changes, excessive changeovers, or skills gaps.
To get a better understanding of line performance do a study.
- stand on the line for a shift,
- watch it run,
- what do people do,
- understand the stoppages.
The line study tool here is simple and basic, we only look at 8 key areas and measure performance against a maximum capability. We visually show where the performance is lost and using on-site historic data and years of industry knowledge benchmark to others.
Fixing things is less easy, that’s a combination of process & people.
Download the tool, have a go and share your results.
Good luck!
