Reduce Downtime with Performance Dashboards

PB 25 Rockwell newlogo 400

July 31, 2019

What difference does one percent make? While the incremental change might not seem like much, a one percent improvement for an industrial producer can contribute a million dollars to the bottom line.

What’s usually on a company’s mind when making this incremental change is uptime and downtime, standard measures of machine or line performance. Beyond this initial agreement, however, global brands and niche players often have particular ways of quantifying these measures and identifying the responsible sources of data.

Part of the challenge is the sheer number of software applications that promise to help improve some aspect of production. By not starting with the bigger picture of how a facility is performing, actual improvements might not have the impact that’s expected.

One solution includes monitoring overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) in a performance dashboard. By creating OEE reports that can establish baselines, users can begin to digest their data in order to take action.

Organization for identifying growth opportunities

Understanding OEE helps improve productivity goals by organizing the data relevant to facility performance. The value of a performance dashboard, after all, is the transparency it provides into operations.

The first step toward making dashboard data meaningful requires teams to consider how they’re calculating OEE. Dashboards simplify this effort by packaging data from various sources into one tidy package. Not only does the dashboard make data accessible, it also provides more than mere calculations and organizes the data in graphs and charts. These layouts make insights more visible and actionable.

With a consistent collection of data, users can use current OEE benchmarks to set downtime elimination goals and to monitor performance improvements over time. For production managers, it’s important to know the total amount of time a machine is down and repair time.

How to solve performance problems

Performance dashboards help users accomplish more in less time by providing the OEE information users need to determine whether their plant is as productive as it could be. What does a performance dashboard look like? Layouts vary, but we’ve learned users benefit most when OEE is broken down by availability (Ar), performance (Pr) and quality (Qr).

Not all performance dashboards provide segmented measurements, so if you want a cohesive view of OEE, it’s important to find one that offers this capability. A comprehensive view helps to ensure all three elements of OEE are detailed.

For example, if you’re only monitoring quality, your production will likely suffer because you’re too focused on maintaining high quality. But a focus on quality can result in running machines slower, decreasing productivity. Since every facility has production goals, slower production can result in operators working during the weekend when machines are normally scheduled for maintenance. The unintended consequences can go on and on.

Meanwhile, operations managers can use performance dashboards to keep a close eye on OEE. When they notice OEE is suffering, the manager will likely call up the production manager and ask why the machines aren’t running at capacity. From there, the product manager will go out and solve the performance problem by collecting data, increasing to max capacity, collecting more data, and checking for trends and insights. This process increases collaboration and helps the team achieve peak performance.

Create solutions with actionable data

When customers call with downtime challenges, they are shown how performance dashboards like the one above can help improve daily operations. Access to deeper levels of data helps customers focus on what’s meaningful based on their role, needs and more.

Most customers look at their data and feel they don’t have anything of value, but by creating a performance dashboard, Rockwell’s support staff can go in and identify your top-50 issues. Then they can team up with you to eliminate your top-five issues and so on until 50 becomes zero. FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, powered by PTC, is one example of how new software solutions make data more accessible than ever.

Source

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • Wesco Opens State-of-the-Art Facility in Eastern Canada to Support Influx of Megaprojects in the Region

    Wesco Opens State-of-the-Art Facility in Eastern Canada to Support Influx of Megaprojects in the Region

    Wesco International has recently announced the grand opening of a new state-of-the-art facility on Higney Avenue in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, making this the largest facility of any distributor in the Atlantic region. The new building, facilitated by Touchette Real Estate, a division of Groupe Touchette, will feature Wesco’s comprehensive suite of services and solutions including… Read More…

  • PataBid Nominated for Canadian Choice Award in Software Services

    PataBid Nominated for Canadian Choice Award in Software Services

    PataBid is proud to announce its nomination for a Canadian Choice Award in the Software Services category. This recognition highlights PataBid’s commitment to supporting the electrical contracting community across Canada by providing innovative estimating software solutions that streamline estimating processes and ensure predictable and profitable projects. Read More…


Sponsored Content
The Easy Way to the Industrial IoT

The way to the Industrial IoT does not have to be complicated. Whether access to valuable data is required or new, data-driven services are to be generated, Weidmuller enables its customers to go from data to value the easy way. Weidmuller’s comprehensive and cutting-edge IIoT portfolio applies to greenfield and brownfield applications. Weidmuller offers components and solutions from data acquisition, data pre-processing, data communication and data analysis.

Visit Weidmuller’s Industrial IoT Portfolio.


ADVANCED Motion Controls Takes Servo Drives to New Heights (and Depths) with FlexPro Extended Environment Product Line

Advanced Motion Controls is proud to announce the addition of six new CANopen servo drives with Extended Environment capabilities to their FlexPro line. These new drives join AMC’s existing EtherCAT Extended Environment FlexPro drives, making the FlexPro line the go-to solution for motion control applications in harsh environments.

Many motion control applications take place in conditions that are less than ideal, such as extreme temperatures, high and low pressures, shocks and vibrations, and contamination. Electronics, including servo drives, can malfunction or sustain permanent damage in these conditions.

Read More


Service Wire Co. Announces New Titles for Key Executives

Bruce Kesler and Mark Gatewood have been given new titles and responsibilities for Service Wire Co.

Bruce Kesler has assumed the role of Senior Director – Business Development. Bruce will be responsible for Service Wire’s largest strategic accounts and our growing Strategic Accounts Team.

Mark Gatewood has been promoted to the role of Vice President – Sales & Marketing. In this role, Gatewood will lead the efforts of Service Wire Company’s entire sales and marketing organization in all market verticals.

Read More


Tri-Mach Announces the Purchase of an Additional 45,000 sq ft. Facility

Tri-Mach Elmira Facility

Recently, Tri-Mach Inc. was thrilled to announce the addition of a new 45,000 sq ft. facility. Located at 285 Union St., Elmira, ON, this facility expands Tri-Mach’s capabilities, allowing them to better serve the growing needs of their customers.

Positioning for growth, this additional facility will allow Tri-Mach to continue taking on large-scale projects, enhance product performance testing, and provide equipment storage for their customers. The building will also be the new home to their Skilled Trades Centre of Excellence.

Read More


JMP Parent Company, CONVERGIX Acquires AGR Automation, Expanding Global Reach

Convergix Automation Solutions has completed the acquisition of AGR Automation (“AGR”), a UK-based provider of custom, high-performance automation design and systems integration primarily to the life sciences industry.

Following Convergix’s acquisitions of JMP Solutions in August 2021 and Classic Design in February 2022, AGR marks the third investment in Crestview’s strategy to build Convergix into a diversified automation solutions provider targeting the global $500+ billion market, with a particular focus on the $70 billion global systems integration and connectivity segments. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Read More


Latest Articles

  • How Advanced X-Ray and AI Inspection Technologies Optimize Quality Control and Reduce Costs in SMT Manufacturing

    How Advanced X-Ray and AI Inspection Technologies Optimize Quality Control and Reduce Costs in SMT Manufacturing

    Explore how Omron’s latest X-Ray machines and AI-driven solutions are setting new standards in manufacturing efficiency and quality control. The manufacturing landscape is swiftly evolving, and Omron is at the forefront with its innovative PCB inspection machines. These systems offer profound insights into SMT production process, enhanced quality control, and can significantly reduce labor costs. Advancements… Read More…

  • KUKA Establishes New Software and Digital Business Segment

    KUKA Establishes New Software and Digital Business Segment

    Software is playing an increasingly important role in mechanical engineering. What used to be mostly solved mechanically is now done by electronics and the associated software. “With KUKA Digital, we are expanding our offering in order to position ourselves broadly for a market with strong growth potential. Our customers need products, solutions and consulting approaches to digitalize… Read More…