OEE Calculation for Continuous process (Ex. Nonwoven Fabric Manufacturing)

Introduction: In manufacturing, efficiency isn’t just a goal; it’s a competitive advantage. For industries like nonwoven fabric manufacturing, where continuous processes are integral, maximizing productivity and minimizing downtime are crucial. One of the most effective tools for achieving this is Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). This article dives into how OEE is calculated specifically for nonwoven fabric manufacturing, illustrating its application through a practical example.

Understanding OEE: Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a holistic metric that evaluates how well manufacturing equipment is utilized by considering three primary factors: Availability, Performance, and Quality. These metrics provide valuable insights into equipment efficiency, production output, and product quality.

Importance of OEE:

• Identifying Losses: OEE helps identify and quantify losses in production processes, including downtime, inefficiencies, and quality issues.
• Continuous Improvement: By focusing on improving each component of OEE (Availability, Performance, Quality), organizations can optimize their manufacturing processes and enhance overall productivity.
• Benchmarking: OEE serves as a benchmarking tool to compare performance across different shifts, production lines, or facilities, enabling targeted improvements and best practices sharing.
• Decision Making: It supports data-driven decision-making by providing insights into where investments in equipment, maintenance, or training can yield the highest returns.

OEE Calculation Breakdown:

Availability (A): Measures the actual uptime of equipment compared to its planned production time.

Availability (%) = (Operating time - Downtime) / Operating time

Performance (P): Evaluates how well equipment performs relative to its maximum potential speed.

Performance (%) = (Actual Output / Ideal Output) * 100

Ideal Output could be based on the equipment's design capacity or a standard rate of production.

Quality (Q): Assesses the ratio of good units produced to total units produced, indicating product quality.

Quality (%) = (Good Count / Total Count) * 100

Total Count includes all units produced, including rejects and scrap.

Application to Nonwoven Fabric Manufacturing:

Let's apply OEE calculation principles to a hypothetical nonwoven fabric manufacturing scenario:

Example Scenario:

Let's use hypothetical data to illustrate the calculation:

• A1 (Good quality) Time = 450 minutes
• Planned Production Time = 500 minutes
• Total produced (A1+REJECTION+ WASTE) = 6400
• A1 (Good quality) produced = 6000 kg
• Ideal Throughput per Hour = 1000 kg/hour
• Rejection = 200 kg
• Waste = 200 kg

Step 1: Availability (A)

Availability (%) = (A1 Time / Planned Production Time) * 100

Availability (%) = (450 / 500) * 100 = 90%

Step 2: Performance (P)

Performance (%) = (A1 / A1 Time) / (Ideal Throughput per Hour / 60) * 100

Performance (%) = (6000 / 450) / (1000 / 60) * 100

Performance (%) = (13.3333) / (16.67) * 100

Performance (%) ≈ 79.98%

Step 3: Quality (Q)

Quality (%) = ((A1 / (A1+Rejection+Waste) * 100

Quality (%) = (6000 / (6000+200+200) * 100

Quality (%) ≈ 93.75%

Step 4: OEE Calculation

OEE (%) = Availability (%) * Performance (%) * Quality (%) / 100

OEE (%) = 90% * 79.98% * 93.75% / 100

OEE (%) ≈ 67.48%

Interpretation:

An OEE of approximately 67.48% indicates the overall equipment effectiveness for the nonwoven fabric manufacturing process based on the provided data and hypothetical calculations. This metric helps in understanding the efficiency of production and can be used to identify areas for improvement, such as reducing downtime, optimizing throughput, and minimizing rejection rates. Adjust the calculations with actual data from your factory to get precise insights into your operations.