One great way to improve OEE is to get your team involved at the lowest level instead of at the managerial level. We recently talked with Tuppas software again on the OEE projects they have handled and they discussed this with us in detail.

Most OEE systems are designed with a top down approach in mind. The reports are designed to show managers what’s happening in the process and then the managers affect change on the shop floor. Tuppas has designed many systems like this for many manufacturing companies but they are also beginning to design systems using a bottom up approach that is used more in progressive companies. These ideas come from companies like Honda that believe in empowering the team on the floor to affect change.

Designing a system that allows the team to get involved directly with the day to day continuous improvement goals is a great way to first of all make them feel like they are more important than just direct labor. You’re empowering them to affect change and make the company stronger using their ideas. This type of empowerment can open the door to creative ideas that would have probably never happened if that visibility were not inherent in the systems.

The programmers at Tuppas told us that they quite often include a reporting layer that is used by management but that companies that use an approach like this can achieve very impressive results in OEE efficiency by simply getting the team into the mix. We think this is good food for thought.