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Real-time OEE: How to improve the efficiency of your shop floor

Duarte Carneiro

Product Manager


When used in real time, OEE becomes one of the most powerful tools for optimizing production and increasing profits. In this article we show you how to promote the efficiency of your equipment and your operations.


What is OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)?


Before we explore real-time OEE, it's important to understand what OEE itself is. OEE is a metric that measures the overall performance of a piece of production equipment or a production line. This metric takes into account three crucial factors:


Availability: This is the time that the equipment is actually working and producing in relation to the total scheduled time. It is calculated as follows: availability = (operating time - downtime) / operating time

We should also bear in mind that operating time refers to the total time that the equipment should be available, excluding scheduled downtime.


Performance: This is nothing more or less than the actual production speed in relation to the theoretical maximum speed of the equipment. Performance is calculated using the formula performance = (ideal cycle time × number of parts produced) / operating time. 

It should be noted that the ideal cycle time is the time required, in theory, to produce one unit of the product in excellent condition, while the number of parts produced refers to the number of units produced during the operating time.


Quality: This is based on the percentage of products produced that meet the established quality standards. We calculate this metric as follows: quality = compliant parts / total count.

We consider compliant parts to be the number of units produced without defects, while the total count refers to the total number of parts produced during the production process.

Once these factors have been calculated, all the values obtained are multiplied together to calculate the OEE, resulting in a value between 0% and 100%. The closer to 100%, the better the efficiency of the equipment or workplace.



Real-time OEE with proGrow


Real-time OEE is a dynamic approach to measuring equipment efficiency. Instead of calculating OEE at periodic intervals, it provides real-time information on how equipment is performing. This allows companies to identify problems efficiently and apply the necessary corrections quickly, rather than waiting for the results of a monthly report, for example.

With our production monitoring and improvement platform, your shop floor's OEE is calculated automatically and in real time, giving you access to a series of intelligent and customizable reports, a 360º view of your equipment and the ability to link results to actions in order to track the progress of your KPIs.

What can you achieve with proGrow on your shop floor?

IoT integration

Our software is designed to scan any industrial machine, regardless of its age, type or complexity. proGrow collects electrical signals or integrates directly with the machine's PLC to automatically capture data such as quantities produced, quantities rejected, production status, and more. In addition, the tool has the capacity not only to receive data, but also to return it to the machine, allowing it to adjust its behavior.

Sensor monitoring

By monitoring the sensors on your equipment, we can analyze important variables such as temperature, pressure, speed and energy consumption in real time. proGrow helps you quickly identify problems before they cause failures and interruptions in production.

Real-time analysis and monitoring

Using specialized software that gathers and analyzes production data is key to implementing real-time OEE. These tools provide intuitive dashboards that show equipment performance in a clear and concise way.

Notifications and Alerts

With our platform you can set up notifications and alerts so that your team is informed of any production problems, allowing those responsible to take immediate action to resolve possible constraints and thus minimize downtime.

Benefits of using proGrow for real-time OEE

Reduced downtime: Our tool gives you the ability to identify problems immediately, helping to reduce the unscheduled downtime of your machines and equipment.

Increased Productivity: proGrow helps identify production overloads and allows companies to take measures to increase the efficiency of their operations.

Improved Quality: Monitoring quality in real time helps avoid the production of defective products.

Improved Decision Making: Real-time data helps any organization make informed decisions about maintenance, production planning and resource allocation.

Increased Profits: Improving equipment efficiency usually results in increased production capacity, which can translate into increased profits.

Do you already know your organization's OEE? Are you ready to improve it?

Companies that have recently started calculating their OEE (or are not very active in this area) usually have a score between "Low" and "Acceptable" of between 50% and 60% for their initial OEE. 

This may seem alarming at first glance, given that world-class OEE levels focus on 85%, but don't despair, there is always the opportunity to improve significantly.

Shall we start making the most of your data?

By adopting a proactive approach to equipment efficiency management, your organization will be at the forefront of competitiveness in today's market.

Don't waste any more time, contact one of our experts now and find out more about proGrow to discover the benefits of more efficient and profitable production. 

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