Why 65% is not a law of nature – but a control problem
60-65% OEE is the norm in discrete manufacturing today, but the world class is 85%. Where does this drastic difference come from – and why is so much potential being wasted here? An increase from 65% to 75% already increases output by over 15% – with a direct impact on contribution margin, delivery reliability and competitiveness. The fact that such figures are neither unrealistic nor unattainable is the uncomfortable reality on the store floor. Because in many production companies today there is a paradoxical situation:
- Data is available – in SAP, MES, machine controls, Excel
- Reports provide transparency – but always retrospectively
- Measures are documented – but not systematically tracked
The core problem is therefore not a lack of data, but a lack of orchestration. As a result, many optimization initiatives start ambitiously and end up bogged down in media disruptions, coordination rounds and manual consolidation.
Why standard solutions often fail
Many store floor digitization projects come up against structural limits:
- Solutions are too rigid for real production logic
- Adaptations are programming-intensive
- Clean core specifications prevent fast extensions
- IT backlogs grow faster than improvement initiatives
The result: lots of reporting, little effect and ultimately limited business impact. What IT & OT have to achieve today is more than just data collection.
You must:
- Eliminate process interruptions
- Transferring measures into workflows
- Digitally mapping responsibilities
- Making impact measurable
- Ensuring scalable governance
Only then is a controllable value architecture created – not just a digital interface.
From OEE reality to controllable value architecture
The Simplifier digitalization solution for store floor processes focuses on speed without loss of control. As a platform for process orchestration, Simplifier enables precisely this transition:
- Rapid implementation of new store floor processes
With significantly less time and cost – without interfering with the SAP core.
- End-to-end integration instead of isolated solutions
Existing systems (SAP, MES, machines, cloud) are seamlessly connected.
Media disruptions disappear.
- Gradual modernization instead of big bang
Transformation risks are reduced.
Investments are amortized more quickly.
- Economical implementation of new use cases
Even smaller efficiency potentials can be realized –
because development costs are drastically reduced.
- Clear governance & controllability
Processes, data and guidelines remain controllable –
operational and regulatory.
The economic effect
- Faster amortization of digitization projects
- Noticeable reduction of the IT backlog
- More capacity for value-adding initiatives
- Scalable standardization instead of individual stand-alone solutions
The bottom line is that the digital factory is not created by tools, but by end-to-end process control. And this is precisely where it is decided whether your OEE remains mediocre or becomes a strategic competitive advantage.
In a recent article in the Industry Gazette focuses on the path to the digital factory – and why a step-by-step, well-structured approach is crucial today in order to network production, processes and systems for the future. The article outlines how companies can create digital structures using practicable stages and the importance of a consistent database for networking all levels – from the machine to business management (Industrieanzeiger).
Significantly improve the OEE?
A free OEE calculator and further information on shopfloor digitization WITHOUT compromise can be downloaded at any time here at any time.
