 | Watch the full interview to learn more about how to evaluate OEE in food processing operations. |
Bryan Griffen: How can small plants get OEE benefits without a huge investment?
Joe Zembas: Well, as I mentioned, there are some devices out there for $50 to $100 that will track the very simple systems. You know, in one operation that we acquired way back in my career, we just did the novel thing that we'd done in many other plants that I'd worked at is we put a spiral bound book out on the piece of equipment and ask people to write stuff down.
So it could be as simple as, you know, writing things down. It could be as simple as a very simple tracker. Or if you've got the skill and the capability or you're willing to buy it, a little bit of PLC programming and pulling a couple of tags and dropping them into a database, you can work wonders very quickly in today's electronic world.
Bryan Griffen: It all starts with data, though, doesn't it?
Joe Zembas: Yes, it does. The point of really looking at staffing and other things is it's not just machine data. There's no machine that runs independent of materials and human interface. So it's looking at all the data, not just downtime.
Bryan Griffen: That's a fantastic point.
