Buying OEE software is the easy part. Getting your shop floor to actually use it to drive improvement? That is where 70% of implementations fail.
We have seen it happen a dozen times: A Plant Manager installs a shiny new system (like Vorne or a complex MES), puts TVs on the wall, and expects productivity to jump. Instead, operators resent the "Big Brother" surveillance, downtime codes get logged as "Other," and the data becomes useless within three months.
OEE is not just a metric; it is a culture change. Here are the 5 most common mistakes manufacturers make when rolling out OEE, and how to fix them.
Mistake 1: Treating OEE as a "Person" Metric, Not a "Process" Metric
The Error: Management uses the OEE dashboard to blame operators. "Why was Line 4 down for 20 minutes? Why is Tom's OEE lower than Jerry's?"
The Consequence: Operators immediately disengage. They start "gaming" the system—running machines slower to avoid stops or fudging the downtime codes to look busy.
The Fix (The Fabrico Approach):
Frame OEE as a tool to help the operator, not judge them. Use Gamification. Fabrico’s interface is designed like a scoreboard. When the team hits a "Win" (e.g., a perfect hour), the system celebrates. More importantly, emphasize that OEE data is used to fix the machine, not fire the human.
Mistake 2: The "Data Silo" (Disconnecting OEE from Maintenance)
The Error: The Production team tracks OEE, and the Maintenance team uses a separate CMMS.
The Consequence: The OEE system screams "Downtime!" but the Maintenance team never gets the memo. You have a beautiful chart showing you lost 4 hours, but no work order was ever created to fix the root cause. This is "Passive Data."
The Fix (The Fabrico Approach):
Bridge the gap. Fabrico acts as a System of Action. When OEE drops below a threshold, it automatically triggers a maintenance request. The operator doesn't have to radio for help; the data does it for them.
Mistake 3: "Input Fatigue" (Making it Too Hard to Log Reasons)
The Error: Designing a downtime menu with 50 different error codes nested in 4 sub-menus.
The Consequence: When a machine stops for 2 minutes, the operator is not going to spend 45 seconds tapping through a complex menu. They will hit the first button they see (usually "General Mechanical") just to clear the screen. Your pareto chart becomes garbage.
The Fix (The Fabrico Approach):
The 3-Click Rule. Fabrico’s interface is designed so that any stop can be categorized in 3 taps or less. Better yet, use Computer Vision to auto-categorize stops (e.g., "Jam Detected") so the operator doesn't have to touch the screen at all.
Mistake 4: Obsessing Over PLCs (The "Perfect Data" Trap)
The Error: Delaying the project for 12 months because you want "Direct PLC Integration" on every single machine, including the 30-year-old stampers.
The Consequence: You spend your entire budget on System Integrators and wiring, with zero ROI to show for it for a year.
The Fix (The Fabrico Approach):
Start simple. Use IoT Sensors (Optical eyes) or Computer Vision cameras on your legacy assets. You can get 90% of the value (Up/Down status and Cycle Counts) in 2 days of installation, rather than 2 years of PLC mapping.
Mistake 5: Ignoring the "Hidden Factory" (Performance Loss)
The Error: Focusing only on "Availability" (Hard Down) and ignoring "Performance" (Slow Cycles).
The Consequence: Your OEE looks great (95% Availability!), but you are missing your production targets. Why? Because the machine is running at 18 seconds/cycle instead of 15 seconds. This "Performance Loss" is invisible to most basic downtime trackers.
The Fix (The Fabrico Approach):
Use the Fabrico Agent. Our AI analyzes cycle time trends over weeks. It will flag: "Machine A has slowed down by 8% over the last shift." This allows you to catch the "Hidden Factory" losses—like a dirty sensor or a dull tool—before they become hard breakdowns.
Conclusion: Build a System of Action
The goal of OEE is not to generate a report; it is to generate a better factory.
If your software just sits on a server collecting numbers, it is overhead. If your software triggers maintenance, guides operators, and identifies root causes, it is an investment.
Don't make these mistakes. Launch a pilot that works. [Start with Fabrico].
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