Evaluation of overall line effectiveness (OLE) in a continuous product line manufacturing system

• Published in: Journal of manufacturing technology management Vol. 17; no. 7; pp. 987 - 1008
• Main Authors: Nachiappan, R.M, Anantharaman, N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01.10.2006
• Subjects: Efficiency; Manufacturing; Manufacturing execution systems; Market positioning; Performance evaluation; Product lines; Productivity; Repair & maintenance; Studies; Benchmarking; Productive maintenance; Line management; Performance measurement (quality)
• ISSN: 1741-038X; 1758-7786
• DOI: 10.1108/17410380610688278

Purpose - The total productive maintenance concept provided a quantitative metric - overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), for measuring the effectiveness of individual equipment in a factory, which is significant but insufficient since world class manufacturing (WCM) system focus on product line involving machines in series. This paper aims to present an approach to measure the overall line effectiveness (OLE) in continuous line-manufacturing system.Design methodology approach - Systematic methodology, based on OEE metrics, is developed to model the productivity of a line manufacturing system in terms of OLE. The general and step-by-step method of OLE measurement in the line consisting of n number of processes is explained using a flow chart.Findings - Computer simulation has been carried out for the evaluation of OLE in product line manufacturing system with n number of machines. It also identifies the bottle-neck machines and the effect of specific contributing parameter for improvement.Practical implications - The result of this research makes it possible to represent the overall product line effectiveness as a benchmark for WCM to compare the performance of the various continuous product line manufacturing-based industries.Originality value - This paper presents a successful and effective evaluation of OLE which will provide a useful guide to aspects of the production process where inefficiencies can be targeted for doing improvements in the product line.