Note: This post dates back to when oee.ai was still called oee.cloud. The brand, interface, and feature set have evolved significantly since then, but the core concepts remain the same.
LATC 2019
I’d like to share the latest news on minimally invasive OEE measurement with you—and I’ll start with some tough news:
As of today, there is no longer any reason not to work on your OEE. Anyone leaving here today who has a machine somewhere no longer has an excuse for not knowing their machine's OEE or for failing to improve it. Forget it—excuses are no longer valid as of today.
My name is Markus Focke. I am one of the three founders of OEE.cloud. We are a small startup from Aachen; we’ve been active for about 3.5 years and have been properly on the market for 2.5 years—we don't count the first year.
What is OEE?
I’ll spare you the quiz. The OEE is the true equipment availability—the Overall Equipment Effectiveness. In other words: What percentage of the time is my machine actually available for production?
Three factors are determined:
- Availability – Is the machine running or is it stopped? Whether planned or unplanned: if it’s stopped, it’s not producing.
- Performance – Is the machine running at the right speed? Is it producing as many parts as it should?
- Quality – Even if the machine is running and fast enough, it can still produce scrap.
These three factors result in the Overall Equipment Effectiveness—and that tells you exactly how to optimize your machine.
Where do production lines stand today?
I have brought along a few practical examples:
- Food sector (e.g., pet food, yogurt snacks, milk cartons): Long lines consisting of 4–6 units – total OEE at 62%, which means 38% loss.
- Automated assembly systems (technically more complex, more time-consuming to set up): OEE at 54% – 46% of the time the system is not producing.
- Manufacturing cells / machining centers (long setup times, quality issues): OEE at only 48% – 52% loss.
This means that in a three-shift operation, the machine is idle for one and a half shifts.
The problem with traditional approaches
Many business owners rely on Excel spreadsheets or paper-based solutions. The problem: it is extremely time-consuming, difficult to aggregate, and ultimately not precise enough.
This is exactly where we come in: There must be a simple, fast way to determine, display, and analyze OEE – so that you can take action.
Our solution
We handle the entire process. A sensor detects the parts at the machine. The signal is sent to our proprietary small computer, which captures and processes the signals and transmits them via GSM, Wi-Fi, or Ethernet .
The device is fully enclosed and suitable for heavy-duty use, such as in slaughterhouses, and can be cleaned with a steam jet.
Installation in 20 minutes. The only requirements are power and the right position. Data collection starts immediately afterward.
What are the results?
- Production counts in real time
- Fault detection and speed monitoring
- OEE visualization broken down into availability, performance, and quality
- Detection of product changes with varying target times
From measurement to improvement
Knowing your OEE isn't enough – you also need to know why the machine is underperforming.
Whenever a machine stops or slows down, the operator can use a preconfigured downtime reason catalog to enter the cause – e.g., tool breakage, missing material, etc.
This allows you to:
- Create Pareto analyses of the top 5/top 10 loss reasons
- Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) – how often does the problem occur?
- Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) – how long does it take to fix?
Key insight for smart maintenance enthusiasts:
The biggest OEE losses are organizational – always.
Extended breaks, lack of material, staff shortages, setup times. It is rarely the case that availability suffers due to a lack of maintenance. The biggest lever is: get your people properly engaged with the equipment.
Microstops – an underestimated problem
According to the BCG study "Kill the Stop" , microstops (under 5 minutes) are a key issue for many production lines. The solution according to BCG: real-time data transparency and short, frequent daily meetings – both of which are available today.
What we offer
- ✅ Real-time OEE including unit counts and equipment status
- ✅ Minimally invasive – no interference with machine data, no IT project required
- ✅ Ready to use immediately – from the shop floor to the meeting room in minutes
- ✅ OEE-as-a-Service – pure subscription model, no capital investment, all-inclusive
- ✅ AI integration in development – including automatic detection of breaks vs. setup times
We work with small and medium-sized enterprises – those with older or mixed machinery in particular benefit from our approach.
Stop by our booth – we’re the ones with the monkey. We look forward to seeing you!