Using Throughput Analysis to Increase Efficiency

This presentation was recorded at the 2009 IW Best Plants Conference (www.iwbestplants.com) Are you stuck in the downtime dilemma? Attacking downtime problems is the most efficient path to improved productivity. Therefore, a list identifying the top causes of downtime is the primary tool for increasing plant output, and addressing each of the top downtime issues is the accepted best practice. This line of thinking contends that improving downtime is the best way for management to meet overall goals for increased profitability. While downtime is one of a number of very useful measurements of plant performance, focusing on it to the exclusion of other indicators can be deceiving. Using only a "top 10 downtime list" can lead to wasted resources and missed productivity goals. At the extreme, it can cause your enterprise to lose its competitive edge. In this session at the 2009 IW Best Plants Conference (www.iwbestplants.com), Mathew Rynard, Chief Technology Officer, Activplant proposes an alternate approach to downtime -- throughput analysis -- as a more modern and effective method for acquiring objective data about the causes of plant inefficiency. Analyzing the flow of product through the plant, identifying chronic constraints of all types and sequentially attacking those that will have the maximum impact on plant performance can dramatically improve manufacturing efficiency. Get out of the downtime dilemma and look beyond your downtime list to solve your inefficiency problems with throughput analysis.