Julie Fraser executive brief: Operational performance management - Analysis for plant operations to drive value

It’s not news: continuously improving operational efficiency and quality are proven paths to increased profit margins and revenue growth.  Lean manufacturing consultants are busy these days helping remove waste.  The accelerating adoption of process improvement initiatives such as Six Sigma shows recognition that quality matters—to both customers and the bottom line.  Yet most manufacturers continue to struggle to understand the root causes of operational efficiency and quality in a complex environment.

These companies struggle with seemingly simple questions, e.g., “If we get a good batch, how do we replicate it every time?  If we get a bad batch, how can we avoid repeating the problem?  Which bottlenecks or intermittent problems slow our entire operation?  Are there hidden sources of downtime?  What is our operational effectiveness at an equipment, line or plant level?”  The answers are not always obvious.

Unfortunately, most companies have paid very little attention to the decision support needs of the plant floor.  Too often, there is little understanding of how specific issues in plant floor operations impact customer service and the bottom line. 

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Executive brief: Operational performance management - Analysis for plant operations to drive value  (114KB)

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