Productivity, Efficiency, and Machine Downtime

Productivity, efficiency and machine downtime, all three, are examples of key performance indicators that can be used to measure progress toward a goal. Energy productivity is the ratio of output to the amount of energy used to produce that level of output. Efficiency measures the amount of work that was completed during the period that a process or machine was in operation to the amount of work that should have been accomplished during a certain period of time. The downtime must be recorded as well as the reason for the downtime for analysis to determine reasons for the downtime to develop a maintenance plan to reduce unscheduled downtime. Conducting studies to determine the standard man-hours for a process without making potential improvements is a waste of resources and may result in an inflated value. These techniques include a formal time study, work sampling, group timing techniques, predetermined time systems, and estimates including input from employees.