OEE for small manufacturers, without an MES.
vMaint builds OEE from what is already happening on your floor, so you do not need an MES or a sensor on every machine to start.
What OEE actually is
OEE, or Overall Equipment Effectiveness, is one number for how well a machine actually runs: availability, performance, and quality multiplied together. An OEE of 100% would mean a machine ran every scheduled minute, at full speed, with zero scrap. Real shops live well below that, and the gap is where the lost money is. The value of the number is not the number itself, it is that it splits the loss into three parts you can do something about.
Availability
Was the machine running when it was supposed to be? Breakdowns and waiting on parts pull this down. Time you choose not to count, like a planned break, is left out.
Performance
When it ran, did it run at speed? Small slowdowns and short stops that never make a breakdown log show up here.
Quality
How much of what it made was good? Scrap and rework pull this down.
How vMaint measures it
Operators set a machine to running, idle, or down with a tap, which feeds availability. Output against target feeds performance; good vs. scrap feeds quality. vMaint does the math, so you get a live OEE number per machine and per shift without a spreadsheet, and without anyone re-typing the data.
No MES, and no hardware to start
Most OEE comes from a dedicated MES with a sensor on every machine, priced per machine, and rolled out over weeks. You do not need that to begin. Manual status and production entries are enough for real OEE on day one. When you want it automatic, connect SCADA or IoT on the machines that matter, set up and quoted per shop, and the same numbers fill in on their own.
Why it is worth tracking
OEE turns “the machine is running” into real performance data. The quick stops and slowdowns that disappear into the daily total show up as availability and performance losses you can actually act on, instead of a vague sense that the line is slower than it should be.
Not ready for software at all? Start with a free downtime tracking spreadsheet and graduate when it stops keeping up.
Common questions
What is OEE?
Overall Equipment Effectiveness: availability times performance times quality, shown as a percentage.
Can you track OEE without an MES?
Yes. vMaint builds OEE from operator status, running, idle, or down, and from production entries, so you get a real OEE number with no MES and no hardware to start. You can add SCADA or IoT later to make it automatic.
How does vMaint calculate OEE?
vMaint combines machine status for availability, output against target for performance, and good versus scrap for quality, into a live OEE number per machine and per shift, with no manual math.
OEE and maintenance, on one app.
See the difference from a full MES, or what vMaint costs.