Metrics that Matter

The consumer packaged goods industry faces increasing competition for market share between myriad of foods and beverages available to consumers, so manufacturers need to cut costs while optimising plant operations. A metrics program can help managers to make informed decisions in response to these pressures.

What Part of the Curve Are You On?
Metrics programs’ effectiveness often depend on where an organisation is on the Manufacturing Systems Maturity Curve. Most operational-type metrics are sources from three main stages in the evolution of manufacturing systems:

1. Process control and repeatability efforts are directed toward the technical details of the production process with a primary focus on achieving consistency and process repeatability. Most metrics implemented in this phase measure “what happened” and are used for “after-the-fact analysis” of quality and product variability

2. Productivity and asset utilisation focuses on metrics that monitor and analyse “what is happening” at the current time and enabling increases in production efficiency, capacity utilisation, yield and labor reductions.
In this stage, it’s also typical to find a heavy focus on automating all possible manual tasks — engineering humans out of the process supported with metrics and information that engage the remaining workers to intercede only on an exception basis.