Production KPIs

WHAT THIS IS

• Production KPIs are performance measurements used to describe what happened on a production line during a selected time span.
   
• They turn production data into understandable numbers, such as how many items were produced, how many were scrapped, how often the line stopped, and how much time was spent producing.
• These KPIs are usually based on production counts, stop data, batch data, manning data, and time-based calculations.
   
• Some KPIs measure output, such as Produced or Good parts. Others measure performance, such as Speed while producing, Downtime, Average stop length, or Cycle time.
   
• The purpose of these KPIs is not just to show one number, but to help users understand the relationship between output, quality, speed, and lost time.
   

WHY IT MATTERS

• Production KPIs make it easier to understand whether a line is performing well and why performance may be changing.
   
• A production line can produce a high number of items but still have quality issues if the scrap rate is high. It can also run quickly while producing, but still have low total output if it stops often.
   
• By looking at KPIs together, users can separate different types of production issues:
  • Low output
  • High scrap
  • Frequent stops
  • Long stops
  • Slow production speed
  • Low value-adding time
     

• This helps teams make better decisions about where to focus improvement work. For example, a line with many short stops may need a different solution than a line with fewer but longer breakdowns.

   

WHEN YOU WOULD USE THIS

• Use this when:
  • You want to understand how a production line performed during a selected time period.
  • You need to compare production output, quality, speed, stops, and downtime.
  • You want to identify whether lost production came from scrap, stoppages, slow running, or lack of value-adding time.
  • You are reviewing a shift, day, week, batch, or other production time span.
  • You need a shared way for operators, supervisors, and managers to discuss line performance.
  • You want to understand the meaning of KPI cards shown on the production dashboard.
     

HOW IT WORKS

• Production KPIs are calculated from production events and time data collected from the line.
   
• The selected time span controls which data is included. For example, if the dashboard is set to show one shift, the KPIs describe only that shift. If it is set to show one week, the KPIs describe that week.
   
• The KPIs are grouped into different types of production information:
  • Produced KPIs explain how many items were made, how many were good, and how many were scrapped.
  • Speed KPIs explain how quickly items were produced over different time periods or production states.
  • Stops KPIs explain how often the line stopped and how long stops lasted.
  • Time KPIs explain how much time was spent running, stopped, producing, or adding value.
     
• Some KPIs are direct counts. For example, Produced, Scrap, and Number of stops are based on counted events.
   
• Other KPIs are calculated averages or percentages. For example, Scrap rate compares scrapped items to total produced items, while Average stop length compares total stop time to the number of stops.
   
• Time-based KPIs depend on how the system defines production time, stop time, manned time, and running time. This means the same production count can result in different KPI values depending on whether the calculation uses total selected time, producing time, or manned time.
   
• Batch-related KPIs, such as Produced in current batch and Estimated time of completion, depend on batch data being available in the selected time span. If no relevant batch exists, these KPIs may not show a value.

KEY TERMS / COMPONENTS

• Produced:
  • The total number of items produced during the selected time span.
     
• Good parts:
  • The number of produced items that were not scrapped.
     
• Scrap:
  • The number of produced items that were rejected, wasted, or marked as unusable.
     
• Scrap rate:
  • The percentage of produced items that were scrapped.
     
• Yield rate:
  • The percentage of produced items that were good. It is the opposite of scrap rate.
     
• Produced units per stop:
  • The average number of items produced before a stop occurs.
     
• Produced in current batch:
  • The number of items produced in the newest batch within the selected time span.
     
• Speed while manned:
  • The average production speed during periods when the line was manned.
     
• Speed while producing:
  • The average production speed during periods when the line was expected to be producing.
     
• Average produced per minute:
  • The average number of items produced per minute across the selected time span.
     
• Average produced per hour:
  • The average number of items produced per hour across the selected time span.
     
• Average produced per day:
  • The average number of items produced per day across the selected time span.
     
• Average produced per week:
  • The average number of items produced per week across the selected time span.
     
• Number of stops:
  • The number of times the line stopped during the selected time span.
     
• Average stop length:
  • The average duration of a stop.
     
• Longest non stop:
  • The longest period where the line ran without stopping.
     
• Downtime:
  • The total duration of all stops on the line.
     
• Uptime:
  • The total duration without stops on the line.
     
• Value adding time:
  • The percentage of time the line spent producing.
     
• Value adding time while manned:
  • The percentage of manned time spent producing.
     
• Mean time between failures:
  • The average running time between failure-related stops.
     
• Mean time between stoppages:
  • The average running time between stoppages.
     
• Cycle time:
  • The average time spent producing one item.
     
• Machine cycle time while running:
  • The time spent completing one machine cycle while the machine is actively running.
     
• Estimated time of completion:
  • The estimated time when the current running batch will be completed.
    
     

COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS

• Produced and good parts are not always the same.
  • Produced is the total number of items made. Good parts excludes items that were scrapped.
     
• Scrap rate and yield rate describe opposite sides of quality.
  • Scrap rate shows the percentage of items lost to scrap. Yield rate shows the percentage of items that were good.
     
• Speed while producing is not the same as average produced per minute.
  • Speed while producing focuses on production time. Average produced per minute may use the full selected time span, including periods where the line was not producing.
     
• A high production speed does not always mean high total output.
  • A line may run quickly when active but still produce less overall if it stops often.
     
• A high number of stops is not the same as high downtime.
  • Many short stops can create a high stop count with limited downtime. A few long stops can create high downtime with a lower stop count.
     
• Downtime and uptime depend on stop definitions.
  • The way stops are configured affects how stopped time and running time are calculated.
     
• Batch KPIs may be blank when there is no batch data.
  • KPIs such as Produced in current batch or Estimated time of completion require a batch in the selected time span.
     
• One KPI does not explain the full production picture.
  • Production KPIs are most useful when read together. Output, scrap, speed, stops, and time all affect performance.