A 60-day pilot on a single line is the fastest way to replace opinion with evidence. It connects to one constraint line, surfaces the first real losses within two weeks, and proves a measurable OEE gain before any wider commitment. This playbook lays out the eight weeks.
Why pilot, and why 60 days
A pilot exists to answer one question with data: how much capacity is hidden in this line, and how fast can it be recovered. Sixty days is long enough to establish a true baseline, surface the dominant losses, run a first improvement cycle and confirm a gain, yet short enough to keep momentum and stay inside a single quarter.
The discipline of a fixed window matters. It forces a clear baseline, clear success criteria and a clear decision at the end, rather than an open-ended deployment that never proves anything.
Choosing the right line
The pilot line should be one where capacity matters and the loss picture is poorly understood. A constraint or near-constraint line gives the fastest return, because every hour recovered there flows straight to plant output.
- Pick a line that limits plant throughput or is close to it.
- Favor a line with frequent stops or unexplained slow running.
- Avoid a line in the middle of a separate major project.
- Make sure a line leader is available to act on what the data shows.
The eight-week plan
| Weeks | Focus | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Connect and baseline | Any machine connected, true OEE baseline, first losses visible |
| 3 to 4 | Pareto and root cause | Top losses ranked, reason codes confirmed by operators |
| 5 to 6 | First improvement cycle | Two biggest losses attacked, changes measured live |
| 7 to 8 | Confirm and decide | OEE gain quantified, scale and rollout decision made |
Connection covers the full estate: PLC-equipped machines, legacy assets through retrofit sensors, and no-PLC machines through edge capture. No line is too old to measure.
What good looks like at two weeks
By the end of week two the pilot should already have produced a true baseline OEE and a ranked list of the losses costing the most. This early visibility is the point of a dedicated real-time layer: it deploys in days, not quarters, so the team is acting on real data while the pilot is still young.
If you cannot see your biggest loss within two weeks, the pilot is measuring the wrong thing. Real-time capture surfaces it fast, with the reason attached.
Start your free 60-day pilot
Connect one line, surface the first losses in two weeks, and prove a measurable OEE gain before you commit to anything wider.
Get the 60-Day OEE Pilot Playbook
Instant download. The full week-by-week plan, line-selection checklist and success criteria.
Success criteria and the decision
Agree the success criteria before the pilot starts: a measured baseline, a ranked loss Pareto, at least one improvement cycle completed, and a quantified OEE gain. Judge the pilot against these, not against impressions.
Hutchinson moved a pilot line from 42 to 75 percent OEE and Nutriset from 62 to 80 percent. Your own number, measured on your own line, is what turns the rollout decision from a leap of faith into a simple extrapolation.
- Define baseline, Pareto, one cycle and a measured gain as the gates.
- Review losses weekly with the line team, not monthly with a report.
- End on a clear scale decision backed by your own data.
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