- \n
- Line OEE is neither the average nor the product of machine OEE.<\/li>\n
- The bottleneck sets the reference rate and is confirmed by measurement.<\/li>\n
- Starvation and blocking are induced stops, not breakdowns.<\/li>\n
- Measuring the bottleneck and its neighbours targets the right action plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Why line OEE is not the average of its machines<\/h2>\n
On a line in series, each machine depends on the one before and the one after. A filler can show good individual OEE while standing still part of the time because the labeller downstream is blocked. Conversely, a machine can show poor OEE simply because it is faster than the rest of the line and waits all the time.<\/p>\n
Averaging machine OEE therefore produces a number with no physical meaning. What matters to the plant is the number of good parts leaving the end of the line, compared with what the line could have produced at the rate of its most constrained machine. That is the definition to use for line OEE, and it should be written down so everyone calculates it the same way.<\/p>\n
Which machine to measure: the bottleneck first<\/h2>\n
The machine that sets the pace of the line is the bottleneck: the one with the lowest real capacity. Every minute lost on the bottleneck is lost for the whole line; a minute lost elsewhere may be absorbed by a buffer. Three points to watch:<\/p>\n
- \n
- The theoretical bottleneck is not always the real one.<\/strong> The lowest nominal rate is not enough: a faster machine that stops often can become the true constraint. Only stop measurement over several weeks settles the question.<\/li>\n
- The bottleneck can move.<\/strong> Depending on product, format or crew, the constraint sometimes shifts to another machine.<\/li>\n
- Measuring the bottleneck alone is not enough to act.<\/strong> To understand why it stops, you need to see the state of its neighbours, especially starvation and blocking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In practice, the most robust rule is to measure at least the bottleneck and its immediate neighbours, and every machine on the line when possible. Line OEE is calculated on good parts at the line exit, against the bottleneck rate; machine OEE is used for diagnosis.<\/p>\n
![\"Four](\"https:\/\/teeptrak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/teeptrak-solo-a6-en.png\")
<\/figure>\nStarvation, blocking and buffers: reading induced stops<\/h2>\n
On a line in series, part of a machine’s stops do not belong to it. They must be separated from its own stops.<\/p>\n
- The bottleneck can move.<\/strong> Depending on product, format or crew, the constraint sometimes shifts to another machine.<\/li>\n
- The theoretical bottleneck is not always the real one.<\/strong> The lowest nominal rate is not enough: a faster machine that stops often can become the true constraint. Only stop measurement over several weeks settles the question.<\/li>\n