Are we overthinking manufacturing metrics?
It amazes me that so many manufacturing consultants keep pushing fancy Industry 4.0 KPIs when most plants already have a perfectly good performance framework right under their noses – the daily management board.
These SQDC boards (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost) have been in factories for decades for a reason: they work.
Yet we keep pushing isolated metrics like OEE as if they’re the magic answer.
I think it’s time to get back to basics.
A good approach I like to organize KPI dashboards around the SQDC+ framework (adding Inventory and Sustainability), showing exactly what “good” looks like for each metric:
Red zone = Problems needing immediate action
Yellow zone = Needs improvement
Green zone = Competitive performance
Blue zone = Best-in-class
Here’s what’s interesting: when we work with clients who start treating their daily management metrics as an integrated system rather than chasing isolated KPIs, performance improves across ALL metrics.
The operators already know this. They live with these boards every day.
Maybe it’s time we consultants and execs caught up to their practical wisdom.
What metrics dashboard do you find most useful in your operations? Are you using SQDC boards effectively?
– Ryan Cahalane