The invisible 6 % – micro-stops that drag good lines from 85 to 79 OEE

Micro-stops are like sand in a gearbox – each grain is small, together they grind your grade down.
Plants that brag about an 85 % score often bleed six whole points to jolts lasting less than five minutes. They don’t trigger the downtime log, the ERP, or anyone’s pager – yet they add up to a full shift of lost production every month.

What counts as a micro-stop

• Duration – 10 sec to 5 min

• Frequency – dozens a shift

• Symptoms – conveyor nudge, sensor fault reset, chip clear, part jiggle

Anything longer than five minutes usually hits the official downtime list. Anything shorter sinks into the noise floor – unless you shine a light.

Why the benchmark article hints at it but doesn’t dive deep

Our OEE grade case studies focus on big hitters – breakdowns, changeovers, scrap. Micro-stops sit in the gray zone where Availability meets Performance. You see the effect (cycle time drift) long after the cause (a three-second sensor flicker).

The math behind the missing six points

Line running 50 parts per hour, 16 h a day:

• 85 % OEE = 680 good parts/day

• Thirty 40-second stutters per shift = 40 min lost/day

• New OEE ≈ 79 % → 632 good parts/day

Forty-eight parts vanished. Two pallets off the truck.

How to make micro-stops visible

Log all four into MDCplus. Anything that pauses motion for more than one cycle equals a micro-stop.

Daily micro-stop hunt – 30 min Gemba loop

Repeat daily until the Pareto flattens. Move to next cell.

Quick wins that killed >1 % loss each

1. Swap cheap photo-eye for retro-reflective – solved missed count on dark parts.

2. Add air pulse every ten cycles – chips stop clogging the laser cutter lens.

3. Spring-load pallet locator pins – no more hand taps to seat parts.

Each job cost under €100 and ten minutes – saved over 1 % OEE.

When data beats stopwatch politics

Operators hate being timed. A one-second PLC tag never lies, never blames. Post the micro-stop heat map on the tier board – red blocks dare the crew to beat them.

What to Read

If you are looking for top notch read and learning, here is a small list with big benefits:

• Toyota Kata – Mike Rother – drills the habit of small, daily experiments.

• Making Common Sense Common Practice – Ron Moore – ties reliability to Lean production.

• Maintenance Planning and Scheduling Handbook – Richard “Doc” Palmer – shows why planned downtime is cheaper than surprise downtimes  

About MDCplus

Our key features are real-time machine monitoring for swift issue resolution, power consumption tracking to promote sustainability, computerized maintenance management to reduce downtime, and vibration diagnostics for predictive maintenance. MDCplus's solutions are tailored for diverse industries, including aerospace, automotive, precision machining, and heavy industry. By delivering actionable insights and fostering seamless integration, we empower manufacturers to boost Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), reduce operational costs, and achieve sustainable growth along with future planning.