Performance Tracking in Manufacturing

What is Performance Tracking?

Performance Tracking refers to the continuous measurement and monitoring of manufacturing performance based on clearly defined key performance indicators (KPIs).

Instead of gut feeling and isolated reports, it focuses on:

• Continuous real-time KPI measurement
• Transparency across performance, quality, and availability
• Clear foundation for production controlling and continuous improvement

Performance Tracking is the numerical foundation of the entire KPI/OEE cluster in the digital shop floor.

KPI Monitoring & Production Metrics

In production KPI monitoring, the typical focus areas include:

OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness): Availability × Performance × Quality—the central metric for equipment productivity

First Pass Yield (FPY): Percentage of parts that pass inspection without rework

Scrap and Rework Rate: Scrap percentage and rework share per product, line, and shift

Throughput & Output: Parts per hour/shift/day compared to plan

Lead Time & WIP: How long orders take from start to completion; where they get stuck

Production metrics are only meaningful when they are:

• Uniformly defined
• Technically calculated correctly
• Transparent for all roles (operators, shift supervisors, planning, management)

Production Controlling: From Reporting to Steering

Production controlling uses these metrics to:

• Evaluate cost per good part, utilization, and on-time delivery
• Identify bottlenecks and loss drivers
• Justify investments (e.g., capacity, automation, maintenance)
• Steer continuous improvement programs and OEE improvement initiatives

With consistent performance tracking, production controlling becomes operational:

• Daily/weekly shop floor meetings reference the same KPIs
• Actions are measured against metrics (before/after)
• Decisions are data-driven rather than experience-based

Role of Cloud MES in Performance Tracking

A Cloud MES is the natural backbone for performance tracking and KPI monitoring:

• Automatic capture of machine, order, and quality data
• Assignment to orders, products, shifts, lines, and plants
• Automatic calculation of OEE, FPY, scrap, downtime structure, and throughput
• Provision of role-based dashboards and standard reports
• Real-time alerts for KPI drops (e.g., OEE drop, scrap spike)

Advantages over Excel/siloed solutions:

• Single KPI definition—no "OEE per plant with custom formula"
• Real-time instead of monthly reports
• Scalable for multiple plants and lines

Performance Tracking & OEE Cluster with SYMESTIC

For a Cloud MES like SYMESTIC, performance tracking is the core of the KPI/OEE cluster:

Live OEE & KPI Dashboards: Real-time OEE per machine/line/shift, including top downtimes, loss categories, scrap, and rework shares

Production Controlling Out of the Box: Standardized evaluations by plant, line, product, customer, and time period—without custom BI development

Integration with Continuous Improvement & Digital Process Optimization: The same KPIs drive continuous improvement workshops, OEE projects, and digital process optimization—actions and effects are directly visible in the system

Cloud Architecture: Fast implementation, lower IT overhead, easy rollout to additional plants—with identical KPI logic

This makes Performance Tracking/KPI Monitoring/Production Metrics/Production Controlling the central entry keyword for anyone who wants to control their manufacturing through OEE and KPIs—and the conceptual umbrella over SYMESTIC's complete KPI/OEE cluster.