Metalworking productivity
Essential KPIs for the metalworking industry
Measures that connect availability, quality, delivery, and profitability.
- Published
- January 13, 2025
- Updated
- January 13, 2025
- 15 min read
A useful dashboard does not contain every available data point. It presents a small set of understandable measures that help teams decide what to address first and whether an action worked.
Measure equipment effectiveness
OEE combines availability, performance, and quality. It is valuable when its components are reviewed separately because each loss needs its own countermeasure.
- Define planned time consistently.
- Link microstops to the asset and cause.
- Do not compare unlike equipment without context.
Control quality in the flow
First-pass yield, rework, and scrap show whether a process delivers correctly to the next station. Measuring them late only hides the cost.
- Record defects where they are created.
- Separate internal rework from customer returns.
- Use trends, not one monthly result.
Watch the delivery promise
On-time delivery should be assessed against the date confirmed to the customer and paired with internal schedule adherence.
- Freeze the promised date for measurement.
- Analyze the reasons for rescheduling.
- Show late-risk before the due date.