Unlocking production potential: Why equipment optimisation should be your next priority

Following successful equipment qualification and tech transfer, production companies face a common challenge: The gap between theoretical equipment capability and actual performance. While equipment may be fully qualified for production, the reality of daily operations often reveals a different picture - unexpected downtime, quality issues, and frustrated teams working reactively rather than systematic.

The hidden cost of accepting "good enough"

For production managers, maintenance leaders, and supply chain professionals, the signs are familiar: Unplanned equipment stoppages that disrupt production schedules, repeated deviations consuming valuable resources, and technical staff constantly firefighting rather than preventing problems. These issues stem from three interconnected areas: The equipment itself, the processes and people operating it, and the materials flowing through production.

The financial impact extends beyond obvious downtime costs. Production planning becomes unpredictable, forcing overtime to meet commitments. Waste from quality issues directly impacts product cost price. Perhaps most significantly, the lack of equipment effectiveness creates organizational friction - technical teams and production staff working in silos rather than collaborating toward shared goals.

There needs to be created a hunger for moving from “good enough" towards “great” through a change management process that establishes the “burning platform” for the cross functional team which is responsible for the required equipment and process reliability.

Moving from reactive to systematic and strategic behaviour

Equipment optimisation represents a natural evolution of successful tech transfer completion - what could be considered as an extension of the tech transfer with a planned "hyper care" period where newly operational equipment is fine-tuned for sustained performance towards agreed efficiency level. However, this transition requires more than good intentions. It demands recognition that inefficiencies exist, management commitment to improvement, and allocated resources to drive change.

There is a need for a smaller change management exercise through establishing a continuous improvement culture with a dedicated optimisation team that ensures curiosity on provided stop time data as foundation for defining and executing the right robust mitigating actions that provide a much more sustainable performance curve. This will release equipment capacity and reduce time- and material waste which gives lower cost prices and thus contributes strategically to the company’s bottom line result.

When proven to demonstrate results in one area, it can also be done in another area, and change management will be much easier building on the historic proven results in a successful pilot project rather than on statements.

The value proposition is compelling:

 - Operational reliability: Reducing equipment downtime directly increases production reliability, transforming manufacturing from a source of uncertainty into a competitive advantage.

 - Planning confidence: Greater predictability allows production planning to function effectively, eliminating costly overtime and improving work-life balance across teams.

 - Margin improvement: Reducing waste and lowering product cost price directly impacts profitability - a clear bottom-line benefit.

 - Compliance efficiency: Fewer repeated deviations means less time spent on deviation handling and documentation, freeing resources for value-adding activities.

 - Team satisfaction: Shifting technical personnel from reactive troubleshooting to preventive work improves job satisfaction and creates meaningful work.

 - Organisational cohesion: Breaking down barriers between technical and production departments fosters a collaborative "we" culture rather than an adversarial "us versus them" dynamic.

Five questions to assess your current readiness

Equipment owners who have recently completed tech transfer can evaluate their need for optimisation support by honestly answering these questions:

1. How satisfied are you with Technical Availability - the actual uptime versus planned machine time on your production equipment?

2. How satisfied are you with Performance - the actual running time achieved compared to available time?

3. How satisfied are you with Quality output - the ratio of acceptable products to total items produced?

4. How clearly have you identified the root causes limiting equipment effectiveness, and how well-defined are your improvement activities?

5. How satisfied are you with the clarity of responsibility distribution among stakeholders influencing equipment effectiveness, and how capable is your current organisation to drive necessary improvements?

If these questions reveal gaps, you're not alone. Many production organisations recognise inefficiencies but lack the specialised expertise to bridge the gap between current performance and optimal capability.

Bringing specialised expertise where it's needed

Addressing equipment optimisation requires a unique combination of technical knowledge, process understanding, and organisational change management. NIRAS provides technical project managers with machine optimisation backgrounds who can integrate directly into production organisations, bringing immediate value through proven methodologies and hands-on experience.

This approach recognises that sustainable improvement isn't about external consultants prescribing solutions - it's about embedding expertise within your team to build lasting and resilient capability while delivering measurable results.

Is your production equipment performing at its full potential? If uncertainty around downtime, quality, or team effectiveness sounds familiar, equipment optimisation may be the strategic next step your organisation needs.