Manufacturing Matters Factbird

In this episode of the Manufacturing Matters podcast, we dive deep into the often-overlooked issue of micro-stops—brief, unplanned downtimes in manufacturing processes. These minor stoppages can add up, leading to significant productivity losses, especially in industries with thin profit margins like packaging and food and beverage production.

Join us as we talk to Tais Roden, Business Development Representative for the UK and Ireland at Factbird, who shares his expertise on detecting and addressing micro-stops. Tais recently discussed manufacturing intelligence at the OMRON Roadshow in the UK, and he brings valuable insights on how to leverage technology to track and reduce these interruptions.

Learn the OEE Uplift Approach, a structured improvement process designed to enhance Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) in episode 8 of the Manufacturing Matters podcast. OEE is an important KPI for manufacturers who want to improve their operations using data and a structured method to improve it is vital to see results. Mikkel Rauff Simonsen, who has been working with performance optimization for over 15 years, generously shares his approach to OEE improvement: the OEE Uplift Approach.

Change management is a topic that comes up time and time again when talking about the implementation of new production monitoring systems.

So in this episode of the Manufacturing Matters Podcast, we delve into the practical strategies for facilitating change management in manufacturing operations. Zoe Karasch, Sales Manager for the DACH region at Factbird, uses her first-hand experience training organizations in OEE systems and production monitoring in general to offer some helpful advice for change management.

Watch this episode to find out about:


Introducing new technology to manufacturing operations.
Why good communication practices are essential.
The need for mapping stakeholders and keeping all affected roles involved.
How to maintain transparency without overwhelming colleagues.
Incentivizing engagement with new systems through bonuses and recognition.

Discover the 'Highway Solution'—a strategic framework spearheaded by Mikkel Rauff Simonsen at Danish Crown for deploying new production monitoring systems. Learn how it simplifies technology integration and cultural change across international production sites, ensuring consistent implementation of manufacturing intelligence solutions, efficient production monitoring, and ongoing operational improvements. Dive into our detailed discussion on the five-step framework and its tangible benefits in this valuable podcast episode.

Implementing manufacturing software like MES, CMMS, ERP, and OEE across multiple sites is complex due to diverse systems and resistance.

In this episode of Manufacturing Matters, we talk to Anders Holmenlund, who has years of experience dealing with the challenge of multi-site rollouts of manufacturing software from both the vendor side with Factbird and the manufacturer side with Radiometer.

He recommends starting with pilot programs ("Start slow, scale fast") and using the "PSC" method—People, Standardization, and Continuous Improvement—to ensure success. The process involves significant change management, training, and consistency to align operations and maximize efficiency.

You can see the full summary of this episode and others here: https://www.factbird.com/manufacturing-matters-podcast

In our fourth episode of Manufacturing Matters, I had the opportunity to talk to Finn Hunneche, a smart guy with over 35 years of experience in the manufacturing sector.  With all this experience in mind, I asked him what his number one tip for manufacturers is.

Here’s a summary of his answer:


There is more complexity than ever for manufacturing managers


Finn’s advice for manufacturers is to make sure you get the numbers


Start with small pilots, make mistakes, learn, and then expand


Don’t be afraid to conduct experiments; if you do nothing, nothing changes


Effective change requires good communication and buy-in form colleagues



Check out the full episode to get more detailed information on the what, why, and how of getting the numbers.