At TrackMyMachines, we see it all the time: CNC hidden capacity OEE reveals untapped potential on shop floors that feels maxed out.Every spindle may seem busy,every operator occupied, yet hidden capacity remains..
The knee-jerk answer when orders pile up? Buy another machine.

However, the numbers tell a different story.
Our customers operate at between 26–51% utilisation. Imagine what extra capacity you’ve got if over 50% of the time your machines aren’t running. We call this your Hidden Capacity.
So before signing off on another six-figure machine, consider how to find that hidden capacity and turn it into profit.

The Costly Misdiagnosis

Adding a new CNC machine can cost hundreds of thousands, and it brings long lead times, installation downtime, and training delays.
If your real problem is wasted spindle hours, that investment won’t fix it instantly.

In fact, industry data shows world-class plants hit 80%+ utilisation without adding hardware.
The gap is pure opportunity.

OEE: The Gold-Standard Metric

The fastest way to uncover that opportunity is Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
Put simply, OEE answers one questions:

How often are your machines making good parts, as fast as possible, with no stop time?

OEE = Availability × Performance × Quality

• Availability – Is the spindle running when it should?
• Performance – Is it running at the correct speed?
• Quality – Are you making good parts first time?

Typically, a starting OEE is around 60%, while world-class manufacturing aims for 85% or higher.

As a result, even modest gains can release significant hidden capacity.

The Three OEE Pillars in Action

Availability
Hidden downtime adds up fast. Waiting for inspection, hunting for fixtures, or pausing for tool setting may seem minor; however, those “few minutes” can steal hours per machine every day.

Performance
Feed-rate overrides, worn tooling, or sub-optimal programs all slow cycles. Without live data, these losses remain invisible. By contrast, continuous monitoring highlights them immediately.

Quality
Scrap and rework waste more than materials. Every defective part consumes valuable spindle time that could have made a sellable one. Therefore, improving first-time yield directly increases capacity.

Proof from the Shop Floor

“We’ve seen how powerful accurate data can be,” says Rowan.

“For example, Gardner Denver uncovered ten hours of setting delays every month. A single software change saved them £7,200 a year and even shortened cycle times with better tooling.

Meanwhile at DoorCo, a culture built around OEE lifted production by 26% without buying a single new machine.

These aren’t one-off wins. They show what’s possible when you measure what matters and let data guide every improvement.”

Why Manual Logs Fail

Paper sheets and spreadsheets can’t keep up.
They rely on memory, miss micro-stops, and create untrusted data.
As a result, operators have extra admin distracting them from their more important priorities, while managers see numbers they cannot act on.

The result? Manual data capture schemes create more work than they save.

Automated Monitoring: Simple and Powerful

TrackMyMachines flips the script:

• Automatic data capture – every cycle, stop and spindle-power spike.
• Real-time dashboards – spot issues as they happen.
• Zero operator burden – no more pencil-whipping.

Because installation is quick to install and “set and forget,” our system delivers accurate, live OEE data from day one.
That data becomes your single source of truth for improvement and investment.

From Metric to Money

Raising OEE isn’t about theory. It’s about measurable business results.

For example, higher OEE helps you:

• Unlock hidden capacity – produce more with the machines you already own.
• Quote with confidence – base pricing on real cycle times and downtime.
• Justify investments – prove the ROI of new tools or processes with hard numbers.

Every percentage point of OEE gained is more quality parts, more revenue, and bigger margins.

Start Unlocking Hidden Capacity

Your CNC shop is probably sitting on more capacity than you think.
The fastest way to find it is to measure what’s really happening.

Start turning invisible hours into real output.

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