July Was the Month I Chose to Teach Diploma Student

When I first stepped into the diploma classroom to teach OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), I thought I was just going to explain formulas—Availability × Performance × Quality.

But it turned out to be more than that.

I saw students’ faces go blank the moment I wrote the equation on the slide
Some had never seen a real factory.
Some thought “effectiveness” was just another buzzword.

So I changed my approach.

I told them:
"Imagine you’re running a food stall. If you're open 10 hours but only cooking for 5, your availability is 50%. If your stove is slow, performance drops. If your kuih always gets rejected, quality suffers. That's OEE."

Suddenly, they got it.

We didn’t just calculate numbers.
We simulated breakdowns.
We debated why some industries tolerate 60% OEE while others aim for 90%.
We discussed why Toyota thinks zero waste is a mindset, not a metric.

And for once, they weren’t just memorizing.
They were thinking.

Because in real life, OEE isn’t about perfection.
It’s about understanding where time is lost—and where improvement begins.

By the end of class, they didn’t just learn about OEE.
They learned how to look at problems with clearer eyes.

And I?
I was reminded why I teach.

Not just to deliver content—
but to help people see what they couldn’t see before.