Manufacturers have made great strides in optimizing materials usage by implementing powerful supply chain applications, but the labor side of the equation, which concerns a company's most vital and controllable resource, has been largely neglected. Companies have invested in basic HR functionality, but are missing the productivity rewards that can result from optimizing labor availability, performance, and quality of work.

Adopting OLE metrics can give a company the fuel it needs to capture significant cost savings and improve its market competitiveness. OLE brings balance to the manufacturing equation of labor and materials; harnessing information about the interactions between them opens new windows of opportunity.