Manufacturing downtime is any time when the production of goods is not taking place at the factory -- usually because of hardware malfunctions, scheduled asset maintenance, and other reasons such as labor or material supply issues. In this context, downtime is any unplanned event that stops production for some length of time. The most common causes of unplanned downtime are a breakdown, failure, or complete loss of a resource -- equipment or software.
Being able to cut planned downtime frees up resources, and makes it easier to detect the size and extent of unplanned downtime. Operations teams can avoid unneeded costs, and there is a lot of planning and proactive actions that can be taken to prevent a lot of unplanned downtime. Reducing downtime or eliminating unplanned interruptions of a manufacturing line often results in substantial savings.
In addition, maintenance tasks can be scheduled while the line is down naturally, rather than disrupting the flow of operations. Downtime can be scheduled: For example, manufacturing machinery can be stopped for preventive maintenance.
Downtime in manufacturing is caused by scheduled maintenance, tool breaks, adjustments, even restroom breaks. For instance, lengthy shifts and setup times between production runs cause significant downtime. Downtime in production can cause major headaches in day-to-day operations, and it unavoidably results in lost revenues.
A manufacturers profit margin may involve as much as 800 hours of downtime, resulting in millions in lost revenue. Research shows the average manufacturer deals with 800 hours of downtime a year -- that is over 15 hours per week -- and the costs can be staggering. Just to put it in perspective, the average automaker loses $22,000 for every minute it is down.
Real-world costs for downtime include lost employee productivity, lost actual product output, man-hours spent on back-logs, the unexpected expense of equipment repairs, time spent satisfying customers, and reputational harm. To meet financial goals and maintain a healthy balance sheet, you must be aware of what downtime costs you, as well as how to minimize its impact.
By understanding the value of the downtime costs, manufacturers can confidently make data-driven decisions. With the high production costs and the absence of accurate data, managers cannot effectively make decisions about downtime reduction.
Understanding what is interrupting the machines operational capacity is crucial for preventing downtime in machines and improving lean manufacturing processes. Learn more about using machine learning to eradicate unplanned downtime in production, and to predict and prevent manufacturing interruptions. Let us examine how one simple solution--digitalizing your SOPs--can make a huge difference to reducing downtime in production.
Effective production software can address a lot of the supply issues causing downtime, giving you real-time visibility into existing inventory levels, records on how long the inventory has been there, and records of inbound and outbound inventories. Manufacturing software such as Unleashed allows you to account for delivery times, set up alerts for low stocks, and reorder goods quickly -- meaning that you can avoid problems such as an inadequate supply of security goods, which could cause unplanned downtime.
Much of the talk about unplanned downtime centers around equipment malfunctions, but there is a chance the time could be caused by lack of inputs too. Unplanned downtime is more commonly caused by operator errors, improper maintenance, equipment or software errors, and perceived downtime, which includes low production rates or slow shifts.
Sometimes equipment breaks or breaks, but not all downtime can be blamed on a systems failure. Anything from unexpected hardware failures, to damage to cables, to even misconfigured networking devices, can lead to network downtime. Many times, it may occur because of a hardware or process fault; for instance, the pump, motor, or fan may have failed in one of the devices, which will need to be serviced in an unplanned manner.
Downtime may occur because of breakdowns, a shortage of materials, lack of available operators, a low quality output, or if orders are not received to manufacture. If the downtime is not planned or scheduled, it means a portion of a manufacturing line, a cell of machines, or even a single machine is operating outside the planned production process for the company. Keeping the downtime analytics focused on unplanned instances gives manufacturers better insight into how they are potentially performing in terms of manufacturing efficiencies.
Managers who are able to anticipate when machines will require service are able to schedule the service at times when they will minimise the production downtime, as well as whether any other parts will need service in a downtime, in order to consolidate and decrease overall downtime. As with any schedule, it is important to know which types of situations and which types of equipment may benefit most from a robust preventive maintenance schedule. The bottom line is a preventive maintenance program can be a great way to help a business to decrease breakdowns, minimize downtime, increase efficiency, and extend equipment life.
Maintenance lowers the likelihood of failures and downtime, increases the efficiency of the equipment as a whole, increases safety, and increases production. As wasteful as it might sound to slow operations down in order to fix an item of equipment that is performing well, preventative maintenance is critical in order to decrease and eliminate future downtime. Manual workarounds need to be a part of your IT plan to ensure that operations continue as your IT systems are restored.
Knowing the status of the support network and hardware could mean the difference between hours and months of a downtime incident. If you can minimize the amount of time technicians have to travel from service project to service project, you will find your whole maintenance department runs smoother and more effectively. One of the best things you can do to prevent downtime--or at least minimize the adverse effects of downtime--is cross-train your employees.
Using scheduled, short periods of downtime for maintenance and equipment maintenance - whether you planned it as policy or you base this on equipment conditions - can limit equipment failures and decrease your downtime.