Downtime is something every manufacturing facility wants to avoid. According to analyst firm Aberdeen Research, 82 percent of companies have experienced unplanned downtime, and it can cost a company as much as $260,000 an hour.[1]

Downtime Caused by Many Factors

There are many different reasons for downtime. Maintenance needs, technical failures, and machine adjustments are prevalent causes. Lack of materials, labor, or power are also likely culprits.

Downtime is the nemesis of operation and production managers. It also has a dangerous domino effect. If one section is down, it can impact many others.

That’s why most manufacturers have specific protocols in place to prevent this from happening. In case you are only now thinking about what you can do to prevent and reduce downtime in your company, here are some pointers to consider:

  1. Train and Educate Employees

Human error is often the cause of downtime. Proper training and education for those that run machinery and equipment is essential. After initial training, monitor performance. Ongoing training should be the norm. Better trained staff equal fewer errors.

  1. Set Production Targets

When your employees have a goal, it increases motivation. When you don’t meet goals, figure out why. Have a dialogue with staff on how to improve.

  1. Analyze Downtime Incidents

Knowing the context of the downtime incident can help prevent it from happening again. When you spot trends, isolate the process and improve it.

  1. Conduct Regular Equipment Maintenance

Keep operations running with equipment that is well taken care of. Regularly monitor and inspect all equipment. Be proactive with this instead of reactive.

  1. Update Manufacturing Equipment

Don’t keep old equipment around for too long, as it can break down and cause downtime. Replace outdated, obsolete equipment with new equipment. If you employ processes where equipment needs to cool down, consider using an evaporative cooler like the Power Breezer. This innovative portable cooling unit cools faster for increased profit. Downtime related to overheating equipment is one of the hidden costs of heat. See how the Power Breezer works to cool equipment in our video. The Power Breezer has been shown to reduce production time in many industries, such as auto makers, casting foundries, cement industries, airlines, MRO’s, construction, extruded dies manufacturers. 

  1. Invest in New Technology

Integrated software solutions can be a great tool in reducing downtime, working to optimize your supply chain, labor and production. With the right data, you have the opportunity to keep lines moving and downtime curtailed.

Downtime is a threat to any manufacturer’s bottom line. There are many ways to combat downtime, some more within your control than others – like keeping machinery cool so it can keep working.

When production lines go down, the stress goes up. Workers are standing by idly as the clock ticks. Every minute means lost revenue. To protect your bottom line, it pays to look into these steps to reduce downtime.

Learn more about how the Power Breezer delivers cooling solutions to manufacturing.

[1] http://www.aberdeenessentials.com/techpro-essentials/stat-of-the-week-the-rising-cost-of-downtime/

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