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Production for many companies is one of the biggest aspects of operations. Any time spent without producing anything means the company losses on the market and revenue. The employees instead of working on their tasks where they deliver best will be preoccupied with ways to correct the downtime. A downtime occurring means there is damage to the system, it means there can also be safety risks due to leakages.
While planned downtime also impacts the company, it’s more manageable. The only way the company can meet its bottom line and customer satisfaction is to reduce downtime as much as possible. Let downtime become a one-off day.
Here is all you need to understand about unplanned downtime in industrial manufacturing and its impacts.
Planned downtime in industrial manufacturingÂ
Planned downtime is the period when the machines are not in production as part of the schedule. It is planned to ensure the maintenance of the various machines. To avoid inconveniencing the production, planned downtime tends to be during the off-season, over the weekend, or at night when most of them are not needed for the production.
Some of the possible examples of planned downtime are;
- Product changeover – this is the period when the manufacturing plant decides to produce a different product to allow for the planned maintenance. The change normally requires various setup adjustments.
- Daily maintenance programs – these are the regular checks on the manufacturing components to ensure proper operation. Some of these include minor adjustments, cleaning, lubricating, and detecting minor problems.
- Adjustments – noticing and fixing various small problems before they stall the whole production system.
While planned downtime also has an impact on revenue, in most cases the company has the budgetary allocations. Most of them also happen when they are least likely to affect production.
Unplanned downtime in industrial manufacturingÂ
Unplanned downtimes are some of the most problematic for production. It is when the production system stops without notice.
The unexpected nature of the unplanned downtimes means you are never prepared on how best to deal with them. It can last for a longer period of time with a massive backlog on the production line. The prolonged downtime eats into productivity and the company’s revenue.
Most unplanned downtime occurs due to hardware or process failure. You will in turn need unplanned maintenance to get the systems working again. You need to have qualified personnel around at all times to ensure the systems resume as fast as possible. However, in most cases, you will be caught off guard. It means you will have to miss the production time while still looking for the experts to correct the issue.
Regular equipment maintenance and planned maintenance is the best way to avoid unplanned maintenance.
Some of the examples of unplanned downtimes include;
- Machine jams – some components can get stuck and require physical manipulation to resume operations.
- Part failures – various parts of the machine like sensors, motors, and belts can stop operating abruptly. How long you spend before resuming production depends on the availability of spare parts.
- Leaks – oil, water, and gas leaks can damage different parts of the production machines.
The true costs of downtimes in industrial manufacturingÂ
To understand the True Cost of Downtime (TCD) the various factors surrounding the downtime. You need to analyze both the tangible and intangible associated costs. Once you understand what you lose with the downtime you can plan for regular maintenance repair and operations to avoid any unplanned downtime.
Lost production is the main tangible cost of unplanned downtime. Every time the company fails to produce a product it is reducing the number of items it can sell hence losses in income. The other cost is on the lost operational capacity of the company. The company will also have to deal with the decreased labor costs per unit due to unplanned downtime. In the same way, it might have problems managing the inventory due to product changeover.
For intangible costs, you have to analyze the various less concrete effects of the downtime. They mostly occur due to the ripple effect and reactions from people within the production setup. One of the intangible costs is responsiveness. Instead of the workforce delivering on their mandate, they would be focused on ways to resolve the downtime. The downtime can also lead to stress for both the employees and the machines they operate.
Ways to reduce unplanned downtimeÂ
Unplanned downtime is costly to the company in so many ways. Letting the downtime run for long can have several far-reaching effects that will take you ages to correct. To ensure optimum production at all times, you have to look for ways to reduce unplanned downtime.
Some of the ways to reduce unplanned downtime include;
- Establish and implement a regular machine inspection to notice potential dirt, leaks, and vibrations that can cause leaks and damages when left unattended.
- Have a preventative maintenance plan for the machines to run optimally at all times.
- Ensure proper employee training to reduce the chances of human error causing unplanned downtime.
- Use proper software to track the occurrence of unplanned downtime. With the information you can plan for ways to prevent and manage the downtime in case it occurs.
- Invest in proper maintenance repair and operations to avoid the recurrence of the damages and other leaks.
Final ThoughtsÂ
Your company’s success depends on the proper production setup. Any failure in production has a ripple effect on every other part of the company. It leads to a loss of revenue and market share. It can also mean clients don’t receive orders hence dumping you for the competition. The employees will become more stressed as they also face more danger within the workplace. Don’t even get started on the effects on inventory management.
Why risk all these possible repercussions when you can invest in planned downtime. Planned downtime limits the losses. Invest in regular maintenance best practices to help you notice possible damages. Even after preparing well, keep your team well informed to manage any occurrence of unplanned downtime as fast as possible.
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