Downtime can be a real issue inside an assembling plant. It can cause food to spoil, disrupt supply chain schedules, and cost a company money.
Unexpected shutdowns can be caused by a variety of factors, including human error, equipment failure, and material shortages. These types of unforeseen problems are often difficult to pinpoint and manage.
It’s a Waste of Time
Downtime is a time lapse in production that leads to missed sales orders, delayed deliveries, and a drop in overall customer satisfaction. In the long run, the loss of revenue from these interruptions can add up to millions in lost profits for manufacturers. OEE can be used to improve communication to streamline employee communication.
While some downtime is inevitable, most of the causes can be prevented with proactive preventative maintenance. These steps help ensure your manufacturing systems will continue to work smoothly and efficiently, while reducing the impact of unavoidable breakdowns.
Planned downtime is often accounted for in capacity and production plans through a set schedule of routine maintenance, machine changeovers, and other tasks. Ideally, this is planned and minimized through the use of best practices and standard operating procedures to reduce the amount of time it takes to perform these tasks.
Unplanned downtime is much more costly because it occurs unexpectedly. The sudden halt in production could be due to an equipment failure, power outages, supply chain disruptions, cybersecurity threats, natural disasters, or other external factors that are out of your control.
If these issues are not addressed quickly, they can lead to delays in delivery of your products to customers and cause other operational delays that can damage your reputation with both current and potential future clients. Additionally, the stress and frustration that employees feel when they have to deal with these unforeseen problems can negatively impact their performance.
Human error can also be a significant factor in downtime. Whether it’s a mistake operating machinery or handling materials, these errors can be costly and require significant time to resolve. Ensure your employees receive the proper training and ongoing education to reduce these types of mistakes.
Transportation waste is another common source of downtime in manufacturing. This includes the movement of materials and information between departments or people that is not directly related to producing a final product. It can be caused by an inefficient layout, poor communication, or a lack of planning and preparation.
Excess processing is when more effort is put into a product than what is required by the customer, such as conducting extra inspections or doing more work than necessary. This type of downtime can be reduced by minimizing inefficient processes, improving the flow of information, and limiting the number of people who touch an item.
It’s a Waste of Money
Every manufacturer needs to keep an eye on the bottom line. Minimizing production downtime is critical to maintaining contribution margins and avoiding costly delays down the line. This is where predictive maintenance can come into play – an increasingly popular tool for manufacturers to utilize as they seek to cut down on costs and maximize efficiency.
Unplanned downtime is more than a nuisance. It is a costly waste of resources that leads to loss of revenue and profits. Every minute that a factory or manufacturing line is down means that sales are not being generated, orders are not placed and inventory is not being filled. In fact, research shows that manufacturers lose $50 billion in revenue each year due to downtime.
There are a variety of reasons that downtime in manufacturing may occur, including equipment breakdowns, system failures, lack of staff, and supply chain disruptions. Some of these issues can be prevented, but others are out of a company’s control.
Some of the most expensive costs associated with downtime are related to direct labor. When employees are unable to work because of machinery or software issues, they must be paid for the time that they are not productive. According to Aberdeen, Fortune Global 500 manufacturing companies lose an average of $260,000 per hour of downtime – which adds up quickly over the course of a year.
Manufacturing downtime also leads to higher operational expenses. This includes additional repair bills, loss of revenue from missed sales targets, overtime costs, and the cost of lost employee morale. In addition, downtime can lead to supply chain disruptions that can affect other suppliers and customers.
Unplanned downtime can be caused by a variety of factors, from inadequate planning to poor communication. However, there are ways that a business can reduce the likelihood of downtime in manufacturing by creating a culture of continuous improvement and prioritizing employee morale. By implementing strategies like these, companies can significantly cut down on the cost of downtime and ensure that their business continues to thrive.
It’s a Waste of Resources
The most obvious cost associated with downtime in manufacturing is the loss of revenue from missed production goals and unfilled customer orders. However, many other costs of downtime in manufacturing are less tangible, making them harder to identify and mitigate. Ultimately, the key to reducing downtime is identifying and quantifying its various costs in order to develop strategies for minimizing it.
The cost of downtime in manufacturing can be measured in terms of both direct labor and material costs. The direct labor cost is the salary paid to employees who are not able to work because of machine failure, software issues, or other planned disruptions in production. Material costs are incurred when workers are forced to wait for equipment or materials needed to continue production, such as replacement parts or replenishing inventory.
Other indirect costs of downtime in manufacturing include the waste of time and energy spent by employees on non-productive tasks such as checking email, updating documentation, or resolving other IT problems. These costs are compounded by the loss of output from employee downtime, which leads to a reduction in sales orders and lost revenues.
Lastly, there are the costs related to the intangible impact of downtime on workers and machine morale. When machines are not working at full capacity, it can be difficult for employees to maintain their focus on productive tasks, and they may feel discouraged or stressed about the lack of results. Additionally, downtime can cause machines to produce low-quality batches that must be scrapped or sold at a discount, which also creates a negative work environment.
The bottom line is that minimizing downtime in manufacturing is essential for maintaining high productivity and profit margins. There are a number of factors that can invite downtime to wreak havoc on operations, but the most important thing is to recognize the different types of downtime and take steps to reduce it. By understanding the cost of downtime in manufacturing, and by identifying potential causes and solutions, manufacturers can proactively shape a more resilient operational environment. This will allow them to reduce costs, maintain profit margins, and ensure customer satisfaction.
It’s a Waste of People
Production line downtime is a nightmare for any manufacturing company. It halts workflow and can quickly have major impacts on the bottom line, revenue, and market reputation. In fact, according to research from Forbes, unplanned downtime costs industrial manufacturers an estimated $50 billion per year. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce downtime in manufacturing and avoid the costly consequences.
The cost of downtime varies and can be hard to quantify, but some tangible costs are more apparent than others. For example, a loss of productivity can lead to missed customer delivery dates or compromised service quality, which can negatively affect customer relationships and ultimately damage your reputation. Additionally, downtime can also lead to inefficiency and wasted resources. This can include a lack of productivity, operational errors, software crashes, equipment malfunctions, supply chain interruptions, and maintenance wait times.
Another significant cost of downtime is the loss of valuable employee time. This can include the time it takes to retrain new employees, lost opportunities for training and development, and extra work for existing team members to cover lost productivity. Additionally, the cost of a loss in morale can be significant. Employees who feel frustrated and undervalued are more likely to make mistakes and cause additional downtime, so it’s important to find ways to encourage and reward positive workplace culture and performance.
Lastly, the cost of downtime can also include the cost of holding inventory. This can be a significant expense for many manufacturers, especially for those who produce multiple products in different sizes and packaging. This is because it can take up to 30% of the inventory’s value each year just to store and maintain it. Ideally, it is much more cost-effective to reduce downtime and minimize product changeover to allow for smaller lot sizes that result in a lower inventory cost.
Increasing efficiencies, automating processes where possible, and implementing technological solutions can all help reduce downtime in manufacturing. The key is to identify the root causes of downtime and address them as soon as possible. By doing so, you can save on the expensive cost of downtime and ensure your business stays profitable.