Manufacturing downtime is a significant issue that can result in unhappy customers, higher costs, and substantial productivity losses. Fortunately, leaders can adopt numerous proactive strategies to minimize it.
Even in such cases, everyone involved must realize that production stoppages happen. Knowing how to navigate equipment downtime as efficiently and effectively as possible will eliminate unnecessary delays.
Use a Role-Based Strategy to Minimize Downtime
Manufacturers will be in the best position to reduce downtime’s impacts when they understand their roles and responsibilities once it happens. Depending on the scope of their business, they may need to establish which party or parties will take on specific tasks when applicable. The steps include:
Although many of these roles involve reliance on external parties, it is still important that someone in the affected company knows whom to contact and which details to provide. Creating a template to work from whenever downtime occurs can help people be sufficiently thorough when communicating with those outside the brand.
By giving everyone a specific role to fill, this strategy minimizes confusion and panic. Even when the situation requires people to work under pressure, there is a better chance of them doing so successfully when they know their responsibilities and that the tasks will collectively reduce manufacturing downtime.
Navigate Equipment Downtime with Error-Correction Capabilities
Since many of today’s technology vendors know how disastrous unplanned downtime can be, some have specific offerings to mitigate it. Consider the example of an industrial robot that can decrease troubleshooting and downtime costs by up to 90% through a remote error-recovery feature and inspection capabilities.
The robot handles the picking and placement of parts, and places corner boards on pallets as they get wrapped, making the loads more stable. The error-recovery component alerts remote operators if the robot stops unexpectedly or fails to pick and place components. Then, an operator can run a tool-inspection routine and launch the remote error-recovery feature. That process allows enterprises to navigate equipment downtime through an integrated process, letting operators quickly determine whether the issue is something that will correct itself or needs additional support.
People should also go further to determine what caused the manufacturing downtime. Was it something that has only happened once or rarely, or has it cropped up more frequently over the last several months? Encouraging everyone to get more familiar with critical machinery can prevent stoppages by making it easier to spot abnormalities.
Even if manufacturing leaders opt for error-correction technology, they should still go back to the basics by requiring people to follow checklists when starting or powering down machines. Running through every detail can prevent or minimize downtime by making people spot unusual occurrences before outages occur.
Connect with Service Providers Committed to Minimize Downtime
Sometimes, a manufacturer cannot navigate equipment downtime with its in-house resources. During those times, working with service providers who understand the importance of reducing downtime.
In one example, people at a Texas chemical plant urgently needed to source a transformer after the on-site one failed during a weekend. The timing was especially challenging because the resources the plant readily relied upon during weekdays were less available at other times.
While addressing the manufacturing downtime, decision-makers arranged a phone call with a transformer supplier to learn about the options. Representatives from that service provider discussed renting and purchasing, knowing the customer would appreciate alternatives.
Leaders from the chemical plant eventually decided buying a replacement transformer was the best route to take. They also realized the best way to navigate equipment downtime was to allow the service provider to handle all the necessary steps of installing and testing the new transformer and arranging to remove the old one.
This case study emphasizes the importance of working with parties who understand how important it is to minimize downtime. When service providers have the right attitude, appropriate expertise, and thoughtfulness required to understand a client’s needs, it is increasingly likely that downtime will be a quickly solved issue. When trying to choose between multiple service providers, take the time to explain specifically when mitigation is so critical.
Downtime can spread outside a manufacturing plant, too. Consider a case where seven of the 17 trains provided to a Latvian railway services provider have technical issues. The manufacturer must pay the railway for damages and repair costs. However, it also incurs a €1,500 daily fine for each inoperable train.
Curb Manufacturing Downtime with Current Data
It is increasingly common for manufacturers to use assortments of smart sensors that can tell them precisely what is happening with every machine at any time. Leaders can then analyze the results to learn about average output, assembly line changeover periods, and more.
The executives at a components manufacturer found themselves in a tricky situation. Although its capabilities and client base had grown over the years, so did problems such as unplanned downtime and slow-running production lines. A related issue is workers spent more than 60 person-hours per week manually recording and uploading production data.
Decision-makers eventually chose a tech solution that would capture that information in real-time, plus give helpful insights about job completion rates and machine availability. The product also offered a drag-and-drop feature that sent jobs to specific machines. That way, even if manufacturing downtime temporarily took one out of commission, staff could speedily readjust the workflow.
Relatedly, floor managers can get real-time views of what is occurring on production lines and identify the reasons for downtime when applicable. This enhanced visibility enables informed choices in the fast-paced environment of a modern manufacturing facility.
Become More Proactive to Limit Downtime’s Effects
Eliminating downtime is an unrealistic goal for many manufacturers, as things can and will still go wrong even when they follow best practices.
However, companies still have many accessible ways to minimize downtime and prevent repeat occurrences of related problems. Adopting a continuous improvement approach to downtime management is an excellent way to prioritize manufacturing continuity and satisfy customers.
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