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machine downtime
23 Jul

How To Avoid And Reduce Machine Downtime

Machine downtime is a thorn in the side of your business, and it unfortunately happens more than you think. Did you know that over 83% of businesses experienced unplanned downtime in the last year?

 

Machine downtime inconveniently halts production, causes stress, and can be avoided with proper planning.

 

Keep reading as we discuss how you can avoid and reduce machine downtime to ensure no unexpected and stressful hiccups in your manufacturing process. 

 

Why Is Machine Downtime Detrimental To Your Operations?

 

When you experience machine downtime, it undoubtedly affects your business and supply chain efficiency  from the ground up, and you might not be aware of how it can stall every facet of your operations. 

 

Here are some of the ways machine downtime can be achingly detrimental to your operations.

 

Repairs

 

When you experience machine downtime, it means you’ll need to find the time and resources to repair the machine and bring it back to peak operation. No matter how costly the repairs are, the consequences of not repairing them will be more harmful to your profit margins and production efficiency. 

 

Your line managers must dedicate time and money towards the repairs, and this should be a task of the utmost core priority. This draws their attention away from other areas and increases their stress associated with daily work responsibilities.

 

Failing To Meet Demand

 

If you unfortunately happen to have one or more machines down, this could halt production and reduce your output significantly. When this happens, there’s no way you’ll be able to keep up with demand from clients and customers, and you will fail to deliver on time. 

 

This harms your business reputation and can result in a devastating and financially damaging loss of trust from your clientele, which may reduce your client base and, thus, your profit margins. Proper planning in the event of machine downtime will help minimize this fallout, but it’s best to avoid machine downtime altogether with proactive and preemptive strategies.

 

Operational Dysfunction

 

When you experience machine downtime, employees’ work patterns and schedules will become disturbed. This means that senior staff members must develop a new plan so as not to waste paid employee hours. The extra burden of maintaining productivity during this time will increase the stress and burden associated with the event of downtime.

 

Losses

 

When your machines aren’t operating effectively, this means losses for your business. Every hour your productivity is down, you are creating fewer finished products and losing the profit from these products. This is why dealing with machine downtime in the most timely manner possible is of the highest priority.

 

Why Does Machine Downtime Happen?

 

Now that you know why machine downtime harms your operations, let’s explore some of the main causes of machine downtime so you can develop a strategy for tackling this major inconvenience.

 

Poor Maintenance

 

Regular maintenance doesn’t just ensure your machines are operating at optimal efficiency – it also ensures your machines continue to operate. When you perform proactive maintenance, you can assess when a machine requires a new part and replace it before it starts presenting problems regarding productivity. 

 

Poor Employee Training

 

Abuse is another reason for machine downtime. When you don’t train your employees how to properly use the machines, you run the risk of them abusing the hardware. Jams won’t be cleared, and they may fail to use the settings properly. When you train your employees thoroughly on machine use, they’re less likely to make mistakes that result in costly machine downtime.

 

Outdated Hardware

 

The hardware on your machines isn’t everlasting. Eventually, you’ll need to replace it. If your machines are over 10 years old, it may be the right time to consider an upgrade or update. This is especially true if you notice your machines seem to be on the fritz constantly despite regular maintenance.

 

Lack Of Materials

 

Inventory management for your raw materials is also a key ingredient in preventing machine downtime. If you fail to supply the necessary raw materials listed in your BOM, you will be faced with downtime for one, more, or potentially all of your machines. Material supply and management is the foundation of operational efficiency in a manufacturing setting, regardless of machine performance.

 

Cleaning Failures

 

Debris is always a part of manufacturing processes, and it presents a huge problem when it is not cleaned up. Your employees should be given a regular cleaning schedule, which is mandated to ensure that debris from the manufacturing process doesn’t cause jamming in your machines. 

 

How To Avoid And Reduce Machine Downtime: Best Practices

 

Now, onto preventative measures. The best approach you can take to reducing machine downtime is to eliminate it completely. But how is that achieved? 

 

Inventory Management Software

 

Inventory management software is the holy grail of ensuring that raw materials shortage doesn’t cause machine downtime and halt your operations. With it, you can ensure you never run short, and you won’t need to manually intervene much, either. Here are some of the functions inventory management software performs to reduce machine downtime by ensuring consistent raw materials supply:

 

  • Automated reorder points: With inventory management software, you can set automated reorder points to ensure that you never run out of the raw materials required to manufacture products and satisfy your customer base. The software monitors your production output to ensure it is in line with your existing inventory level to automatically reorder stock when levels are running low.
  • RFID Inventory Tracking: You can automate the stock counting process with inventory management software, completely eliminating the potential for human error. To count items, workers only need to scan the RFID barcode. They cannot count the same barcode twice, so you’ll never overcount. This makes it easier to spot inventory shrinkage while ensuring your numbers are accurate to reduce stockouts.
  • BOM integration: Many inventory management solutions provide BOM integration, ensuring you have the specific quantity of materials needed to produce a single product. Your orders will be placed in the correct ratios to avoid overstocking or understocking for production elements.


machine downtime

 

For all of these reasons, inventory management is an essential investment to prevent machine downtime caused by lack of materials.

 

Predictive And Proactive Maintenance

 

Predictive maintenance software reduces the burden of maintenance planning by automatically reminding you when parts should be replaced. It assesses the health and production rates of the machine to ensure you replace parts before they become a problem for your production strategy.

 

You should also have a maintenance engineer attend the site regularly to perform health checks manually on your machine, as a visual assessment is always the best route to take when performing maintenance. 

 

Regular Employee Training

 

If your employees don’t know what they’re doing with your machines, this could lead to a whole lot of trouble. You should perform regular employee training that covers the following areas:

 

  • Machine use: Cover the basics of how to use the machines and any elements that must be reset, cleaned, or refilled regularly during the production process. 
  • Safety: Your employees’ safety is at risk if they don’t have the proper training for your machines. Your employees should know not to wear loose clothing, tie their hair back, and avoid certain areas of the machine due to danger. Failing to adhere to safety measures won’t just break your machines, but it could harm your employees, and you could be held liable for a personal injury claim.
  • Maintenance: You shouldn’t need to hire or outsource a maintenance crew daily. Your employees should be fully briefed on the daily maintenance requirements for your machines. You should also keep a ledger that employees can sign digitally to keep a record of these daily maintenance checks, ensuring they have been completed regularly.

 

You should refresh employee training at least twice a year, as standards may lapse without consistent reminders, and new staff may be unaware of the extent of machine requirements. You should include all staff in this training, as simply passing by a machine can be dangerous if you’re unaware of the dangers and hazards.

 

Updating Your Hardware

 

Age is a huge factor in machine downtime, which is why updating your hardware every 7-10 years is a hugely recommended option. By updating your old hardware, you can reduce the potential for regular downtime, and you can significantly boost productivity. 

 

Older machinery is often less efficient, and your production rates may not be as high as your competitors’. Investing in an upgrade will seriously enhance your competitive edge in the industry.

 

Summary

 

Being sick and tired of machine downtime doesn’t have to be a permanent state of affairs. The best route to take when dealing with machine downtime is to prevent it altogether. By following the steps and best practices listed above, you can avoid machine downtime with a proactive and preemptive strategy. Less machine downtime means no losses or production halts, resulting in higher productivity rates and increased customer satisfaction – helping to keep your business health on top!