The average cost of downtime in manufacturing is approximately £12,000 per incident, with many small businesses experiencing over 800 hours of downtime each year. There are many causes of manufacturing downtime but all incidents fall into one of two categories: unplanned and planned downtime. The goal of any new investment in equipment, upgrade, or maintenance plan, is to reduce both planned and unplanned downtime to an absolute minimum.
Unplanned downtime occurs when the production line grinds to a sudden halt due to unforeseen problems. This may occur due to a technical issue, such as a breakdown, affecting a single piece of machinery, or a generic event such as a power failure.
Unplanned downtime is particularly damaging as it may result in unexpected costs and delays (for example, repairs to important machinery upon which the production line depends); problems may persist for an unpredictable length of time, causing bottlenecks and frustration throughout the supply chain.
Planned downtime in manufacturing occurs when equipment is taken out of service for routine maintenance or to replace parts before a major breakdown happens.
When downtime is scheduled, proactive steps can be taken to minimise disruption and losses, such as transferring production to a different site or adjusting lead times so that customers are not left frustrated about delayed deliveries. Crucially, the duration of downtime can be carefully controlled, ensuring that production is up and running as soon as possible.
While planned downtime is necessary in most manufacturing settings to ensure equipment is maintained in optimum condition, unplanned downtime is extremely damaging. Because they often lack the resources to take immediate action to keep the production line running, orders cannot be fulfilled and long-term damage to the business brand is an unfortunate probability.
How A Regular Service Schedule Can Reduce Unplanned Downtime
Preventive maintenance is the most effective way to prevent unplanned downtime. An effective programme of scheduled maintenance reduces the need for engineer callouts and delays while awaiting the delivery of new parts from suppliers.
Regular servicing of equipment ensures production line managers are made aware of components that are deteriorating so that timely replacements can be made, resulting in:
- Longer lifespan of assets, as complete breakdowns are less likely to occur.
- Decreased risk of total equipment failure.
- Lower maintenance and repair costs.
- Increased production line efficiency.
- Higher customer satisfaction.
Contact The Adhesive Laundry To Keep Your Hot Melt Glue Systems In Prime Condition
At The Adhesive Laundry, we provide essential preventative maintenance for your adhesive dispensing equipment to prevent degraded adhesive from causing unforeseen breakdowns. We can clean and service your machinery and supply high-quality spare parts, ensuring that the only downtime you experience is fully planned and costed. Please call us today to find out more.
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