Effectivity and downtime are two of probably the most acknowledged phrases in manufacturing. These two phrases are taught and enforced formally and informally from the chief boardroom to flooring supervisors to an operator of their first week on the job.
Whereas effectivity has quite a lot of variables and is calculated as creating as many completed models with the least quantity of assets, downtime seems to be easy on the floor. Both the machine is operating, or it isn’t.
However the issue with downtime isn’t so simple as cease and begin. As an alternative, it lies in why a machine is down, the size of downtime, and what’s completed to restart.
Sorts of Downtime
Downtime will be damaged down broadly into two varieties: deliberate and unplanned. Inside every sort, a number of causes can contribute to downtime. There are a number of methods to categorise these subcategories, and Lean, for instance, breaks them down into waste varieties. The underside line is that when gear isn’t operating, managers expertise a case of the dreaded downtime blues.
Deliberate Downtime
Deliberate downtime is when a machine is scheduled to be down. For instance, trendy manufacturing makes use of measured jobs to plan labor capability, so a break can be thought of deliberate downtime. Sorts of deliberate downtime embody:
- Conferences
- Breaks
- Main upkeep overhauls
- Line constraints (the machine produces its components quicker than upstream inputs)
- Changeovers
Deliberate downtime is simpler to handle as a result of it’s recognized and groups have time to organize. Nonetheless, this doesn’t imply deliberate downtime isn’t open for enchancment, as within the case of changeovers and line constraints.
Unplanned Downtime
It’s unplanned downtime the place the supervisor’s blues hit the toughest. These are sudden occasions with many causes, from systemized damaged processes to one-off occasions. Frequent examples of unplanned downtime embody:
- Operator coaching
- Provide chain issues
- Lack of communication
- Poor demand planning
- Scheduling points
- Mechanical breakdowns
- Jams and materials fouls
A Remedy for What Ails You
With the present ranges of inflation, disruption, labor shortages, and different components, manufacturing faces a problem to develop into extra environment friendly in its operations. And meaning addressing downtime in a brand new manner.
Good manufacturing software program can carry the blues by providing advantages designed to zero in on downtime causes and develop methods to mitigate or eradicate them. No extra thriller occasions or lacking data on a clipboard. These platforms additionally allow data-driven insights and superior analytics to visually present groups and managers the place, why, and the way lengthy an occasion occurred.
Good manufacturing platforms will be custom-made to subdivide downtime causes additional so groups can concentrate on particular points, detect patterns, and develop methods for enchancment. For instance, there could also be jams brought on by operator error, mechanical error, and even increased than optimum temperature and humidity on the run time.
Because the software program is deployed, managers can establish tendencies utilizing real-time actionable insights from cloud-based analytics. They’ll develop and implement course of enchancment strategies to right tendencies and patterns.
Good Manufacturing = Much less Downtime
With a sensible manufacturing platform, customers have full visibility over present manufacturing and situations with superior manufacturing monitoring. The power to deal with a number of downtime points throughout the facility whereas managing throughput, stock, demand, and upkeep will increase general effectivity. As downtime falls, extra assets can be found to work on different processes requiring modification.
A best-in-class answer just like the Plex Good Manufacturing Platform™ cures your downtime blues with superior analytics and machine studying algorithms. But it surely additionally lets you handle demand and provide, optimize stock, develop predictive upkeep methods, and extra.
Such a platform additionally integrates with different legacy and enterprise software program to offer a single model of the reality. Your insights and effectivity enchancment initiatives all depend on the identical reliable knowledge. This integration consists of the aptitude to hyperlink to IoT {hardware} to take downtime even decrease. If that’s not the best prescription for downtime blues, we don’t know what’s.
In search of extra on downtime causes and options? Click on right here to learn a associated weblog, Fixing the Downtime Riddle.
