What is downtime in manufacturing? 6 ways to solve downtime

In the manufacturing sector, no one wants to face downtime problems due to various reasons. Downtime not only affects production capabilities but also reduces business efficiency. In the content below, let's learn with 1C Vietnam about what downtime in manufacturing is and how to resolve downtime so that business operations run smoothly.

1. What is downtime in manufacturing?

Downtime is production downtime, more simply understood as the period of time during which production activities in the factory are interrupted due to many reasons such as equipment failure, scheduled asset maintenance, labor problems or supply. Typically, downtime in production consumes about 5% to 20% of a factory's production capacity.

2. Types of downtime in production and their causes

After understanding what the definition of downtime in manufacturing is , businesses need to clearly understand the types of downtime and the causes of this situation so that they can plan production to achieve the highest efficiency and reduce production costs. costs and increase profits.

2.1. Downtime has a plan

Planned downtime is when the factory stops operating to conduct maintenance and upgrade activities in the middle of the production process. Causes of planned downtime include:

• Machinery maintenance: In a manufacturing factory, there will be regulations on time spent on maintenance and upgrading activities to ensure that the machine's capacity is maintained stably.
• Changing products: During the production process, if you want to switch to a new product, the factory must adjust processes and modify machinery to suit the requirements of that product. This will result in a temporary downtime in production.

2.2. Unplanned downtime

Any production downtime that is not previously planned is called unplanned downtime. Common causes of unplanned downtime include:

• Machine problems: If machines encounter frequent problems, it will lead to downtime and loss of performance during the production process. This significantly affects production progress.
• Network problems: Currently, almost all mechanical systems are designed to connect to the network for more convenient management. Therefore, if a problem occurs such as loss of connection or transmission line, system operations will be interrupted, leading to downtime.
• Maintenance activities are not carried out sufficiently: If the maintenance is not properly planned for machinery, this will easily lead to continuous damage. In addition, unstable machinery operation can endanger the safety of workers.

3. How to effectively minimize downtime

Thus, businesses have just learned what downtime in production is as well as the impact of downtime. So is there any way to minimize the above situation? The answer is yes. Businesses can do the following to limit downtime in their production process:

3.1. Develop an effective maintenance plan

Establishing an effective equipment maintenance plan is the simplest and most accessible way to minimize downtime. This plan includes actual operations, instructions, schedules, workers, spare parts and resources, helping to ensure maintenance is carried out effectively. The ultimate goal of a maintenance plan is to keep equipment in good working order and promptly fix unexpected problems.

3.2. Training Employees

Employees will be trained in equipment troubleshooting skills, helping to significantly reduce production downtime in the event of an unexpected occurrence. Employees within the organization can carry out immediate troubleshooting or remediation themselves, instead of having to rely on outside technicians to repair production lines when problems occur.

3.3. Strictly follow the maintenance procedure

To minimize downtime during operations, organizations need to strictly and fully comply with maintenance procedures. However, what is more important is that all employees in the factory need to understand the importance of complying with maintenance tasks to improve the effectiveness of established plans.

3.4. Deploy IoT

IoT (Internet of Things) means Internet of things. This is a technology that allows devices and machines to be connected to the management system. Using IoT helps managers know the current status of the factory and monitor potential problems to come up with effective operation and management plans.

3.5. Apply technology and machinery

Use machine learning tools to analyze data to trigger appropriate alerts.

MES stands for Manufacturing Execution System - a system deployed in smart factories. As an intermediary platform between SCADA and ERP systems, MES helps control, manage, and monitor all activities during the production process at the factory. In addition, MES also takes on the role of tightly controlling the operating status of machines, developing maintenance plans and helping businesses proactively manage production resources.

3.6. Software application

An effective way to optimize downtime is to use production management software. Thanks to modern technology and high security, these software allow managers to control, monitor and evaluate the current status of production. From there, businesses can come up with timely solutions in case downtime occurs.

Through this article, businesses can better understand the concept of downtime in production and find effective ways to minimize machine downtime during the production process. In addition, with the support of modern software such as 1C:Company Management, businesses can minimize downtime. 1C:Company Management solution has superior features, helping to manage production activities effectively. Contact 1C Vietnam today for software support.