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How should a factory measure and categorise machine downtime?
Measure downtime as the time a machine is scheduled to run but is not producing, and record every event with a start time, end time and reason code. Group causes into planned stops, such as changeovers and maintenance, and unplanned stops, such as breakdowns and material shortages.
It matters because downtime is the first loss in OEE and the easiest to reduce once its causes are visible.
Commonly misread:
- Using a generic reason like Other for most events, which removes any chance of analysis.
- Recording only long stops while many short stops add up to more lost time.
- Mixing planned and unplanned downtime so maintenance planning looks like failure.
Keep the reason list short, around ten to fifteen codes, and rank causes by total minutes lost, not by number of events. Mean time between failures and mean time to repair add useful detail.
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