Downtime is the worst. It’s an incredibly frustrating feeling knowing that every time the second hand moves, you are hemorrhaging money, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
The automotive industry typically experiences more downtime than any other manufacturing industry. It’s been reported that downtime in the auto industry can cost as much as $22,000 per minute, or $1.3 million per hour of downtime. Not every industry is hit this hard by downtime, but regardless of your industry, you’re spending money if your machines are down.
There’s no question that downtime is costly. Tangible costs include things like lost production, labor overhead, and the cost of repairs. But there are more costs involved than just those that you can attach a dollar sign to. Intangible costs are things like the stress that comes with downtime, lost opportunities, and damaged customer relationships. These intangible costs can be just as troublesome as the financial costs involved with downtime.
Many manufacturers make the mistake of waiting for a problem to occur before doing anything about it. They live by that, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. But why sit around and wait for something to break, and then scramble around trying to put together an emergency repair? Regular maintenance can help you get the jump on a problem before it shuts down your line. The most affordable fix for downtime is preventing it in the first place.
Sometimes downtime can’t be avoided, but by performing regular maintenance on your machinery, you can minimize unnecessary downtime. Regular maintenance can help you spot parts that need to be cleaned or replaced, and give you enough warning to make arrangements for repairs.
However if your system goes down, you want to fix it as soon as possible. Every second that your machinery is down will cost you. You’re missing out on production, and that downtime could mean missing deadlines. If you have an Indramat system that is in need of emergency repair, call us immediately. We have Factory Service Engineers available to charter flights and get your system up and running in the shortest amount of time possible.