The topic of downtime might be identified by some other descriptive adjective such as non-productive, lost, or some other time-related word, but for here downtime will be the frame of reference because it is a familiar term within the multifaceted beverage industry.  

From an operations perspective, downtime is a non-productive event, especially in the beverage arena where at least two phases of the supply chain should be considered for evaluation and/or analysis: manufacturing, basically processing and packaging; and warehousing, including storage and pre-distribution ― both of which create downtime type situations.  

Thus, the focus on two specific areas should include and define, what constitutes downtime; what are sources and causes; what the value of lost cost factors is; and can downtime be corrected, controlled or eliminated.  

Regardless of terminology, downtime in this approach is intended to represent periods of time during which specific operations are not producing as output: required task completions or a quality product for sale. This is basic and fundamental when analyzing downtime. Let’s discuss and define causes and correctives to exemplify the syndrome.

Manufacturing: Packaged production lines comprise the physical layout in most beverage facilities, machinery/equipment (M/E) and labor venues usually become sources of most downtime situations.  

The labor category is a unique cause of downtime. For one reason, personnel develop production plans and schedules to establish lines, volumes and starting shift. However, experience and research have indicated major portions of downtime occur by not starting on a scheduled time ― the difference is real downtime. Second, scheduled operators are tardy or not available, preventing on time startup. Third, line packaging or other supplies might not have been positioned for scheduled start time. Real time labor, in any form, will always be a source and cause.

Machinery and equipment: Categorically, machinery and equipment are a major source and cause of downtime. From many downtime report reviews, the downtime category magnitude becomes quite apparent; therefore, only major issues, the most common causes, are addressed such as malfunctions of machine operation; actual part failure when performing; and malfunction caused by material jams. Today, equipment breakdowns where machines are interfaced and have reached a point of incompatibility are becoming more frequent.     

Maintenance: Machinery and equipment maintenance is another aspect of the downtime situation. Apart from these category sources and causes, research indicates facilities with preventive maintenance (PM) programs have less downtime than those who experience high frequency emergency events. With advanced automation and robotic applications, the present downtime situations require people with different training, skills and perhaps philosophy for maintenance.

After manufacturing, warehousing is part of the downtime evaluation as storage, pre-distribution and distribution activities create delays usually not viewed as downtime. For example, forklift trucks carry loads from one area to the next, which can create downtime. However, run studies indicate forklifts can attain 75% utilization levels.  

Downtime, abatement, evaluation and cost will never disappear. Although the definition, cost and effort of downtime have been debated ― it remains a lost cost operation. Simply stated, if there’s no production, there’s no sales; therefore, any downtime evaluation must reflect that industry loss. BI