Benchmark for line downtime due to breakdown

[AndG]

We have a packaging line for ornamental fish food. In order to improve line availability we are looking for benchmark for line downtime due to breakdown of a station.
For example:
The available production time for the line is 8 hours.
30 minutes downtime due to machine breakdown in a station
=>Breakdown Downtime is 6,25%.
Maybe someone has a similar packaging line and could post it`s breakdown downtime or knows sources where to find a benchmark. We could compare it with our breakdown downtime (8%-9%) and conclude whether we have to improve our maintenance or not.

Andreas

 

[PSE]

Having a machine break down is never a good thing. If your line matches your example and is used 8 hours, you should attempt to reach 0% downtime by doing maintenance off-shift. If possible, characterize some of the typical breakdown/wear symptoms and see if you can monitor them as the line runs. This way, you might be able to tell when the line is going to begin having a problem and pro-actively prevent it.

Regards,

 

[AndG]

Thanks for your answer. Of course we do effort to reach 0% downtime but to my mind we will never achieve this. You can`t precisly predict breakdowns and monitoring symptoms is expensive. What we need is a figure in order to benchmark ourselves. For example, if other lines run at 5% downtime we would know that we have to improve something.

 

[finman]

I don't think that using somebody elses line downtime figures will give you anything to go on at all. There are too many variables involved ie Skills and motivation of your maintenance team, the condition of the plant and resources (both people and money) available for example.

In the ideal world we all strive for zero downtime but in reality it's almost impossible.

I have been in a similar situation in being pushed to commit to downtime figures on a newly commissioned plant and having no prior knowledge of what to expect. My way of dealing with this was to keep a "Plant Day Book" in which all members of the team logged breakages, repairs, modifications and improvements.

Analysing the raw data from the Day book and including known planned maintenance schedules gave us workable figures within a short time, we kept the book going and could predict certain breakages which we included back into the maintenance schedules.

Our downtime figures varied over a 3 year period, initally the plant was running nearly all the time, then we had a period of higher downtime figures until the day book caught up with the plant condition, then the downtime figures improved as a result of improved planned maintenance.

 

[Genious]

You can benchmark procedures of preventive maintenance, trainings, procedures of a same type machine and never wait to have the same results.
The best approach to achive downtime REDUCTION (no elimination) is:
1. Measure your process downtimes (for example as described by finman above)
2. Make a Pareto chart to identify the most common downtimes.
3. For each downtime stablish a root-cause analysis to see if some types downtimes can be eliminate by PM's, procedures, etc. MAKE IMPROVEMENTS!!!
4. For the rest of the downtimes try to statistically simulate the downtimes for schedule purposes. From those statistics you can make a rough calculations as for example a tool life, when to buy a replacement piece, etc.
5. MONITOR your process
Have Fun

The Genious

 

[griffengm]

AndG,
Genious has the process correct but if you want some benchmarks, I suggest you look at folks like Quaker foods,Post or Kellog. Their processes are going to be similar to yours.
There may be a contact available through SME in Battle Creek, MI., Danville IL. or others.
Just a possibility.

Griffy