The machine is ready - and then?

But this happens more often than you might think: "Unplanned requirements due to machine downtime in production and manufacturing are not the exception, but the rule," says Michael Schlagenhaufer, responsible for Manufacturing & Maintenance at Conrad Electronic. And that is why this topic is now the focus of the Conrad Sourcing Platform.

Machine breakdowns at 67% of all industrial companies

Current studies such as ABB's "Value of Reliability Report" support the Conrad expert's assessment: despite preventive and predictive measures, 67% of all industrial companies experience at least one unplanned machine failure per month. If this lasts more than three days, this means an average gross profit loss of €70,000 for the affected company. If you calculate what a machine downtime costs the German economy, the result is a proud minus of 147,000 euros per hour.

Professional handling of unplanned requirements

The logical question is: how can unplanned requirements be prevented and, if the worst comes to the worst, how can we react quickly? "Predictive maintenance undoubtedly helps to avoid machine downtime. However, there are still too many other factors outside the sphere of influence of maintenance that lead to cost-intensive production downtimes and the associated unforeseen requirements," explains Michael Schlagenhaufer.

In these critical moments, those responsible often act under stress and enormous time pressure. This is precisely when holistic procurement partners who deliver fast and reliable solutions are needed. "Whether bulk orders for optimum stock-keeping or individual spare parts when there's a fire: we have been procuring components, measurement technology and accessories for machines and systems for more than 25 years. We are therefore familiar with possible causes, requirements and solutions for the professional handling of machine downtimes and are happy to share this knowledge on the subject of unplanned requirements," continues the Conrad expert.

"Unplanned requirements" - causes, risks, checklists, whitepaper

If you want to stabilize processes in the long term, you have to identify the causes and take strategic preventative measures. The new Conrad information pages on the cover topic of "Unplanned requirements in production" offer support and provide valuable ideas: interested parties can find out how they can not only eliminate unplanned requirements with targeted warehousing, strategic purchasing and smart planning, but also systematically avoid them. A checklist is also available that can be used to check operating processes for unplanned requirements, as well as a white paper that shows how predictive maintenance can enable smoother production.