Downtime and loss analysis
Machine downtime tracking software that finds where output goes
Downtime tracking software records every machine stop automatically, with its start time, duration and reason, and adds up the losses by machine, cause, shift and product. It turns "the line was down a lot" into a ranked list of causes, so maintenance and production fix the few that cost the most.
Free scoping call. We start with one line, never change your machine logic, and you own the code and the data.
- material movements tracked a day, integrated steel plant
- 720,000+
- fewer dispatch errors with RFID and barcode dispatch
- 90%
- items an hour through RFID warehouse automation
- 16,800
Company reported project figures, not independently audited, not a promise for another plant. Samsung Business Insights: our RFID warehouse automation story (opens in a new tab). Forbes India Brand Connect (sponsored): founder profile (opens in a new tab).
Sound familiar?
- The downtime register shows long breakdowns only; short stops never appear.
- "Others" is the most common downtime reason.
- Maintenance and production disagree about what stopped the line.
- Overtime is used to recover output lost to stops nobody measured.
Each of these is output, margin or time you have already paid for and are not getting back.
What you get
Every stop, timed
Automatic detection from the machine, with start, end and duration.
A reason list that works
Ten to fifteen reasons per machine type, agreed with operators and maintenance.
A weekly loss Pareto
Ranked by output lost on the bottleneck, with MTBF and MTTR per asset.
Action, not just charts
Breakdowns can raise a work order in your maintenance system.
What we have built
Our QR based maintenance and video SOP systems support blast furnaces, coke ovens, rolling mills and processing lines, with more than ₹80,000 crore (about US$9.6 billion) of machinery under maintenance.
Figures are company reported from past projects. They are not independently audited benchmarks and are not a promise for another plant. Read the case studies.
How we work
What we build
We build downtime tracking with automatic stop detection, line side reason entry, escalation rules and loss analysis, connected to your maintenance system and ERP. It runs standalone or inside an MES, and it shares its data with OEE and predictive maintenance so the same stop is never counted twice.
Where to start
- 1Connect the bottleneck. Automatic stop detection on the machine that limits output.
- 2Fix the reason list. Ten to fifteen reasons agreed with operators and maintenance.
- 3Review weekly. A fifteen minute Pareto review with production and maintenance.
- 4Extend. Add machines and connect to predictive maintenance once the causes are clear.
How it works
How downtime tracking works
- 1Detect. A run signal, a count that stops increasing, or motor current tells the system the machine has stopped.
- 2Classify. After a set time the operator picks a reason on a tablet at the line; the list is specific to that machine.
- 3Escalate. Long stops alert the maintenance supervisor or the planner, depending on the reason.
- 4Analyse. Pareto charts rank losses by cause, machine and shift, with MTBF and MTTR per asset.
- 5Act. The top cause becomes a work order, a setup improvement or a planning change, and the trend shows if it worked.
Production loss and bottleneck analysis
Not every stop costs output. A stop on a machine with spare capacity is absorbed by buffers; a stop on the bottleneck is lost for the whole plant. Loss analysis weights downtime by where it happens, so the team works on the losses that actually reduce dispatch. Watching where work in progress accumulates, and which machine is rarely starved or blocked, is the practical way to find the bottleneck.
Background
Why manual downtime logs understate losses
A handwritten log records the long breakdowns people remember. It misses the two minute jams, the waits for material and the slow restarts, and it rounds everything to the nearest quarter hour. When plants move to automatic stop detection, the recorded downtime usually rises, not because the line got worse but because the losses were always there.
Types of downtime to separate
| Category | Examples | Usual owner |
|---|---|---|
| Breakdown | Motor failure, hydraulic leak, tool breakage | Maintenance |
| Changeover and setup | Die change, product change, cleaning | Production engineering |
| Waiting | No material, no operator, no crane, upstream stopped | Planning and stores |
| Quality stop | Out of tolerance, first piece approval | Quality |
| Short stops | Jams, sensor trips, misfeeds under a few minutes | Production and maintenance |
| Planned | Breaks, planned maintenance, no orders | Excluded or tracked separately |
When we are not the right choice
- Your downtime is already measured automatically and the causes are known. You need improvement work, not software.
- The bottleneck is not a machine but material supply or orders. We will say so in the first call.
Common concerns, answered
Will this disrupt production?
No. We connect read only first, install during planned stops, and edge devices buffer data so a network problem never stops a machine. Nothing writes to a PLC without your controls team and a test.
Our machines are old. Do we need to replace them?
No. Old machines are the usual case. A running signal, a cycle signal or a current sensor on the motor is enough to start, without touching the machine program.
We tried a system before and nobody used it.
That is the most common failure, so we design with the operators and supervisors who will use it, start with one report they already fill in by hand, and only extend once they rely on it.
What about IT security?
Read only by default, a segmented OT network, and a review with your IT team before anything connects, following the ISA/IEC 62443 zone approach.
We will not replace SAP or Oracle. Do we have to?
No. We connect to the ERP you already run through its standard interfaces and add what the shop floor is missing. Your ERP stays the system of record.
Do your engineers understand a heavy industrial floor?
Our systems run in steel plants, warehouses and process lines. We start every project by walking the line with your operators and supervisors, and the first release is tested by them, not only by IT.
Are we locked in?
No. You own the source code and the data, documented, in your own repository. Another team can maintain it.
Frequently asked questions
How do you reduce machine downtime?
Measure every stop automatically, classify it with a short reason list, rank causes by lost output on the bottleneck, and fix the top cause before moving on. Typical fixes are planned maintenance for repeat failures, setup reduction for changeovers and better material planning for waiting time.
What is the difference between downtime tracking and OEE?
Downtime tracking focuses on stops and their causes. OEE combines availability, which is where downtime appears, with performance and quality. Downtime tracking is the most important input to the availability part of OEE.
Do we need sensors on every machine?
No. Start with the bottleneck and the machines with the most complaints. Many machines already provide a usable running signal; a current sensor covers most of the rest.
Can downtime data trigger maintenance work orders?
Yes. A stop classified as a breakdown can raise a work order in your maintenance system or CMMS, with the machine, time and reason attached.
What are MTBF and MTTR?
Mean time between failures is the average running time between breakdowns. Mean time to repair is the average time to restore the machine. Tracked per asset, they show whether reliability and maintenance response are improving.
Related reading
References
Start with one line and one number
We scope one line, agree the number that should move, and show it moving before anything is scaled. You keep the code and the data.
Step 1
An engineer reads it
Not a sales bot. Our team replies within 24 hours with questions or times for a call.
Step 2
30 minute call
Your process, machines, systems and the number you want to move. We tell you honestly if we are a fit.
Step 3
A written scope for one line
What we would connect, what you would see, how long it takes. You decide; nothing starts without your approval.
Reviewed by Amey Kadle, Founder, Ajinkya Technologies. Last reviewed: .