SiteDowntime and breakdowns
What to do when the line stops, and how to stop it happening again.
- Downtime and breakdowns
Palletiser and wrapper breakdowns: end-of-line faults that stop everything
When the palletiser or wrapper stops, the whole line backs up behind it. The usual faults, the traps inside the cell, and how to get it moving safely.
25 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Gearbox failure on a critical line: the decisions in the first hour
The gearbox has let go on your busiest line. Repair, swap or wait for a new one? The calls to make in the first hour, before the line makes them for you.
23 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Motor burnt out: replace like for like, or find out why first?
A burnt-out motor is easy to swap and easy to burn out again. How to get the line back today without fitting the same failure twice.
21 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
When the PLC loses its program: the backups you'll wish you had
The PLC's gone blank and nobody knows where the program is. What to do in the first hour, and the backups that would have saved the night.
19 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Compressed air down: the site-wide breakdown nobody plans for
When the air goes, every line goes with it. How to find the cause fast, restart safely, and stop one compressor holding the whole site to ransom.
17 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Hydraulic failure: what to do in the first ten minutes
A hose lets go, there's oil on the floor and the pump is still running. The first ten minutes decide whether this is a repair or an injury.
15 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
The breakdown that was really an operator problem
The callout engineer finds the machine in manual mode, or a jam cleared the wrong way. Why it keeps happening, and why blaming the operator won't stop it.
13 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Remote support on a breakdown: when a video call fixes it
A video call can fix a parameter or a fault code in ten minutes. It can't put hands on a seized bearing. How to tell which breakdown you've got.
10 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Getting the most out of the machine supplier's helpline
The supplier's helpline can save you a callout or waste an hour. What to have in your hand before you ring, and what to ask for once you're through.
9 October 2026 · 6 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Machine maker's engineer or local engineer: who to call for which breakdown
The maker can send someone Thursday. A local engineer could be there in two hours. Which one you call should depend on the fault, not the badge on the machine.
6 October 2026 · 4 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
The part you need isn't on the shelf: what to do at 2am
The CMMS says one in stock. The bin is empty. The supplier opens at eight. How to make the 2am call between waiting, borrowing and fitting something close.
4 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Breakdown or bodge? How temporary fixes become permanent
Every site has a fix that was meant to last till the part came. Two years on, it's still there. How bodges stick, which ones break the law, and how to stop them.
2 October 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Production versus maintenance at 3am: keeping the row out of the fix
At 3am the shift manager wants the line back and the fitter wants it fixed properly. Agree who decides what in daylight, so the row never gets near the machine.
29 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
The first hour of a breakdown, and why it's never about knowing what to do
Your team knows how to isolate a machine. What goes wrong in a breakdown is pressure. How to run the first hour so the line doesn't make the decisions for you.
25 September 2026 · 6 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Mean time to repair: the number your board should be asking about
Boards ask about output and OEE. Few ask how long it takes to fix a machine once it stops, or where those hours go. They should.
24 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Five whys on the shop floor, without a blame session
Five whys works on a breakdown if you ask about the machine and the system, not the person. How to run one in twenty minutes without anyone going on the defensive.
22 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
A breakdown log that actually tells you something
"Fixed. Running." tells you nothing next month. What to put in a breakdown log so it shows you the repeat faults, the skills gaps and the case for spend.
21 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
When the only person who knows the machine is on holiday
The old sorter goes down on day two of the one engineer's fortnight in Spain. How to get through it, and how to stop it happening next summer.
19 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Single points of failure: the machine that can stop your whole site
Every site has one machine that stops everything when it goes. Most sites don't know which one it is until it fails. How to find it and cover it.
16 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Why breakdowns on nights take longer, and what to do about it
The same fault takes an hour on days and four on nights. The fitter isn't the problem. How to set nights up so a breakdown doesn't run until morning.
15 September 2026 · 6 min read
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