SiteDowntime and breakdowns
What to do when the line stops, and how to stop it happening again.
- Downtime and breakdowns
The 30-minute rule: when to stop trying and call for help
Nobody decides to waste three hours on a fault. It happens ten minutes at a time. A simple rule for when your shift stops trying and picks up the phone.
12 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Who signs off the restart? Handover after a breakdown
The fix is done. Now someone has to say the machine is safe to run. Who that should be, what they check, and why it can't be whoever's nearest.
10 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
What to have ready before the callout engineer arrives
You're paying from the moment the callout engineer reaches your gate. What to have ready so the first hour goes on the fault, not the car park.
8 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Writing a fault report an engineer can actually use
"Line 3 not working" costs an engineer the first hour. What a useful fault report says, who should write it, and how to get it written at 2am.
6 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Reset and run: the most expensive habit on site
Reset and run gets the line back in two minutes. Then it trips again, and again. Why the habit costs more than the fix, and how to break it.
3 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
The fault that keeps coming back: finding the root cause on a busy shift
Same machine, same fault, third time this month. How to find the real cause when the shift only gives you time to get it running.
2 September 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Hot weather and breakdowns: panels, motors and chillers
Heat finds the weak spots in a site: drives that derate, motors that trip and chillers that can't keep up. What to check before the next hot spell.
31 August 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
What an hour of downtime really costs you, and how to work it out
Most sites guess the cost of a stopped line, and guess low. A simple way to work out your own figure, and why it changes the 2am decision.
30 August 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Bank holiday breakdowns: covering a long weekend
Three days, a thin team and suppliers shut till Tuesday. How to plan cover for a bank holiday weekend before the line stops on Saturday night.
28 August 2026 · 5 min read - Downtime and breakdowns
Machine down at 2am: the phone call that decides the next six hours
At 2am the fix starts with a phone call. Who you ring, what you tell them and what you ask decides when the line runs again.
26 August 2026 · 5 min read
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