Industrial losses and general equipment utilization are grouped as follows.
- Unavailability losses.
- Line operation and performance losses.
- Quality losses.
Six Major Causes of Industrial Losses
Unplanned Stoppages
Unplanned stoppages refer to production stoppages due to unexpected and unforeseen reasons, even though production was planned. Examples include equipment breakdowns, damage, spare parts shortages, operator shortages, line upstream/downstream waiting defects, etc.
Planned Stoppages
Planned stoppages refer to planned stoppages due to unavoidable work, even though production was planned. Examples include changing product types to be produced on the line, adjustments, planned cleaning, planned maintenance, quality control, etc.
Minor Stoppages
Minor stoppages refer to equipment stopping for a short period (usually one or two minutes) and operators returning it to operation. Minor stoppages are usually chronic (same problem/different day) and operators return machines to operation using their own improvised methods. Examples: incorrect products entering the machine, material jams, incorrect settings, incorrectly adjusted sensors, meters, etc.
Slow Speed
Slow speed refers to the time to produce one product being slower than the fastest possible time. Examples include unclean or severely worn equipment, insufficient oil lubrication, inexperienced operators, operating machines with raw materials that do not meet requirements, etc.
Normal Line Defects
Normal line defects are considered from the quality loss perspective of production defects that occur during normal operation of the production line. Specifically, products manufactured with errors due to equipment settings or operator errors are called normal line defects. Examples include products that need repair or incorrect date printing, etc.
Startup Defects
Startup defects refer to defects that occur before the line stabilizes or when just starting operation. These types of defects usually occur after changing the type of product to be produced on the line.
