Equipment failure – and the resulting downtime – is the top risk for meeting production targets, according to new research from Plant Services and Augury. Over one-third (36.4%) of corporate respondents and 43.5% of plant respondents identified this as the biggest risk, followed by workforce shortages and raw material shortages.
In addition, 81% of respondents expect their production targets to increase in the next year, which will only increase the impact of equipment failures.
Respondents were from a variety of industries, including food and beverage. Here are some other key findings:
- Supply chain disruptions were the top challenge overall, with unplanned production downtime and workforce issues also causing significant strain.
- While equipment failures are a major problem, only one-third (33.3%) of companies report having the ability to visualize the real-time condition of their critical assets.
- Preventative maintenance is used by 83% of companies and basic predictive maintenance by almost 51%; however, 46% still use a run-to-failure approach. Barely one-quarter (26%) use condition-based predictive maintenance.
The authors identify technologies such as sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostics that can give manufacturers more insight into their operations. “To address the challenges identified in this report, forward-thinking organizations have already begun adopting such new methods of managing their assets and operations at scale, and the remainder would do well to follow suit,” they conclude.
Read more about the value of predictive maintenance for CPG companies: Packaging Equipment Trends at PACK EXPO: Flexibility, Robotics, and Predictive Maintenance
