Avoid downtime with automation

Every day, companies spend time and money due to production downtimes, disruptions in material handling or unplanned maintenance. Modern automation can significantly reduce downtimes, provided that systems are designed not only for maximum performance but also for long-term durability, flexibility and ease of maintenance.

Find out what is really important for a future-proof automation strategy.

Why do downtimes occur despite automation?

Automation is considered essential for higher productivity and more efficient processes. Nevertheless, unexpected failures occur in many systems. The causes are often not in the robotics or control technology itself, but in the components and processes related to continuous operation.

Automation is considered essential for higher productivity and more efficient processes. Nevertheless, unexpected failures occur in many systems. The causes are often not in the robotics or control technology itself, but in the components and processes related to continuous operation.

Typical reasons for unplanned downtime are:

• Wear on moving components
• Insufficient maintenance strategies
• Systems not designed for the actual ambient conditions
• Dust, dirt and changing loads
• Inflexible system concepts for product or format changes
• Lack of acceptance by employees
• Poor scalability when processes are changed

In production environments and material handling in particular, weaknesses often only emerge in 24/7 operation. This makes it even more important to take possible risks of failure into account during the planning phase.

Characteristics of flexible automation:

• Fast adaptation to new formats
• Processing of different product variants
• Scalable system concepts
• Simple expansion options
• Intelligent software and control solutions

The greater the flexibility, the lower the risk that processes will be interrupted or have to be manually bypassed.

Involve employees as soon as possible and ensure acceptance

Technology alone does not prevent downtime. Organisational factors also have a decisive influence on the success of an automation project.

If employees are involved in planning and implementation at an early stage, the acceptance of new solutions increases considerably. At the same time, practical requirements can be identified and taken into account in good time.

Check the following points before starting the project:

✅ Are processes sufficiently standardised and strong?

✅ Have maintenance effort and service life been taken into account?

✅ Are the components designed for continuous operation?

✅ Can product and format changes be processed in a flexible way?

✅ Is there a concept for preventive maintenance?

✅ Are critical components monitored?

✅ Are employees involved at an early stage?

✅ Is the system scalable for future requirements?

✅ Does the solution work even under the actual environmental conditions?

✅ Is long-term system availability defined so that it can be measured?

People who plan end-to-end automation not only reduce manual work steps, but also create reliable processes with high availability. It is crucial to ensure that components are robust, systems require little maintenance, processes are flexible and to integrate employees at an early stage.

Download the guidelines now and find out how you can avoid downtime, increase system availability and exploit the full potential of your automation projects.

Download guidelines now

✓ Practical recommendations for action
✓ Checklist for automation projects
✓ Tips for increasing system availability
✓ Strategies for low-maintenance and robust processes