Almost half of UK manufacturers are experiencing production downtime because of delayed visibility or unresolved issues, while one in three is losing revenue, according to new research from manufacturing performance software provider OFS.

The cost of not seeing

The research found that the consequences of poor visibility extend across the business:

• 46% report production downtime
• 41% have experienced increased costs
• 33% have missed delivery deadlines or DIFOT targets
• 33% have lost revenue
• 18% have lost customers or contracts

The findings highlight a persistent problem for manufacturers investing in smart machinery and digital systems. Automated systems can capture faults and tell manufacturers what has happened, but they cannot always capture the human context that explains why.

The missing why

OFS found that 66% of operations teams rely on workarounds outside official systems at least occasionally. When asked why, the most common reason, cited by 33%, is that official systems fail to capture the why behind production issues.

James Magee, CEO at OFS, said: “Manufacturers can spend millions on smart machinery and still have a visibility problem. Automated data is incredibly valuable, but a machine can tell you that a line stopped without necessarily telling you why it keeps stopping.

“The person running that line often knows. They understand the recurring issues, the context around a fault and the small changes that could prevent it happening again. When systems don’t give them a simple way to capture that knowledge, it disappears into spreadsheets, paper notes, conversations and other workarounds.

“That matters commercially. Our research shows delayed visibility and unresolved problems are already contributing to downtime for almost half of manufacturers, increased costs for four in ten and lost revenue for a third.”

Rethinking top-down systems

OFS argues that manufacturers need to rethink the traditional top-down approach to operational technology. Systems are often designed around leadership reporting and oversight, rather than around the people using them on the factory floor.

Instead, the company advocates servant leadership: a shopfloor-first approach that combines automated line tracking with a simple way for operators to record downtime reasons, feedback and continuous improvement ideas.

Jonathan Newton, general manager Europe at OFS, said: “Operators using workarounds shouldn’t automatically be seen as resistant to technology. Often they are trying to capture something the official system doesn’t allow them to say.

“The opportunity is to bring that knowledge into the same place as the automated production data. When operators can easily add the ‘why’ to the machine’s ‘what’, manufacturers get a much richer picture of performance and can start tackling the root causes behind recurring problems.

“The frontline sees these issues every shift. Giving those people the tools to turn what they know into action is one of the most powerful ways manufacturers can continuously improve and prevent today’s production problem becoming tomorrow’s lost customer.”

Knowledge

The research suggests that investment in smart machinery alone does not guarantee visibility. Where official systems cannot record the reasons behind a stoppage, that knowledge sits with operators and in workarounds rather than alongside the automated data, leaving recurring problems harder to tackle at root. For manufacturers, the commercial stakes OFS highlights run from downtime and higher costs to missed deliveries and, for almost one in five, lost customers or contracts.

The full report is available at ofsystems.com.