What Downtime Actually Costs You (It’s More Than You Think)

According to an industry analysis, the average cost of downtime in a mid- to high-volume Surface Mount Technology (SMT) production line is between: 

$500 and $2,000 per hour 

This isn’t just machine idle time. It includes: 

• Labor standing still 

• Missed throughput targets 

• Lost opportunity cost 

• Late delivery penalties 

• Emergency overtime to catch up 

• And sometimes, lost customer trust 

Now consider this: even a relatively conservative 120 hours of unplanned downtime per year (just 10 hours/month) adds up to: 

$60,000 to $240,000 in annual losses per production line 

And many operations are experiencing far more downtime than they track. 

Where Downtime Comes From 

Downtime isn’t always dramatic. It often creeps in from repeatable, preventable issues like: 

• Feeder errors or jams 

• Nozzle wear or calibration drift 

• Reflow oven temperature drift 

• Unstable solder paste conditions 

• Frequent changeovers in high-mix environments 

• Human error during setups or manual data entry 

Left unchecked, these small inefficiencies accumulate into massive annual costs. 

How Real-Time SPC Helps You Reclaim That Lost Time 

Most downtime is predictable if you’re looking at the right data, in real time. Minitab Real-Time SPC gives manufacturers the power to detect small changes in process parameters before they snowball into stoppages. 

With Real-Time SPC, you can: 

• Monitor machine behavior continuously, catching early signs of misalignment, drift, or wear 

• Trigger automatic alerts when data breaches control limits or trends emerge 

• Reduce response times by flagging anomalies immediately to operators 

• Prevent rework loops by addressing root causes early 

• Establish true preventive maintenance, based on process data, not guesses 

The Bottom Line: 

By using Real-Time SPC, manufacturers can estimate a recovery of 50–200 hours of production time per line, per year. That translates into $50,000 to $200,000 in savings—and in many cases, far more. 

Want to Go Further? Automate YOUR Data Collection 

If you’re still relying on operators to manually collect and log process data, you're losing even more time (and introducing risk). But with Prolink, you can capture data faster and more accurately. 

Prolink Enables: 

• Automatic data collection from SMT machines, reflow ovens, inspection systems, and measurement tools 

• Seamless integration with Minitab Statistical Software for deeper analysis 

• No manual transcription errors, no delay, no bottlenecks 

With Prolink, you gain true real-time insight—not just into quality, but into process stability and uptime. 

Downtime Is Inevitable. Profit Loss Isn’t. 

Every production line will experience stoppages. Leaders predict, prevent, and minimize them. Others are left scrambling after the damage is done. Minitab Real-Time SPC and Prolink’s automated data collection gives you the visibility to stay ahead of downtime, not behind it. 

Don’t guess what downtime is costing you. Measure it. Fix it. And reclaim your margins.