The "Domino Effect": How One Loose Bolt Stops a Factory (2026)

Have you ever watched a video of thousands of dominoes falling?
It starts with a tiny push. One small piece of plastic hits another. Thirty seconds later, a massive tower collapses.

This is exactly how a catastrophic breakdown happens in a factory.
We call it The Domino Effect (or Cascading Failure).

When the main conveyor stops on a Friday night, the Plant Manager asks: "What broke?"
The Technician says: "The main motor burned out."
The Manager thinks: "Bad Motor."

But that is wrong. The motor was the last domino.
If you rewind the tape, you find the first domino: A loose bolt on a mounting bracket.

Here is the simple guide to understanding how small things destroy big things, and how to stop the chain.

1. Anatomy of a Cascade

Let’s trace the death of a $10,000 Motor.

• Domino 1 (Day 1): A mounting bolt vibrates loose by 2mm.

  • Cost to Fix: $0 (1 minute with a wrench).

  • Status: Ignored.

• Domino 2 (Week 2): The loose mount causes the shaft to misalign. Vibration increases.

  • Cost to Fix: $100 (Re-alignment).

  • Status: Ignored (Operator turns up the radio to hide the noise).

• Domino 3 (Week 4): The vibration destroys the rubber seal on the bearing. Oil leaks out.

  • Cost to Fix: $300 (New Seal).

  • Status: Ignored (Someone wipes up the oil but doesn't report it).

• Domino 4 (Week 6): The dry bearing seizes. The motor fights to turn it. Overheats. BOOM.

  • Cost to Fix: $10,000 + 8 Hours of Downtime.

We blame the motor. We should blame the bolt.

2. Why We Ignore the First Domino

Why didn't anyone tighten the bolt on Day 1?
Because it didn't look like a problem. It wasn't stopping the line.
In a busy factory, we are trained to fix Stops, not Risks.

This is the "Urgency Trap."

• The Motor stopped (Urgent).

• The Bolt is loose (Not Urgent).

But the Bolt is the Cause of the Urgency.

3. Breaking the Chain (Early Detection)

To save money, you must move your maintenance attention from Domino 10 to Domino 1.

Strategy: The "Sensory" Inspection
You don't need high-tech sensors to find a loose bolt. You need eyes and ears.

• Operator Rounds: Every morning, the operator scans the machine.

• The Checklist: It shouldn't just say "Check Machine." It should say: "Check mounting bolts. Are they tight?"

Strategy: Digital Reporting
If an operator sees the loose bolt, they need a way to tell you instantly.
If they write it on a piece of paper, the paper gets lost. The chain continues.
If they scan a QR Code with Fabrico, the Maintenance Manager gets an alert: "Loose Bolt on Conveyor 4."
He sends a tech. Tech tightens bolt. Chain broken. You just saved $10,000.

Conclusion: Sweat the Small Stuff

In maintenance, there is no such thing as a "Small Problem."
A small problem is just a big problem waiting to grow up.

Teach your team to respect the dominoes. Fix the bolt. Save the factory.

Stop the cascade.
[Request a Demo] and see how Fabrico captures the small defects before they become disasters.