Micro-Stops in Manufacturing: The "Silent Killer" of OEE

In the world of OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), "The Breakdown" gets all the attention.

When a motor blows and the line stops for 4 hours, everyone reacts. Maintenance rushes in, the Plant Manager comes down to the floor, and a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is filed.

But in reality, breakdowns rarely kill your efficiency. Micro-stops do.

A "Micro-Stop" (or Minor Stop/Idling) is any stoppage typically lasting less than 2 minutes. It is a bottle jamming on the rail, a sensor getting dusted over, or a box getting stuck in the taper. The operator walks over, kicks the machine, hits reset, and walks away.

Total time down: 45 seconds.
Frequency: 60 times a shift.
Total Lost Time: 45 Minutes per shift.

That is nearly an hour of lost production that usually goes completely unrecorded. Here is how to find, track, and eliminate the "Silent Killer" of manufacturing.

What is a Micro-Stop? (Snippet Bait)

A Micro-Stop (also known as a Minor Stop, Short Stop, or Idling) is a production interruption of short duration—typically under 2 minutes—that does not require maintenance intervention. Unlike a breakdown, the operator usually resolves it quickly (e.g., clearing a jam). However, because they are frequent and rarely documented, micro-stops are the primary cause of "Performance Loss" in high-speed manufacturing OEE.

Why "Paper Tracking" Fails at Micro-Stops

If you are using paper log sheets, you have zero data on micro-stops.

Imagine asking an operator to stop what they are doing, walk to a clipboard, and write down: "10:42 AM - Jam - 30 seconds"... sixty times a day. They won't do it. They can't do it. It would take more time to log the error than to fix it.

As a result, these stops vanish.

• The Data: Your manual OEE report says "95% Availability."

• The Reality: Your output is only 70% of the target.

• The Conclusion: Management assumes the operators are just running "Slow" (Performance Loss), when in reality, they are fighting a thousand tiny battles.

How to Detect Micro-Stops (The Technical Solution)

Since humans can't track them, you need automation.

Level 1: IoT / PLC Counting (The "What")

Connecting a system like Fabrico to the machine’s PLC or an optical sensor allows you to log every state change.

• The Logic: If the machine speed drops to zero for >5 seconds but <2 minutes, categorize it automatically as "Micro-Stop."

• The Benefit: You now see the quantity. "Line 4 stopped 142 times today." This is shocking, but it doesn't solve the problem.

Level 2: Computer Vision & "Zoom-In" (The "Why")

This is where modern tech separates from legacy tools. Knowing that it jammed 142 times is useless if you don't know why.

Fabrico uses Computer Vision with a "Video Buffer."

1. The Event: The machine jams. The vision system detects the stop.

2. The Capture: Fabrico saves the video clip from 30 seconds BEFORE the stop happened.

3. The Diagnosis: The engineer opens the dashboard and watches the clips. They see that in 90% of the jams, the "Guide Rail A" vibrates loose, causing the bottle to tilt.

4. The Fix: A maintenance task is created to "Install Lock Washers on Guide Rail A."

The "Cycle of Frustration" (Operator Morale)

Micro-stops are the #1 killer of operator morale.

There is nothing more frustrating than standing at a machine that beeps and stops every 3 minutes. It prevents the operator from getting into a "Flow State." They become glorified babysitters.

By eliminating micro-stops, you don't just increase OEE; you decrease turnover. You turn a frantic, annoying shift into a smooth, predictable one.

3 Steps to Eliminate Micro-Stops

Step 1: The "Pareto" Attack
Do not try to fix everything. Use Fabrico to identify the Top 3 Assets with the highest frequency of stops (Count, not Duration).

• Example: The Labeler stopped 200 times. The Filler stopped 5 times. Ignore the Filler. Focus on the Labeler.

Step 2: Video RCA (Root Cause Analysis)
Watch 10 clips of the Labeler jamming. Is there a pattern?

• Is it a specific SKU?

• Is it a specific raw material batch?

• Is it a mechanical wear issue?

Step 3: The "Centerline" Fix
Often, micro-stops are caused by improper setup (e.g., rails set too tight). Use Digital SOPs in Fabrico to enforce "Centerlining."

• Action: Require operators to verify rail width with a gauge during changeover and log it in the app.

Conclusion: Stop Ignoring the Small Stuff

In high-speed manufacturing, there is no such thing as "Small Stuff." A 10-second stop, repeated enough times, will bankrupt you faster than a 10-hour breakdown.

You cannot fix what you cannot see. Stop relying on manual logs and start using Automated Detection to catch the silent killer.

Turn your micro-stops into major gains. [See Fabrico's Zoom-In Feature in Action].