Key takeaways
Short answer: Manual downtime tracking relies on operators noticing, timing, and classifying every stop — so short stops vanish and causes get guessed. Automatic capture records every stoppage from the machine signal, then asks the operator only to classify. The result: manual data hides micro-stops and mislabels causes, so the Pareto you act on is often wrong. See also oee for manufacturing.
When micro-stops finally appear in the data, they often jump to the top of the Pareto — a loss category manual logs hid completely. Plants regularly discover their real biggest loss was invisible.
Let the machine detect and time the stop; let the operator add the reason. You get complete, accurate timing with human context — the best of both.
Accurate downtime data is the foundation of trustworthy OEE. Manual gaps inflate Availability and hide the micro-stops that crush Performance.
See how Fabrico captures this automatically on your lines — explore OEE for manufacturing or book a demo.
No, but it under-reports short stops and misclassifies causes.
A machine signal or sensor to detect stops.
They are often the single largest hidden loss.
Automatic detection plus operator-entered reasons.