{"id":14321,"date":"2023-09-13T13:55:25","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T19:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/limblecmms.com\/?page_id=14321"},"modified":"2025-03-24T13:35:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T19:35:45","slug":"downtime","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/limblecmms.com\/learn\/definitions\/downtime\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Downtime"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Downtime<\/h1>

Everything you ever needed to know about downtime in maintenance.<\/h2><\/header>Free CMMS Buyer's Guide<\/span><\/a>\n
\n \n <\/span>Last updated on March 24, 2025<\/span>\n <\/span>\n bBrinton<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n [\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top” css=”.vc_custom_1687442797424{margin-top: 40px !important;}” el_class=”limble-page-blog-width”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

What is downtime?<\/h2>\n

Simply put, downtime refers to a period during which a system is unavailable.
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Downtime can be planned or unplanned:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Unplanned downtime<\/b> is just what it sounds like \u2013 time lost to unforeseen circumstances. Unexpected equipment breakdowns are the most common cause of unplanned downtime.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Planned downtime<\/b> is much more constructive, intentional, and rejuvenative. It is the necessary \u201ctime off\u201d our systems and equipment take while they undergo <\/span>routine maintenance.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What is common for both of these scenarios is that equipment is not available to be used for its intended function for a period of time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Downtime affects many different industries financially, socially, and operationally. Prime examples come from the industrial sector and the IT industry where downtimes can lead to major profit losses.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”middle” kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-bottom” kd_top_separator_style=”skew-left” kd_top_separator_height=”separator-height-small” kd_bottom_separator_style=”skew-left” kd_bottom_separator_height=”separator-height-small” kd_top_separator=”true” kd_bottom_separator=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1682969576554{margin-bottom: 40px !important;padding-top: 120px !important;padding-right: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;padding-left: 40px !important;background: #dde4e8 url(https:\/\/limblecmms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cta-laired-hex-4.webp?id=9077) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;border-radius: 0px !important;}” css_tablet_landscape=”.vc_custom_1682969576554{padding-bottom: 80px !important;}” css_tablet_portrait=”.vc_custom_1682969576555{padding-bottom: 80px !important;}” css_mobile=”.vc_custom_1682969576555{padding-bottom: 80px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top”][vc_column_inner]

    Checklist for Creating a Preventive Maintenance Plan<\/h2>

    Following a consistent Preventive Maintenance Plan can make life easier. Use this checklist to create your own!<\/h6><\/header>[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner content_placement=”top” kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1631866454223{padding-right: 50px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” offset=”vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-12 vc_col-xs-12″ css_tablet_landscape=”.vc_custom_1631866454223{padding-right: 0px !important;}” css_tablet_portrait=”.vc_custom_1631866454223{padding-right: 0px !important;}” css_mobile=”.vc_custom_1631866454224{padding-right: 15px !important;}”][vc_raw_html]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[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image source=”external_link” alignment=”center” css_animation=”fadeIn” custom_src=”https:\/\/3975608.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net\/hubfs\/3975608\/Content%20Downloads\/PM%20Checklist%20mockup.png”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top” css=”.vc_custom_1687442797424{margin-top: 40px !important;}” el_class=”limble-page-blog-width”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    Table of Contents<\/span><\/h2>\n

    What does downtime mean in manufacturing?<\/span><\/a>
    \n    What does downtime mean in IT?<\/a>
    \n    The relationship between downtime and availability<\/a>
    \n    Most common causes of equipment downtime<\/a>
    \n    How to reduce unplanned downtime<\/a>
    \n    It’s time to get to work<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top” css=”.vc_custom_1687440273251{margin-top: 40px !important;}” el_class=”limble-page-blog-width”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    What does downtime mean in manufacturing?<\/h2>\n

    Manufacturers (and leaders in other asset-heavy industries) have been battling equipment downtime for as long as they exist. And no wonder. If machines are unavailable, no work is getting done that day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Alongside the negative impacts on revenue generation, downtime can also disrupt our relationships and contracts with partnering companies due to the obstructed flow of input and output.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Organizations often use metrics like <\/span>Mean Time To Repair (MTTR)<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)<\/span><\/a> to track downtime and estimate the effectiveness of performed maintenance work. MTTR is not a perfect measure, but can be informative when considered as one of the downtime factors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    There are many causes of equipment downtime, and a few smart ways to prevent and manage them. We discuss those later in the article.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top” css=”.vc_custom_1687440273251{margin-top: 40px !important;}” el_class=”limble-page-blog-width”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    What does downtime mean in IT?<\/h2>\n

    In the information technology industry, the definition of downtime is the time during which an IT system is offline or not operational. Network failures and outages leading to loss of productivity, loss of revenue, and hefty recovery costs are what makes up for the majority of network downtime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The average cost of network downtime is <\/span>estimated at $300k per hour<\/span><\/a>. That\u2019s a lot of reasons to keep this amount of time to a minimum.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Server unavailability can be due to shutdowns for maintenance and software upgrades, equipment breakdowns, or even due to external factors like power outages or <\/span>cybersecurity attacks<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top” css=”.vc_custom_1687440273251{margin-top: 40px !important;}” el_class=”limble-page-blog-width”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    The relationship between downtime and availability<\/h2>\n

    Availability<\/span><\/i><\/a> measures the probability of a piece of equipment being available when needed. In other words, it shows what are the chances that a piece of equipment is fully operational during its intended work hours.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    A piece of equipment is said to be available if it is:<\/span><\/p>\n