Unlock Key Insights: Reasons Why Measuring the Availability of Your Equipment is Important

Equipment availability is a critical metric that equipment owners should measure regularly. It represents the percentage of time the equipment is available to work and serves as a good proxy for reliability. The higher the availability, the more reliable the equipment. Understanding and calculating equipment availability can significantly impact your operational efficiency and bottom line.

What is Equipment Availability?

Definition
Equipment availability is defined as the percentage of time your equipment is available to work. It is a key indicator of equipment reliability and performance.

Importance
High equipment availability means your machinery is dependable. It directly correlates with increased productivity.

Factors Affecting Equipment Availability

Expected Working Hours
The first factor in calculating availability is the number of hours a machine is expected to work in a day. For instance, if a forklift is scheduled to operate for two shifts (16 hours), this figure becomes the baseline for availability calculations.

Downtime Hours
The second factor is the number of hours the equipment is down due to repairs or maintenance. If the forklift is down for 2 hours, these hours are subtracted from the expected working hours.

Calculating Equipment Availability

Formula

The formula to calculate equipment availability is:

Example Calculation
If a forklift is expected to work for 16 hours but was down for 2 hours, its availability would be:

This means the forklift was available to work for 87.5% of the scheduled time.

Understanding the Results

Availability vs. Actual Work
Availability does not necessarily mean the equipment worked for the calculated hours. It indicates the time the equipment was ready and available to perform work.

Identifying Downtime Causes
To gain deeper insights, it’s crucial to identify what caused the downtime. Maintenance and repair software can help log and analyze the reasons for downtime, such as specific component failures.

Tools for Tracking Equipment Availability

Maintenance and Repair Software
Using maintenance and repair software helps track and organize repair jobs. This software can capture which components failed and why, providing valuable data for improving equipment reliability.

Fleet Management Solutions
Fleet management solutions like Repnotes offer web-based applications to calculate and track equipment availability. These tools help equipment owners make data-driven decisions to maximize ROI.

Benefits of Measuring Equipment Availability

Improved Decision Making
By measuring availability, you can compare different models and makes of equipment. This data helps in making informed purchasing decisions based on reliability and performance.

Enhanced ROI
Tracking equipment availability allows you to identify and address issues promptly, reducing downtime and maintenance costs. This leads to better utilization of resources and higher returns on investment.

Increased Operational Efficiency
High availability ensures that your equipment is always ready to perform, leading to smoother operations and increased productivity.

Measuring and understanding equipment availability is crucial for maximizing operational efficiency and ROI. By using maintenance and repair software, and fleet management solutions, you can track availability, identify downtime causes, and make informed decisions to enhance equipment performance.For more tips and insights on staying on top of your equipment’s performance, connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.