Categories & assignment
Downtime categories and how reasons are assigned to downtimes.
After a downtime is automatically detected, the question is: why was the machine stopped? Assigning reasons to downtimes makes the difference between a mere availability number and a real analysis.
Downtime categories
ENLYZE distinguishes three categories of downtimes:
Planned
Planned downtimes are anticipated interruptions that are part of regular operations. Examples:
Changeovers and product switches
Planned maintenance
Cleaning
Breaks (when configured as planned downtime)
Unplanned
Unplanned downtimes occur unexpectedly and are typically the biggest levers for improvement. Examples:
Technical breakdowns
Material shortages
Process errors
Staffing shortages
No production planned
This category covers periods when no production was scheduled at all. Examples:
Weekends and public holidays
Cancelled or unscheduled shifts
Plant shutdowns
Downtimes categorized as "No production planned" are not considered in the OEE calculation. Only downtimes during scheduled production time affect availability.
The downtime catalog
All configured downtime reasons together form the downtime catalog. Within the three categories, reasons can be organized into groups, for example by machine section or fault type.
The catalog is the binding selection list for assignment: whoever assigns a reason to a downtime always picks from the catalog. New reasons cannot be created on the spot, and users with the Operator role cannot edit the catalog (see Roles & permissions). If a cause is missing from the catalog, the downtime gets an inaccurate reason or none at all. A catalog that is as complete as possible is therefore the prerequisite for a meaningful downtime analysis.
How to build and evolve a complete catalog is described under Build the downtime catalog.
Assigning reasons
Assigning a reason to each detected downtime is the basis of every downtime analysis. There are different ways to assign downtime reasons:
Manual assignment
By default, an employee assigns a reason to each downtime in the ENLYZE App. The configured reasons are organized into categories and groups. A downtime can also be split into multiple segments if different reasons apply (e.g. 30 minutes changeover, then 45 minutes breakdown).
Automation via shift schedules
Shift times can be configured in ENLYZE. Downtimes outside of shift times are automatically classified as "No production planned". This significantly reduces the manual effort.
Automation via machine signals
Some machines provide information about the reason for a downtime through the controller (fault codes, status messages). These signals can be evaluated via computed variables and automatically assigned to the appropriate downtime reasons.
Why assignment matters
Without assignment, the analysis only shows that the machine was stopped and for how long. Only with reasons does the following become visible:
Which downtime causes occur most frequently (Pareto analysis)
Where the biggest levers for improvement lie
Whether changeover times are systematically too long
How the distribution changes over time
How to set up the downtime catalog in the ENLYZE App is described under Build the downtime catalog. How to assign reasons is described under Assign reasons to downtimes.
Related topics
Detection: How downtimes are automatically detected.
Availability: How downtimes affect OEE.
6 Big Losses: Downtimes in the context of the six major loss sources.
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