Downtime Costs Add Up Fast – Here’s How Spare Parts Can Save You

Imagine your factory suddenly stops because a crucial machine breaks down. Every day it’s not working, you’re looking at losing tens to even hundreds of thousands of dollars. This isn’t just about the products you can’t make – it’s also the wages you’re paying workers who can’t work, wasted materials, extra shipping costs to rush orders, and even penalties for late deliveries. Plus, emergency repairs are expensive. It’s like a domino effect where one broken part can topple your entire day’s profits. This is why having spare parts on hand is so important.  

Here’s a theoretical breakdown of how much a manufacturing company might lose per day when a critical piece of equipment fails: 

Downtime Direct Costs 

• Lost Production: $120,000 
  • Assuming 24-hour operation, producing 20 units per hour (total 480) 
  • Profit from each unit valued at $250
• Labor Costs: $36,000 
  • 50 employees idled at $30/hour for 24 hours 
• Raw Material Waste: $15,000 
  • Materials in process during breakdown 

Downtime Indirect Costs 

• Overtime Costs: $10,800 
  • 30 employees working 8 extra hours at 1.5x pay to catch up 
• Expedited Shipping: $10,000 
  • Rush orders to meet customer deadlines 
• Customer Penalties: $20,000 
  • Late delivery fees 
• Repair Costs: $5,000 
  • Emergency technician fees and replacement parts

Total Estimated Daily Loss Due to Downtime Costs: $216,800 

Use our downtime calculator to plug in your facility’s data and see how downtime could affect your facility.

The above example illustrates how quickly costs can accumulate. The actual figure can vary significantly based on the specific industry, production volume, and equipment criticality. Some studies* suggest that unplanned downtime can cost up to $260,000 per hour in certain manufacturing sectors. 

For a fraction of the cost of a day’s shutdown, you can have the right parts ready to go, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of dollars and keeping your customers happy. It’s not just a smart investment – it’s essential protection for your business. 

Standard Imperial Spare Parts and Estimated Lead Times:

Now that we have discussed the costs of downtime, let’s look at the costs of avoiding downtime, as it relates to your Imperial Dust Collection Equipment. The great news is that prevention comes at a fraction of the cost of downtime.  

We’ve broken up the usual suspect spare parts for our systems into three separate categories: Long Lead Items, Medium Lead Time Items, and Short Lead Time Items. This will allow you to assess how much downtime you may face in the event that a system requires a repair and the parts are not on the shelf. 

Long Lead Items (3 – 6 weeks)

These items are built to order and are rarely found on the shelf.  

• Fans: 5 – 6 Weeks on average 

• Fan Wheels: 3 – 4 weeks on average 

Potential Financial Loss: $9,105,600 based on $216,800 estimated daily losses. 

Medium Lead Time Items (1 – 3 weeks)

These items may or may not be on the shelf depending on cyclical supply and demand: 

• Fan Motors: 2 – 3 weeks on average 

Potential Financial Loss: $4,552,800 based on $216,800 estimated daily losses. 

Short Lead Time Items (1 – 3 Business Days)

These items are typically on the shelf (not a guarantee though) and if an order is placed in the morning, can generally be shipped out the same day if a rush is warranted.  

• Cartridge Filters 

• HEPA Filters 

• Gauge Filter 

• Diaphragm Valve Repair Kits 

• Solenoid Valves 

• Timer Boards 

• Door Hardware Kits 

• Explosion Panels and Lead Cables 

• Couplings 

• Tubing Kits 

• Compressed Air Regulator 

• Airlock Rebuild Kits 

• Abort Gate Rebuild Kits 

Potential Financial Loss: $650,400 based on $216,800 estimated daily losses. 

The above lists provide a general idea of the spare parts that you may want to keep on your shelf. It’s important to note that each Imperial Systems collector is built to spec and there may be other items that you may want to keep on the shelf beyond what is listed above. For a complete quote on the recommended spare parts for your dust collection system, please reach out to your territory’s Parts and Maintenance Account Rep at 724.662.2802.  

References: 

* The $260,000 per hour figure is cited in multiple studies: 

1. According to Analyst firm Aberdeen Research, unplanned downtime can cost a company as much as $260,000 an hour 

1. https://www.iiot-world.com/predictive-analytics/predictive-maintenance/the-actual-cost-of-downtime-in-the-manufacturing-industry/ 

1. https://www.machinemetrics.com/blog/the-real-cost-of-downtime-in-manufacturing 

1. A study sponsored by ServiceMax found that the average cost of unplanned downtime is $260,000 per hour 

1. https://www.rewo.io/knowledge-loss-unscheduled-downtime/ 

1. Research from February 2016 also confirms this figure, stating that the average cost of unplanned downtime is $260,000 per hour 

1. https://www.rewo.io/knowledge-loss-unscheduled-downtime/