HelpFab blog

Shop-floor guides on downtime, production tracking, and getting useful data out of a small factory.

Latest articles

Maintenance log vs downtime log — Maintenance log vs downtime log - what each one captures, why a plant needs both, and how a single breakdown links them to give you MTTR and MTBF.
Choosing a downtime tracking app for a small manufacturer — What a small shop should look for in a downtime tracking app: phone logging, configurable reason codes, and reports you can read without an ERP.
How to reduce unplanned downtime in manufacturing — A track-first playbook to reduce unplanned downtime - log every stop, Pareto the causes, then attack the vital few with PM and root-cause fixes.
How to calculate the cost of unplanned downtime — A cost-per-hour formula for unplanned downtime, with a worked molding-cell example covering labor, scrap, lost margin, and overhead.
A free downtime tracking Excel template (and how to actually use it) — A free Excel downtime log template — the columns, a reason-code list, and the pivot that turns raw stops into a Pareto, plus when to move off it.
OEE availability: how to calculate it from your downtime data — Calculate OEE availability from your downtime log, with a worked CNC example — plus the reclassification tricks that quietly inflate the number.
How to build a downtime Pareto analysis — Build a downtime Pareto step by step with a worked stamping-line example that finds the few causes driving most of your lost minutes.
A practical machine downtime reason code list — A starter taxonomy of machine downtime reason codes — planned vs unplanned, with real fault-code examples and rules that keep operators logging honestly.
Downtime tracking spreadsheet vs software — When an Excel downtime tracker is enough and when it quietly breaks — a shift-by-shift comparison for small manufacturers, with a real cost example.
How to track machine downtime — Move from a paper downtime log to structured tracking: reason codes, who logs what, and the three reports that actually change decisions.

Latest articles

Maintenance log vs downtime log — Maintenance log vs downtime log - what each one captures, why a plant needs both, and how a single breakdown links them to give you MTTR and MTBF.
Choosing a downtime tracking app for a small manufacturer — What a small shop should look for in a downtime tracking app: phone logging, configurable reason codes, and reports you can read without an ERP.
How to reduce unplanned downtime in manufacturing — A track-first playbook to reduce unplanned downtime - log every stop, Pareto the causes, then attack the vital few with PM and root-cause fixes.
How to calculate the cost of unplanned downtime — A cost-per-hour formula for unplanned downtime, with a worked molding-cell example covering labor, scrap, lost margin, and overhead.
A free downtime tracking Excel template (and how to actually use it) — A free Excel downtime log template — the columns, a reason-code list, and the pivot that turns raw stops into a Pareto, plus when to move off it.
OEE availability: how to calculate it from your downtime data — Calculate OEE availability from your downtime log, with a worked CNC example — plus the reclassification tricks that quietly inflate the number.
How to build a downtime Pareto analysis — Build a downtime Pareto step by step with a worked stamping-line example that finds the few causes driving most of your lost minutes.
A practical machine downtime reason code list — A starter taxonomy of machine downtime reason codes — planned vs unplanned, with real fault-code examples and rules that keep operators logging honestly.
Downtime tracking spreadsheet vs software — When an Excel downtime tracker is enough and when it quietly breaks — a shift-by-shift comparison for small manufacturers, with a real cost example.
How to track machine downtime — Move from a paper downtime log to structured tracking: reason codes, who logs what, and the three reports that actually change decisions.