The motor that drives the exit conveyor on a process machine failed. This failure used to result in 4 hr of downtime. Factors in that 4-hr figure include operator reporting, maintenance response, expediting purchase of the replacement, and collecting the necessary tools. Now this failure takes only 2 hr to resolve.

Maintenance should not congratulate itself just yet, however. Responding to delays in a failure because it happens enough that the delays get noticed is only a partial solution. Two other parts include:

1. Identify and extend the principles to other repairs. Rather than have a special operator reporting system for this one issue, develop a speedier operator reporting system for all repairs. Rather than create a special equipment locker just for this one line, examine each piece of critical equipment to see if that solution is appropriate.

2. Determine why this failure keeps occurring. Was there a process change or equipment modification that changed what type of motor is needed? For example, the Class A motor in the original design was adequate for the temperatures encountered, but now, with modifications, a Class B is needed. Simply replacing the motor with a repeat spec means a repeat failure.