Availability is a valuable metric in manufacturing and maintenance. But what does it mean for your production and plant, and how does it differ from Reliability?

Availability speaks to the “degree to which a system, subsystem or asset is in a specified operable and committable state at the start of a mission, when the mission is called for at an unknown or random time (Blanchard, 1998).”

In simple terms, availability means the duration of time a system is available and able to perform its tasks.

This definition sets it apart from reliability, as reliability refers to the probability that a system or asset will work without failure, i.e. is reliable. Availability is driven by time loss whereas Reliability is driven by the occurrence frequency and total impact of failures.

a simple chart showing the difference between availability and reliability

It is important to note that an available asset is not always reliable, and a reliable asset is not always available.

How to Calculate Availability?

The equation to calculate availability is straightforward: uptime over total elapsed time (uptime plus downtime), multiplied by 100.

An alternate equation for availability is a ratio of the Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) and Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF), as seen below:

Both equations should provide you with the same percentage, and as thus is simply a matter of preference.

Why is Tracking Availability Important?

Monitoring your production’s availability is important for several reasons. As a maintenance manager, you want to be keenly aware of how your current maintenance strategies and practices are maintaining uptime.

An asset’s availability is directly proportional to overall output and performance. Downtime has been increasingly costly, valued at almost $500,000 per hour of downtime in the oil and gas sector and over $2 million per hour in the automotive sector. Knowing your availability, and thus being able to implement improvements, allows you to reduce unplanned downtime and its associated impacts, financially or otherwise. Maximizing availability and reducing downtime safeguards your company’s production and profitability.

How to Improve Your Availability

As mentioned above, a low availability has significant repercussions on your bottom line, and it’s in your best interest to ensure that uptime is at its peak. But how do you actually improve this particular metric? We’ve outlined three proven strategies that can benefit your availability and uptime.

Implement Predictive Maintenance Strategies:

Implementing predictive maintenance strategies involves using advanced technologies such as vibration analysis sensors and data analytics to monitor the condition of equipment in real-time. By analyzing data on equipment performance, businesses can predict when maintenance is needed, enabling them to schedule downtime at the most opportune times, reducing unplanned outages. This method helps prevent equipment failure and extends the lifespan of machinery.

Technology Integration and Automation

Embrace advanced technologies, such as automation, robotics, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, to streamline processes and reduce the likelihood of errors and breakdowns. Automated systems can operate more consistently and provide real-time data on equipment health, enabling faster response to potential issues. This leads to improved overall system availability and performance.

Invest in a CMMS or an EAM.

A CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) or an EAM (enterprise asset management) system is software that streamlines team communications and workflow. These types of software often have the capacity to automate scheduling for maintenance and planned downtime, generate collaborative work orders, and to analyze KPIs such as team performance and costs. Having all your documentation — from work orders to inventory — in one place ensures that the entire team is on the same page, and there is no redundancy from miscommunication.

TRACTIAN’s TracOS™ makes maintenance management easier than ever. Optimize your work order process with a fully digitized and collaborative platform, fully integrated with QR codes that let you see the complete history of an assets maintenance. As tasks are assigned and completed, you can access performance metrics like cost per work order, inventory used, task completion time, team efficiency, and so much more, so you can learn where your areas of improvement are with real-time, accurate data.

The TracOS™ platform learns your maintenance needs through work order history, and can plan and schedule the ideal preventive maintenance strategy for optimal asset performance.

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Implementing these methods requires a holistic approach and often involves a cultural shift within the organization towards proactive maintenance and continuous improvement. Improving availability requires more than technical changes—it’s about fostering a culture that values proactive maintenance, ongoing improvement, and the adoption of advanced technologies. In today’s fast-paced manufacturing landscape, where time is of the essence, availability becomes the key factor that can shift organizations from reacting to issues to proactively building reliable systems.

The journey toward better availability is ongoing. Regular evaluations, insights from data, and a commitment to a culture of constant improvement are crucial. As we navigate the digital age, where data and machinery go hand in hand, the role of availability as a maintenance metric remains pivotal in shaping the future of effective, dependable, and sustainable manufacturing practices.