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A recently published study by Fluke Corporation reveals the true cost of downtime in industrial manufacturing.

The survey, conducted by Censuswide, interviewed 600 respondents representing food and beverage, oil and gas, life sciences and automotive manufacturing companies in Germany, the UK and the US. Last year, 61% of manufacturers suffered unplanned downtime, costing the industry up to $852 million per week.

Downtime Is Common

48% of companies report between six and ten outages per week, and almost one in five (19%) face between 11 and 20 weekly outages. 45% of businesses reported outages lasting up to 12 hours, and 15% experienced downtime of up to 72 hours.

Globally, the risks are highest for large companies. 40% of organisations with more than 50,000 employees report between 11 and 20 outages per week, and half of these organisations experience outages lasting up to 72 hours.

“Our research paints a compelling picture: manufacturers are caught in a cycle where downtime directly undermines competitiveness, and too many are forced to settle for piecemeal fixes,” said Parker Burke, Group President at Fluke Corporation.

Average Costs

According to the report, the average cost is $1.7 million per hour, meaning that a single outage can result in losses of up to $42.6 million.

While the number of outages is fairly consistent across the three regions studied, there are differences in costs.

In the UK and Germany, losses can reach up to $62.7 million, while the global average is much lower at $40.8 million per outage.

“The data shows that outages can no longer be seen as just an operational problem. It is a real risk to competitiveness and business value,” says Burke.

Increasing Resilience

The report found that many companies remain fragmented in their response. Manufacturers are spreading their digital investments across multiple tools – such as predictive maintenance (12%), digital twins (12%) and condition monitoring (13%) – rather than implementing integrated reliability strategies.

“Our research shows a stark reality: too many manufacturers are stuck reacting to outages instead of getting ahead of them. Quick fixes might keep things going for a while, but they don’t build long-term sustainability,” Burke said.

Text: Vaula Aunola   Photo SHUTTERSTOCK