The press is busy, but is it running?
The litho press is on the schedule for the whole shift. At the end of the day, fewer jobs have come off it than planned. The operator mentions that the feeder was double-sheeting, they waited for plates for a while, and there was a long wash-up between two jobs with very different colours. Last week the story was similar, with different details. The service engineer came out twice this month for what may have been the same problem.
When the owner asks whether the press is due for replacement or whether an extra shift is needed, nobody can say how much time the press actually spent printing.
Stops are forgotten by the end of the shift
Press stoppages are frequent, short and varied. Some are part of normal work, like makeready. Some are avoidable, like waiting for plates. Some are faults. Unless they are recorded as they happen, they merge into a vague feeling that the press is slow.
- Stops are not recorded, or are recorded as a total at the end of the shift.
- Reasons are not captured, so waiting, faults and makeready look the same.
- Engineer visits and parts are recorded in invoices and emails, not against the machine.
- Operators' observations about recurring problems are not written down.
- Planned maintenance is done when someone remembers or when something breaks.
Why this matters to the business
Press time is what you sell. Time lost to avoidable waiting or recurring faults is capacity you pay for and cannot use, and it pushes work into overtime or late deliveries. Without data, decisions about servicing contracts, replacing a machine or adding a shift are made on feel. Recurring faults are fixed one visit at a time instead of at the root. Maintenance schedules slip, and what should be planned becomes a breakdown.
A stop log and maintenance record
- At each press, operators record stops as they happen with a tap: a reason from a short list such as makeready, wash-up, waiting for plates, waiting for stock, fault, cleaning, and an optional note.
- Where the press can report its own status digitally, run and stop times are read automatically and the operator only adds the reason.
- Faults are logged against the machine with a description and photos, and create a maintenance item.
- Engineer visits, parts and costs are recorded against the machine, with the manufacturer's reference and the fault they addressed.
- Planned maintenance tasks, such as blanket changes, roller settings and your service schedule, are set up with intervals and reminders, and signed off when done.
- Reports show press time by reason, the most frequent faults, time since last service and cost of maintenance per machine.
| Question | Answered today by | With the log |
|---|---|---|
| How much time did the press run? | Feel | Run and stop time by day |
| What causes most stops? | Operator memory | Stops by reason |
| Is this the same fault as last month? | Maybe the engineer knows | Fault history per machine |
| When is maintenance due? | When it breaks | Scheduled with reminders |
We do not give engineering or safety advice about your machines. Maintenance intervals come from the manufacturer, your engineer and your own procedures; the log keeps them visible.
Running presses on evidence
You can see where press time goes, and the avoidable parts, such as waiting for plates, point to fixes in prepress or stock control rather than on the press. Recurring faults are spotted and dealt with properly. Service engineers arrive with a history. And when you consider a new machine or an extra shift, you have the numbers to back the decision.
Is press time a mystery?
- You cannot say how much of a shift the press actually ran.
- The engineer comes out for the same kind of fault repeatedly.
- Waiting for plates or paper is a regular complaint.
- Planned maintenance happens late or not at all.
- Decisions about new kit are made on gut feel.