Finding ways to stop downtime before it happens
February 11, 2022
By Heath Hazard, VP of Sales
By Heath Hazard, VP of Sales
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Before diving into the weeds on this, let’s start with a definition. What is downtime? In most environments, downtime refers to any period when production is stopped. Sometimes downtime is intentional, but in many cases it’s unplanned and a result of supply chain issues.
Three common examples would be:
Regardless of the cause, the result can often be catastrophic not only in terms of lost revenue and profits because of production being halted, but also in terms of your customers (or partners) losing confidence and trust, which obviously could lead to lost business or clients altogether. How can we prevent downtime?
There are various ways to stop downtime, but most important is improving your visibility regarding inventory levels (as well as purchasing and disbursement processes). When you can introduce automation to these processes, you are able to create data points. Data points empower you to transition from being reactive to proactive, and in some cases even predictive. This doesn’t mean you need to stockpile a bunch of inventories to prevent downtime, it means automating these parts of your supply chain to allow you to see trends, more accurately forecast, and set alerts that enable you to become more agile by always being one step ahead. With most systems, these data points can be visible to both you and your supplier (when using their technology), which allows for your partner to assist with these activities and help avoid stockouts without your profits suffering due to excess inventory levels. 
How can Fastenal help?Fastenal can serve as that partner. Over the past 55 years, we’ve transformed from an industrial distributor to an industry-leading supply chain partner that offers a suite of solutions to shorten our client’s supply chains, which helps safeguard against downtime.
We can create a digital footprint within your facilities through a robust offering of supply chain solutions including e-business, inventory vending, point-of-use technologies, or even a dedicated labor program. Each of these programs serve as a part of an end-to-end solution that allows us to help you solve problems, operate more productively, avoid downtime, and ultimately, achieve your business goals. 
Looking for help?I’m always game to talk about how people can avoid downtime. If you want to know more about stopping downtime before it happens, just email me at hhazard@fastenal.com.
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