How do I assess the downtime records of a plastics moulding plant’s chillers and dryers?

Start with the paper trail. Request work orders, technician notes, parts invoices and any alarm or temperature logs for the chillers and dryers. Compare them with the press schedule, because a cooling or drying problem usually shows up as slowed cycles, rejected parts or a press sitting idle. If the log shows few stoppages but the scrap reports show many, ask why the two stories differ.

Then walk the floor. Look at hoses, filters, cooling towers and desiccant units, and ask the maintenance lead what fails most often and who fixes it. Find out whether service is done in-house or by an outside contractor, and whether spare parts sit on a shelf or are ordered after a breakdown. Notice whether the same unit appears again and again, which can point to an ageing machine rather than bad luck.

Finally, connect the findings to the deal. Ask an equipment appraiser or a trusted mould-industry technician to inspect the units, and have your accountant check whether repair costs are booked plainly or tucked into other lines. Customers who audit the plant may also hold records, so ask whether any complaint was traced back to process control.

Key takeaways

• Match every downtime entry to scrap, late orders and idle presses.
• Ask who services the chillers and dryers, and how quickly parts arrive.
• Have an independent technician inspect the units before you rely on the log.