Why is it so hard to limit the impact of unplanned downtime?
Unplanned downtime costs a lot, but the exact amount often remains unclear. Minimizing the impact proves difficult because asset information is fragmented and unavailable when it matters. This article shows where the problem lies and where to start when you set out to improve.
In brief
- Unplanned downtime costs the world’s 500 largest companies $1.4 trillion a year, 11% of their revenue.
- Fragmented asset information is the underlying cause. That’s why the impact stays hard to limit, even if you respond quickly.
- A reliable information foundation is the starting point for improvement.
The cost of unplanned downtime
Unplanned downtime is stoppage you didn't schedule, for example due to a failure. What it really costs is hard to determine. What is certain is that you can't build an improvement plan on assumptions.
According to the Siemens Senseye True Cost of Downtime report (Opens in new tab) (2024), unplanned downtime costs the world's 500 largest companies $1.4 trillion a year, equal to 11% of their revenue. An average large plant loses 27 hours a month. In heavy industry, the cost per hour of downtime is four times what it was in 2019.
Fragmented asset information obscures the cause
Most organizations fix the incident, not the cause. That cause often lies in the information: data scattered across systems, departments, and formats. A spreadsheet here, an outdated EAM system there, knowledge only in experienced technicians' heads. When a failure occurs, the information is incomplete or outdated.
The result is firefighting. Each failure gets solved separately, and the underlying pattern stays invisible.
Better data doesn't prevent downtime. It shows where risks build up before they cause a failure, so you can act proactively. That's how you prevent unplanned downtime.
Where information handover goes wrong in the asset lifecycle
Asset information management is structuring, managing, and updating asset information so it stays correct, accessible, and reliable in every phase of the lifecycle. These are the points in that cycle where information handover is vulnerable.
Investment projects and design: data gaps start early
Missing or incorrect information from a project carries through into operations. So decide upfront what information you'll need later and in what structure you'll capture it.
Handover to operations: information gets lost
At delivery, information often arrives incomplete, or in a form operations can't use. Define handover requirements and check that data is complete, structured, and linked to the right asset.
Operations and maintenance: essential information is missing when it's needed
When downtime occurs, speed matters, but information sits in separate systems or in the heads of experienced technicians. Bring it together in one place so your team immediately finds the right data and sees recurring patterns.
Changes and end of life: information becomes outdated
Modifications, replacements, and revisions quickly make information obsolete. Define who is responsible for updates, so maintenance and investment decisions are based on the actual situation.
Governance keeps your asset data reliable
Without a grip on information, you work reactively: you fix what needs fixing right now instead of planning ahead. That affects lead times, costs, and your ability to make well-founded investment decisions.
The same common thread runs through all phases: governance. Fixed responsibilities and processes keep your data accurate, accessible, and reliable.
The 6 benefits of a reliable information foundation
Operational excellence
Better performance from your assets
Regulatory compliance
Demonstrably meeting requirements
- Stronger governance and risk control
Interoperability
Systems and parties exchange information
Efficient daily operations
Less searching, more doing
AI-ready data
The foundation for AI and advanced analysis
Download "Beyond data: building the information foundation for asset performance"
Your assets are only as valuable as the information behind them. Get a practical roadmap to move from operational firefighting to strategic asset ownership: predictive maintenance, lower costs, and evidence-based lifecycle decisions.
About the author
Lina Bäckman
Senior Service Solutions Manager, AIM & Data
About the author
Lina Bäckman
Senior Service Solutions Manager, AIM & Data
I help asset-intensive organizations such as those in energy, process industry and utilities turn information complexity into structured, usable knowledge across the full asset lifecycle, from investment projects through operations and maintenance. At Etteplan I've built and led teams and developed service offerings. My background combines technical engineering with leadership and commercial responsibility, which means I understand both what clients need to solve and how to design solutions that work at scale. Etteplan AIM is built on the insight that asset information only creates value when it serves a clear purpose. Our team brings operational and engineering context to every information management task. We don't just store and organize; we structure information and set up the governance and processes so it's genuinely usable for the decisions and actions your teams need to take.
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