Is Downtime Eating Your Profits? Here’s What to Do Next!

Manufacturing

May 5

If you run a plant, you’ve felt the silent stress that builds with every unexpected shutdown.

You’re midway through a shift when a machine jams again. Another hour lost. Another order delayed. And another late-night email from your manager asking why production targets are slipping.

At the root of it all:

Disconnected processes, SCADA systems (past their life cycle), worn-out PLCs, and manual workarounds.

None of them belong in a modern manufacturing environment. Overworked teams are pushed to the edge as they try to hold them together.

This article is here to show you a way out.

We’ll walk you through the hidden dangers of outdated processes, highlight the latest manufacturing automation solutions available, and show how Verdusco Automation helps real companies recover. If you’re looking for “expert automation consulting near me,” we’re here—and we’ve done this before.

Process Downtime: When Are You on Dangerous Territory?

Let’s take a hypothetical case set in a bottled water manufacturing plant. It used to run like clockwork, operating 24/7 across three 8-hour shifts. But lately, the gears are grinding—and not metaphorically.

● Bottle manufacturing: Air compressors used for blow molding keep failing. These legacy systems can’t keep up with current demand, causing 20–30 minutes of downtime per shift.

● Filling and capping: These machines need constant manual intervention due to mechanical wear and outdated programming. Controlled by a dated PLC, the system experiences glitches and synchronization issues. Downtime here eats another 45 minutes daily.

● Packaging: With no automated tracking or load balancing, the packaging section becomes a bottleneck. Misaligned schedules between production and packaging staff worsen the lag.

Other underlying issue? The lack of connectivity shows. Each department—Water Treatment, Bottle Manufacturing, Filling, Packaging, and Quality Control—operates in silos, with outdated tech and zero real-time integration. No revamps have been performed.

As a result, each shift now stretches longer (9 to 10 hours) just to meet minimum output. Overtime pay is up 18%, and profit margins are down nearly 12% quarterly. And that’s before you calculate the customer churn from missed delivery deadlines.

This scenario is dangerous territory. Reactive fixes are no longer sustainable.

Manufacturing Automation Solutions for Higher Uptime at Your Reach

The good news is that today’s manufacturing automation solutions offer a powerful arsenal against downtime.

Imagine a different scenario for the same plant. This time, it is equipped with smart and reliable automation.

● Bottle manufacturing: The implementation of sensor-based predictive maintenance alerts potential failures in the air compressors before they occur.

● Filling and capping: Upgrading their legacy PLC with modern, robust controllers improves the reliability and speed of their filling and capping lines.

● Packaging: Adding automated labeling and inspection machines and vision systems for real-time verifications and quality checks eliminates mislabeling errors, ensures compliance, and reduces the need for manual inspection.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Integrated automation solutions like IGNITION® connect disparate processes, enabling proactive adjustments. For instance, the filling line automatically adjusts speed based on the output of the bottle manufacturing, minimizing bottlenecks. And adding a real-time tracking system for quality control catches errors earlier in the process, reducing waste and the need for costly rework.

Verdusco Automation’s Success Stories in Manufacturing

In a past experience, we helped our customer, a manufacturer serving the automotive sector, restore 8-hour shifts.

● After gathering insights, we identified that the issue was in their robotics system’s motion, a key piece of the automation line.

● We pitched an upgrade solution to ensure at least 5% speed improvements. The target meant the production cycle would go back to 8-hour shifts from 9 hours.

● Three months after implementation, our client started to report production time savings above 18%. The solution’s success was used as a model to improve other parts of the line.

We don’t just throw tech at a problem.

We design solutions that work hand-in-glove with your existing setup and crew.

Conclusion: Automation Consulting Near Me Made Simple

Downtime doesn’t just steal minutes. It steals your edge and your peace of mind.

But with the right automation partner, you don’t have to keep falling behind.

Verdusco Automation offers the experience, technology, and the hands-on approach you need to reclaim control.

Here are three manufacturing automation solutions we can give you to eliminate downtime:

Custom control systems design: Replaces outdated PLCs and SCADAs with modern, reliable architecture.
Integrated automation solutions: Ensures all parts of your facility work together, not against each other.
Smart robotics & AMR integration: Automates movement, reduces strain on employees, and eliminates transport delays.

Still searching for automation consulting near me?

You’ve found us.

Let Verdusco Automation be your compass in the automation journey, so you can move from surviving to thriving.

Want to see how automation can transform your plant? Reach out to Verdusco Automation, and let’s put downtime behind you.