MTTR indicator (Mean Time to Repair) is a measure of the time needed to repair a device or machine. It means the average time that passes from the occurrence of a failure until the device is restored to operational condition.
A low ratio means that the company is able to quickly remove failures, which minimizes downtime and increases production efficiency. This means that the company is able to quickly return to normal operation, and the associated costs are lower.
On the other hand, a high rate means that the time required to repair the device is longer, leading to longer downtime and higher costs associated with repairs or replacement of the device.
Therefore, monitoring the MTTR indicator is important so that the company can constantly assess its ability to quickly remove failures and take actions that will shorten the repair time. Reducing repair time leads to reduced costs, increased efficiency and improved competitiveness of the company on the market.
This indicator is particularly important in the context of maintaining business continuity and availability of production systems.
We calculate the MTTR indicator by following the diagram below.
- Identify the time elapsed between the failure or problem occurring and the time at which the system, device or machine was restored. This time may include time needed for location, diagnosis, repair and restart
- Sum up repair times for all failures or problems that occurred during a specific period
- Determine the number of failures and problems in the same time period
- Divide the total repair times by the number of failures or problems
For example, if there were 10 failures and downtimes in one month and the total time spent on fixing them was 40 hours, the MTTR would be 4 hours.
MTTR provides information on the average time it takes to repair or restore a system, device or machine after a failure. A low MTTR indicates quick and effective corrective actions, which in practice means greater availability of machines and equipment for production. A high MTTR indicates the need to identify, analyze and improve repair processes in order to reduce the time of machine unavailability, as well as the analysis of inspection and maintenance activities that have a direct impact on failure rates.
