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CASE STUDY
Reducing Production Downtime in Global Manufacturing
BACKGROUND
A leading global consumer goods organisation operates a large manufacturing network across more than 190 countries, producing everyday products used by billions. Keeping that network running reliably is essential to meeting demand, maintaining quality and keeping delivery schedules on track, which means even short interruptions can have a wider impact when they occur across multiple lines and sites.
When those stoppages happen repeatedly, the effect extends beyond the individual machine. Output falls, engineering teams spend more time investigating issues, and production plans come under added pressure. Building on its existing investment in manufacturing visibility, the organisation wanted to help factory teams understand stoppages faster and establish an approach that would work consistently across different production environments.
CHALLENGE
When a machine stopped unexpectedly, engineers often had to piece together the cause from several sources. System logs showed what the equipment reported, physical inspections added more detail, and video footage sometimes provided the visual context needed to explain the event.
Bringing all that information together quickly was the main difficulty. In some cases, teams spent days investigating a stoppage without enough context to reach a clear answer, while locating the relevant moment in lengthy video recordings added further manual work.
What engineers needed was a clearer view of what had happened at the point of failure, without making the investigation more complex. By bringing the relevant evidence together sooner, teams could better understand the cause, determine the right action, and return the line to production faster.
SOLUTION
Nexer collaborated with the organisation’s production engineering, IT and security teams to connect production events with the relevant video footage. Together, the teams brought the information engineers needed into one investigation process.
As part of this approach, when a line stops, the system automatically identifies the event and captures footage from immediately before and during the interruption. Engineers then review that footage alongside the corresponding production information, giving them operational and visual context without searching across separate sources.
Since the evidence is already linked to the event, production teams spend less time piecing together what occurred afterward, allowing them to quickly focus on identifying the cause and determining the appropriate response.
The joint team also considered how to store and share video. Full recordings remain within each factory, while only selected clips linked to production events are shared centrally alongside the relevant operational information. This reduces unnecessary data transfer while still giving teams access to the evidence they need.
To make the solution practical for wider adoption, the teams developed it within the existing environment and worked together to meet security requirements. The design also accounted for differences between sites, including machinery, production lines, camera arrangements and factory layouts.
OUTCOME
Investigation reduced from days to minutes
By bringing the relevant production information and video together, teams reach the evidence surrounding a stoppage much sooner and avoid lengthy manual searches.
More production uptime
Faster diagnosis helps engineers decide what action is needed sooner, reducing delays before a line returns to production.
Better understanding of recurring issues
When similar stoppages happen more than once, teams can compare events more easily and identify repeated causes across machines and production lines.
Less time spent searching for information
Engineers spend less time gathering logs, reviewing separate systems and searching through long video recordings before they understand what happened.
Greater visibility across factories
Selected production information and event footage provide a more consistent view of stoppages across sites, making wider patterns easier to identify.
A practical approach to wider deployment
Because the same model supports different machines, production lines and factory layouts, the organisation has a clearer route to extend the approach across its manufacturing network.
Controlled access to information
Relevant event information is available centrally for investigation and analysis, while full video recordings remain within each factory.
A step forward in production improvement
Factory teams now have a faster and more connected way to move from a production stoppage to an informed response. With the relevant evidence available in context, engineers spend less time searching for answers and can focus sooner on resolving the underlying issue.
The value also extends beyond the individual event. As operations teams review more stoppages in the same way, they gain a clearer picture of recurring problems across machines, lines and sites, helping them decide where to focus further improvements and share lessons across the wider manufacturing network.
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