700058Lost production analysis toolClosedGRD Proof of MarketInnovate UKThe project is to research and test the market both in the UK and further a field with regards to a new concept relating to problems regarding to lost production in the manufacturing process. Then to asses cost and time scales needed in bringing such a solution to market. Overview: Stirling Technologies Limited, STL, have frequently been asked by managers of SME companies for some means of locating and identifying the root cause of production failures, which are notoriously difficult to find using manual methods. Failures can derive from machine faults, operator error or any combination of these and innumerable others; manual recording is fraught with difficulties as it’s difficult to find a method which will provide a full, unbiased, and accurate record. Loss of production especially overnight and un manned can cause havoc with the plans for the following day and production losses can be very high directly affecting the balance sheet, but it can also be felt by the sales department as well as customers who don’t like late deliveries, possibly giving the company a poor preserved reputation. During various discussions during the day to day consultancy activity of STL in Yorkshire specific requirements were formulated with a range of manufactures from injection moulding to CNC milling companies and a basic requirement were established. The methods used in the interrogation and analysis of the failures will be flexible to allow for the individual idiosyncrasy of each company to be accommodated but nevertheless, the algorithms carrying out the work will always be the same to keep the cost to a minimum. All the ‘fine tuning’ of the interface will be programmable. It is now important that a full market research and analysis be carried out including a full cost and return in developing and bringing such as system to the market. Then a full plan with regards to timescales can be developed.