Equipment downtime is one of the most costly issues your business will encounter.
Here's the kicker…
It's also one of the easiest problems to prevent.
When your equipment unexpectedly fails mid-job, everything grinds to a halt. Workers aren't active, deadlines aren't met, and clients begin to look elsewhere for their next project. Before you know it, you're losing money hand over fist.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
By taking the time to equip your operation with quality blades and metal cutting machinery, you can significantly decrease your risk of unplanned downtime and increase your bottom line.
Why downtime is so costly in industrial metal sawing.
How blade quality affects your productivity.
The true costs of unplanned downtime.
What quality equipment can do for you.
How to spot a quality saw blade.
You know your equipment isn't cutting when it's sitting idle on the shop floor.
That's why downtime is so impactful to industrial metal sawing businesses. If the saw stops working, everything else stops working too. Since your saw is likely the cornerstone of your production process, any interruptions at that stage will cause your entire operation to come to a halt.
And the expenses associated with that are far from insignificant.
Maintenance failures are responsible for approximately 42% of unplanned downtime across all manufacturing industries. In other words, almost half of all downtime can be linked back to poor quality, underperforming or failed equipment.
Imagine that for a second.
A bustling fabrication facility that cuts through steel, aluminium, or structural sections all day long could be completely crippled by something as small (and easily preventable) as a blade breaking. Suddenly, that one minor failure costs the business multiple hours of productivity, labour costs, late fees, and potentially some unhappy customers.
This is where most of the meat lies.
The blade your business uses to cut material is the most important component of your sawing operation. A cheap, low-quality blade will wear down quicker, provide a poorer cut finish, need replacing more regularly and cause unnecessary stress to the saw itself.
Conversely, higher-quality blades allow you to get more accurate cuts faster. That's why professional fabricators and workshop owners who demand cutting precision use premium suppliers like KR Saw Blades -- experts in industrial metal sawing who engineer each blade to maximise efficiency and reduce potential downtimes.
Put simply…
A low-quality blade may seem like a cheap option on paper, but when it snaps during a cut or begins producing lower tolerances the cost of replacing it will far outweigh what you would have spent on a quality blade.
Statistics don't lie and the ones below paint a grim picture.
The average cost of one hour of downtime can cost manufacturers $25,000, and that figure skyrockets for larger businesses. Furthermore, manufacturers experience an average of 800 hours of unplanned downtime per year. That equals out to almost 15 hours per week of production lost.
Translate that into the industrial metal sawing process and it's easy to see why buying quality equipment is non-negotiable.
Did you know that 82% of businesses suffered from unplanned downtime in the last three years? On average these incidents lasted 4 hours. If your saw stops working for 4 hours during a job, you either have to pay to stay late to finish the work, lose that day's profit, or send the project to a competitor.
…it all adds up.
Quality equipment does not only perform better, it pays for itself.
Operators who upgrade to better blades and machinery consistently see these benefits:
Blades lasting longer between each job = less downtime
Better, more accurate cuts = less material waste and fewer errors
Decreased wear and tear on the saw itself
Quicker cutting times = more parts produced per day
Predictable maintenance schedules
The last point is especially important.
Scheduled maintenance is expected, unplanned downtime is not. The difference between them? High-quality tools and consumables. More specifically, high-quality blades.
Blades are the workhorse of your sawing operation. No matter how high-end your equipment is, if you're using the wrong blade for the job your downtime will increase and you'll never see the level of precision you're looking for.
When comparing saw blades, keep these things in mind:
Teeth configuration – Ensure you're using the right tooth geometry for the material you are cutting. Whether you're cutting structural steel, aluminium or stainless steel.
Composition – Is the blade bi-metal, carbide-tipped or HSS? Different blades are built to suit different applications.
Blade body – A lot of cheaper blades come with lower quality bodies. This causes vibration when cutting = loss of accuracy + a blunt blade.
Pitch – Ensure you're using the correct TPI for the material thickness every single time.
Taking the time to match your blade to the material and cut you want to achieve will drastically reduce your downtime and improve the quality of every cut you make.
Businesses that swear by their equipment aren't spending months fixing breakages or redoing poor quality cuts. They spend that time finding the right blade for each and every application.
Cutting down on downtime during your metal sawing operations isn't difficult. In fact, there's really only one thing you need to do.
Buy better.
Better blades. Better machinery. And work with suppliers who know their stuff when it comes to metal cutting.
Better blades allow you to take more accurate cuts, last longer, and put less stress on your machinery. That means more profitable jobs, less stress when jobs need to be rushed, and happy customers that will come back to you time and time again.
Remember:
Equipment failure is the cause of 42% of all unplanned downtime.
Each hour of downtime costs businesses an average of $25k.
By using higher-quality blades, you'll reduce the amount of downtime you experience.
Higher quality tools and machinery will save you more money than you spend on them.
Stop thinking about blade cost as an expense to be minimised. Instead, start viewing it as an investment that will reduce downtime and grow your business.
Your metal sawing equipment isn't going to saw itself. Make sure you're giving it the right tools to do its job.
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
Want to add a comment?
