Breaking the “Firefighting” Mentality in Automation

A firefighting mentality is one where organizations are frantically rushing to solve unexpected problems, making impulsive decisions, and applying short term “band-aid” solutions to restore production as quickly as possible.

Production plants are particularly susceptible to this mentality. Why? Plants are up against a wide variety of risks to productivity and product quality. Human error, equipment failure, cyber attack, and natural disaster all have the potential to cause significant downtime. When every minute of downtime can cost thousands, it is critical to resume production as quickly as possible.

Nevertheless, very few production plants are adequately prepared for worst-case scenarios or even everyday issues. A proactive approach to data management for automation could save time, money, and effort.

This white paper will discuss how better data management can transform your industrial automation for increased productivity with fewer problems. First, it will explore the causes and concerns of a reactive “firefighting” approach to maintenance in automation. Then, it will propose data management tools and best practices to help break these habits.