The True Cost of Downtime for UK Manufacturers

Unplanned downtime, when production unexpectedly halts, is one of the most damaging threats facing UK manufacturers. The financial consequences extend far beyond lost production, affecting revenue, reputation, and operational resilience. Many firms now view downtime reduction as a key driver when deciding whether to upgrade control system technology, adopt predictive maintenance tools, or invest in digital transformation.

A Multi-Billion Pound Impact

Across the UK and EU, losses from unplanned downtime are projected to exceed £80 billion in 2025 (IDS-INData, 2025). This enormous figure underscores the pressing need for modernisation, predictive maintenance, and proactive asset management strategies. For some manufacturers, the choice to buy new control system solutions is no longer optional but essential to remain competitive.

Variation by Sector

The impact of downtime differs significantly by industry:

• Automotive: Around 20–25 incidents per month, with recovery times of 3–4 hours. Costs can reach £1.6–2 million per hour, leading to a combined UK/EU impact of £10–12 billion annually (IDS-INData, 2025; Process Industry Informer, 2024).

• Food and Beverage: Frequent short-term stoppages lasting 1–3 hours contribute to estimated annual losses of £4–5 billion (IDS-INData, 2025).

• Pharmaceuticals: Longer downtime events, often averaging 8 hours, can cost £1–5 million per hour, equating to £500 million–£1 billion per year (IDS-INData, 2025).

• Other sectors such as chemicals, heavy equipment, electronics, and packaging also carry downtime costs in the billions, often due to lengthy restarts or cleanroom resets (IDS-INData, 2025).

  
  

For all these industries, the ability to fix machine downtime quickly is critical to preventing operational losses from spiralling.

Average Cost per Hour in UK Manufacturing

General surveys across the UK manufacturing sector highlight the scale of the issue:

• A survey of maintenance engineers found unscheduled downtime costs an average of £5,121 per hour, with costs ranging from under £500 per hour in smaller firms to over £10,000 per hour in larger operations (RS Industria, n.d.).

• Typical downtime per company equates to around 49 hours of lost production per year (IDS-INData, 2025; Fairburn Heating Solutions, n.d.).

• Another study found that UK firms experience 15 hours of downtime per week on average, with annual costs to the wider sector exceeding £40 billion (Cobaltis, 2023).

  
  

Takeaways for UK Manufacturers

Downtime is more than an inconvenience, it is a major drag on profitability. Even an hour of unplanned stoppage can carry six-figure losses, particularly in high-value industries. Frequent minor stoppages, such as those in the food sector, quickly accumulate into significant costs. Larger, complex organisations are especially vulnerable, with downtime events often magnifying losses due to extended recovery times.

To safeguard output, manufacturers must look at options to upgrade control system infrastructure, implement smarter monitoring, and buy new control system solutions where older assets are no longer reliable.

Conclusion

Unplanned downtime is not just a technical hiccup, it strikes at the financial core of UK manufacturing. Nationally, the combined cost runs into billions of pounds every year, with projections rising in the near future. This highlights the critical importance of predictive maintenance, real-time diagnostics, and OT visibility to safeguard productivity and protect profitability. For many, the path forward is clear: upgrade control system assets, fix machine downtime with smarter processes, and buy new control system solutions that ensure resilience in the years ahead.

References

Cobaltis, 2023. The cost of downtime in production lines. [online] Available at: https://cobaltis.co.uk/2023/02/the-cost-of-downtime-in-production-lines/

Fairburn Heating Solutions, n.d. The real cost of downtime in manufacturing. [online] Available at: https://fairburnheatingsolutions.co.uk/the-real-cost-of-downtime-in-manufacturing/

IDS-INData, 2025. Manufacturing downtime costs and forecasting. [online] Available at: https://idsindata.co.uk/manufacturing-downtime-costs-and-forecasting/

Process Industry Informer, 2024. Manufacturing downtime costs UK industry £80b in 2025. [online] Available at: https://www.processindustryinformer.com/manufacturing-downtime-costs-uk-industry-80b-in-2025/

RS Industria, n.d. How much is manufacturing downtime costing you? [online] Available at: https://www.rs-industria.com/knowledge-hub/how-much-is-manufacturing-downtime-costing-you