Micro-Stop and Changeover Loss Study Kit
Minor stops and changeovers are the two losses operators rarely log. This kit gives plant managers, CI engineers and line leads in the US and Canada a 5-day method to measure both on one line, rank causes by lost minutes, time a changeover element by element and convert the result into OEE points and dollars.
✓ Excel workbook + 9-page PDF guide • ✓ Instant download • ✓ Ready to use on the shop floor
Download the Micro-Stop and Changeover Loss Study Kit
Enter your details to download the Excel study workbook instantly. The link to the 9-page PDF guide is on the workbook's first sheet.
WHAT YOU GET
- ✓Event log with reason-code dropdown, automatic micro-stop vs stop classification
- ✓Pareto by lost minutes plus a frequency vs duration view for every code
- ✓SMED changeover log: internal vs external elements and time removed per changeover
- ✓Summary in OEE points and USD, from your own hourly value
- ✓PDF guide: 5-day plan, observation method, worked example, countermeasures
Excel workbook (.xlsx). The PDF guide link is inside the workbook, on the Instructions sheet.
In short: A micro-stop (minor stop) is a short stop, typically a minute or two, cleared by the operator, which counts against OEE Performance. To size it, pick a minor-stop threshold (for example two minutes), observe the line in 30-minute windows for five days, log every intervention with a reason code, and rank causes by lost minutes rather than by count. Time one changeover element by element and separate internal from external work (SMED). This kit contains the Excel workbook that does the arithmetic and a PDF guide with the method and a worked example in USD.
| In the kit | What you get | What you use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Threshold and definitions | Minor stop vs failure vs changeover, based on the Six Big Losses | Every event lands in the right OEE factor |
| Observation method | 30-minute windows, logging rules and a sampling plan for two shifts | Data operators and supervisors trust |
| Reason codes | Starter list of 11 codes in two levels, editable, with categories | A Pareto that points to an owner |
| Event log and Pareto | Dropdown codes, automatic classification, ranking by lost minutes, frequency vs duration boxes | Pick the three causes worth fixing first |
| SMED changeover log | Element sheet with internal and external time and conversion to external | Shorter changeovers without capital spend |
| Summary and worked example | Lost minutes, OEE Performance impact, value per year in USD | Make the case to plant leadership |
Who this kit is for
Plant managers, production and CI managers, process engineers and line leads in US and Canadian plants running high-speed or high-mix lines: packaging, food and beverage, consumer goods, plastics, machining cells. If your availability looks fine but output per shift stays below plan, the missing minutes are usually minor stops and changeovers.
Why micro-stops and changeovers hide in your data
A stop that lasts twenty seconds never makes it into a shift report, and a changeover is often logged as one block of time with no detail. Both are real losses: minor stops reduce OEE Performance, changeovers reduce Availability. Manual downtime sheets miss the first and flatten the second.
The kit fixes the measurement first: a written threshold, a short reason-code list and a disciplined observation window. Only then does it rank causes and size them in OEE points and dollars.
How to use the kit
Download the workbook and open the PDF guide from the link on the Instructions sheet. Fill the study settings on the Summary sheet, adapt the reason codes with your operators, then log events during your observation windows for five days. On day 4, film one changeover and fill the Changeover log. On day 5, review the Pareto with the line team and pick three countermeasures.
Read the full FAQ on OEE and downtime tracking →
Frequently asked questions about micro-stops and changeover losses
What is a micro-stop in manufacturing?
A micro-stop, or minor stop, is a short stop of a machine or line, typically a minute or two, that the operator clears without maintenance: a jam, a misfeed, a blocked photo-eye, an empty magazine. In the Six Big Losses model, minor stops count against OEE Performance, not Availability. Plants set a threshold, for example two minutes, above which a stop needs a reason code and counts as a failure.
How do you detect micro-stops?
Manually, by observing the line in fixed 30-minute windows and logging every operator intervention with its duration and reason. This works for a first study and is what this kit supports. For continuous detection, stops must be timestamped automatically from a machine signal, because stops of a few seconds are never written down. TEEPTRAK does this with a module wired into the electrical cabinet and a sensor mounted at the edge of the line, without PLC integration.
How can we reduce micro-stops with better operator routines?
First rank causes by lost minutes, then look at frequency versus duration. Frequent, short stops respond well to operator routines: a cleaning and inspection standard for sensors at the start of each shift, a settings sheet per SKU posted at the machine, and a refill trigger for magazines and hoppers. Rare, long stops usually need a technical fix. A 10-minute daily review of yesterday’s top three causes keeps the routines alive.
What is the best analytics to surface micro-stops on high-speed lines?
Two views together: a Pareto of causes by lost minutes, which shows where the time goes, and a frequency versus duration matrix, which shows what kind of fix each cause needs. Split both by shift and by SKU. On high-speed lines, stops of a few seconds add up quickly, so the data must come from automatic stop detection rather than handwritten logs.
How do you calculate the OEE impact of changeover time?
Changeover time reduces Availability, which is run time divided by planned production time. Multiply the time removed per changeover by the number of changeovers per week and divide by weekly planned production time to get the OEE points recovered (before quality losses). For example, with assumed inputs of 5 changeovers a week, 15 minutes removed each and 4,500 minutes of planned production time, that is 75 / 4,500 = 1.7 points. The workbook’s Summary sheet does this from your own inputs.