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Breakdown analysis report
A breakdown analysis report records one equipment breakdown end to end: what was seen, how the machine was restarted, which part failed and how, why it happened, what will stop it happening again and whether the fix held. Common TPM practice traces each breakdown to one of five causes: basic conditions not kept (cleaning, lubrication, tightening), operating conditions not followed, deterioration not restored, a design weakness, or a skill gap. Page 1 is the report: the phenomenon with a sketch, the repair and the failed component, a 5 Whys, the cause, countermeasures and the standards updated, similar machines checked and the 30, 60 and 90-day checks. Page 2 explains the five causes and walks through a worked example. The Excel version is a breakdown log that flags repeat failures of the same asset and component within a window you set and late countermeasures, with a summary by asset (breakdowns, downtime, MTBF, MTTR) and a Pareto of downtime by cause.
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When to use it
When to use a breakdown analysis report
- After any breakdown above the downtime threshold your site sets, or any repeat failure.
- When the same machine keeps stopping for what looks like a different reason each time.
- To show a TPM or reliability program which of the five causes is behind most of the downtime.
- When a repair was done but nobody wrote down why the part failed.
How to fill it in
- 1
Write the phenomenon the same day
What was seen, heard or smelled, where on the machine and what it was doing. Sketch or photograph the failed part before it goes in the bin.
- 2
Record the repair and the failed part
What was done to restart, the parts replaced, and the minutes spent waiting, finding the fault and fixing it. Note the failure mode and whether the same part failed before.
- 3
Ask why until you reach something you can fix
Follow the physical cause first with 5 Whys, checking each answer at the machine. Then tick which of the five causes was behind it.
- 4
Set countermeasures that stop the cause
One to fix, at least one to prevent recurrence, and the standard that changes: the PM task, the cleaning and lubrication standard, the procedure, the spare parts list or a one-point lesson.
- 5
Check similar machines
Look at sister machines and the same part elsewhere in the plant the same week, and act where the same risk is there.
- 6
Check it held at 30, 60 and 90 days
Look at the log for the same asset and component, and at the machine for the new standard. Close the report only when both hold.
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example from one month's breakdown log: three assets in September (illustrative numbers).
- 13 breakdowns, 2,160 minutes of downtime. Press 4: 4 breakdowns in 600 operating hours, MTBF 150.0 h, MTTR 2.50 h. Conveyor C3: 2 in 640 h, MTBF 320.0 h, MTTR 2.50 h. Robot welder W2: 7 in 560 h, MTBF 80.0 h, MTTR 3.00 h.
- By cause: basic conditions not kept 1,090 minutes (50.5%), operating conditions 330, design weakness 320, deterioration 270, skill gap 150. Six of the 13 were repeats of the same asset and component within 30 days.
- The report on W2's wire feeder, 24 Sep, 190 minutes down: the liner was blocked with shavings because worn drive rolls were set too tight. Roll tension and liner cleaning were on no standard. Cause: basic conditions not kept.
- Countermeasures: new liner, tip and drive rolls; roll tension set to the maker's value and marked; weekly liner blow-out added to the cleaning standard; liners and rolls on the spare parts list. Sister welder W1 had the same shavings and was cleaned.
Basic conditions sat behind half the month's downtime, so the maintenance team started with the cleaning and lubrication standards on W2 and C3. As of 30 Sep, 5 countermeasures were open and 1 was late; the W2 report stays open until its day-30 check on 24 Oct.
Common mistakes
Writing the cause in the phenomenon box
"Operator error" or "bearing failed" is a conclusion. Write what was seen; the cause comes after the 5 Whys.
Stopping at the replaced part
A new part is a repair, not a countermeasure. If nothing changes in how the machine is cleaned, run, inspected or designed, the part fails again.
Spelling the asset and part differently each time
Repeat failures only show up when the same asset and component are written the same way. Agree the names once.
Closing the report the day the fix goes in
The proof is that the failure stays away. Keep the report open until the 30, 60 and 90-day checks pass.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
In LeanSuite each breakdown is logged as an emergency work order (EWO): downtime and MTTR are worked out from its start and end times, the repair and parts are recorded, breakdowns are classified by root-cause category with repeat failures spotted by failure curve analysis, and an EWO that needs a lasting fix becomes a Kaizen.
In the lean glossary
FAQ
Breakdown analysis report: common questions
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