It’s often the things you don’t notice that cause the biggest problems. In a number of manufacturing environments, especially in sectors like industrial, tech and FMCG, ageing assets are one of the most under-acknowledged threats to business continuity.
Manufacturing Matters Magazine spoke with Anthony Murphy, managing director of Veritas FM. Anthony is a facilities and operations expert with deep experience in both industrial and FMCG manufacturing.
“People assume that if it’s still running, it’s still working,” says Anthony. “But what they’re not seeing is the hidden damage, like the increased unplanned downtime, the mounting maintenance costs, increased energy consumption and even the risk of safety incidents or production quality.”
How does this impact the bottom line?
Anthony has seen first-hand how overworked or outdated machinery can trigger fires or breakdowns that halt production lines. “One client had to shut down for days after a life expired piece of critical plant halted production,” he recalls.
Check out how one electronics manufacturer was able to reduce downtime after they had missed orders.
Anthony added: “It’s not just the immediate failure that hurts. “When production stops, you’re creating scrap, missing delivery slots, damaging customer confidence — and your team ends up working overtime just to claw back lost ground”.
That gets very expensive,” says Anthony. He urges manufacturers to ask themselves: “Can your plant cope if demand spikes next week? Or are you already patching things up just to keep moving?”
“Plant ageing is inevitable but effective strategies to monitor, maintain and replace are more accessible now than ever”
Anthony Murphy, Veritas FM
And what’s the cost of letting things continue like this?
“The real problem is cumulative,” Anthony adds. “It’s not just a breakdown — it’s staff morale, delivery failures, wasted energy, and the long-term financial drag of working reactively instead of strategically.”
In short, manufacturers may be sitting on a facilities time bomb, and when it explodes, it’s rarely a single problem. It’s an avalanche of consequences that could have been avoided.
Avoid being caught in your own avalanche of consequences. Click here to find Anthony Murphy on LinkedIn, or email: anthony.murphy@veritas-fm.co.uk
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