Downtime monitoring

Downtime monitoring helps companies keep track of machinery utilisation with real-time visibility of the reasons behind downtime

Shoestring’s downtime starter Mentored Self-Start programme** gives companies an easy way to get started, see how digitalisation benefits their business, building in-house digital skills along the way.  The programme walks employees through the stages required to build and deploy the power monitoring starter solution, providing a practical learning experience.

Each Mentored Self-Start:

  • Enables non-technical staff to build and deploy the starter solution
  • Is supported with a technical training and support programme, instructions, an online forum for problem solving
  • Facilitates peer-to-peer support as well as access to experts
  • Provides a detailed shopping list of the low-cost electronic components (all available online from major resellers)
  • Includes the software required to connect the components and deliver easy-to-understand dashboards.

** We are currently offering a special early adopter offer on a first come first served basis – £400 for a Mentored self-start programme (saving £400 on full price). This programme was previously called a Starter solution package.

How the solution works

Operators update machinery status via an app loaded on a tablet, computer or phone. Staff can then see the status in real-time on a dashboard, download the data and analyse trends. 

Solves questions such as:

  • What is my machinery utilisation?
  • Which machines or operations have the most downtime?
  • What are the most frequent reasons for downtime across production

Potential benefits:

  • Reduce downtime
  • Quickly identify and address problems
  • Improve machine utilisation

Is simple to setup and use:

  • Operators use an app on a tablet, phone or computer to update the machinery status
  • Define the machinery and possible reasons for downtime
  • Simple start/stop buttons for reporting downtime 
  • They are prompted to add a reason for stopping
  • The dashboards show downtime across all machines and broken down across various useful views

Mentored Self-Start Programme

Special early adopter* rate of £400 (reduced from full cost of £800).

As an Early Adopter* you will join a Mentored Self-Start programme which includes:

  • Bill of Materials – shopping list of all the low-cost components you need to buy (costing you under £200).
  • The starter solution’s software download.
  • Full instructions on how to build and deploy the starter solution.
  • Access to the online forum for support with problem solving.
  • Places on the technical support programme led by the Shoestring engineer, with a cohort of 3-5 businesses, which includes: 
    • Specification and planning workshop (run online, c. 1.5 hours).
    • Access to a series of online check-in sessions (each usually lasts 10-30mins).
    • The Impact and review workshop (run online, c. 1.5 hours).

*Shoestring early adopters work in collaboration with Shoestring. They are among the first to trial the Shoestring Mentored Self-Start programme, receive direct support from the Shoestring technical team, and help Shoestring improve and develop the starter solution offering. 

Tried and tested

Shoestring solutions have been deployed in over 70 companies, helping them to improve productivity, reduce waste and energy usage, and also to give their staff the digital skills and confidence they need to introduce more digitalisation throughout the business. Read or watch some of the industry case studies >

Try another solution

Our range of Shoestring starter solutions is growing, currently you can also deploy:

  • Job location tracking: to give visibility of where all jobs are at any time.
  • Scrap monitoring: to help you reduce waste, produce more good parts, identify and address problems and improve stock planning accuracy.
  • Power monitoring: ideal for equipment monitoring as well as helping to reduce energy waste.
  • Temperature monitoring: helps you keep track of the temperature in a space or process in your factory or office.
  • Air quality monitoring: helps you maintain healthy and comfortable work conditions.

Or you can take out annual membership and access instructions and guides to all the solutions as well as join up to 3 training programmes.

Get started today

Buy your Mentored Self-Start programme now via our ecommerce site, and if you are a manufacturing company, take advantage of our half-price early adopter offer .

If you would like to talk to us, email contact@digitalshoestring.net or fill out our contact form.

Contact us

Coming soon

Drawing on the range of tried and tested solutions built and deployed in over 100 companies, Shoestring will release more starter solutions over the coming months. Register your interest to be one of the first to know.