How OEM Partnerships and Spare Parts Access Reduce Downtime

Unplanned downtime remains one of the most expensive risks in automotive and industrial manufacturing. According to Siemens’ True Cost of Downtime 2024 report, an hour of downtime in a large automotive plant can now cost up to $2.3 million, with annual losses approaching $750 million per facility. These numbers highlight that predictive maintenance alone is not enough. Even when issues are detected in advance, production can still grind to a halt if the right parts are not available or if technical expertise is delayed.

This is where OEM partnerships and robust spare parts strategies become critical. Predictive maintenance provides the warning signals, but partnerships and parts access make those signals actionable.

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Why Downtime Persists Despite Predictive Maintenance

Many manufacturers have adopted predictive maintenance (PdM) to anticipate failures before they occur. PdM can identify issues such as:

Servo motor wear in robotic systems
Electrical panel overheating
PLC or sensor malfunctions
Aging mechanical components

But identifying the problem does not fix it. A facility without the correct replacement part, or without access to OEM-specific knowledge, may still face days of lost production. This is why downtime continues to be a major financial drain, even in plants that invest in PdM systems.

The Role of OEM Partnerships

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) play a vital role in reducing downtime. Strong OEM alignment provides:

Direct access to technical data and updates — ensuring repairs follow the latest standards
Priority support for troubleshooting — faster resolution for complex robotics or automation issues
Quicker sourcing of manufacturer-specific parts — reducing lead times during breakdowns

Without these partnerships, maintenance teams often face delays in diagnostics, approval processes, or parts delivery, which extend outages well beyond what predictive alerts had flagged.

Spare Parts Strategy as a Downtime Shield

A complementary spare parts management strategy can make the difference between hours of disruption and days of lost production. Key practices include:

Stocking high-failure-rate components — such as servo motors, relays, and circuit boards
Maintaining manufacturer-specific parts on site — tailored to the brands used in robotics and automation lines
Aligning inventory with PdM insights — predicting which parts are most likely to fail based on historical and sensor data

With parts available and cross-trained technicians on site, predictive maintenance becomes a proactive system instead of a predictive alarm bell.

Turning Predictive Insights Into Uptime

Other industry research, including Aberdeen’s long-running downtime studies, reinforces the point: unplanned downtime can consume 5–20% of a plant’s productive capacity annually. Predictive technologies narrow this gap, but only when backed by structured partnerships and inventory.

At Tempus, this is the foundation of our maintenance service model. We combine:

Strong OEM and supplier partnerships for fast parts access
Cross-trained technicians skilled in electrical, mechanical, and automation disciplines
Advanced diagnostic tools such as thermal imaging and ultrasonic testing

By integrating PdM with real-world readiness, Tempus helps clients move from “predicting failure” to preventing disruption.

Final Takeaway

Predictive maintenance is no longer optional in modern manufacturing. But PdM without OEM partnerships and spare parts access is only half the equation. With downtime costs soaring into the millions per hour in the automotive sector, manufacturers need both foresight and immediate execution.

That combination—predictive technology plus the ability to act on it—is what keeps production running, customers satisfied, and competitiveness intact.