Unplanned Downtime Costs Manufacturers Up to $852M Weekly, Exposing Critical Vulnerabilities in Industrial Resilience

Rhea-AI Summary

Fluke (FTV) — Oct. 30, 2025: Survey of 600 manufacturing leaders finds 61% experienced unplanned downtime in the past year, costing the sector up to $852M per week. Respondents report frequent incidents (48% report 6–10 weekly; 19% report 11–20 weekly) and long durations (45% up to 12 hours; 15% up to 72 hours). At an average cost of $1.7M per hour, a single incident can reach $42.6M in losses. Large enterprises show higher exposure. The survey highlights fragmented digital spending on predictive maintenance, digital twins, and condition monitoring.

Positive

• Survey identifies 61% manufacturers affected by downtime
• Estimated $852M weekly industry loss highlights market demand
• Average cost $1.7M per hour quantifies serviceable market impact

Negative

• Nearly one in five report 11–20 incidents weekly
• 15% of outages last up to 72 hours
• Manufacturers split investments across solutions, reducing scale effects

Insights

Manufacturing resilience analyst

Survey shows widespread, high-cost unplanned downtime posing a clear operational and balance-sheet risk.

Surveyed senior decision-makers (n=600) across the US, UK and Germany report 61 experienced unplanned downtime in the past year, with weekly sector losses estimated up to 852M. Respondents report frequent incidents (48% say 6–10 weekly; 19 say 11–20 weekly) and long durations (45% up to 12 hours; 15 up to 72 hours), producing an average per-hour cost cited as 1.7M and a single-incident upper estimate of 42.6M.

These facts describe a clear mechanism: high frequency times high duration times a large hourly cost produces material, recurring cash loss that can cascade into board-level profitability risk, especially in very large firms where 40 report 11–20 weekly incidents and 50 experience up to 72 hours per incident. Watch concrete metrics already disclosed: incident frequency, average outage duration, hourly cost assumptions, and uptake of resilience tools—predictive maintenance 12, digital twins 12, condition monitoring 13—over upcoming reporting cycles to assess if stated mitigation shifts actual exposure.

Fluke data reveals 61 percent of manufacturers hit in the past year; outages stretch up to 72 hours and threaten profitability at the board level.

Everett, Washington, Oct. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluke Corporation today released survey findings, exposing the true cost of downtime in industrial manufacturing. The findings reveal a silent crisis: more than six in ten (61 percent) manufacturers suffered unplanned downtime in the past year, costing the sector up to $852 million every week, capital the industry cannot afford to lose. Downtime is not only frequent and prolonged, but also reflects vulnerabilities that threaten profitability, competitiveness, and board-level resilience.

• Nearly half (48%) report 6–10 downtime incidents weekly; almost one in five (19%) face 11–20 incidents weekly.
• 45% say outages last up to 12 hours; 15% report incidents stretching to 72 hours.
• At an average cost of $1.7M per hour, a single incident can equal up to $42.6M in losses: the equivalent of powering 2,500 factories for a week.

The research, conducted by Censuswide, surveyed over 600 senior decision-makers and maintenance professionals in the U.S., the UK, and Germany. Among those affected, frequency is alarming: 48 percent report 6–10 incidents each week, and nearly one in five (19 percent) face 11–20 weekly incidents. The impact is then compounded by duration, with 45 percent of respondents saying outages last up to 12 hours, while a further 15 percent experience incidents up to 72 hours.

At an average cost of $1.7M per hour, a single incident can reach up to $42.6 M in losses: the energy equivalent of powering 2,500 average manufacturing facilities for a week, or a single factory for nearly 50 years. These findings indicate that downtime is a recurring operational reality and a board-level risk to profitability and resilience.

On a global level, the risks are more acute within large enterprises, among organizations with more than 50,000 employees, 40 percent report experiencing 11–20 downtime incidents each week, and half (50 percent) endure up to 72 hours per incident.

Despite the scale of the risk, the industry remains fragmented in its response to it. The findings show that Manufacturers are scattering digital investments across multiple solutions to build resilience, including predictive maintenance (12 percent), digital twins (12 percent), and condition monitoring (13 percent).

Parker Burke, Group President of Fluke Corporation, said: “Our research shows a tough reality: too many manufacturers are stuck reacting to downtime instead of getting ahead of it. Quick fixes might keep things running for a while, but they don’t build long-term resilience.

“The data shows us that downtime can’t be viewed just as operational problem anymore. It’s a real risk to competitiveness and enterprise value.

He concluded, “Without a clear plan to scale digital investments, efforts are spread too thin to make a lasting, measurable impact. It’s time to bring reliability into the boardroom as a core part of how we drive growth, performance, and customer trust.”

The survey, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Fluke, surveyed 600 respondents representing manufacturing firms across the Food & Beverage, Oil & Gas, Life Sciences, and Automotive industries operating in Germany, the UK, and the US.

Weekly losses were estimated using average figures for outage time, cost, and frequency based on respondent data across different impact scenarios.

About Fluke
Founded in 1948, Fluke Corporation is the world leader in compact, professional electronic test tools and software for measuring and condition monitoring. Fluke customers are technicians, engineers, electricians, maintenance managers, and metrologists who install, troubleshoot, and maintain industrial, electrical, and electronic equipment and calibration processes. FLUKE is a registered trademark of Fluke Corporation. For more information, visit the Fluke website.

Attachment

• Unplanned Downtime Costs Manufacturers Up to $852M Weekly, Exposing Critical Vulnerabilities in Industrial Resilience

Georgia Marchant
Fluke Corporation
georgia.marchant@fluke.com

Olivia Kline
Fluke Corporation
olivia.kline@fluke.com

FAQ

What did Fluke (FTV) report about manufacturing downtime on Oct 30, 2025?

Fluke reported 61% of manufacturers faced unplanned downtime, costing up to $852M per week.

How frequent are downtime incidents according to Fluke's 2025 survey for FTV?

48% reported 6–10 incidents weekly and 19% reported 11–20 incidents weekly.

What is the average cost per hour of downtime reported in Fluke's FTV survey?

The survey estimates an average cost of $1.7M per hour.

How large can a single downtime incident be, per Fluke (FTV) findings?

A single incident can reach up to $42.6M in losses based on reported averages.

Which manufacturers face the highest downtime risk in Fluke's FTV survey?

Large enterprises (more than 50,000 employees) report the highest exposure, with 40% facing 11–20 weekly incidents.

What resilience investments are manufacturers making according to Fluke (FTV)?

Manufacturers are spreading digital spend across predictive maintenance (12%), digital twins (12%), and condition monitoring (13%).