---
title: Downtime reasons
slug: factryos/concepts/downtime-reasons
createdAt: 2026-06-28T16:27:44.469Z
---

**What are downtime reasons?**

A downtime reason is a specific, named cause for a production stop. It sits one level below the category and gives operators and engineers the detail needed to understand and act on downtime data.

**Why does it matter?**

Knowing that a line stopped for 45 minutes of unplanned downtime is not enough to drive improvement. Knowing that 30 of those minutes were caused by a recurring feed material shortage on line 3 is. Reasons turn downtime data into actionable information. They are also the unit of analysis in OEE reporting, root cause analysis, and improvement projects.

**How does it fit in the system?**

Each reason belongs to one category. Reasons are used in two places: in state transition tables as the automatically assigned initial reason when a stop is detected, and in reason trees as the options presented to operators when they classify a stop manually. A reason can carry tags for grouping in reports, and can require a comment or equipment reference when assigned, enforcing data quality where it matters most.

**Example**

The category Downtime can contains reasons such as **Planned** **downtime, Process issue, and Maintenance.** When an operator classifies a stop, they pick the most specific reason available. That reason, and any tags attached to it such as a Time Utilisation Code, flows into the reporting layer without any further transformation.

![Downtime reason](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/SMPo4IS9FkillUAMsur2c/lPg59rzJ0m4fXvoad9bI0_downtime-reason-tree.png)