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Article · Benchmarking · 5 min read
The three bands of operational health
Benchmarks are only useful if they're honest. Instead of generic industry averages, we compared each of 12 sites with two figures from the portfolio's own data: its most stable period and its most volatile one. The result is a simple three-band diagnostic that tells you, at a glance, whether a line is losing capacity to fragmentation.
Published
In short
- Bands are set from the portfolio's own data, not generic industry averages.
- Optimised: interruption ratio below the 14.28% baseline.
- Critical: between the 14.28% baseline and the 19.82% high mark.
- Volatile: above 19.82%, where performance is lowest and the fragmentation gap widest.
Benchmarks that actually compare
Most operational benchmarks compare a line to a generic industry figure it has nothing in common with. That tells you almost nothing actionable. So instead of borrowing an average, we built the bands from the portfolio's own behaviour, 30 validated monthly data points across 12 operations, and let the data draw its own lines.
The scale is the interruption ratio: the share of a line's downtime made up of interruptions (what standard OEE calls minor stops or micro-stops) rather than longer breakdowns that get a reason.
Two numbers that set the bands
Two figures set the scale, both the share of all downtime that was interruptions across all 12 sites. The 14.28% baseline is from August to October 2025, the most stable period. The 19.82% high mark is from February to April 2025, the most volatile period we measured. Each site is compared with them, which gives three bands:
- Optimised: below 14.28%. Stable flow, performance around 81%, and reporting you can trust.
- Critical: between 14.28% and 19.82%. Drifting. Not yet in trouble, but heading there without attention.
- Volatile: above 19.82%. Performance falls toward 69% and the fragmentation gap is at its widest.
Why the band is the diagnosis
The point of the bands
Knowing a line's band answers the first question worth asking: is this line losing capacity to fragmentation, or is it genuinely constrained somewhere else? A Volatile band says the losses are in the pulse, and no amount of machine speed will fix them.
That makes the band a guide to where to look first. In a Volatile band, start with the interruptions, because that is where the time goes. In an Optimised band, look at other losses rather than chasing interruptions. In a Critical band, watch the trend so it doesn't slide.
One caveat before you trust a band
An interruption ratio can be distorted by the line's stop threshold, so a line can look Optimised while hiding a chronic problem. Always confirm the band against the line's Threshold Exposure Index before acting on it.
The three bands are one of the core frameworks in the Interruption Whitepaper.
Questions
This article, answered
What is the interruption ratio?
It's the share of a line's downtime made up of high-frequency interruptions, as opposed to longer breakdowns that get a reason. It isolates process fragmentation from mechanical failure.
Why not use generic industry benchmarks?
Generic averages compare a line to operations it has nothing in common with. These bands are derived from 30 validated monthly data points across the studied portfolio. The 14.28% baseline is from the most stable period (August to October 2025). The 19.82% high mark is from the most volatile (February to April 2025), so the comparison is grounded in real, comparable operations.
What does each band mean in practice?
Optimised lines have stable flow and clear reporting. Critical lines are drifting and need watching. Volatile lines are where performance collapses, from around 81% in the Optimised band to under 69% in the Volatile band, and where the fragmentation gap is widest.
Measure this on your own line.
Thirty minutes with a manufacturing specialist, on your own lines and products.
- Every stop timed, short ones included
- Every lost hour with a stop reason
- Prices in rand, ex VAT
A manufacturing specialist replies within two business hours to set a 30-minute call.