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A utilization report compares a machine's actual run time against its total available time, by shift and by machine, to reveal how much productive capacity is actually being used versus sitting idle. Build one by logging run, idle, and downtime states continuously, then analyze utilization rate by shift, operator, and machine to find hidden capacity before assuming you need new equipment.
A utilization report answers a question most plants get wrong on instinct alone: how much of your available machine capacity is actually being used. If you're a plant manager or operations leader evaluating whether to add shifts, add equipment, or fix scheduling, this report usually surfaces the real answer before any capital gets spent.
This guide covers what to track, how to build the report, and how to read the results without over- or under-estimating your true capacity.
Machine utilization refers to the percentage of a machine's productive time compared to its total available time. A useful report needs enough detail to separate the different reasons a machine wasn't running:
Machine or asset ID: the specific equipment being measured
Scheduled available time: the total time the machine was scheduled to be available for production, by shift
Actual run time: time the machine was actively producing
Idle time: time the machine was available but not running, separate from downtime
Downtime: time the machine was unavailable due to a stoppage, logged separately from idle time
Changeover time: time spent switching between jobs, since this often gets miscounted as either run time or idle time
Shift and operator: to spot patterns tied to scheduling or specific crews
Separating idle time from downtime matters. Idle time usually points to a scheduling or staffing gap. Downtime points to a mechanical or process problem. Lumping them together hides which one you actually need to fix.
Building the report means capturing machine state continuously and rolling it up by shift and by machine.
Define scheduled available time for each shift, accounting for planned breaks and scheduled maintenance windows
Log actual run time, idle time, and downtime continuously by machine, not as a single end-of-shift estimate
Calculate utilization rate as actual run time divided by scheduled available time, expressed as a percentage
Roll the data up by machine, shift, and operator to compare utilization across your floor
Manufacturers without a monitoring system can start with a structured log, like a machine utilization Excel template, before moving to continuous capture.
Analysis starts with sorting utilization rate by machine to flag anything running below a reasonable threshold, then digging into why.
Identify equipment operating below your target utilization threshold, commonly used benchmarks flag anything under 80%
Break down the gap by cause: is the loss idle time, downtime, or changeover, since each points to a different fix
Compare utilization across shifts to spot patterns, a machine that runs well on first shift but poorly on second often points to a staffing or handoff issue rather than an equipment issue
Look for idle patterns by operator or scheduling window before concluding the plant needs more capacity
Underutilized equipment is one of the most common blind spots in a plant. Scheduled hours look full on paper, but idle time between jobs and extended changeovers quietly erode the real number, and without a consistent log those gaps stay invisible while capacity decisions get made on assumptions instead of data.
A utilization report frequently reveals that a plant doesn't need new equipment or an added shift, it needs to close scheduling gaps on equipment it already owns. Uncovering hidden capacity that's already sitting in the shop, by identifying idle patterns by shift, operator, and machine, often closes the gap with targeted scheduling adjustments instead of capital spending.
Automated utilization tracking captures run, idle, and downtime states directly from the machine, so the report reflects what actually happened instead of what someone estimated at the end of a shift.
Caddis Systems' reporting also aggregates utilization metrics across a company hierarchy, from individual equipment up to a full facility view, which makes it easier to compare utilization across departments or sites and prioritize where scheduling or staffing changes will have the biggest impact. Pairing utilization data with the OEE tracking solution shows whether low utilization, slow cycles, or quality loss is the bigger driver of lost capacity.
It depends on the equipment and industry, but many plants use 80% as a general threshold below which a machine is flagged as underutilized. The more useful comparison is your own historical baseline for that specific machine.
Idle time means the machine was available but not scheduled or staffed to run. Downtime means the machine was unavailable due to a mechanical or process stoppage. They require different fixes, so they should never be combined into one category.
Changeover time reduces available run time, but it's a planned activity rather than a failure. Tracking it separately shows whether changeover duration itself, rather than idle scheduling gaps, is driving low utilization.
It can, but only after ruling out scheduling gaps on existing shifts first. If current shifts show significant idle time, adding a new shift usually just adds the same inefficiency rather than solving it.
Weekly at minimum, with daily visibility if the goal is catching scheduling gaps before they repeat across multiple shifts.
A utilization report shows whether the capacity you already have is actually being used, and it's usually a faster answer than adding equipment or shifts on a guess. See how Caddis Systems can give your team continuous utilization visibility across every machine. Book a demo today.