1. Reduce Downtime by Tackling Risks Early
Downtime. Safety incidents. Sluggish productivity. In today’s high-pressure manufacturing environment, even small maintenance failures can cause big disruptions. To stay competitive, facilities need more than just equipment — they need a smarter approach to maintaining it.
In industrial operations, maintenance isn’t just about keeping things clean. It's about preventing costly interruptions before they happen. Unplanned downtime costs industrial facilities billions of dollars annually. In the manufacturing sector, poor maintenance practices can escalate quickly, leading to losses estimated at up to $50 billion each year.1
By moving beyond compliance and proactively addressing risk, facilities can better protect operational continuity. Proactive risk reduction isn’t just good practice — it’s one of the most effective ways to protect uptime and avoid costly emergency fixes.
2. Use Lean Principles to Build a Proactive Maintenance Culture
To improve maintenance efficiency, one of the most impactful methods is utilizing the 5S framework: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.
Though traditionally used for organizing tools and workflows, 5S can be expanded to include hygiene as a core pillar of lean operations.
- Sort: Eliminate unnecessary supplies to reduce clutter and create space for essential cleaning tools.
- Set in Order: Strategically place tools and wiping products where they’re needed most to save time and reduce motion.
- Shine: Incorporate regular cleaning into daily routines to avoid buildup and minimize wear and tear on machines.
- Standardize: Establish clear cleaning protocols and assign responsibility to create accountability.
- Sustain: Reinforce habits through training and consistent leadership engagement.
When hygiene is integrated into the operational culture, equipment operates more reliably, leading to improved productivity. Studies show poor maintenance can reduce capacity by 5% to 20% — a significant cost for any facility.1
3. Choose Tools That Match the Task — And the Pressure
Even the most well-designed maintenance plan needs the right tools to succeed. Industrial environments demand wiping solutions that are absorbent, durable and built to handle heavy-duty messes — from grease and grime to metal shavings and spilled lubricants.
Industrial teams are under pressure to work faster, cleaner and safer — all while dealing with aging equipment, lean labor forces and rising costs. Task-specific wipes like WypAll® X70 and X80 cloths are built to handle these real-world messes, not just ideal-case scenarios.
Purpose-built options like WypAll® wipes align with specific maintenance tasks. Recent innovations for WypAll® X70 and X80 cloths reflect a growing demand for high-performance tools that support uptime, reduce waste and deliver consistency shift after shift.
Rather than relying on all-purpose solutions that fall short in demanding environments, industrial teams are making the switch to task-specific wiping products that hold up under pressure and help extend the life of critical equipment.
When it comes to maintaining efficiency, the right strategy is only half the equation. From proactive risk management to lean-inspired hygiene practices and purpose-built cleaning tools, every detail adds up. See how purpose-built tools can support your maintenance goals — without slowing you down. Explore the WypAll® X70 and X80 solutions.
Sources:
[1] Maximizing Operational Efficiency: The Critical Role of Hygiene in Industrial Facilities. (2025). KC Professional. https://www.kcprofessional.com/en-us/workplace-insights/productivity-and-efficiency/the-critical-role-of-hygiene-in-industrial-facilities
