A machine waiting for an operator.
An operator waiting on inspection.
A job waiting on setup.
A spindle waiting between cycles.
No alarms.
No breakdowns.
Just… waiting.
But waiting is expensive.
It quietly reduces spindle hours.
It stretches lead times.
It caps throughput without anyone realizing it.
Busy shops accept waiting as part of the process.
Throughput doesn’t disappear all at once.
It leaks out in small pauses.
Find the wait.
Fix the constraint.
Protect the spindle.