---
title: "Machine Utilization Tracking: Measure It, Then Improve It | IoTFlows"
description: "Machine utilization is the share of scheduled time a machine spends running. IoTFlows measures it from a sensor on each machine, second by second, per machine, department, shift and operator, and puts the downtime reasons beside the number so you know which hours to win back. Customers see 35% less unplanned downtime in the first six months (median across IoTFlows customers, internal data)."
source_url: "https://www.iotflows.com/solutions/machine-utilization"
---
Machine utilization

# Machine utilization tracking that shows where the hours go

IoTFlows measures how much of every shift each machine actually runs, straight from a sensor on the machine, and puts a reason on every hour it didn’t. Find the hours, then win them back.

[How it works](https://www.iotflows.com/solutions/machine-utilization#measured)

## The capacity you need is already on the floor. Utilization shows where.

Ask how busy the floor is and you get a feeling, or a sheet filled in at the end of the shift. Both remember the long stops and miss the short ones. A sensor on every machine records every minute, so the number you manage is the one the machines actually ran.

Measurement

## Measured by the machine, not remembered by people

[SenseAi](https://www.iotflows.com/products/senseai), [SenseAi Embedded](https://www.iotflows.com/products/senseai-embedded) or [BeamTracker](https://www.iotflows.com/products/beamtracker) decides running or stopped every second. **Utilization is running time over running plus stopped**, inside the shifts you set.

Time the sensor couldn’t see is reported as unknown and stays out of the number, so it never flatters a machine or blames one.

[How each metric is calculated](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/metrics-reference)

Fleet

## Every machine, department and shift on one page

The Assets page totals the fleet live: **uptime, utilization, downtime and how many machines are producing**, with a daily trend beside them.

Filter by department, machine type or shift, group the machines, and the weakest one is a glance away.

[Read the fleet KPIs](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/assets-overview)

Goals

## One goal turns every gauge green or red

Set one target for the plant and **every uptime gauge colors itself against it**: green at or above, red below.

Give a machine its own goal where its ceiling really differs, like a manual lathe beside a lights-out cell.

[Set OEE and utilization goals](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/oee-goals)

Reasons

## The number, then the reasons beside it

Every stop carries a reason once an operator or an automatic rule classifies it. The [Downtimes report](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/downtimes) ranks them **by the hours they cost**.

A percentage starts an argument. The biggest bar on the Pareto ends it, and tells you what to fix first.

[See downtime tracking](https://www.iotflows.com/solutions/downtime-tracking)

Reports

## Any period, any shift, in one report

The Advanced Report totals uptime, downtime and unknown hours **for any set of machines over any period**, by shift and department, daily to yearly.

Export it to CSV or PDF, or have it [email itself every Monday](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/share-and-schedule-reports).

[Build a utilization report](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/advanced-report)

Operators

## Utilization per operator, from real sessions

Operator Performance pairs each operator with the machine they ran and **totals its uptime for their clocked sessions**, session by session.

Sessions come from sign-ins on the operator station, so the numbers are the shift as it was worked.

[Measure operator work sessions](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/operator-performance)

Improvement

## Improve it: the loop plants run. Every week.

The number only moves when someone acts on it. A weekly and monthly review of its reports is how [Datwyler raised efficiency 20%](https://www.iotflows.com/customers/datwyler).

- 1

### Measure

Every machine, for a few weeks, before changing anything.
- 2

### Classify

Every stop, from a reason list short enough to pick from.
- 3

### Rank

The reasons by time lost. Fix the biggest bar first.
- 4

### Set a goal

Per machine, from its own baseline, on a screen on the floor.
- 5

### Alert

On a machine down past a threshold, before the shift report.
- 6

### Review

The reports weekly and monthly, and keep what worked.

Customer story

## Storm Power Components doubled its machine utilization

Storm Power Components runs CNC machines, lasers, presses and chemical baths in Decatur, Tennessee.

2x

machine utilization since going live

Zero

chemical bath timing errors

Per machine

operator performance, tied to bonuses

### Challenge

Team leaders couldn’t see which CNC machines, lasers or presses were running. Scheduling ran on gut feel, and nobody could measure one operator’s output against another’s.

### Solution

SenseAi on the CNC machines, lasers and presses shows every machine’s status and utilization live. BeamTracker times every part through the chemical baths. Scheduling now follows real utilization, and operator bonuses follow the numbers.

### Products

[SenseAi](https://www.iotflows.com/products/senseai) and [BeamTracker](https://www.iotflows.com/products/beamtracker).

[Read the Storm Power story](https://www.iotflows.com/customers/storm-power-components)

> “SenseAi gave us eyes we never had before. Our team leaders can instantly see which machines are running, which are down, and identify issues immediately instead of discovering them hours later. That visibility transformed our ability to manage production.”

Ben Huskey, Quoting Manager, Storm Power Components

Datwyler raised efficiency 20% across 20+ injection molding machines by reviewing its reports weekly and monthly. [Read the Datwyler story](https://www.iotflows.com/customers/datwyler). [Jesel](https://www.iotflows.com/customers/jesel) sees its utilization every day and catches setup and tooling deviations early.

## Questions people ask

### What does IoTFlows machine utilization tracking include?

Utilization measured by a sensor on every machine: running time over running plus stopped time, inside the shifts you define, with time the sensor could not see reported separately as unknown. The Assets page shows it per machine, department and fleet with a daily trend. The Advanced Report totals uptime, downtime and unknown hours for any period at daily to yearly intervals, with Exclude Unknown, Exclude None and Only Uptime switches. One percentage goal colors every gauge green or red, with per-machine overrides. The Downtimes report puts the reasons beside the number: a Pareto by time lost, a trend and a by-machine breakdown. Operator Performance pairs operators with the machines they ran for their clocked sessions. Reports export to CSV and PDF and email themselves on a schedule. SenseAi and SenseAi Embedded attach magnetically in seconds and calibrate in under five minutes; BeamTracker bolts on with the supplied mount in 10 to 20 minutes.

### How is machine utilization calculated?

Running time divided by running plus stopped time, inside the shifts you define. The sensor decides running or stopped second by second; time when the sensor was offline is reported separately as unknown, and breaks you mark as None sit outside both, so the number is never inflated.

### What is a good utilization rate for a CNC machine?

Expect 40 to 85% on a CNC machining center, depending on how much of the cycle an operator carries: 40 to 60% on a manual, operator-intensive machine, 50 to 70% when an operator loads and unloads, and 75 to 85% fully automatic. Measure yours first, then set the goal from your own baseline plus 5 to 10%.

### How do I improve machine utilization?

Find out where the stopped hours go. The Downtimes report ranks reasons by the time they cost; the first improvement is the biggest bar. Datwyler reviews the historical reports weekly and monthly and cut shift-changeover downtime in half that way. Then set a goal per machine, put the number on a screen on the floor, and alert on machines down past a threshold.

### Is utilization the same as OEE?

No. Utilization is availability, the first of the three OEE factors: running time over scheduled time. OEE also multiplies in performance (parts against the ideal cycle time) and quality (good parts). IoTFlows reports each factor on its own: utilization from running and stopped time, performance from parts counted against the ideal cycle time, and quality from the scrap operators log. The OEE tracking page explains each one.

### Can I see utilization per operator?

Yes. The Operator Performance report pairs each operator with the machine they worked and totals its uptime percentage and hours for their clocked sessions. Sessions come from sign-ins on a paired operator station.

### How quickly will I see my first number?

SenseAi and SenseAi Embedded attach magnetically in seconds and calibrate in under five minutes; BeamTracker bolts on with the supplied mount in 10 to 20 minutes. A machine shows its status within seconds of coming online and its first full shift of utilization at the end of that shift.

## Documentation

Want the detail? These guides walk through each feature step by step.

- [How each metric is calculatedUptime, downtime, unknown time and what each leaves out.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/metrics-reference)
- [Read the fleet KPIsUptime, utilization, downtime and machines producing on the Assets page.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/assets-overview)
- [Build a utilization reportThe Advanced Report over any period, by machine and department.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/advanced-report)
- [Set OEE and utilization goalsThe one percentage that colors every gauge.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/oee-goals)
- [Analyze downtime with Pareto and trend chartsThe reasons ranked by the time they cost.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/downtimes)
- [Measure operator work sessionsOperators paired with the machines they worked.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/operator-performance)
- [Configure tracking for CNC mills and lathesExpected uptime and the Discrete algorithm.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/production/cnc-machines)
- [Troubleshoot wrong utilization or OEETimezone, shifts, window, switches.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/troubleshoot-monitoring)

## Find your real utilization this month

Start with 10 to 25 machines for four weeks, with no commitment to buy. The first shift of utilization is on the Assets page the day the sensors go on.