Here are two ways the Japanese cut down on downtime in manufacturing:
They teach operators to compete against a standard for the least downtime when machinery breaks down.
When they buy new equipment, they often insist on payment from the supplier if downtime exceeds a specified standard.
While those principles apply mainly to manufacturing, they could (particularly the second one) apply in other areas.
Example: We have three of a particular type of pocket dictating machine in the office. Hardly a fortnight goes by without one of them breaking down. Yet if we had have followed that principle about a specified downtime to the vendor, either the vendor would have agreed to not sell it to us (saving us from buying a dud), or we would have some agreement that allows us to return the dud.
