What Does a Machine Breakdown Really Cost? The Calculation Nobody Does Beforehand
When a machine breaks down on site, the first reaction is to call technical support. But rarely does anyone stop to calculate the real cost of those hours of downtime. Yet an unplanned breakdown is one of the most expensive events a construction company can face — and almost always, with proper preventive maintenance, it is avoidable.
The Invisible Cost of Downtime
The direct cost is the repair: spare part, technician, possible replacement rental. But it is the indirect cost that causes the most damage — and that almost no company actually calculates.
→ Workers idle but paid: 4 workers blocked for 4 hours = approximately €400–600 of wasted labour cost
→ Schedule delays: on a contract with penalties, every day of delay can cost 1–2% of the contract value
→ Cascading productivity loss: subsequent operations slip, creating bottlenecks
→ Reputational damage: the client records the delay — and remembers it at the next tender
Calculating the Real Cost: A Concrete Example
Let’s take a concrete mixer that breaks down on a medium-sized site. Intervention time: 24–48 hours. Let’s calculate the total cost:
→ Repair (parts + technician): €300–600
→ Replacement rental for 2 days: €150–200
→ Idle workers (4 people x 2 days): €800–1,200
→ Delay penalty (on €100k contract, 1%/day): €1,000–2,000
→ ESTIMATED TOTAL: €2,250 – €4,000 for a 48-hour breakdown
Preventive Maintenance as an Investment, Not a Cost
A preventive maintenance plan for a concrete mixer costs on average €150–300 per year in scheduled servicing. That is less than 10% of the average cost of an unplanned breakdown. Polieri offers a technical assistance service with schedulable interventions, original spare parts availability, and maintenance plans included in every machine’s documentation. Prevention is always cheaper than repair.
💡 Practical rule: every euro spent on preventive maintenance saves on average 5–8 euros in repairs and downtime. The maths almost never works out any other way.
