Just as the flapping wings of a butterfly in West Africa can ultimately trigger a hurricane that ravages the U.S., the failure of an inexpensive part in just one machine can batter the financial performance of the company that owns it.
This “butterfly effect” — or a small change in initial conditions that leads to huge changes in results — is much noted in weather forecasting, but often overlooked in manufacturing. On the factory floor, however, seemingly routine or apparently insignificant machine health malfunctions can ricochet throughout an entire company and result in serious bottom line damage.