How to build a predictive maintenance business case your CFO will approve

Unplanned downtime remains the single largest controllable cost on most production lines. Yet IoT and predictive maintenance programs still fail procurement because teams present technology features instead of financial outcomes.

Start with fully loaded downtime cost: lost production, scrap, overtime, expedited freight, and customer penalties. Most manufacturers underestimate this by 40–60% when they count only lost machine hours.

Scope your pilot to one line with high criticality and measurable OEE baseline. LavinIoT customers typically run 4–8 week pilots with predefined success criteria: reduction in unplanned stops, mean time to detect, and maintenance cost per unit.

Present payback as a range with conservative assumptions. Enterprise sponsors approve programs that show positive ROI within 12 months even when full-scale rollout takes 18–24 months.