What is Wrench Time?

Understanding the key metric that determines
your maintenance team's productivity

The Surprising Truth

25-35%

Average time technicians spend
actually doing maintenance work

Wrench Time Defined

The percentage of a technician's shift spent on
direct, hands-on maintenance activities

Not traveling. Not waiting. Not searching.
Just productive work on equipment.

Where Does the Time Go?

30%
Wrench Time
30% Actual Work
15% Waiting for Parts
15% Travel Time
10% Getting Instructions
10% Meetings & Breaks
20% Paperwork & Admin

Why It Matters

30%
10 technicians =
3 FTE actual work
→
50%
10 technicians =
5 FTE actual work

+2 FTE capacity without hiring anyone

Measure Your Wrench Time

Take our free Hands-on Tool Time Assessment
and discover your improvement opportunities

reliox.org/tool-time