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Do you have the tools at your factory to keep a dangerous disaster at bay? To stop fires before they start?
The factories that manufacture the materials and goods we rely on already know all too well about the supply chain issues that have only accelerated since 2020. But what some may not know is that 2024 saw even more disruptions than previous years. By one account, there was a 38% increase in supply chain disruption last year.
What is the leading cause of these disruptions? Factory fires.
Factory fires don’t just put your productivity and facility at risk; they also put your entire team in danger. That’s why it’s essential to take all the proper precautions to protect your factory from an increased threat of fire. Here’s what you need to know about the uptick in factory fires, why they’re happening, and how Kett can help reduce the risk.
Fire Cases: What’s Happening?
There were 2,299 recorded factory fires globally in 2024. Most of these fires are happening in facilities here in the United States, followed by the totals in India and Germany. And they’re not just happening in one type of factory. Most often, they happen in:
- Automotive factories
- Manufacturing factories
- Food and beverage factories
According to insights from Resilinc and Powder & Bulk Solids, a variety of operational and supply chain factors are at play. Recent years have seen global disruptions that led to labor shortages, regulatory bottlenecks, and less comprehensive oversight in some facilities. As a result, many factories operated with fewer skilled workers on site, and employees were often expected to handle more responsibilities with less support. Meanwhile, some factories rapidly pivoted their operations—such as those that added new chemical processes or expanded existing lines—without fully accounting for the associated risks. This sometimes led to gaps in critical safety protocols. For example:
- Reduced frequency of safety inspections, sometimes due to short staffing or shifting priorities
- Mishandling of chemicals, potentially caused by insufficient training
- Delayed maintenance for key equipment or systems
It’s also worth noting that machinery issues contributed significantly to fires in 2021. In fact, 59% of factory fires analyzed by Resilinc that year were linked to faulty equipment. Common contributing causes included:
- Improper installation, operation, or maintenance
- Inadequate safety and cleaning procedures
- Insufficient training for employees who aren’t aware of key risks
- Failure to replace outdated or worn-out equipment on time
Because these problems are largely preventable, industry professionals suggest that awareness and proactive measures are essential. By addressing equipment maintenance, ensuring proper training, and maintaining consistent safety checks—even under disruptive conditions—factories can lower the risk of fires and protect employees and assets in the future.
What Steps Factories Can Take: How Kett Can Help
At Kett, we’ve seen how having the right instruments on hand in factories can make all the difference in efficiency and safety.
We’ve read the headlines about fires caused by overdried grain and combustible dust that can contribute to fires when sparking happens—and that almost every material can be combustible in dust form, including wood, metal, dyes, food, and chemicals.
We know that chemical plants are susceptible to increased fire risk when there’s too much friction. And we also know that mechanical equipment can become a fire hazard if not cleaned, maintained, and lubricated, causing elements to heat up and eventually catch fire.
Our goal is to help our clients and customers prevent these kinds of issues from happening. For example, moisture meters like Kett’s KB30 Smart Inline NIR Moisture Meter can prevent the overdrying of grain, flour, and other food products. Our pulp and paper moisture meters line can do the same in producing paper and paper-related products. And our line of friction testers like the H94 Handheld Portable Friction Tester can evaluate machinery for friction and wear on-site to keep friction—and overheating and sparking—from causing machinery-related fires.
At Kett, our team of expert engineers can help you find the portable and inline laboratory-quality instruments you need to maintain safe factory operation and reduce fire risk. Best of all, our instruments are designed to be fast and efficient to keep you moving and simple enough for your entire team to use to monitor conditions, no matter who’s at the facility. Let us help you select the best instruments for your unique factory setting, and to keep you safely in operation with the risk of fire at bay.
To learn more, connect with us today!
