Most disaster recovery plans are written from the office out. They start with email, file servers, and accounting software, then add production systems at the end as an afterthought.
For a manufacturer, that order is backwards. The production line is what generates revenue. A disaster recovery plan should start there and work outward.
This guide walks through how to build a disaster recovery plan around production, including two terms every plant leader should understand: recovery time objective and recovery point objective.
Two Numbers That Shape Your Plan
Recovery time objective (RTO)
RTO is how long a system can be down before the impact becomes unacceptable. If your scheduling system can be offline for four hours before shipments start slipping, its RTO is four hours.
Recovery point objective (RPO)
RPO is how much data you can afford to lose, measured in time. If you back up your quality records nightly and a failure happens at 4 p.m., you could lose almost a full day of entries. If that's unacceptable, you need a shorter RPO and more frequent backups.
Put simply: RTO is how fast you need it back. RPO is how much you can afford to redo.
Step 1: Map Your Production-Critical Systems
Walk the floor with operations, maintenance, and quality leaders. List every system production depends on. Most plants find more than they expect:
- ERP and MRP systems for orders, materials, and scheduling.
- Machine programs stored on CNC controls or engineering workstations.
- PLC programs and HMI configurations.
- Quality management and inspection data.
- Label printing and shipping systems.
- Barcode scanners and inventory tracking.
- Network equipment that ties it all together.
Step 2: Set RTO and RPO for Each System
Not every system needs the same recovery speed. A simple worksheet helps:
| System | Impact if down | Target RTO | Target RPO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shipping and labels | Orders can't leave | 2 hours | 1 hour |
| ERP / scheduling | Floor can't see priorities | 4 hours | 1 hour |
| CNC programs | Machines can't run new jobs | 8 hours | Last approved revision |
| Quality records | Can't certify parts | 1 day | 4 hours |
| Office file shares | Admin slowdown | 2 days | 24 hours |
These numbers are examples. Your targets should come from real conversations about customer commitments and production costs. Downtime has costs beyond the obvious; we break them down in the real cost of IT downtime.
Step 3: Match Backups to Your Targets
Once you know your RTO and RPO, check whether your backups can actually meet them. Questions to ask:
- How often is each system backed up?
- Where are backups stored, and is at least one copy protected from ransomware?
- Are machine programs and PLC files included, or only office data?
- How long does a full restore actually take?
A common surprise: backups exist, but restoring a large ERP database takes 12 hours, far longer than the 4-hour target. That gap is what the plan needs to close.
Step 4: Plan for Manual Operations
Some disruptions will outlast your best recovery targets. Decide in advance how the floor can keep working without systems:
- Print the next shift's schedule each day.
- Keep paper travelers and inspection forms on hand.
- Store copies of critical machine programs where they can be loaded locally.
- Know who can authorize running without the ERP.
Step 5: Assign Roles and Communication
During a disaster, confusion wastes more time than technology. Your plan should name:
- Who declares a disaster and starts the plan.
- Who contacts customers about delays.
- Who works with IT and vendors on recovery.
- How employees get updates if email is down.
Step 6: Test, Then Test Again
An untested plan is a guess. Start small. Restore one machine program from backup. Time a database restore on a test system. Run a tabletop exercise where leaders walk through a ransomware scenario. Each test reveals gaps you can fix while the stakes are low.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Backing up office data but not machine programs.
- Storing every backup on the same network as production.
- Setting RTOs without checking how long restores actually take.
- Writing the plan once and never updating it after equipment changes.
Build the Plan Around What Matters
A production-first disaster recovery plan protects revenue, customer relationships, and your team's ability to keep working when things go wrong. Maise Technology helps manufacturers build and test plans through our disaster recovery services. Learn more about how we support plants on our IT services for manufacturing companies page.
Want help setting realistic RTO and RPO targets? Schedule A 15 Minute Discovery Call.
