Abstract: A method and apparatus for collecting manufacturing equipment downtime data which electrically blocks stopped equipment (production) from restarting until an acceptable reason (either by code or direct identification) has been entered and recognized by an electronic logic system. Locking out the restart capability until the downtime cause has been entered ensures that the causes for all downtimes are recorded in a timely fashion. This data is gathered and recorded to measure and define explanations for lost equipment running time. Other related data may also be gathered.