What is a night shift?

Night shift means both the crew that works at night and the shift itself. In a three-shift pattern it follows the early and late shifts; a two-shift pattern of early and late shifts has none, although with two twelve-hour shifts the second one is a night shift. The night operator loads, measures and intervenes as during the day, but often with less support from programmers, process planning, quality and purchasing. Machines that keep running overnight with nobody present are not a night shift: that is unattended machining.

How does a night shift work in practice?

A night shift adds hours per machine. Only when there are orders for those hours can you spread the time-based machine cost over more productive hours; maintenance and wear grow with running hours. Labour usually costs more per hour at night because of a shift or night premium; whether there is one, and how high, is set by the collective agreement or employment terms. If you keep machine and labour rates apart, that premium belongs in the labour rate. If one operator tends more machines at night than during the day, the labour share per machine hour changes too. Night work is also subject to specific rules in working-time law; in the Netherlands, the Arbeidstijdenwet.

What is a night shift often confused with?

A night shift is not the same as unattended machining: a night shift is staffed, and unattended running can also happen over breaks or at the weekend. More shifts do not automatically raise utilisation either. Available time grows; if order hours stay the same, utilisation falls.