Because Halfway Is No Where Near Close Enough
We’ve written about this topic before, but it’s been a couple of years, so we figured it was time to resurface it to keep it top of mind. And, further, in this time of supply chain woes and the seemingly impossible task of ordering spare parts, etc., it’s more important than ever to ensure that your manufacturing equipment is being cared for and maintained to keep it running optimally as the shop floor continues to ramp up production runs.
Most of you are “on it.” You understand that preventative maintenance is as important to your business as anything else. No equipment, no productivity. No productivity, no continuity. No continuity, missed deadlines. Missed deadlines, compromised trust. Compromised trust, the jobs being to wane. That was a longwinded diatribe, but you get the picture.
So, let’s give thanks to the facilities that are practicing sound maintenance schedules, and offer up some tips that can further improve everyone’s efforts to keep things “business as usual.”
A half-dozen ways to improve machine maintenance on your shop floor:
Evaluate machine usage and plan service accordingly. Let’s face it, the technology present in our shops today is pretty incredible. We’re able to monitor just about every aspect of our business through the software platforms built into every operative piece of our processes. Heck, we can even take a look at progress and analytics on the same device we call home on. With that said, if you’re hesitant to plan reoccurring monthly or annually occurring maintenance under the guise of some sort of contract, use the technology and data at your disposal to decide when the right time to schedule preventive maintenance based on singular machine performance. If one machine is run far less often than others, it’s fair to assume it doesn’t need the same TLC other pieces of equipment in your fleet may need. Use the date and the technology at your disposal to your advantage (and, to the advantage of your machines).
Trust your employees for maintenance oversight and place the power in their hands (which means they’d be held accountable as well). We’ve all got that guy on our team that takes so much pride in a job well done. Hopefully we’ve got more than one, but, hey, sometimes one is all it takes. What we’re saying here is, if you’ve busy managing other aspects of the business, put the management of equipment maintenance in the hands of your team. There are things they can do on their own on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. For those they may need a hand on, give them the keys to manage that piece of the puzzle as well. If they’re scheduling service, encourage them to stick around for those service visits and observe how they’re conducted for cost savings down the road. Maybe they can learn a few little things that make maintenance a lesser lift. And, finally, make sure they’re documenting these service visits, so everyone remains on the same page and continuity is served if there’s a shift in the operative ranks as time moves along.
Think seasonally and accommodate maintenance that works for your business schedule. We all know there are busier seasons than others. At some point during the course of a calendar year there’s a slower stretch of time that we all look forward to to “get caught up on things.” You might see where we’re headed here… We’ll fast-track the suspense. Can you guess when the optimal time to embark down the road of machine maintenance is? It’s during these slower times. Granted, we’ve all been in a position during our peak season when things happen, and we need some emergency service. It happens. But limiting these instances and configuring a maintenance schedule that works well with your production schedule is the optimal approach to the inherent downtime involved in working on your company’s equipment. If you’ve developed a consistent annual routine, you can also plan around random ebbs and flows that might get in the way of maintenance as well.
Procure a service agreement from your equipment provider for routine maintenance. Yeah, we know. We already mentioned that it’d be “easy” for you to handle the maintenance of your equipment in house. And, by-and-large, you absolutely can, and should absolutely make it a practice to keep things cleanly and organized as it’s related to the equipment. But sometimes, we’re all just so busy that it’s easy to forget. Thus, it’s smart practice to have a professional come in, diagnose, and apply the actions necessary to ensure your machines remain a part of your team for years to come. The nice thing about maintenance contracts is that you barely need to think about them. They just happen. Minimal interruption, optimized productivity. That’s a win-win.
Purchase and procure spare parts before they’re needed. This is a big one which we alluded to in our intro here. Spare parts are incredibly hard to come by. Thus, put your order in (and likely get in line), so you have them in house as an small insurance policy in the event that you wind up needing them. If you wait until you need them in the heat of the moment, you may wind up in trouble. Supply chains are compromised in a serious way, as we all know, so try to get ahead as much as you can so that you’re not inadvertently putting yourself in a bad position. Spare parts are basically gold right now. Clear out some space and stock up.
Keep your equipment service manuals handy. If you’re anything like us, the first thing you do when you unpack a new appliance is set it up, plug it in and throw out everything else in the box (or recycle it, where applicable). Obviously, the machines you’re purchasing for your shop cost a fair amount more than a new washer and dryer set. So don’t throw out the manual. Keep it around for reference, and, in doing so, you just may solve an issue should one arise unexpectedly.
In parting, consider a couple of stats:
According to Industrial Week, the unplanned equipment downtime costs industrial manufacturers face is estimated to be $50 billion annually. Much of that can be avoided by staying current with routine machine maintenance.
In a report released by McKinsey & Company, predictive maintenance can reduce machine downtime by 30%- 50% and increase machine life by 20%-40%. That’s an important statistic when you consider that only 51% of us are utilizing the positive impact of predictive, routine maintenance (according to Plant Engineering). Thus, it seems we can all benefit from a solid reminder that maintaining to maintain is as important a subject in the manufacturing industry as any…
