Equipment Maintenance | Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer

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Whether you maintain your equipment yourself, have employees do it, or outsource, there are valid reasons for keeping it up. Mostly these relate to health and safety. But productions and reduced costs are also vital. Here are some of the most important factors across all sectors.

Prolong the Life of Expensive Machines

No matter what you do for a living, machinery and equipment cost a lot of money. And if you’re just starting out, it can be even more as you get everything you need. In the first year, the average start-up costs can be around $30,000. So, if you want your machines to last longer, it pays to keep them in good shape. There are, of course, experts who can help with complicated machineries, like a hydraulic repair service. The upfront costs will reduce the chances of delays.

To Stay in Production

In some fields, the most valuable thing you have is time spent making things. The car business is a good example of a field where stopping means losing. When your machines work well, everything in your plant goes well. A well-run plant has a high level of productivity, which lets companies meet supply and demand on time. This makes the equipment more reliable and makes it last longer. Overall, a plant that works well and is reliable makes money.

Maintain Your Equipment for Insurance Claims

When making a claim on insurance, it’s helpful to have accurate records of how machinery was cared for. For some insurance providers, you must be able to demonstrate that the equipment you own and use is regularly maintained and serviced. This is important if you want to make a claim. As a claim might be thrown out if the machinery wasn’t well taken care of or regularly serviced. And this means you will have to pay for something to be fixed or replaced.

Reduce the Costs

In a factory setting, if a dilemma with a machine goes unnoticed, it could cause bad products to be made. The output may lead to parts or products that don’t meet your usual specifications and have to be thrown away. Aside from losing work time, the person in charge of the machine may have to work after hours to fix it. This could make the worker work more than contracted, which means you will also have to compensate them for their time and maybe book additional repairs.

Health and Safety

Many accidents at work happen because equipment breaks down when it shouldn’t. In a typical industrial business, about 35% of accidents happen because the equipment used to make things break down. And they often end in death. Because heavy machinery is so complicated, the construction industry has the most fatal workplace accidents. Your employees might expect to get hurt doing a dangerous job. But no one should have to fear for their life when at work.

Summary

There are various reasons to maintain your equipment at your business. Remember that good maintenance can only be conducted if you have quality equipment and utilities in the first place, justifying a worthwhile investment to begin with. No matter if you’re running automated machinery for a factory line, or an air compressor for your garage, this essential priority remains the same. This way, you will help them last longer, cover your insurance claims and reduce the number of accidents or fatalities at work.

Maintenance of your equipment and machinery is vital to keep your business going. However, carrying out the maintenance can get in the way of your productivity. Too much downtime due to maintenance, whether it’s unexpected or scheduled, can be frustrating and costly. Your goal should be to reduce maintenance downtime whenever possible so you can avoid wasting time and money. If you’re worried that you’re spending far too much time trying to maintain your equipment and not enough time actually putting it to good use, you need to make some changes. Have a look at these suggestions to reduce maintenance downtime.

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Speed Up Essential Tasks

There are often ways to speed up the regular tasks that you carry out. Sometimes the methods you use or the products you use can slow down maintenance. By taking a look at alternatives, you might be able to save a lot of time. As just one option to consider, automated lubrication systems for windmill power generation save a lot of time and effort. There are other tasks that you can automate and speed up so you can complete them quicker too. The faster you get it done, the less it will cost your business.

Use Predictive Maintenance Software

You might currently combine scheduled maintenance with making repairs when the need arrives. However, it might be more efficient for you to use predictive maintenance technology. These technologies use sensors to gather data, which can be used to assess the condition or a piece of equipment. This allows a business to pick up any impending failures in real-time, so you can carry out maintenance and repairs at the exact time when they’re needed most. Rather than wasting time on regularly scheduled maintenance, which sometimes might not even be needed, maintenance can be carried out just in time.

Use Goals and Incentives

The productivity of your employees is another factor in how much time you can spend on maintenance. If they work slowly, you might find that they’re wasting a lot of time, which means they’re wasting your time. They’re not necessarily doing it on purpose, but there are still ways to encourage them to work harder. Using goals and incentives to motivate your workers could help you see an increase in productivity. Set time limits for how long different maintenance tasks should take and create some rewards for meeting the goals that you set.

Review Your Scheduled Maintenance

If you have a schedule of maintenance to be carried out, carrying out a review of it is a smart idea. You could discover that some of the maintenance tasks you decided were necessary at first are now no longer needed. Weigh up the costs of different maintenance tasks and the benefit that carrying out the task offers to your business. There are some that you might need to do less often or perhaps some things that you don’t need to do anymore.

Your company could be spending too much time working on equipment maintenance. If you want to save time, take a good look at what you can change.