It’s Friday afternoon, your orders are nearly completed when suddenly, a piece of equipment breaks down! The production line grinds to a halt. To make matters worse, the technician familiar with the machine has already left for the weekend. Has this nightmare scenario or something similar ever happened at your company? Have you really calculated the losses caused by such an emergency? Implementing effective maintenance management could save you from headaches and sky-high expenses.

1- Schedule Regular Inspections
Even if your equipment is new and state-of-the-art, it’s essential to schedule regular inspections. This preventive maintenance allows you to detect potential issues and plan repairs to minimize impact on production. By anticipating problems instead of reacting only when they occur, you also save on expedited shipping fees and emergency repair rates.

2- Keep a Repair History
Each machine should have its own record of repairs. This makes it easier to get an overview of your equipment’s condition, track part warranties, and save valuable time when resolving new issues.

3- Create an Emergency Technician Role
Establishing an emergency service allows better planning for your other technicians’ maintenance work. However, make sure to rotate the emergency role, for example, weekly. This way, all your technicians will have the chance to train on all equipment, and knowledge won’t be centralized with just one person.

4- Follow the Manufacturer’s Recommendations
It seems obvious, but let’s admit it, not all companies strictly follow manufacturers’ recommendations. Think about your car—do you religiously follow the recommended inspections in your manual? Yet, savings could be made in the long run, and you could plan repair costs in your budget. The same principle applies to your machinery!

5- Keep an Inventory of Your Equipment
Having a computerized list of all your equipment, along with an up-to-date location plan, will save you a lot of time. It simplifies life during quote requests and speeds up the process when you need to work with an emergency technician, whose rates are usually higher.

In short, good maintenance management can easily be summed up by the old saying: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!”

There are many other ways to optimize your maintenance and reduce associated costs. Nothing beats personalized planning!

One phone call and our team will be happy to establish a plan tailored to your needs.

(581) 680-0666
info@lean-expert.com

Happy maintaining!