Industrial equipment is exposed to constant wear-and-tear and they may deteriorate faster than expected when it’s not properly maintained. As investments, these machines cost you a lot of money to procure and the least you could do is allow them to get damaged, leading to unwanted repair costs on top of having to buy expensive replacement parts.
The lack of effective maintenance can also lead to problems in the production line. It causes work stoppage, supply chain issues, and errors in the final product. These can result in tedious product recalls and legal implications, especially when you have inspection and packing equipment that failed to work properly. Avoiding these scenarios involves knowing best practices in equipment maintenance, a few of which you will find below:
1. Set up clear guidelines
As you procure new equipment for the production floor, providing employees with guidelines on proper operations is important. Equipment failures are often the result of improper usage so it pays to draft out instructions and protocols that ensure the longevity of tools and machines. These guidelines should include steps before, during, and after equipment use. You may require employees to inspect the unit and follow a startup sequence. Provide them with reminders on proper storage and protocols to undertake after they are finished with the equipment.
2. Use condition monitoring techniques
A large part of effective maintenance involves detecting small issues that could worsen over time. Being able to identify early warning signs allows you to fix these issues at a lesser cost compared to dealing with extensive equipment damage.
The key to that is condition monitoring which involves certain tools and methods like thermal imaging and vibration analysis to assess equipment performance. Condition monitoring can also be done manually, from listening to unusual noises that indicate loose parts to an ocular inspection of a machine’s interior mechanisms. Make sure to provide guidelines as well to ensure accuracy.
3. Follow a maintenance schedule
Increasing the lifespan of industrial equipment is usually a matter of how frequently you undertake maintenance activities. This will depend on the size and complexity of the machine. Moreover, the schedule should be organized in a way that lets you focus on one type of maintenance at a time. With this, you will need a separate schedule to check electrical components and another for conducting corrective maintenance. You can keep track of these schedules by using a spreadsheet or specialized software.
4. Keep equipment clean
Proper maintenance is never observed when equipment is left uncleaned. Machines may accumulate dust and rust that hinder their performance and render them unsafe for the employees handling them. Set up guidelines for routine cleaning with a focus on removing debris, grease, and other contaminants.
It’s also important to use the right tools for cleaning out small and complex parts without damaging them. Dry ice blasting might be a safer alternative to sandblasting, so you might as well consider that as part of routine maintenance procedures.
5. Get the right people
Policies on proper equipment maintenance can only be enforced when you have technical supervisors on-site who can monitor what goes on in each sector or department of the facility. Serving as your eyes and ears, they will focus more on keeping industrial machines working efficiently, guiding employees on proper usage, and drafting out reports on equipment condition including suggestions for possible upgrades. With their help, you will be able to avoid costly repairs and replacements that could eat into your revenue.
Endnote
Industrial equipment is expensive and you will need to keep it running efficiently so you can get the best returns and cover the initial cost of procuring it. Consider these tips and make the most of these essential assets.
