Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Plan Mechanical Maintenance

Mechanical maintenance can prevent costly machinery repairs and replacements.


Mechanical maintenance planning is the process of scheduling preventative maintenance on company equipment and machinery. Good maintenance is necessary to extend the life of the items and to prevent costly and time-consuming repairs. It will keep work in progress, preventing production from slowing or halting. It also will extend the life of equipment. Maintenance should be proactive instead of reactive. Just as an airplane has a flight check before takeoff, companies should have their own regular, routine methods of checking and maintaining their assets.


Instructions


Planning Mechanical Maintenance


1. Post a large 12-month calendar where all who are involved with regular maintenance can see and refer to it often. Have a schedule that does not vary, so it becomes a habit to perform needed repairs and maintenance on a regular basis. For example, the first of the month a company can schedule all air conditioning filters to be replaced; oil can be changed in all company vehicles; or belts and lubricants on factory machinery can be checked at specific times.


2. Regularly schedule maintenance will extend the life of company assets.


Keep a log book of all repairs and maintenance. This provides accountability to the staff and back up information on the who, what, when, and where of the maintenance in question. Potential problems and concerns can be notated for other shifts. This log book is also a great resource for providing information to insurance companies and for warranty conflicts.


3. Train employees on the importance of regular, scheduled maintenance, and make sure they have the essential tools and time to do their jobs correctly and efficiently. Some employees do not understand the impact that failure to maintain expensive equipment has on the bottom line. The main issues to concentrate on in dealing with staff and mechanical maintenance are discipline, proper job skills, safety and attention to detail.


4. Schedule outside preventative maintenance vendors at specific times every month to provide consistency in the maintenance process. Staff and security will also be aware of who is supposed to be on the property at a given time. Supervision of outside vendors and inspections of completed job duties are essential to cost-effective maintenance.


5. Make safety a number one priority when establishing maintenance procedures. Managers should ensure that employees always have proper equipment, ventilation and lighting, and that all equipment is code compliant. Having an effective mechanical maintenance program in place will assist in making your workplace safe and assure staff of steady, uninterrupted employment.







Tags: extend life, Mechanical maintenance, prevent costly, preventative maintenance, repairs maintenance, specific times