Important Steps to Take
Preventive maintenance is the practice of performing routine maintenance on equipment to reduce the chance of malfunctioning during work hours. Preventive maintenance is an effort to prevent unexpected breakdowns. It is essential to have a plan in place in order to achieve this. Preventative maintenance plans can help to structure the entire maintenance program. It is possible to quickly assess all equipment and determine how often it will be repaired, as well as who the employees are. Here are some tips to ensure your preventative maintenance program succeeds.
Determine the scope of involvement
Selecting the right team is the first step to creating the best preventive maintenance program. The size of the company as well as the required skill set will determine the number of employees needed. To help with the accounting part of the project, you might want to include maintenance workers, managers responsible for maintenance, and financial officers. To ensure the success of the project, all members must show great commitment.
Set goals
Once you’ve chosen your team, you can set goals based on current circumstances. You may want to decrease machine downtime, lower maintenance costs, or improve reliability. Keep track of all the reasons you’re starting a preventive maintenance program. Then, you can organize the goals according to priority. Prioritizing will help you keep your eyes on the program, since it can be hard to focus on preventive maintenance when there are other projects. It is easy to determine the resources required to complete a specific step of the plan. You are responsible for the company’s general projects and preventive programs.
Analyze the Equipment
This is the most difficult exercise in the entire program. This is the base for all other activities. It is essential to do this correctly in order to achieve your overall goal. You will need to take down all relevant information about the machines when you examine them. These details include the serial number and the location of each model, as well as other specifications. It is possible to look up the recommended maintenance procedures or review the machine’s history. This helps in the development of maintenance procedures.
You should also note the condition of your machine. This will allow you to plan which devices will be maintained first. Devices in poor condition will go first and those in good shape will go last. This stage is a good starting point.
Request a Schedule
After you have analyzed all equipment, you can now determine their priority. This will require an in-depth assessment of the production process. Start by identifying the most important machines that are essential to the company’s operation and starting with them. Maintenance takes time. Make sure you know what equipment can withstand the most frequent repairs. The repair process will likely take longer so schedule repairs for low production times such as when company is closed. Maintenance of low priority equipment can be scheduled between high-priority machines and those that are more time-consuming to repair. The repairs are usually less time-consuming so they shouldn’t cause too much disruption. Spreading out repairs can greatly reduce maintenance costs. You can also schedule maintenance based on triggers. This ensures that every machine is met.
Choose the right technology
It can be difficult to keep a schedule on paper and pen. You will need to use the right technology to manage your preventive maintenance program online. Technology that makes your job easier than Excel is a good option. Technology should be simple to use, offer maximum data security, and work within your budget. Consider the preferences of your team. They must be positive about the program and their work. It is much easier to manage inventory and work orders. It is also possible for the team to generate reports and organize themselves effortlessly.
Training the employees
The success or failure to implement preventive maintenance programs is down to the employees. Make sure that they are familiar with the schedule and how to use the tools. To clarify the core values and goals as well as the operation of the system, conduct training. Your return on investment will be higher if your employees are able to buy into the program and are familiar with its operation.
Make a Checklist
Your preventive maintenance plan’s Key Performance Indicators are the numbers. To understand your performance, you will need a checklist. This will include things such as maintenance time and the time between breakdowns. You can then compare the records with previous ones and determine if you are reaching your goals. Spider Strategies, a leader in the industry, offers KPI performance management software that allows BI professionals to track and analyze a company’s progress towards achieving its strategic goals.
Make adjustments
After running the program, you can analyze its performance and make note of any changes that need to be made. The machines will change over time, so it is important to revisit your preventive maintenance plan. Equipment that is older may require more maintenance or less frequent replacements. These updates should be reflected in the maintenance plan. Consultants may be able to help you plan and assess the necessary adjustments.
Time to expand
After carefully analyzing the return on investment, you can start to implement the program on a larger scale. Because the workload is minimal, the team can quickly adapt to the application by starting small. Losses that might occur are also limited in size. You can slowly add the other devices to the plan if you are able to make good returns by implementing the plan on a few machines. You don’t want to overwhelm your team by making a gradual transition.