The number one key to effective management of a facility is to ensure work and production continues efficiently, on schedule, and with as few complications as possible. While issues that need to be dealt with will occur on a daily basis, for the most part the business depends on the machinery of production to proceed without interruption. When interruptions do inevitably occur, both time and money are lost while managers and staff spend time and resources troubleshooting problems. When stoppages are caused by damaged or malfunctioning equipment, time lost waiting for repairs or replacements can be quite costly.
Even though there is no magic solution to eliminating down time completely, one thing managers can do to substantially reduce time lost to stoppages and unexpected machinery replacement is to implement a comprehensive scheduled maintenance program for all equipment and facilities under their watch. Strictly enforcing and adhering to a facility’s maintenance schedule comes with a number of crucial benefits.
Promotes transparency and communication
The first, and possibly most important, advantage to implementing a dedicated scheduled maintenance program is that it clearly communicates the policy for upkeep of facilities and equipment to all staff and management. When all personnel are on the same program, regular and more effective maintenance are likely to result. Further, a clear scheduled maintenance policy communicates to upper management that efforts are in place to reduce costs by ensuring the smooth continuation of production.
Risk reduction and safety
Regularly maintaining equipment decreases the likelihood of severe malfunctions that can lead to expensive repairs or personnel injury. All machinery and equipment needs repairs once in a while. Catching issues while they are small and expected reduces the chance that a major breakdown will halt operations. Also, large breakdowns often lead to the injury or even death of personnel.
Streamlines process and workflow
Scheduled maintenance keeps people working by reducing the time they spend waiting for repairs, or worse, getting sent home while waiting for replacement equipment. Interruptions affect more than just the facility experiencing equipment issues. When one area of the company depends on the output from another department to get its work done, a stoppage can create ripples all the way down the production chain.
Extends lifetime of equipment
Sooner or later all equipment will need to be replaced. However, a routine maintenance schedule can significantly extend the useful life the company can expect from its assets. Most equipment requires some kind of regular maintenance, whether that involves changing oil, replacing belts, or cleaning debris from the inner works. Ensuring that such maintenance occurs on schedule, and that adequate parts and supplies are on-hand to support it, can even keep equipment functioning long beyond its expected lifespan.
Promotes environmental responsibility
A final but important benefit to an effective scheduled maintenance routine involves reducing the negative environmental footprint caused by discarding no longer useful equipment. Not only does extending the life of equipment represent a more responsible interaction between a company and the world it operates in, environmental regulations can impose expensive requirements for the proper disposal of machinery and other waste.
Keep your operations running smoothly with a reliable scheduled maintenance system. contact us today for more information.
