Heavy equipment maintenance should be at the top of every company's radar since replacing them can cost a fortune. Read more to find out the best practices.
Heavy machinery is one of the most critical assets for manufacturing and construction companies, not to forget the most expensive one. It can cost a fortune to replace or repair heavy equipment, which is why heavy equipment maintenance should be at the top of every maintenance manager’s radar.
Importance of heavy equipment maintenance
Do you know that preventive maintenance can reduce repair bills by 25%? It wouldn’t be wrong to say that being vigilant and proactive with maintenance will help prevent downtime and identify problems before they turn out to be show-stoppers. On top of everything, heavy equipment maintenance helps keep your employees safe because it prevents equipment degradation (degradation often leads to personnel injury). Incorrect sealing of bypass valves to leaking hydraulics and clogged heat exchangers can reduce an equipment’s overall operating capacity and efficiency. Subsequently, it impacts the lifespan of the machinery. Therefore, it’s essential to keep their maintenance on point. Even more, it eliminates the chances of unexpected machinery breakdowns.
How to create the perfect heavy equipment maintenance strategy
1. Know your machinery
In-depth equipment knowledge is crucial as it helps isolate the issues and curate result-oriented preventive maintenance steps. For this reason, you must read the equipment manual as it can provide you with recommendations on servicing every component. Most manuals also include a troubleshooting guide to fix minor malfunctions.
2. Train your technicians
Employees who operate a piece of equipment need the training to operate it. Remember that untrained employees could put themselves and the machinery at risk. Moreover, trained technicians can identify potential problems (rather than ignore them), saving you expensive downtime and maintenance costs. For this reason, make sure that your technicians have proper training on how to operate the machinery and how to keep an eye on how the equipment is performing. Lastly, they must be aware of different error codes and warning signs.
3. Establish a heavy equipment preventive maintenance plan
Developing a preventive maintenance program is a great way to increase asset dependability and address potential wear and tear. A preventive approach ensures top-notch performance and reliability, and the PM program often includes a systematic inspection, component replacement, component modification, performance analysis, and performance testing. Remember that a preventive maintenance program minimizes unwanted downtime and improves your bottom line.
4. Stick to the manual
Every machinery and equipment comes with in-depth manuals from the manufacturer, and they provide helpful information about proper maintenance steps and maintenance schedules. Following the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance plan is crucial to ensure safety and compliance.
5. Track issues
When it comes to preventive maintenance, identifying typical machinery breakdown causes by analyzing maintenance history can yield significant benefits. It can give you insights into the different causes of machinery failure, including gradual failure, intermittent failure, and sudden failure. Anticipating these failures will help determine the ideal preventive maintenance frequency and forecast the spare parts you need in your inventory.
Conclusion
Heavy equipment maintenance is critical to keeping downtime at bay and improving dependability. At BriskForce, we offer CMMS software that can help you effortlessly automate preventive maintenance scheduling and track your maintenance tasks in one place. Start a free trial today, or get in touch with us to know more.