Running a factory comes with many responsibilities. One of the major duties you need to handle is paying for proper maintenance. This is essential to keep the company running and reducing any downtime. But this can be very expensive, which can affect your profit.
Here are some tips that can help reduce your maintenance costs:
Do an Audit
One of the initial steps you should take is to look at what exactly your maintenance budget is like. An accurate set of records is important since it tells you what is happening to your money. You should know exactly how much you spent on each piece of machine in the factory. This should tell you which pieces are getting expensive to maintain. You may consider replacing them instead of keeping them on.
Identifying the machine that is costing you money also allows you to focus your efforts on it. You might consider alternative ways to keep it in shape or to pay better attention to it so it doesn’t break down so often.
Schedule Preventative Maintenance
Another method to ensure that no expensive break down doesn’t happen is to have regular preventative maintenance. If you run your machinery constantly or push them hard, then you should schedule a time once a year when they stop working and face a thorough inspection. The inspection should reveal any worn-out parts that need replacing. Along with an inspection, cleaning and lubricating should be done to keep it in good shape.
For example, Grundfos chemical dosing pumps from suppliers such as C&B Equipment need cleaning out and tuning up regularly. This is especially so if you run them constantly. Without rest, they will end up breaking down at the worst times. This is where preventive maintenance comes in. With a yearly check-up and maintenance, your pumps can be back into working shape, ready for another year of hard work.
Give Proper Training to Your People
When you are dealing with machinery, the most important part of them is their use. If your people don’t know how to operate the equipment properly, then they tend to push it to its limits. Treating machinery like this wears them down much faster. With the right training, your people will operate the machinery carefully.
Besides proper operation, your people will be the ones who work with your machinery. They need to identify whether your equipment is experiencing problems. This will allow you to catch malfunctions before they become serious.
Implement New Procedures
Changing your company’s procedures can help you deal with maintenance. For example, if you can integrate regular checks with operating processes, then you will have a good idea of the condition of your equipment. Additionally, simplifying them can be a big help since complex procedures make it difficult for your people to remember doing them. Streamline the process so that they can focus only on other important things.
Keeping your machinery functioning is important since you can lose money during their downtime. But you also need to be aware of how much you spend on maintenance. The tips above should help lower your maintenance costs in the long run. You can be sure that the results will be better for your cash flow.
