The importance of machine maintenance in the workplace
Machinery faults are often one of the main causes of delay in any industrial manufacturing process. It is the type of problem that businesses tend not to think about until they really need to, and often that is because the issue – a broken or faulty machine – has already happened. It is this sort of unscheduled maintenance that is harmful to any business, as it can halt production and lead to delays that negatively affect the customer. However, this can be counteracted through practices like preventative maintenance that help to reduce the risk of further, unplanned equipment breakdown and production downtime.
What is preventative maintenance?
Preventative maintenance is maintenance that is regularly performed on equipment. It can include scheduled machine or equipment inspections, or the maintenance of documents used to record any repairs carried out during inspections. It can also apply to the training of personnel in relevant procedures, including hazard identification and the selection, care, and use of industrial equipment.
So, why is preventative maintenance of your machinery so important? Here are three main reasons why well carried out preventative maintenance will directly benefit you and your business:
- Increases productivity
This is one of the most important factors in any industrial manufacturing process line. Having time wasted on unnecessary machine faults is not only harmful to the ongoing process of your business where delays cost money, but to the overall output of your product. It also impacts a company’s reputation to their customers, for example by not meeting deliveries of product due to production delays.
Knowing which equipment needs maintenance means that work and production processes can be planned more efficiently. It also increases the volume of work that can be planned ahead of time, allowing for fewer unplanned stops in a production line, meaning that the product can pass through the production line at a quicker rate, in order to meet customer demand.
- Reduces overall cost
Fixing machines that are already broken or faulty is expensive owing to the money needed to source spare parts, and the resultant loss of money due to the break in productivity (such as scrapping products mid-production line due to breakdowns). Making sure your industrial equipment is maintained, usually by investing in a service maintenance contract, is well worth the immediate investment.
Not only will this ensure that the risk of regular breakdowns is eliminated, but that the stockholding and inventory of spare machine parts can be minimized, providing storage cost savings. Additionally, properly maintained equipment reduces expenditure on unplanned labor needed to maintain equipment as well as reducing the costs of disposing of any scrap material.
- Protects operators
Not only will regular machine maintenance ensure that monetary and time costs are reduced by your business, but it will also benefit and protect your operators too. Ensuring that your machines are regularly maintained - for example, checking that your machine’s mesh is sieving optimally or that the machine’s clamps are secure - can help to reduce the risk of potential exposure due to leakages.
Moreover, maintaining a machine regularly ensures that your operators’ health and safety can be protected effectively, as it will minimize their exposure to chemicals or hazardous agents, therefore improving the safety of their work environment.
Aftermarket support provided for you
With 85 years as a global leader in the industrial manufacturing industry, Russell Finex has unparalleled knowledge and expertise to provide the best solutions to any filtration and sieving requirements.
Russell Finex provides businesses with a comprehensive aftermarket service, including service maintenance contracts that will keep your machine operating efficiently and optimize your industrial process. By utilizing the benefits of such onsite services and maintenance contracts, you can be certain to receive bespoke equipment maintenance regardless of where you’re based.
To find out more about how Russell Finex’s Aftermarket support service can help you, contact us today.
