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Conveying News

Maintenance Reliability is Essential

Source: Snap Lock, Inc.
Date: 11/03/2010

Maintenance is usually done in one of three ways. First and definitely the least productive or desirable, is "wait till it breaks" maintenance. This is the most costly to any company and completely stops production until the "break" is repaired.

The second and third types, preventive and predictive, are somewhat intertwined. Preventive maintenance (PM) is where maintenance is done regularly on a pre-determined schedule. Predictive maintenance uses technology to monitor and recognize failure conditions before they occur.

Snap Lock has developed an E-Maintenance feature available to our customers that assists with both preventive and predictive maintenance. This feature provides reminders when maintenance is due. Once an item is logged into the E-maintenance system, automatic reminders are sent concerning regular maintenance. Each maintainable item can also be set up with its average lifespan.

Just think how much down time could be eliminated if you knew ahead of time when a part was most likely to go down! This can be determined through a reliability analysis and equipment repair history. That way you can get a picture of what is likely to occur and when. You can predict how many hours of use a particular piece of equipment will run before maintenance or replacement is recommended. This is another way to use Snap Lock's free E-maintenance program.

Emails will be sent at intervals leading up to the predicted date to enable time for reordering of replacement parts or to go ahead and replace before any downtime occurs. If the item is a Snap Lock part, you are directed to our online store for reorder. You can also call or email a customer representative to place an order. Snap Lock created this free program to keep downtime at a minimum while maximizing profit and production.

Making the change from what you are currently doing to the PdM type of maintenance is not easy. The biggest barrier is generally one of culture. People are creatures of habit and dislike change. The "We've always done it this way" attitude can be a real hindrance. Remember, if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always had. Perhaps you would rather have a more positive outcome.

To make a real culture change requires the different parts of the company working together for the common good. One suggestion is to set up asset performance teams made up of maintenance, production and engineering divisions. Charge them with analyzing and improving performance in their areas.

In today's world, it is necessary to embrace new ways of doing things to get the most out of your equipment. Those companies willing to make some changes are those that will survive this difficult economic time.