A Complete Overview About Equipment Maintenance Program

To ensure that companies get the most out of their funding, equipment maintenance programs are the best practice they can follow. Startups or small businesses often need to pay more attention to the importance of following equipment maintenance programs. As a result, they suffer from a shorter lifespan of machinery, inconsistent performance, and costly downtime, leading to lost productivity, missed deadlines, and potential revenue loss for the organization. 

Equipment maintenance programs help incorporate scheduling, strategies, policies, and procedures to optimize equipment performance, reliability, and longevity.

Contrary to popular belief, equipment maintenance scheduling doesn't require rocket science; a basic approach can yield significant benefits. 

This guide will offer you unique insights related to the equipment maintenance program. So let's get started!

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What is an Equipment Maintenance Program?

The equipment maintenance program serves as a strategic blueprint for businesses to ensure the optimal functioning of their equipment. These programs encompass both routine maintenance and repair tasks.

The resources necessary for equipment maintenance vary depending on the type of equipment. For instance, repairs for heavy construction equipment differ significantly from those needed for food processing machines.

Plan your maintenance and schedule equipment availability before commencing work. This approach streamlines operations and reduces the frequency of disruptive routine inspections.

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Why Must Equipment Maintenance Be Your Priority?

An equipment maintenance program will enable you to save 30-40% and yield a tenfold return on your investment. Here's why equipment maintenance must be your priority:

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Minimize Maintenance Costs

Forbes claims that a manufacturer suffers from 800 hours of equipment downtime annually, with a total cost amounting to $50 billion each year. Avoid costly repairs by enhancing your machinery's performance through regular maintenance plans. Remember, investing in your equipment translates to investing in your company's future success.

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Maximize Safety

To ensure the safety of your technicians, your equipment must function reliably without sudden failures or sluggish operation.

Implementing proper maintenance and repair procedures is essential to mitigate potential safety hazards.

For instance, if a conveyor belt motor suddenly stops working, the production line might abruptly halt, causing confusion and potential accidents as materials pile up or workers scramble to address the issue. 

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Reduce Sudden Downtime

Proper maintenance can mitigate sudden equipment downtime. While equipment failure may be inevitable, it can be minimized through regular, effective preventive maintenance programs and predictive maintenance systems.

For instance, implementing a routine inspection schedule for manufacturing machinery significantly reduces the risk of unexpected breakdowns, ensuring continuous production and avoiding costly delays.

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Choosing the Optimal Equipment Maintenance Strategy: A Comprehensive Guide to Selecting the Right Approach

Before working on your equipment maintenance program, you must decide what type of maintenance will be best for your equipment.

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1. Preventive Maintenance Program (PM Plan)

Preventive maintenance programs minimize critical equipment downtime, so 80% of manufacturing plants use it. Preventive regular inspections are amongst the cheapest options available for maintaining your equipment.

You can schedule preventive maintenance work orders according to a fixed schedule. Another option is to develop a flexible schedule that aligns with your workflow. 

A better option is to base your preventive maintenance planning around a usage-based or time-based schedule. A usage-based schedule is determined by considering your equipment's usage period. 

If you use your equipment several times a week, such as construction equipment, they require more servicing for a usage-based PM plan.

A time-based schedule is according to the calendar, such as monthly, quarterly, or annual inspections. With preventive maintenance, you focus on maintaining your equipment before its performance lowers or a sudden breakdown occurs.

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1. Predictive Maintenance

Half of the manufacturing plants use predictive maintenance due to their familiarity with condition-based planning. In condition-based planning, tools and sensors gather maintenance data and inform you when it's suitable to replace parts. Consequently, your life will become easier, and you will save time.

Establish an effective maintenance program and employ predictive methods to implement your plan quickly. The data will assist you in predicting when your equipment requires servicing.

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1. Reactive Maintenance

Reactive maintenance, or breakdown or corrective maintenance, involves little or no maintenance planning. Breakdown maintenance, a subset of reactive maintenance, entails taking action only after equipment fails, without any preventive measures.

Once equipment failure happens, repair work begins, which carries both advantages and disadvantages. A reactive maintenance program can disrupt workflow when equipment breaks down suddenly.

Some drawbacks include reduced productivity and high repair costs. While a detailed maintenance plan can mitigate emergency breakdowns, unforeseen circumstances may still arise.

Nonetheless, having an operating procedure for asset failure and a checklist can guide you to the manufacturer's manual for precise instructions on necessary tasks.

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1. Condition-Based Maintenance

Condition-based maintenance focuses on your equipment's performance, which you can use to decide on a schedule. For condition-based maintenance, you must install sensors on your machinery.

These sensors assist in determining the due date for equipment maintenance based on meter readings. Operation condition maintenance enables you to save money and time by planning maintenance when performance becomes poor. However, you require meter reading equipment, which can be expensive.

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1. Total Productive Maintenance

Total productive maintenance has increased plant capacity by 10% and productivity by 50%. However, half of the attempts to implement it fail.

For total productive maintenance, your whole team must participate in maintenance strategies. 

You can include people from the maintenance department, such as maintenance managers and facility managers. When you handle your maintenance tasks internally, you can train your team members by elaborating on accurate procedures that benefit your business.

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Strategies for Developing an Effective Equipment Maintenance Program 

Equipment maintenance has several positive outcomes when you implement it correctly, but it's challenging. Use this method to design an effective equipment maintenance program.

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1. Select a System to Support Your Plan

• If you select the pen-and-paper system, you will need printed forms to plan, schedule, and document your entire maintenance process. Your maintenance manager will use a paper calendar to schedule equipment maintenance and update your technician regularly.
• A whiteboard is similar to a pen-and-paper maintenance request system. Firstly, the maintenance manager will fill out a paper form to plan and schedule maintenance and use it to organize the information on a whiteboard, where you assign the tasks to the technicians. The board is visible to the whole team.
• Equipment maintenance software will automate all your maintenance activities, which include scheduling maintenance, assigning tasks, and documenting the history of repairs.

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1. Input Your Equipment

• While including input of all of your equipment into your system, ensure to include the following:
• Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) recommendations: OEMs guide equipment's optimal care and significant suggestions for preventive maintenance.
• Maintenance history: A detail of previous equipment breakdowns identified through downtime tracking software or maintenance logs. It can assist you in deciding the most suitable timing for preventive maintenance.

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1. Decide the Accurate Maintenance Strategy

• Equipment maintenance will determine your business's success, so it's essential to select a well-established schedule or a predictive maintenance strategy. 
• You can afford to run for some equipment until they stop working, but the case is different for all.
• Utilize equipment histories and OEM recommendations to decide the accurate maintenance strategy.

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1. Decide Equipment Maintenance Schedules

• You can service your equipment according to how frequently your equipment breaks and the time lapses in between. Then, you can decide which technician will service a particular part of the equipment after viewing their skills, abilities, and schedules. It will help you assign the right task to someone with the right skills.
• For servicing your equipment, take guidance from OEM recommendations. Based on this, checklists and inspection lists should be created. Ask your team to follow it while servicing the equipment.

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1. Train Your Team

• An equipment maintenance program is only helpful if your team is following it. 
• Train your team to use the system you selected to track equipment's maintenance and track rising issues.
• Providing the checklist isn't enough to ensure each technician knows the exact equipment service procedure. 
• Observe them regularly to ensure they're doing their job well.

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Introducing Clue: the Best Software for Equipment Management

In today's equipment management landscape, startups and small businesses can level up by embracing advanced software solutions like Clue.

With Clue, managing equipment maintenance isn't just a good practice—it becomes a strategic advantage in today's competitive market.

What sets Clue apart is its cutting-edge platform, which goes beyond basic tracking. With features like automated equipment monitoring, seamless integration with major OEMs, and real-time data access, Clue is the next-level solution.

By leveraging Clue, companies can significantly reduce downtime, cut down on maintenance costs, and make smarter, data-driven decisions to fuel their growth. 

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What Makes Clue Truly Remarkable?

Some of its unique features include:

• Tracks equipment hours and usage automatically, facilitating proactive maintenance scheduling.
• Direct integration with major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for real-time data access.
• Offers up-to-the-minute information on equipment status, ensuring timely decision-making.
• Enables efficient tracking of maintenance history and planning of future maintenance activities.
• Simplifies navigation and management of equipment data with an intuitive user interface.
• Sends personalized alerts for maintenance needs and critical equipment updates.
• Provides powerful analytics for optimizing equipment performance and utilization.
• Ensures access to equipment data and management tools on the go through a mobile app.
• Offers secure cloud-based storage for equipment data, ensuring safety and accessibility.
• Allows for the management of equipment from different manufacturers in a unified platform.

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Final Thoughts

Our approach to work is changing as we enter into a new era. We've realized that maintaining our equipment in optimal condition is essential for maximizing performance.

Using advanced equipment management software like Clue is important to stay ahead and keep up with the latest trends. With its easy-to-use features and smart design, Clue is the best choice for managing equipment efficiently, ensuring smooth operations in modern workplaces.

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FAQs

What Is the General Overview of Maintenance Strategies?

Maintenance strategies involve various methods that organizations use to maintain operational efficiency and asset reliability. These approaches typically include:

1. Reactive (Run-to-Failure): Maintenance is performed after equipment fails.
2. Predetermined: Maintenance is scheduled based on time or usage intervals.
3. Preventive: Regular maintenance is conducted to prevent failures.
4. Corrective: Maintenance is performed to correct identified issues.
5. Condition-Based: Maintenance is based on the actual condition of equipment.
6. Predictive: Maintenance is scheduled based on data and predictive analytics to anticipate failures before they occur.

How Do You Write an Equipment Maintenance Program?

1. Choose a System: Select a system to track, manage, and schedule maintenance tasks.
2. Inventory Your Equipment: List all equipment that requires maintenance.
3. Select a Maintenance Strategy: Choose an appropriate strategy (e.g., preventive, predictive) for each piece of equipment.
4. Establish Maintenance Schedules: Create schedules for routine maintenance activities.
5. Train Your Team: Ensure your team is properly trained to execute the maintenance program effectively.

What Is the Goal of a Maintenance Program?

The goal of a maintenance program is to improve operational reliability and personal safety. This enhances the availability of equipment and systems. Operational reliability is achieved through a combination of reliability, maintainability, and maintenance supportability.