Friday, May 31, 2013

Why Use Planned Maintenance?

Like many business professionals in the U.K., you’re likely tasked with doing more with less. As such, you may be wondering why you would want to add to additional work to your already-packed workload by adding planned maintenance to the mix. After all, don’t you have plenty of unscheduled repairs and fires to fight as it is?

However, planned maintenance with an eam (Enterprise Asset Management) system pays off. It can improve productivity and reduce costs overall for the entire organization. Well-maintained equipment in operation is helping the company to make a profit while equipment that is down for an extended period of time is not. Because planned maintenance is scheduled in advance, parts and labour are also scheduled in advance and ready to be put into service. In contrast, equipment failures may result in extended downtime due to the availability issues.

Not only can planned maintenance align with the company’s goals of working more efficiently and more profitably, it can make your job easier despite the added tasks of planning and scheduling preventative maintenance work. For example, you can schedule work, parts, and manpower accordingly as well as ensure that your workforce is productive at all times. Proactively maintaining equipment also means fewer emergencies, less stress, and greater control.

Planned maintenance also provides maintenance technicians with the opportunity to inspect equipment for signs of excessive wear and tear and potential issues that may need to be addressed. Rather than waiting for a breakdown, many breakdowns can be prevented completely due to these visual inspections. It’s also smart to schedule regular operational assessments where equipment is inspected while it’s in use. When in operation, technicians may notice unusual squeaks, clunking sounds, grinding noises, and signs of distress that need attention. (Source: Asset Management and Equipment Tracking by eMaint)

Planned maintenance is proactive maintenance, and the benefits are numerous. Help your organisation improve productivity and reduce costs by adopting a planned maintenance strategy.