Maintenance Programs for Manufacturing Facilities

Manufacturers understand that maintenance is a make-or-break-activity, especially high-dollar, fast-moving and high competition verticals, according to Machine Metrics. Unplanned downtime can be detrimental to a business, but it can be reduced! There are different types of maintenance in manufacturing that can decrease downtime such as reactive, preventive, usage-based, condition-based, predictive and prescriptive.

Reactive maintenance is the starting point for most manufacturers as it is a traditional method that has been with manufacturing for decades. It is a type of maintenance that takes place as a reaction to something occurring and can cause expensive downtime.

Preventive Maintenance is a great step towards decreasing your downtime because it is a logical way to prevent large, expensive issues from occurring. Preventive maintenance is calendar-based which means that it is scheduled ahead of time to replace parts before they break or perform routine maintenance on equipment. If paired with predictive or prescriptive maintenance, then can be very rewarding for your facility.

Some manufacturers practice usage-based maintenance which utilizes usage intervals – replace a part every 30 days or change oil in machinery every 20,000 hours of run time. Usage-based maintenance is an excellent way to ensure that maintenance is performed in the correct amount of time to various equipment throughout the facility.

Condition-based maintenance is like usage-based maintenance but monitored more closely with great volume and data. For example, a part’s quality has dipped below a threshold therefore the machine needs to be maintenance. This type of maintenance improves the usage of parts while protecting machines from critical failures and unscheduled downtime.

Few manufacturers utilize predictive maintenance which are devices that predict when failures will occur so the business can plan for them before consequences arise. The goal of predictive maintenance is to avoid pitfalls in over-maintenance such as excessive parts and labor costs, waste and increased risk of human error. It also prevents issues associated with under-maintenance such as critical failure, unplanned downtime and damage to machinery or employees.

Determining the Best Maintenance Program

When determining the best course of action to decrease downtime in your manufacturing facility related to broken machinery or equipment it’s important to know your options. System4 Facility Services Management is an industry leader in repair and maintenance programs. System4 has industry experience with thousands of businesses across the country. Their vast network of vetted, experienced service providers is well-prepared to meet the unique needs of your manufacturing facility while exceeding your expectations. System4 works closely with you to understand your facility’s needs and create a customized repair and maintenance program.  For additional information on repair and maintenance programs, click here.