Maintaining your assembly line is just like maintaining any other part of the manufacturing process. You need to be prepared to handle maintenance issues before they can develop into a larger problem. Here are some tips for how to go about maintaining your assembly line.
Create Maintenance Schedules
Developing maintenance schedules will allow you the time that you need to take equipment down for repairs. The important part of creating these schedules is that you need to adhere to them after they’ve been created. Planning is all well and good, but unless you act on your plan, it won’t help with the situation. You may want to schedule your maintenance during slower parts of the production day or even during off-hours at your facility. This will allow you to get it done without worrying about your bottom-line.
Purchase Replacement Parts
Having replacement parts on hand will limit the amount of downtime that you experience. For example, having additional valves on hand if you need to perform a valve repair for your water lines will keep the process moving. The types of parts that you keep on hand should be the ones that are critical to your continued operation. You’ll also want to keep parts around that are difficult to order and could delay your production.
Upgrade as Required
Keeping your software programs upgraded may help you to keep your assembly line running a little smoother. There may be patches that are required that will help to maintain the efficiency of your equipment. It will also help your employees to be a part of the upgrade process so that they know how to operate your machinery safely. Another thing that you might want to focus on upgrading are things that will make the process greener.
Foster Communication
Even if you create a schedule and stick with it, there may be times in which your assembly line equipment experiences a malfunction. This could be something that happened unexpectedly or it could have been spotted sooner. Your employees are more likely to notice a problem with your machinery than you. Keeping up an open dialogue could allow your employees to tell you about problems that they notice with the equipment before it has a chance to breakdown.
Prevention goes a long way when it comes to maintaining your assembly line equipment. Taking the time and initiative to handle these matters now may help you to keep up with your busy production schedule.
