Equipment failure is the greatest “uncertainty” at the production site of the manufacturing enterprise. A key equipment suddenly shut down, production lines shut down, orders delayed, maintenance workers sweating for spare parts, drawings ... This is happening in countless factories. Frequent malfunctions and delays in maintenance have become two major mountains that have crushed productivity. So, is there a systematic approach to addressing these two problems at the root? The answer is yes. This paper presents three main systems functions for the management and maintenance of dismantling equipment — preventive maintenance and the standardization of spot checks, maintenance workers' single loops and rapid response, equipment health files and data analysis — and provides an in-depth analysis of how the system addresses the frequency of malfunctions and delays in maintenance, as well as a field-based operational programme in conjunction with a simple cloud workshop equipment management system (digital teams)。
I. Three main causes of frequent malfunctions and delays in maintenance
Before talking about functions, we need to know what the problem is. The management of equipment in many factories is still at the “defunct and repair” stage, resulting in a vicious circle。
Source 1: maintenance plans are non-existent and equipment is operated with disease
Checklists are filled by hand and workers are ticked before work hours; the maintenance cycle is experienced, and the oil exchange is not changed and should not be changed. The equipment was chronically insulated and minor problems caused major breakdowns. A retrofitting machine, which had not changed its lubricant for six months, had died in its main axle and had incurred a cost of 50,000 for repairs, resulting in a greater loss of production。
Source two: maintenance response is based on people's voices
The equipment was broken, the workers called the squad leader, the team leader sought the maintenance worker, who went to the site to see the lack of spare parts and went to the warehouse. The entire process was not documented, was not time-bound, and the repair work was in the mood. Management doesn't know who to rush. In one case, equipment malfunctioned at one of the factories, and the maintenance workers were delayed for three days on the grounds of “soft parts”, which were later found on the next shelf。
Source three: equipment history blank, same failure repeated
This equipment was replaced last year, no one knows; last month, the parameters were transferred, no one recorded. In the face of a malfunction, the new maintenance worker had to search his head and repeat the pit. An empty press machine changed belts three times a year, each time without recording the cause, and later found that the wheel had worn out and the wheel had been changed to cure。
To address these three causes, it is necessary to move from “aftercare” to “preventive prevention” and from “human” to “systematic” treatment. These three functions are the cure for the disease。
Management and maintenance of dismantling equipment: precautionary maintenance and standardization of spot-checking - making the equipment “lower sick”
This function addresses frequent failures caused by the failure of the maintenance plan and the passing of points. Its core idea is that the equipment is not fixed, it is well nourished。
How
As a first step, a “standard check-up card” is established for each equipment. This card is intended to identify items that need to be inspected daily, weekly and monthly, such as oil tables, air pressure, temperature, acoustics, hardware, etc. Standardized and qualified/unqualified reference photographs are required for each project. For example, the criterion for “oil table” is “place above the scale line” with a photograph of the normal level。
The second step is for operators to use the two-dimensional code on their mobile phone scanner equipment before they go on duty every day, and for the end of the mobile phone an automatic check list of the day. After confirmation of each item, take a photo and upload, and the system automatically records the time, the time, the result. If anomalies are detected, the maintenance order can be triggered by direct photographing。
In the third step, a “maintenance plan” is developed to set maintenance cycles by type of equipment, such as the replacement of lubricant every 500 hours and the quarterly cleaning of heaters. The system automatically pushes maintenance tasks to the repair workers, uploads maintenance records and replaces spare parts upon completion. The system is automatically upgraded to alert class leaders if they are not maintained over time。
A two-dimensional code could be generated for each device by creating a “equipment desk account”. Creates a " point check sheet " , a two-dimensional code for associated equipment, which will enable staff to see the item of the check. Sets a " scheduled reminder " to automatically send a check-in to an employee's mobile phone every day. Creates a maintenance schedule that automatically generates periodic maintenance tasks with a smart assistant, and automatically triggers them when they expire。
The value of this set of functions is to move from “defunct and repair” to “neither bad nor bad”。
Function ii: maintenance worker single loops and quick response — to allow maintenance to be “no longer delayed”
This function addresses slow maintenance response, non-transparent processes and extended stopovers due to timelessness. At the heart of it is the transformation of maintenance into a line of water, each with a time frame and responsibility。
When equipment malfunctions, operators use mobile phone scanned codes to fill out malfunctions. The system is automatically assigned to the corresponding maintenance worker, depending on the type of equipment and the area, and the notification is sent by nail or micro-mail. The maintenance worker clicks on the “check-in” after receiving the assignment and the system starts timed. Click on “start maintenance”, when completed, to fill out the cause of failure, maintenance measures, replacement of spare parts and upload post-maintenance photographs. Finally, the reporter or class leader received and checked online, confirming that the equipment was back to normal and the worksheet was closed。
In order to reverse the speed of response, the system sets the rule of “extra-hour upgrade”: the maintenance worker does not take orders for more than three minutes, automatically notifying the team leader; the workshop director for more than 10 minutes, notifying the workshop director; and the manager for more than 30 minutes, informing the plant director. Each step is recorded over time and management is clear and no one dares delay any longer。
Through the creation of a “maintenance list” process sheet, which contains phrases for callers, equipment, trouble descriptions, photographs. Sets a smart assistant to automatically select the maintenance worker according to the type of device. Configure the " timeout reminder " smart assistant, regularly scan unsolved, uncompleted worksheets, and automatically send reminders to your superiors over time. At the same time, maintenance worksheets are linked to spare parts inventory and are automatically reduced when spare parts are replaced。
Function iii: equipment health files and data analysis - to “no recurrence” of malfunctions
This function addresses the high maintenance costs resulting from the lack of maintenance history and repeated repairs of the same malfunctions. At the heart of it is the recording of the “sick history” of each device and the use of data to find the root causes。
An “electronic health archive” could be created for each equipment to record all information from the equipment entry to the end of life: basic parameters, spot-checking records, maintenance records, maintenance worksheets, spare parts replacement lists, and trouble statistics analysis. All associated devices are recorded in 2d code, which allows full resumes to be viewed. The system automatically calculates the frequency of failure per device, the distribution of the type of failure, the time spent on maintenance, mtbf, mttr. The chart of faults, the type of high failure and the trend in maintenance costs are displayed through dashboards. When the threshold is exceeded for the number of malfunctions in a given equipment, automatic warning is given to managers to initiate specific improvements, such as major repairs, replacement of spare parts and optimization of processes。
Iii. How can the three functions work together to address the frequency of malfunctions and delays in maintenance
The three functions are not isolated, but form a closed circle of “prevention-response-root”。
Preventive maintenance reduces the probability of failure and lowers maintenance needs from source. Well done, the equipment won't suddenly strike。
Quick response to reduce failure time and loss of downtime. Once the system is broken, it's automatic, and no one dares to delay。
Data analysis identifies underlying causes and prevents recurrence of similar failures. Replace “headache management” with “systemic treatment”。
Iv. Core values of equipment management and maintenance
Through the three above-mentioned functions, enterprises can achieve three real values:
Value i: 30-50% drop in failure rate
Preventive maintenance has made the equipment “reduced” and the unplanned downtime has been significantly reduced. A 500,000 worth of equipment, with an additional 10 per cent of available time, has resulted in a considerable increase in output。
Value two: maintenance response speed increased more than fivefold
Automatic billing, overtime upgrade, and maintenance workers are no longer “wilders”. It used to take an average of one hour to repair one device, and now 20 minutes to finish。
Value iii: 20-40 per cent reduction in maintenance costs
The replacement of spare parts is documented, repeat malfunctions are addressed and maintenance hours are reduced. The cost of purchasing spare parts at a plant has been reduced from 150,000 to 100,000 per year and maintenance hours from 800 to 500 hours。
V. Guidelines on current executions and places
Mistake i: focus only on repairs, neglect maintenance
The most costly strategy is "failed and repaired". Many bosses think that “the equipment is not broken, it does not need to be spent”, and then the damage costs several times. The correct approach is to place point-checking and maintenance in an equally important position, and to use the system to enforce carding to make “preventive” a habit。
Mismanagement and repair of spare parts
Spare parts replaced in maintenance worksheets should be linked to spare parts inventory, which is lower than the automatic procurement of secure inventory. Many factories “maintenance for one hour, wait all day”。
Wrong three: looking at the eyes, not analysing history
It takes 15 minutes each month to analyse the malfunction data and to identify the “roots” in order to reduce the underlying malfunctions. Don't just stare at "how can this be done so fast" and ask "why is this device always bad?" data analysis is an improved eye。
The three main system functions for equipment management and maintenance — preventive maintenance and site testing standardization, single loops and rapid response by maintenance workers, equipment health files and data analysis — address the problem of frequency of failure and delay in maintenance at the three levels of disease prevention, treatment and rooting. If you're still having a headache because the equipment is so bad that it can't be repaired, you might want to put a two-dimensional code on each device from today and drive your equipment management with data. A two-dimensional code may be the first step in your farewell "fire repair."。
Faq
Q1: what is the periodicity of preventive maintenance
The reference equipment description recommended that the actual operation of the plant be combined. This may initially be based on the instructions and adjusted for failure data after three months of operation。
Q2: how to prevent maintenance workers from taking false orders
Use photo + location to sign. Upon arrival, the maintenance worker is required to upload photographs of the current state of the equipment in the system, which automatically records the time and location。
Q3: what about mtbf and mttr
Mtbf = total running time ÷ number of malfunctions; mttr = total maintenance time ÷ number of maintenance times。
Q4: is it boring to check the job with too many equipment
Rational design frequency, no one-size-fits-all. Daily spot checks for category a equipment, weekly for category b and monthly for category c. The spot-checking project will also be streamlined to accommodate 5-8 items of equipment and will be counterproductive by too many staff。
Q6: how do we get employees to get used to it
The completion rate is included in the performance appraisal of the class, which is checked daily by class leaders. At the same time, the check-up process is extremely simple — scrutinizing, checking, photographing, done in 30 seconds。
