As much as we’d like to avoid it, industrial machinery breakdown can happen at any time and repairs can be costly and time-consuming. If you’re going to take your machine for a repair, you’ll want to make sure the repair is a success. Having to bring back a machine you thought was working again, only for it to break down or malfunction shortly after would result in double the cost and loss of time. In this article, our team of experts at ACRA Machinery will run you through some fundamental tips for ensuring a successful industrial machinery repair plus some effective maintenance tips for a longer machine life.
1. Hire the right people
The phrase “quality over quantity” can be applied to many situations, including in industrial machinery repair. If you’re looking to penny-pinch, your machines will likely fall into the hands of inexperienced or unqualified technicians who might do more harm than good. Having the assistance of qualified professionals is key in ensuring you achieve the results you were expecting. Picking the best technician for your machine and facility can depend on multiple factors. A few you should consider are:
- Previous experience
Some information you should research or ask before hiring a repair technician is whether they have the necessary training to handle your specific industrial machine. Understanding the technician’s previous scope of work can help you understand if they are equipped with sufficient experience and skills for your specific needs. For example, if a technician has a niche for fixing laser cutters only, they may not have the skills or equipment for other machinery types that you may be looking for.
- Commitment to occupational health and safety
A great part about hiring professional help is that they often can assist with providing advice on how you and your team can implement and comply with necessary regulations and safety practices that can improve your machine’s life in the long run. Picking a repair technician who follows these guidelines themselves can not only ensure your machine is in good hands but establish improvements in your facility.
2. Adopt a suitable repair and maintenance strategy
Several strategies can be utilised when it comes to industrial machinery repair and maintenance:
- Planned or preventive strategy. This is a common one that involves an early planning procedure where industrial machines are regularly checked for anomalies and repairs or maintenance are periodically conducted.
- Unplanned or corrective strategies. The upside to this strategy is not needing to plan too far ahead as repairs and maintenance only occur when a malfunction is identified. The downside, however, is that this strategy does not prevent stoppages to your facility and can hinder your efficiency and workflow.
- Round strategy. This strategy is often used in situations where many minor anomalies need to be fixed. It is characterised by small repairs carried out in rounds till all issues are repaired. This avoids productivity losses as production can keep going.
3. Understand what’s going on with your machine
While it is nice to just leave your machine with someone else and hope it comes back perfect, not doing your due diligence can have consequences. Asking your technician questions or doing your research about parts of your machine’s repair and maintenance process can go a long way. This not only helps you understand the entire repair process but also how your repair bill is worked out, whether additional works need to be done and how you can prevent another breakdown.
4. Write everything down!
One simple but often forgotten task is having a well-updated record of all the repair and maintenance works you have conducted for your equipment. Similar to medical records, sometimes understanding the repair and maintenance history of your machine can help improve the management of future repair and maintenance works. Looking through records is also a good way to identify opportunities for maintenance practices improvements. For example, if you find that a machine that was repaired and maintained monthly had a much longer machine life than one that is checked annually, changing your repair and maintenance schedules might reduce the need for machine replacements.
Looking for industrial machinery repair and maintenance experts in Melbourne?
Industrial machinery repair is necessary from time to time and is important to a well-functioning, productive and safe facility. Thus, ensuring your repair and maintenance works are done correctly and successful is key in helping you remain productive and efficient. At ACRA Machinery, our expert technicians are highly trained and knowledgeable from industrial machinery to casual maintenance and can impart that knowledge to you to ensure successful industrial machinery repair and maintenance.
If you’re looking for advice for better repairs and maintenance of your industrial machines, feel free to reach out to us via our contact form or call us on 03 9794 6675.