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Common Reasons Why Preventive Maintenance Often Falls Behind In Manufacturing Facilities

19 August 2018 by Brandon Stewart

One key thing that should be a focus in any manufacturing facility is preventive maintenance of equipment, vehicles and the building itself. Even in companies that seem to do everything else right, preventive maintenance often falls to the wayside. There are a lot of reasons for this, but identifying these reasons and implementing the right strategies within your manufacturing facility can help you avoid falling behind on critical preventive maintenance.

Poor Record Keeping

You can't stay on top of preventive maintenance if you don't know that it needs to be done. Poor record keeping in any area of your business can cause problems. You might know this and stay on top of record keeping for things like financial records, but if you aren't keeping records about maintenance, something needs to be done immediately.

Some of this can be done by hand. Keeping record sheets near key pieces of equipment is a good way to make sure that maintenance and repairs are all written down and tracked. Plus, the visual reminder is helpful. The majority of your preventive maintenance record keeping should probably be done on the computer, though. There are preventive maintenance CMMS software programs that are made specifically for use in manufacturing facilities. Choosing and using one of these programs can help eliminate problems with record keeping. This helps you know when preventive maintenance needs to be done. Other perks can be enjoyed, too, such as better record keeping of expenses related to preventive maintenance and repairs.

A Too-Small Maintenance Budget

When money's tight and you're trying to keep profits where they should be, making cutbacks seems like the only solution. There are some areas in a manufacturing facility where budget cutbacks make sense. There are other areas where these cutbacks can cause more harm and financial loss than good. Preventive maintenance is one of these areas. Even when working with a tight budget, penciling in enough money to keep equipment and vehicles maintained isn't just an option. It's a necessity.

Lack of Maintenance Employees

Budget constraints, high employee turnovers and lack of skilled workers in your area can all contribute to a too-small maintenance crew. Without your maintenance employees, though, preventive maintenance probably just will not happen like it's supposed to. Finding and training maintenance employees and treating them right so that they'll stick around should be priorities for your company. This doesn't just help with preventive maintenance; it also helps with getting repairs done promptly, among other things.

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