How does your company plan and prepare to complete work efficiently? Would all of your employees do this the same way?
It’s a loaded question, and one that is not easily answered. Across every industry, maintenance departments are being asked to reduce costs while simultaneously improving efficiency. Just to remain profitable, many companies are asking their maintenance organizations to keep machinery running longer with fewer people, reduce failures, implement new programs, and continuously improve—all at a reduced cost! This can only be accomplished if the maintenance organization is efficient and effective.
In a recent webinar, we discussed:
- The goal of organizational maintenance planning
- The creation of standard work, reliability improvement, and cost reduction processes
- Examples of elimination of wastes and losses
If you missed the webinar, a recording is now available along with a PDF copy of the presentation.
We also discussed the bottom line of planning. What factors are absolutely necessary when it comes to planning? As a maintenance supervisor within an organization, there are tools at your disposal to utilize and leverage to improve your team’s productivity.
Q: How do I get started?
A: One of the biggest questions facing every maintenance supervisor is how to possibly begin tackling the enormous task that is planning and scheduling. Sometimes just getting started can seem like an insurmountable obstacle. Don’t worry, it’s not. Here are a few tips when thinking about getting started.
- Define the scope of work.
- Identify the unique potential safety aspects of the job, permits, and protection requirements.
- Identify the tasks and steps involved.
- Determine the skills required.
- Acquire parts, QA in advance of use, and kit/stage as necessary.
- Ensure reference information, drawings, and BOMs are available as necessary.
- Identify QA/QC requirements and data collection.
- Identify special tools, equipment, materials, and parts needed to do the job.
Q: Do you have any advice you can offer to help us move from a controlled-complex process culture to an agile/adaptive customer-focused company? Operational Excellence is crucial, and we’re stuck in broad-reaching OPEX structure.
A: Operational Excellence helps your organization improve equipment reliability, reduce maintenance costs, and increase operations-maintenance cooperation. GP Strategies’ Equipment Reliability System integrates Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Reliability Centered Maintenance, and the Maintenance Work Cycle for a comprehensive approach to equipment reliability. It is important to work closely with your front-line people, and continuously pursue educational opportunities for them.
Maintenance Work Cycle
