New Year, new orders, factory as good as new.

Yes, the Christmas songs have been playing since before Halloween, the adverts have long been a minefield of suggestions to make your Christmas a special one, and if you see one more minced pie it would be too soon.

However, as we prepare to enter December, Christmas approaches fast. Some factories are preparing to wind down over the holidays as orders drop off; employees look forward to a well-deserved break to spend with family and friends, or to have some quiet time to relax and unwind.

Now is the perfect opportunity to plan in some maintenance to make sure your equipment is in good working order in preparation for the New Year.

New Year, new orders, factory as good as new.

Budget and prioritise

There are many things to consider when planning maintenance and each factory will have its own procedure and priorities, these can include

• What is the budget for the shutdown?
• When do the manufacturers recommend maintenance for each machine?
• When was the last time the machine was looked at or overhauled?
• Is the machine regularly inspected and condition monitored?
• Has a particular area had issues or failures?
• What has caused the failures: poor maintenance, poor machine condition, wrong lubrication etc?
  • What are the price implications of said failures? Does a faulty machine need more maintenance than usual?
    
  • Is loss of production during downtime or faulty operation costing you money and product wasteage?
  • Is the cost of downtime and additional labour start adding up to a cost which would cover the price of a new machine?

• Are there any environmental or health and safety concerns being caused by a faulty machine?

Plan, plan and plan some more

Have you thought about when certain contractors are going to be onsite and what equipment they will need to access? Will they interfere with each other’s work?

You want to make sure that the environment is safe for all contractors and maintenance personnel. Make sure that mechanical and electrical isolators are present for all machines on site and that they are functioning correctly and cannot be overridden accidentally when someone is working on the equipment.

Make sure you book in advance.

Many maintenance companies, including ourselves at S and A Engineering, can get booked up quite fast at this time of year. If your factory has a set shutdown date, ensure the relevant people have been booked in advance to avoid disappointment. There’s a narrow window to get your whole factory in tip-top condition and unless you’re lucky enough to have several shutdowns a year; you don’t want to be waiting another 12 months to rectify potential issues.

Who’s providing the spare parts?

It may be the season for giving, however not all contractors are in the habit of handing out freebies if you have forgotten to ask for a price or have presumed that parts were included.

Find out if your contractor is supplying the typical spare parts as part of their cost or if prices are extra. Does your contractor think you are supplying the parts and if so, do you have all of the parts in stock ready?

Customer Service

We know that there’s plenty of things to think about and organise at this time of year, that’s why we contact our regular service customers on the approach to December to book us in, so that’s one thing off your mind.

It’s not just regular service customers: if you would like to be added to our list and receive a reminder or a call to book us in during the weeks leading up to Christmas, or any shutdown throughout the year; just let us know and we will be happy to help.