The harsh winter is over or maybe summer slowdowns are starting or maybe you’re getting back into gear as demand rises in our pandemic “return to normal”. In any case, your viability as a company is dependent on the reliable operation of your equipment. So, don’t just turn them on and take them for granted. Perform the important steps of preventative maintenance and do them thoroughly and properly. Yes, if it costs money to do it, spend the money.

There are so many benefits:

• Increase the life of your equipment. This means not only peace of mind that your equipment will continue to operate successfully and reliably, but this also will reduce your capital outlays significantly in the long-term and reduce your disruptions from replacing equipment.

• Reduce the risk of breakdowns.  Properly maintained equipment will have a lower chance of breaking down, leaving you potentially unable to operate and produce product altogether. And fewer breakdowns means fewer desperate calls to fix equipment, which may take critical time and cost a lot of money.

• Save on energy costs.  Properly maintained equipment will not only operate satisfactorily, but will do so more efficiently, reducing energy usage as it is operating. This will save you costs now. With energy rates rising faster than inflation, this is something to seriously consider.

• Reduce environmental impacts. You very possibly operate your equipment under some sort of air and/or wastewater permit, limiting your discharges, based on normal operation. Equipment not well maintained may be operating sub-optimally, emitting pollutants in excess of your limits, which could result in a violation leading to fines, other punishments, and extra work and testing to prove to the agency that you are back in compliance. And lead to a bad reputation, too.

• Safety.  Equipment that is not operating as designed may be a potential safety hazard, leading to workplace injury or worse, leading to very high costs to resolve the problems and OSHA enforcement issues. It is certainly in your interest to have your workers operating in a safe environment.

• Reduced need of spare parts.  Well-maintained equipment requires fewer spare parts around compared to equipment at greater risk of breaking down. Needing to store fewer spare parts frees up space, which, in many instances, is very valuable, and enables better organization.

How do you do this? First, develop an inventory of your equipment. Then simply follow manufacturer’s directions for each. If you cannot find them, contact the manufacturer or dealer. They want your repeat business, so they should cooperate and let you know they’re on your side. Make sure procedures are accessible. Spend some quality time training staff on what needs to be done and how often. Make sure the right people have time to understand the procedures and are properly trained to do them properly. If nothing else, it is good to keep equipment clean, such as by changing filters regularly.

Good luck, establish a preventative maintenance program, and reap the benefits.

CCES has the technical experts to help you maintain and optimize equipment in different areas, including in being more energy efficient. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.