Why more maintenance is not the answer?

The effectiveness of having a proper preventive maintenance schedule can never be overlooked. It boosts productivity and basically avoids some major breakdowns. This concept took a big leap when Toyota Motor Maintenance (TMM) introduced its lean manufacturing concept to the world. It was so effective that Preventive Maintenance became one of the competitive advantages of the company, as it provides Operational Effectiveness to the process.

Why Preventive Maintenance?

The concept of maintenance can be understood with one of the oldest quotes: “Prevention is better than cure”. In industrial terms, cure is analogous to replacement of the machine or a faulty part of it, and prevention is analogous to maintenance. The main purpose of maintenance is to ensure maximum efficiency of the operations. Routine inspections, lubrication, and cleaning bring out some unnoticed abnormalities that can hinder the process. A good maintenance schedule involves continuous/periodic planning and requires organization-wide involvement. Building that kind of schedule looks a little different in facility settings, a topic covered in Benefits of Using Facility Maintenance Scheduling Software.

How much maintenance is good enough?

The importance of maintenance is given to the extent that it is one of the important parameters while calculating KPIs for the employees at some places. However, no one knows the optimum amount of maintenance needed. No one knows if they are utilizing the full potential of the machine or exposing it more to wear and tear. To be on the top of that imitable operational excellence, every organization increased its maintenance frequency, resulting in added resource allocation. The machines are being opened and exposed to the outer environment, the parts are being replaced even before their full potential use, and more labor is allocated to do the maintenance. Therefore, losing sight of the big picture by concentrating only on the critical issues.

Modern Solution

With technological advancement, there are some solutions developed in this arena too. One of the clearest examples of this shift is dedicated preventive maintenance software, and Equipment Preventive Maintenance Software: Why It's Essential for Operational Efficiency lays out exactly why it matters. Thanks to AI and IoT, there is no need to do preventive maintenance periodically anymore because you have to. The system monitors the process carefully, remembers the breakdown pattern, and notifies you in advance of any unnoticed/undetectable abnormalities in the process.

Who is providing such an advanced system?

Quite frankly, a lot of companies have their software product that can solve your problem. The question is what factors are to be considered to choose that particular software. The first step is to find a person, not a company, who can understand your requirements. If they can understand your requirements, they can help you reach your goal. Once you find that person, look at the way they are approaching you. Are they approaching you to sell their product or to establish a relationship? Go for the one who wants to make a relationship, as their target is to make a connection with you, and because you can ask all the questions you have for them. You will get to know their team and thus, the technical expertise they possess.

Once you are satisfied with the team, understand their product. Observe the features they offer and compare them with others. Look for the amount of customization they offer because a single software might not be able to solve all your issues, but if it’s customizable, you can ask for some add-ons.

What value does FieldEquip provide?

FieldEquip is one software that fulfils all your needs. Started in 2005, the team has 14 years of experience in developing software and working with clients as a part of Bursys. Now they have a product that is fully customizable, which is available on all platforms, web portals (Windows, iOS), and mobile (Windows, iOS and Android). The team can add, drop or even create features as your operations desire. The intuitive software has data-capturing capability, and its predictive analysis sends alarms and notifications for any abnormality. It also helps you track the movement of resources, equipment, and personnel, so that you can optimize their utilization. In essence, for maintenance, it notifies you about the time when the machine should be worked upon. Their big backend team makes the team very responsive and can solve your problems with just one call or email. Conclusively, FieldEquip makes you efficient without additional manpower and additional replacements of parts, etc. This same principle, getting more from your equipment without simply doing more maintenance, is central to Maximizing Equipment Uptime with Preventive Maintenance Strategies. The machines are not exposed to the outer environment, resulting in less wear and tear.

About the Authors

Prat Gupta, Ph.D.

Prat is a visionary machine learning and AI architect, investor, and entrepreneur who founded different companies under the Bursys Group portfolio of companies. Bursys Group has expanded operations since it was founded in 2005 in North America, Europe, and Asia. Bursys Group provides a full range of technology consulting and software development services. Bursys Group has developed and launched FieldEquip, an innovative connected field service platform that brings machine learning and artificial intelligence to solve real-world field service automation problems. Prat also serves on various Boards for profit / Non-profit. Prat loves to engage with innovative & challenging startup ideas and is always ready to fund promising ones.

Abhineet Goyal, Marketing Analyst Intern @ Bursys Group

As a strategic, efficiency-focused business leader, Abhineet finds himself consistently drawn towards opportunities and spaces to conceptualize and implement optimized processes with the knack of building and maintaining customer and vendor relationships to drive growth for cutting-edge organizations. Before coming to Bursys, he had effectively managed a variety of cross-functional teams in the manufacturing and retail industry by understanding and applying team members' strengths and developing clear and attainable goals to consistently motivate the teams.