In this final part of our series on preventive maintenance, the importance of accurate records is discussed. A software programme can definitely assist but don’t jump to that before your paper system is working for you. Listen to the paper – it provides valuable information to allow management to make decisions about where to spend money.
Maintenance Records
Preventive maintenance records can be maintained as hard copies or electronic records. Small-to-medium operators generally maintain hard-copy records. Possibly the greatest challenge with these kinds of records is tracking when things are to be done. There is simply a greater probability that something will slip through the cracks. What more and more companies are doing is adopting electronic maintenance management systems. These can be developed in-house using programs such as Excel or Access, or processors can choose a commercially available product, of which there are many options. Features an operator might look for in an electronic system include:
• Maintenance scheduling
• Flags when items are due
• Flags for past-due items
• Cost integration: maintenance hours, capital costs, parts, downtime, etc.
• Procedures for doing work
• Automatic entry by workers
• Ability to verify that work has been done
• Print capability: summaries, schedules, equipment registers
• Ability to “talk” to other systems
The biggest issue with such systems is setup. It takes a great deal of time and effort to enter all the necessary information into the system. In fact, from what I have seen in the industry, most processors who are utilizing an electronic maintenance management system are not using it to its full capability. Perhaps the best use of a system I have ever seen was a processor who elected to incorporate their maintenance management into their system. The program manager could capture all hours involved with maintenance and emergency repairs, plus the cost of spare parts and downtime for each unit operation in every line in the plant. He could demonstrate how much it cost to run each unit operation and/or piece of equipment in a line, and therefore the cost to operate each line. This allowed the company to determine which pieces of equipment were operating efficiently and which were not. They used these data year to year to further improve efficiencies.
Another advantage of an electronic system is that it can be expanded to incorporate other programs. As an example, I have seen many operations that have rolled their calibration programs into the preventive maintenance program. They may also be used to schedule both sanitation period cleaning and maintenance. This helps coordinate two functions essential for ensuring safety, quality and efficient operation of equipment. Combining such activities during shutdowns or downtime makes better use of time and resources and maximizes production efficiency.
There are a large number of electronic maintenance management systems on the market. Rather than try to list all and perhaps offend someone who was left out, I encourage you to search the Internet and talk to colleagues in the industry about their experiences with them.
If a company does elect to use an electronic system, they must be sure to train several people on the system. It seems like a no-brainer, but I have seen more than one operation that abandoned an electronic system because no one else knew how to use it when the systems manager left the company.
Summary
A well-organized preventive maintenance program is an essential part of a company’s food safety and quality program. It is acknowledged as one of the prerequisite programs for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. What it can also do is save money in different ways. Well-maintained, sanitary equipment will last longer and perform better. In addition, maintenance records can provide management with a tool for more intelligent purchasing of new equipment. Cost is only one consideration when buying equipment. If the records indicate that a piece of equipment was down often or very expensive to maintain, maybe it is not a brand that one should buy again. And finally, without records, how does one ever troubleshoot a problem? A food processor simply cannot operate without a good maintenance program.
About the Author
Richard F. Stier
Article reproduced with permission from Food Safety Magazine Source: Food Safety Magazine
http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/april-may-2012/preventive-maintenance-an-essential-prerequisite-for-food-safety/
