Owning and operating a construction company comes with its own set of challenges, one of the biggest being the operation and maintenance of a fleet of high-value heavy machinery. To ensure that your equipment is running at peak performance, it's essential to have a preventive maintenance plan in place. This plan should include regular maintenance tasks, visual inspections, technical monitoring, oil analysis, and more. Additionally, it's important to strategically choose which equipment to maintain routinely and which can benefit from preventive maintenance.
If you have a machine operator with the experience needed to perform routine maintenance checks, assign them the responsibility to do so. This will help them identify any potential problems before they become serious. It's also important to add your own personal maintenance items related to the application. For example, some harsh environments require that air filters be changed frequently.
In addition, undercarriages exposed to abrasive or corrosive soils require special attention to detail. Following factory-recommended maintenance intervals and keeping accurate records is important not only for the economic operation of your machinery, but also for protecting your warranty. If you use CMMS software, technicians will normally be asked to write down the terminations when closing WoS and PM so that those types of observations are saved directly in the maintenance log of that specific asset. To optimize your equipment maintenance program, here are ten strategies you should consider:
- Invest in Maintenance - Investing in maintenance means investing in the reliability and longevity of your machinery.
- Let Machine Operators and Service Technicians Work Together - Allow them to make proactive decisions to inform senior management of any potential problems they detect and solve them before they become a total machine failure.
- Assign Responsibility - If a machine operator has the experience needed to perform routine maintenance checks, assign them the responsibility to do so.
- Add Personal Maintenance Items - Adding your personal maintenance items related to the application is another important step you should take.
- Follow Factory-Recommended Intervals - Following factory-recommended maintenance intervals and keeping accurate records is important not only for the economic operation of your machinery, but also for protecting your warranty.
- Use CMMS Software - If you use CMMS software, technicians will normally be asked to write down the terminations when closing WoS and PM so that those types of observations are saved directly in the maintenance log of that specific asset.
- Analyze and Identify Problems - Let your machine operators and service technicians work together as a team to analyze and identify problems and avoid unexpected repairs.
- Choose Strategically - It's important to strategically choose which equipment to maintain routinely and which can benefit from preventive maintenance.
- Take Advantage of OEM Knowledge - All manufacturers of heavy equipment will publish a list of recommended maintenance tasks and their intervals.
- Invest in the Right Size and Type of Equipment - The selection and use of the right size and type of construction equipment influence the effort and time needed for a project.
If you need help with preventive maintenance or repairs for Cat equipment, MacAllister Machinery has experienced service technicians who can help.
