TeamWORKS hosted training in Lexington, KY recently. The training went very well but there were implementation questions that were difficult to answer. How do you accomplish data collection/data entry for an implementation system to be put in place? Let’s use preventive maintenance (PM) as an example and create a scenario.
The benefits are obvious. If you go from no PM system to a complete PM system, you will enjoy an average savings of 30% in both material and labor costs as well as a significant savings in utility costs. These are facts that have been established over years of studies done by industry experts as well as government entities such as the Department of Energy. So why would anyone choose not to implement a PM system? Here’s the issue that keeps so many of our clients from moving forward. Startup costs and time to complete implementation! These costs include labor and/or monetary costs. Before you start with a PM system you will need to take the time to plan it, collect asset data, enter all this information into your software package and finally enter the actual schedules. Once you have done all this you have 3 to 5 years of PM work added to your normal work load. Equipment is still failing at the normal rate until the PM system has time to help extend equipment life and limit breakdowns. This means you have to accomplish your already overwhelming work load as well as the added PM work.
Let’s recap. The benefits of a PM system are obvious. The manpower and/or money to get it going is significant.
Where do you start? Unfortunately there is no single answer. The answers differ depending on your unique situation. Perhaps you need to sell the benefits to upper management. They can provide the short term funding to make long term savings. Perhaps you need a plan to collect and enter data a little at a time. Collect asset data as you work on the equipment and set up the PM as you enter the data into the system. Perhaps you can include the setup of a PM system in the budget of new construction and include enough to have a contractor collect the data and enter the PM schedule info for you. The fact is you will have to create a plan based on your specific situation. TeamWORKS would be happy to help you plan the best course of attack. Just give us a call or drop us an email.
These issues are the same for many implementations. Warehouse inventory, assets, PM or utility tracking. You must find the appropriate path to get your implementation complete. Most importantly, just get started!