January 10, 2020
If you own, run, or work for a clothing company, then you’ll know how important it is to make sure that you produce the best possible products for your clients and your customers. It’s also essential to be able to deliver garments when your buyers expect to receive them.
One point that you will need to be mindful of will be the maintenance of the equipment that you make as it moves through the production line. Skipping servicing on your car can be a mistake that means you turn up to work a bit late, but doing so on manufacturing equipment may lead to delays that could lose you clients. If you’re still not sure why you need to maintain your equipment, here are some reasons why you should include it in your brand’s regular routines—no matter the size of your operation.
Nothing says neglect like an embroidery machine that’s filthy. Items such as dust, dirt, material that sheds from garments, and anything else that’s in the surrounding air can get into every corner of your machine. If you see dust on your machines, then it’ll be certain that there’s dust inside it, too.
To keep your equipment running, you should keep a cleaning schedule—this will be the easiest way to keep it going. When you’re doing this, you should make sure your machines are covered when they’re not in use. This is especially true if the machine won’t be used for an extended period of time.
If your equipment uses needles for embroidery, for instance, then check around areas such as the needle plate. Not keeping items such as this clean may contribute to thread breaks and can shorten the lifespan of the thread-cutting mechanism. If you find that you need to replace your Singer sewing machine parts, then you could find these items from retailers such as GoldStar Tools.
Skipping maintenance can be dangerous
Maintenance has a vital role in reducing the risks linked to some workplace hazards, and also provides workers with safer and healthier conditions in which they can work. Insufficient or inadequate maintenance can cause serious and potentially deadly accidents, or health problems.
There are two types of maintenance that you should be aware of. Routine maintenance is planned and is focused on preventing future problems; corrective maintenance is reactive and occurs when there is a problem with the equipment that needs to be fixed.
Your machinery will be put under much strain every day, and even the best equipment will encounter an issue at some point. You may have insurance to cover some of the costs of machinery failures, but some repairs will need to be paid for by your company. This means that you should budget for such eventualities, so that you have the funds to repair machinery—as well as have it regularly serviced. You could even have contingency plans in place for machinery, therefore reducing your downtime, which will be vital for the success of your business.
James Daniels is a freelance writer, business enthusiast, a bit of a tech buff, and an overall geek. He is also an avid reader, who can while away hours reading and knowing about the latest gadgets and tech, whilst offering views and opinions on these topics.
Patti Jo Rosenthal chats about her role as Manager of K-12 STEM Education Programs at ASME where she drives nationally scaled STEM education initiatives, building pathways that foster equitable access to engineering education assets and fosters curiosity vital to “thinking like an engineer.”