May 10, 2022 Using Planned Downtime for Preventative Maintenance

Spring is the perfect time to perform scheduled maintenance when equipment is not in use.

By Andrew Gossel, Service Technician, Pfannenberg, Inc.

There is no time like the present to perform routine preventative maintenance for your equipment. When maintenance and cleaning is not done regularly, production lines may face failures. For many companies, production lines are the lifeblood of their business. Without proper equipment maintenance, some businesses experience unexpected shutdowns. Now is the perfect time to schedule maintenance during your planned downtime to ensure your equipment is in working order so that your product output will not falter.

Failures Experienced Due to Lack of Preventative Maintenance

Recently, a customer manufacturing a felt product for automotive purposes was experiencing daily failures. The felt product is used in molds went into the trunks and fender walls of vehicles in order to reduce road noise. The product, however, gave off a fine dust that collected on all surfaces in the manufacturing facility. The air conditioning failures the customer experienced were due to the felt dust collecting on the condenser coils since they were located next to the production line.

Many companies have made drastic cutbacks in recent days, frequently to their equipment servicing. While some may try to maintain production equipment upkeep, thermal management equipment is often not prioritized.

What Is Preventative Maintenance?

Simple measures, such as changing fan capacitors or washing the condenser coil on a chiller, can increase the reliability and longevity of cooling equipment. Other actions could include checking fan motors for wear and damage, checking connections on electrical components, and setting dip-switches to the recommended temperature.

Proactive scheduled maintenance programs offer optimal timing and essential services. At Pfannenberg, our preventative maintenance programs include on-time, scheduled maintenance visits that will fit into your production schedule and make repairs before failures cause shutdown. Pfannenberg offers guaranteed response time in case of emergency as well as guaranteed parts availability. Our maintenance also includes replacement of parts before they fail and will fit into your annual budget.

Preventative maintenance needs will vary customer to customer. That is why Pfannenberg is committed to working with customers to determine exactly what is needed and to providing a complete solution based on each unique maintenance request and downtime schedule.

Planned Downtime is the Best Time to for Preventative Maintenance

Preventative maintenance can take place during planned downtime. Planned downtime is important because it allows each piece of equipment to run at its optimal performance rate. That way, production can run most efficiently. The time can be used to perform upgrades to machinery, warranty repairs, and preventative maintenance.

Pfannenberg will work with customers to determine what exactly is needed and provide a complete solution that is based on each customers’ unique request. Trained service partners, located across the country, are able to schedule preventative maintenance visits in advance and plan based on customer needs. Working with a Pfannenberg on routine preventative maintenance will minimize or eliminate unplanned downtime.

Regular preventative maintenance from Pfannenberg is simple and cost effective. Springtime servicing during your planned downtime will free up resources so that you can concentrate on the core profit-driving components of your business.

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