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Electrical Troubleshooting Quiz — Nov. 21 2017

Nov. 21, 2017
Why it’s better to work methodically than in a rush

You just came on-board at this plant two weeks ago as the electrical maintenance manager. As the plant engineer discussed in the job interview, the maintenance department is in crisis mode. “They put out fires all day long.”

You’ve noticed that whenever equipment is down, a production supervisor tries to push for faster resolution. You’ve observed pacing, frequent “How much longer” questions, and other behavior that, however well-intended, not only slows repairs down but also increases human error.

The main production line frequently goes down; the top three causes are sensor problems, motor vibration, and loose parts.

Based on what you’ve observed and the need to reduce these three failure causes, what changes might you implement in the work methodology?

First, talk with the production superintendent. Acknowledge that maintenance has issues but your solutions to the main issues will reduce the failure rate.

Then state that production can actually help. Explain that a big contributor to the downtime problem is we expect these technicians to work quickly and accurately with someone standing over them and frequently interrupting them. Instead, we get downtime-inducing human errors. Ask for assistance in getting this to stop.

Discuss with your maintenance people why it’s better to work methodically than in a rush. Ask them what would save them time, for example nice containers for saving screws. Look to torque wrench/driver use to reduce those three downtime causes.

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