Sometimes, Fixing It Is Not Enough

We normally think of a repair as something you do to restore equipment to its normal working condition. But what if the normal working condition isn’t really enough when you consider the conditions of use or other factors that contribute to equipment failure?

An appliance maker experienced downtime about every three weeks due to excessive vibration on a particular conveyor. The electricians would investigate and find that the bolts holding together the pedestal for one particular motor had worked themselves loose. They’d tighten those up those bolts and consider the repair complete.

One day, the supervisor of the maintenance mechanics just happened to observe this repair. His mind was geared to the mechanics of things, and he really didn’t have to think hard about the angles and leverages involved. He commented to the electrician, “I’ll bet that thing works itself again in a few weeks.” The electrician replied that it already works itself loose ALL the time.

That brief exchange led to a redesign of the pedestal, the new one being of welded construction using thicker steel. This upgrade fixed the vibration problem permanently.