Why do Funny Car drag racers strip out seats and many other items from their vehicles? They do so to reduce weight, because the rules of the sport limit engine power. These rules are intended to keep costs down, making racing possible in the first place.
Similarly, corporations place limits on maintenance budgets. You never see a 100,000-square-foot maintenance shop with 190 maintenance techs supporting a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing plant with 100 operators.
If you are at the other extreme, where it can sometimes seem as though executives expect world-class maintenance on a shoestring budget, follow the Funny Car racer example.
First, conduct an ROI assessment on equipment. You can probably eyeball this for most items. For example, a line that produces less than 5% of the plant’s revenue likely has a low maintenance ROI.
Next, conduct a needs assessment on tasks. Why are you performing manual vibration PMs when you can install monitors instead?
Once you’ve stripped away the excess weight, you will have more resources to apply to high priority equipment and tasks.
About the Author
Mark Lamendola
Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.
Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.
Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.