One expert says to fix things quickly. Another says to fix them thoroughly. Which one is correct? That depends.
It’s best to figure that out before the need for a particular repair arises. Make the decision and record it in the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) or in the repair procedure for that equipment.
Factors to consider:
- Extent of damage. If a 100-hp motor fails, you know to determine the cause before replacing it. But suppose a 2A fuse for a controller blew. Do you need to conduct extensive troubleshooting to determine why? Yes, if there is other damage. If there’s not other damage, the answer depends on the next factor.
- Failure history. How often has this failure occurred lately?
- Cost trade-offs/risks. How much does another downtime incident cost versus the cost of a thorough repair, and what’s the risk?
- Safety, environmental, or legal issues. No question, the repair must be thorough if a repeat failure could reduce safety, harm the environment, prevent a legally required standby from running, etc.
Be sure to add conditionals. An example: If production risks not meeting an order deadline, we fix fast but tag the equipment for thorough repair once the deadline risk has passed.
