Reducing Equipment Downtime: A Quick Guide

Ideally, all of your equipment will work perfectly well all of the time. There will be no breakdowns, there will be no need to find replacement parts. Everything will be in good working order all of the time. It would be wonderful if this was every business’s reality. However, we are all well aware that equipment likes to break down as and when it pleases. The good news is that it is possible to reduce downtime if you use equipment tracking to its full advantage. 

In this article, we’re going to take a look at how you can reduce downtime and exactly how equipment tracking can help with this.

One of the first things you need to do if you really want to reduce downtime is to track everything. This is far simpler than it sounds. If you have machinery, computers or tools that are used in a range of locations or equipment that’s used by different people, it’s worth tracking them. 

All that you need to do is opt for some reliable and easy-to-use equipment tracking software. When you do, you will find that tracking everything is a breeze. Log everything into the software and give your machinery, etc, its own digital profile. You can do this by attaching a QR code or an RFID tag to your machinery, computers, tools, etc. As soon as you have done this, you can scan the tag or code and create that all-important digital profile. 

Every asset’s digital profile can be filled with as much information as you please. You could, for example, add each asset’s name, model number, insurance details, warranty information, cost at the time of purchase, etc. The more information that you add, the better. When you have a lot of information about each asset, it allows you to find what you need very quickly. Therefore, you could save time looking for a computer’s warranty information. It will be right there in your equipment tracking software. This can help to reduce downtime and ensure you get everything back up and running quickly.

Another really good way of reducing downtime is by making the most of maintenance alerts. A lot of tracking software comes with this feature. A maintenance alert will tell the maintenance team that one of your vehicles, for example, is due to be looked over. When an alert is received, the team can collect the vehicle, tool, machinery, etc, and check it for faults. It’s this that can help to reduce downtime. When everything is checked frequently and necessary repairs are made, it means there’s a lot less downtime. As a result, you and your factory/warehouse/store/office, etc. can get on with your work. 

Did you know that you can typically set maintenance alerts at your chosen intervals? For example, your vehicles could be checked once a year. Computers every 6 months, tablets every 18 months, and so on. Reliable equipment tracking software could allow you to pick an interval for all of your assets. This means that you could potentially cut downtime in half. Of course, there will be occasions when things will go wrong irrespective of frequent maintenance. However, this is less likely to occur should you take good care of everything.

Checking your tools, computers, tablets, cars, and anything else in and out can help to reduce downtime. This is because you can see who is using what and where they are using it. Some tracking software allows you to pinpoint exactly where all of your assets are. This can prove to be very useful in terms of security and/or simply retrieving an asset when you need it. 

When you check your assets in and out you can see which assets are undergoing or about to undergo maintenance. When you can see the maintenance status of an asset, you know whether it’s available now or whether you have to wait for it. One of the good things about the check in and out feature is that you may also be able to book an asset. This feature helps to reduce the waiting time for an asset. It also means that you could book the equipment so you can use it once it’s been repaired. 

The ability to check assets in and out can help to reduce downtime. It does this by ensuring that you know which assets are available, and which aren’t. You can also see whether a printer is being repaired or whether it’s about to be replaced. It’s this that can help to save a bit of time every day. 

Would you like to chat with an expert about equipment tracking and reducing downtime? Contact us now at team@itemit.com.

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