We all want to save money on equipment maintenance but it’s often far easier said than done. Making savings can occasionally be counter-intuitive if you end up purchasing parts that are less than perfect. When it comes to the subject of maintaining your equipment it makes sense to go about it the right way. The really good news is that this can be done while saving money, you just have to know how. 

Below, you will find 5 tips that can help you to save money while ensuring all of your equipment is in top condition.

Whenever you use some equipment, please make sure you always follow the instructions. This is the best way for you to keep everything in good condition. So, wear that protective clothing, put the guard on the machine, and clean it as often as it says in the manual. When you follow the instructions you’re using pre-emptive maintenance, as such to keep everything working. 

It’s easy to do things your own way and skip important safety steps and procedures. However, doing so can cause accidents. Accidents can cause injuries as well as unnecessary costs. If you want to save money, follow all of the instructions to a tee, no matter how unimportant they seem.

This may seem like something of a strange tip, but it makes perfect sense. Using checklists can help you to save money on equipment maintenance. Just make sure that the list you create contains any information that you’ll need before maintenance takes place. You could, for example, include:

• Where the machine/tool/vehicle, etc is usually located
• When the machine/tool/vehicle, etc was last repaired/serviced
• Any details about the last repair/service request
• How much time repairs are likely to take 
• What tools may be required for the repairs
• How much it is likely to cost to carry out any repairs
• A photograph of the damage
• The contact information and the name of the individual who request repairs

When you start to use a checklist such as the one above, you could save money. This is simply because all of the information you’ll need will be at your fingertips. Pre-emptive maintenance such as this can help to reduce the amount of time it takes to repair the broken equipment. Additionally, a photograph of the damage can help the maintenance team order the right parts. 

If time is money, saving time means you save money. Use a checklist to help you save time.

Unfortunately, things will go wrong from time to time. In many cases, it seems to be when you have a deadline looming. The best thing that you can do in this situation is to expect that things will go wrong. When you do, you can use pre-emptive maintenance to its advantage. Making sure you have all of the parts you need before things go wrong is one way of dealing with it. Ensuring that you have a plan when downtime occurs is another. Both of these plans can be used together. When they are used together, you’re more likely to get your machinery, for example, up and running again.

As we have already seen, using pre-emptive maintenance makes sense. What’s important here is that you make use of it as much as you possibly can. Have those spare parts in so that you can repair broken down assets quickly. Make sure you know how to repair a van when the fan belt goes. It may be impossible for you to have a spare part for every machine, van, tool, etc. However, having parts that break down a lot of the time can make a real difference. 

Another way to ensure that you stay ahead of the game is having team members who know how to use equipment safely. They should also use it correctly and with safety in mind. Offering regular training is vital as it can help your team to remember how to use equipment correctly.

These days, you can use tracking software to help you track your assets. When it comes to the subject of pre-emptive maintenance, software such as this can help. You can reduce human errors by using tracking software instead of spreadsheets. You can also set reminders so that all of your equipment is checked out and repaired (if necessary) on a regular basis. Tracking software can also help you to understand where equipment was when it became damaged and who was using it. If a pattern emerges, you can take steps to prevent damage from occurring again. A result of this means that you could save money. 

Saving money on equipment maintenance is possible. All that you need to do is make sure you take the right steps so that you too start saving money. You can have equipment that’s in a good state of repair and save money at the same time. 

Would you like to have a chat with an expert about saving money by using pre-emptive maintenance to its advantage? Contact us today at team@itemit.com.  

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started