Performing regular maintenance checks of your equipment is necessary to keep it operating efficiently and extending its life. Here are best practices for managing costs, ensuring worker safety and upgrading and preserving equipment during these periods.
Temporary shutdowns—whether for planned equipment maintenance or due to a period of slower demand—are common in manufacturing.
During these times, some equipment—or even the whole plant—must be shut down entirely. This can be a very expensive undertaking, given that no income is generated for your facility. Yet the short-term cost to your business can be offset by better plant efficiency, less energy use and fewer unexpected mechanical failures.
Shutdowns should be planned carefully to minimize their impact on your business, so it’s important to create a plan that suits your team and operational needs.
There are several factors to consider when devising a plan. How long will the shutdown take? Does it affect only part of the factory—a dedicated machining cell, perhaps—or is it plantwide? Or maybe it’s just a response to a temporary drop in orders and the management is looking for ways to keep employees busy rather than sending them to the unemployment line.