Three Preventative Maintenance Program Mistakes to Avoid

Heavy civil contractors are facing rising costs, labor shortages and demanding project timelines. The industry landscape has left many contractors looking for ways to protect budgets and boost productivity. A preventive maintenance (PM) program is the perfect place to start.

Most experts agree that unplanned downtime accounts for 20%-30% of equipment working hours. Some of that time can be blamed on bad weather or delayed deliveries. Crews can’t control when a storm hits or whether logistics don’t always run smoothly, but they can prevent more than a few equipment issues with preventive maintenance.

That matters because every machine failure puts a dent in the bottom line. It’s not just about what the repairs will cost, either. For every minute equipment isn’t working, contractors risk lost productivity, wasted labor and schedule interruptions.

A well-structured program can help crews prevent unplanned downtime. The most effective plans acknowledge industry pitfalls, include strategies to keep teams on track and prioritize the preventive maintenance schedule. Here are three common mistakes to avoid while building a preventive maintenance program.

1. Substituting systems for critical thinking.

Some operations plan maintenance using hours-based service intervals. Others focus on data and telematics. Both have their merits. They can also have shortcomings.

Hours-based strategies need to account for OEM heavy-service guidelines, increasing maintenance frequency when equipment works through more stressful tasks. A data-driven approach can offer operations great insights to optimize maintenance programs, but information can also fall through the cracks if teams must work across different platforms.

A strong preventive maintenance program accounts for the advantages and disadvantages of any given system and offers a plan to bridge the gaps. That work includes building a team culture and an easy-to-use system that emphasizes the importance of regular inspections and operational checks.

2. Treating all staff hours the same.

Heavy civil work is a team effort. Those labor costs for a full crew add up fast, and there’s only so much budget to go around. That’s why contractors need to match skilled workers with tasks worth their time.

Preventive maintenance is an incredibly important part of any construction operation, but that doesn’t mean experienced mechanics need to handle oil changes. They have other pressing work — like repairs that leverage their unique skills — that takes priority and pushes PM down on the schedule.

A dedicated lube technician can make a preventive maintenance program work better, keeping essential work moving and equipment online. They also help contractors retain and leverage skilled labor more effectively.

3. Relying on outdated PM strategies.

Still taking equipment into the shop for preventive maintenance? It’s time to cut downtime and extra costs spent transporting heavy equipment with mobile lube equipment. Operators use these systems to deliver PM fluids and parts to machines on the jobsite. That translates to fewer schedule interruptions and more time to get work done.

The industry has spent decades building an inventory of mobile lube systems engineered to help heavy civil contractors prioritize preventive maintenance. Available equipment ranges from individual lube carts to Class 8 fuel and lube trucks. Combined solutions — like fuel and lube trucks and trailers — streamline equipment service even further while offering important parts storage. Meanwhile, innovations like pump-free systems help level up PM work, making famously dirty work faster, safer and cleaner.

For more PM tips, check out this article on how proactive PM can squeeze more out of your current fleet.

Originally published by Texas Contractor. Read the original article here.