Benjamin Franklin said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and that certainly rings true today, especially in the processing industry where safety and efficiency are of the utmost concern. That’s why preventative maintenance should be at the heart of your regular operations schedule.
When a machine breaks down, we all know it costs you both time and revenue, but it can also have a significant impact on employee safety and morale. In addition, the absence of preplanned maintenance can lead to increased cleaning times and potentially catastrophic results for the equipment. The good news is that in many cases this can be avoided, simply by following a preventative maintenance plan. Your ability to protect your assets and prolong their useful life is largely dependent on creating a consistent plan that covers three basic areas, which are outlined below:
Assess capabilities
With Marion Process Solutions, the first step toward a proactive approach to maintenance is assessing how you will use your mixer. Key questions to ask are: What materials will be mixed? How long are your blend times? Do you keep your batches under the designed capacity of your mixer? What kind of environment is the mixer exposed to? What is the skill set of your equipment operators? When purchasing your mixer, seek guidance from the Marion experts who can help guide you in the right direction.
If your mixer is used outside the operating parameters it was designed to handle, you run an elevated risk of needing more frequent repairs. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s rated capacity guidelines and size correctly at time of purchase. That said, since the useful life of a mixer can last more than 20 years in many applications, and as the processing needs of your business may change from time to time, you could be using it differently from what was originally intended. Marion recommends, at a minimum, an annual assessment to ensure your equipment is operating optimally, and we address your changing needs through equipment modifications/enhancements. Contact a Marion Performance Group expert today to schedule an appointment to review your Marion and even non-Marion equipment.
Anticipate wear
Next, get to know the maintenance sections of your machine’s Operation and Maintenance Manual. If you need help or are missing a Marion Process Solutions manual, call 800-397-6371 to order one today. Depending on your application, and the number of hours it is used in a week, you’ll find that maintenance intervals can vary greatly. For example, you may need to perform normal lubrication of your main shaft bearings as frequently as once a day, or only once a month, depending on usage.
Frequent visual inspections of the seals and agitator components can help determine if wear is developing or damage has occurred and requires immediate attention. To ensure you’re not missing anything, contact a Marion expert to do an on-site assessment of your facility’s equipment.
Stock the Right Parts
Having the right parts, in the right quantity on your shelf can make or break the time to recover from an unexpected breakdown or significantly improve your standard maintenance process. Be sure to stock identified long-lead time or critical parts to avoid unnecessary downtime.
Contact one of our experts for more information on how we can assess your equipment and assist with implementing the ideal preventative maintenance plan for your company. Subscribe to our blog to continue to get updates from us.