Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/699963
July 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 42 companies that have trained their operators and instilled auditing and accountability procedures substan- tially reduce equipment downtime and the cost of repairs. Five elements In an operator care program, there are five basic things on which you should train your operators, says Ingalls. 1. Knowing how to tighten, lu- bricate and clean components and when to do so. 2. Inspecting, detecting and correcting deficiencies before a machine runs to failure. 3. Maintaining correct operating procedures. "Teach them not just how to operate the equipment, but how the equipment operates," Ingalls says. Accidents, neglect and abuse are substantial contributors to equipment failures. 4. Improving design issues. This isn't solely the operators' respon- sibility, but train your operators to communicate with mechanics and fleet managers. Encourage them to speak up about access problems, ergonomic issues, any design element of the machine they think isn't right. Form EITs, or equipment improvement teams to collect these suggestions and take countermeasures where you can. You should also communicate these concerns to your dealers and OEMs. 5. How they can elevate their skills. Give them the basic me- chanical knowledge and skills they need to do simple mainte- nance, troubleshoot issues and understand how the machine works and reacts. Another part of this is ensuring they repair it with a "fix it right – fix it once" mentality. There are typically three peri- ods of time operators can perform these chores: • The beginning of the shift • During down time such as waiting for the trucks to deliver asphalt • At the end of the day. "If you look at a typical day, eight to 10 hours, you can find 20 to 30 minutes," says Ingalls. "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean." Calling CLAIRE Ingalls also teaches operators and maintenance shops how to estab- lish more involved maintenance procedures, called CLAIRE. In addi- tion to the aforementioned Clean- ing, Lubricating, Adjusting, and Inspecting, CLAIRE also involves Repairing minor components, Re- placement of things like filters, and Eliminating issues like leaks and signs of early deterioration. The CLAIRE system breaks PMs down into two categories. Type 1 PMs are operator performed and done daily and weekly. A descrip- tion of these can usually be found in the OEM manual that comes with the machine. Type 2 PMs, on the other hand, are done by skilled tradesmen, such as a me- chanic or technician, on a sched- ule, typically timed to coincide with a PM, oil change or other regular maintenance. It takes about four hours to training your operators and maintenance staff on the 5-step program and CLAIRE procedures. A lot of people train at the begin- ning of the season, before produc- tion swings into high gear, says Ingalls. If you're not seasonal, you'll have to pick a time, perhaps between big jobs. But you get more bang for your buck at the beginning of the season than after, he says. A key element in an operator care program are your standards. The details of the daily and week- ly tasks should be printed out on a laminated card and placed in a water proof black box or some- where on the vehicle. These tell the operator what to do, where to do it, when to do it and how well. maintenance | continued Frequent cleaning of the machine will help foster pride of ownership in the operator and make detecting leaks and other problems easier. Image: Pat Ryan