Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/953148
EquipmentWorld.com | March 2018 31 A braham Lincoln is alleged to have said: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." If you get the feeling sometimes that your technicians are chopping wood with a dull axe, maybe it's time to find a way to sharpen your processes. Studies have shown that mechan- ics and technicians in the construc- tion equipment industry have about 30 to 35 percent productivity or "wrench time" in performing their tasks. It could be and should be much better. (And this low produc- tivity is not unique to the construc- tion or heavy equipment industry, as all industries average 25 to 35 percent.) According to a definition by Doc Palmer, author of Maintenance Planning and Scheduling Hand- book: "Wrench time is a measure of tradecraft personnel at work, us- ing tools, in front of jobs. Wrench time does not include obtain- ing parts, tools/instructions, or the travel associated with those tasks. It does not include travel- ing to or from jobs. It does not include time spent obtaining work assignments. The achievement of these goals is complicated by the fact that a majority of maintenance organizations operate in a reac- tive mode with efficiencies in the 30-percent range." This means for a nine-hour day, the technician or mechanic is spending about three hours doing productive or value-added work. There are numerous possible rea- sons for this low-efficiency figure: • Equipment is unavailable because it is being used. Production won't management | by Preston Ingalls Maximize wrench time with planning and scheduling The right changes could double the efficiency of your maintenance workforce