Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/953148
surrender it because downed equipment affects their numbers and schedules. • Maintenance trades repeatedly travel back and forth from the job to the storeroom for parts, manu- als, tools and assistance. "Wind- shield time" is not value-added. • Different skilled trades are required to complete a repair, which keeps the original techni- cian waiting for their arrival. • An issue reported to maintenance was incorrect, resulting in the wrong tradesman being dis- patched to the job. • The inability to find suitable documentation, such as service manuals for reference to conduct repairs. • Break time. • Waiting for instructions from su- pervisor. • Completing paperwork. As shown, many factors interfere with a tech's ability to perform the job, with most being systemic or systems-oriented – therefore, be- yond the control of the technician to improve. Your hidden workforce Fortunately, there are many tried- and-true ways to improve wrench time with little expense. One of the most successful processes is plan- ning and scheduling (P&S). On average, P&S enhances wrench time to as much as 55 percent. The change brought about from implementing a P&S program is sometimes described as discover- ing your "hidden workforce." For example: • Increase wrench time from 35 to 50 percent: 15 technicians be- come 24 • Increase wrench time from 25 to 50 percent: 15 technicians be- come 30 In this tight job market for techni- cians, it would be hard to find that many additional techs. By leverag- ing the benefits of P&S, you can either do more work or accomplish the same level of work with fewer technicians. The difference occurs when you optimize the systems in which they work. Training the scheduler If we remove one of the more expe- rienced technicians from the group of 15 and train him to become a planner/scheduler, the productiv- ity gains more than offset his loss to the workforce, so there would be no need for a replacement. The increased productivity gains from prepping the jobs for the remaining techs will increase the throughput of the others as they spend more time on tasks and less time trying to prepare for those tasks. Maintenance planning and scheduling prioritizes and organizes work, so it can be executed effi- ciently. It relies on: • Work-order systems • Time-keeping systems • Identification of major and minor components • A preventive maintenance program • Stockroom/inventory control • Cooperation with operations So, how does P&S work? To execute maintenance in the most cost-effective manner, a formal planning and scheduling process is required. Planning is the "what" and the "how," while scheduling is the "when" and the "who." Planning is the process of: • Identifying the specific tasks to complete the work required • Identifying and estimating the resources (people, materials, tools, etc.) required for the work, along with any necessary services needed, so all will be made avail- able in time for the execution of the work • Gathering all of the necessary information/documentation into a EquipmentWorld.com | March 2018 33 management | continued Increase wrench time from 35 to 50 percent: 15 technicians become 24. Increase wrench time from 25 to 50 percent: 15 technicians become 30. " " Planning and scheduling can increase wrench time to as much as 60 percent of mechanics' day. Other benefits: • Planned work is four to 12 times more efficient than reactive • Planned work is three to nine times less expensive than reactive • On larger jobs, each hour of plan- ning saves three to five hours of execution time • Up to 95 percent of your work can be planned • Up to 95 percent of planned work can be done when first scheduled • Emergencies drop dramatically as proactive "planned" tasks are done to prevent breakdowns Why do we need P&S?