Why is it important to keep a maintenance record?

Ask your self a simple question first. Is it more cost effective for your business to fix, or to maintain? If you answered fix, then you probably don't need to worry about preventative maintenance. But, if keeping your investment in good running shape is important to your highly efficient screen printing operation then keep reading, you probably want your machines running as best they can.

What is the first step in putting together a successful maintenance record?

Next to deciding you need a maintenance record, the first step would be to actually write it down. Grab the owners manual and excel and go through the maintenance process for your machine and write each step down. You need to know what needs to be maintained and the benchmarks at which you need to maintain them. Don't try to commit them all to memory, you don't want to trust important information to memory it can be easily forgotten! It's also good to have your schedule double as a sign off sheet.

Step 1: Create a schedule of daily, weekly, monthly maintenance duties to be performed

I've got the schedule, now what?

Great, that was the hard part. You can relax now. Now you have to figure out who will be in charge of tracking the maintenance and performing it. This step is changes depending on the size and structure of your business. If you're a large shop running several Horizons and couple Vindicators, then you might have a service manager who is in charge of making sure everything is running smoothly.

If you're a smaller shop where you're running the front office and doing the printing then you, or one of your operators are going to be in charge of maintenance.

How ever big or small your shop is, make sure you have someone in charge of maintenance, and have a backup incase your newly appointed Chief-maintenance-Engineer just happens to call in sick on maintenance day.

Step 2: Assign a person to be in charge of maintenance, and always have a backup

I have a schedule and I have a heirarchy 5 people deep to perform maintenance, what happens next?

You gotta have the right procedures for performing all maintenance duties in place. The owners manual will help you with the correct procedures, but when you write them out for your Chief-maintenance-Engineer make sure the procedure is easy to follow. You want to be clear, concise, and to the point. Write out in a simple and easy to follow way the process that needs to be followed. An outline is always a great way to get your point across in a way that is clear and uncluttered. Leave the schedule and procedures in a protective covering or binder near each machine.

Step 3: Put together an easy to follow outline of all maintenance procedures and leave that along with the schedule near all machines

Schedule is made up, people are assigned, procedures are in place, everything is running smoothly...I hope

Just because you've got everything in place as it should be doesn't mean it's all being done the right way, if at all. Don't leave anything to chance, you've gone through all of this work getting the schedule together, people assigned to their duties, and procedures outlined. Make sure that everything is being done at the right time. Set aside some time every month to look over all of the schedules for each machine and also check on the machines as maintenance is being performed. Check on the equipment and compare that to the records. Some machines, like dryers for example, might need to have air circulation and air-intake blower filters cleaned daily to keep up smooth operation.

Step 4: Check up on maintenance schedules and duties to be sure it's being done

Your machines are a big investment, take care of them and your well oiled machines will perform like well oiled machines.