Most of us rely on vehicles of some kind to get us to work, or shopping, on school runs, any of our leisure destinations or just wherever we may be heading, and we would all expect to get there safely and in good time. These vehicles may be our own car, public transport, even hitching a lift with a friend. However, they all have something in common. If they are not properly maintained, they could partially or completely fail at any time causing disruption to all involved. Whilst we may not be in control of getting a puncture in our car, the likelihood of this happening when the tyre is old and worn increases dramatically. Car Machinery and equipment are no different to this, as maintenance is an important factor in quality assurance and in some cases, determines the long-term success of a company. Poorly maintained resources, malfunctioning machines, or complete breakdowns can become costly for all companies. Worse than this, it creates a Health and Safety risk for either the user or any person in the vicinity.
Preventing these challenges will always involve some form of cost and downtime, but these will be insignificant if a machine fails whilst you are relying on it to complete the project you are working on. A few examples of these include:
- Any part of LineLazer paint line failing and/or rupturing which could be dangerous and harmful and certainly a Health and Safety issue.
- Petrol engine– doesn't start, something wrong with an element of the engine
- Battery – low charge or faulty resulting in part or all of the machine not operating
- Not cleaned – cured paint in pump, filters, hoses or gun resulting in either reduced performance or a complete blockage
To ensure that these challenges don't happen to you, we need to extend your equipment lifespan, which will reduce the need to purchase new equipment. This will prevent unplanned downtime, which can be costly and interrupt the installation process, always avoiding the need for expensive repairs due to negligence.
To recap on the main benefits of preventive maintenance in no particular order of importance:
- Lengthen asset lifespan. Arguably, the most important benefit of preventive maintenance is lengthened lifespan of assets
- Lower risk of breakdowns
- Increased efficiency
- Decrease unplanned downtime
- Promote health and safety
- Boost customer satisfaction
- Save money.
We all need and expect these machines to do what we ask of them when we expect it on site for as long as it takes to complete the project. Frustration quickly spreads and can affect others that won't necessarily be directly involved. So, what is the answer to these challenges, and what do you need to do to ensure you avoid these challenges where possible?
There are at least 3 things you can do if you own or operate Linemarking and Surface Preparation machinery. Firstly, nothing. Wing it. Continue with the determination that it's not going to happen to you. We understand, and we will still be here to help as and when these challenges crop up. Remember, there could be costs and downtime when least wanted or expected, as we have already covered. Secondly – Meon holds a large stock of parts for most of the machines that we sell and have access to an even larger range of parts, many of which can be fitted by a competent person in their own workshop. There would be a shortlist of parts like hoses, cables, filters that we would recommend are kept yourselves to hand as these can be required with short or no notice. Some parts we would insist are fitted in our own state of the art workshop, which is the UK's only dedicated Graco approved workshop specialising in LineLazers, where our Graco trained engineers can complete any work required on these machines, whether it be preventative or sorting a problem when failure has happened.
We have designed our preventative servicing into a range of plans so that we can ensure the correct part of your machine is being serviced at the correct frequencies to reduce your downtime and maximise your investment in your machine.
Ask yourself, when was the last time your machine had a service or a parts check up and does it need one? If so, we are here to help. Give us a call on 02392 200606 or email us at mail@meonuk.com and in the subject line … add machine service.
