3+ Sample Maintenance Schedule Checklist

What Is a Maintenance Schedule Checklist?

Any task given a deadline and assigned to a technician is scheduled maintenance. It may be a recurring task performed at regular intervals or a one-time occurrence. Planned maintenance consists of inspections, adjustments, routine service, and shutdowns. Altering the bearings on a conveyor belt every 30 days or inspecting the condition of a motor every 90 days are examples of maintenance performed at regular intervals. In addition to recurring work orders, scheduled maintenance can take the form of a one-time work order. If a problem is identified with an asset, a time is scheduled to inspect and repair the asset. Scheduled maintenance’s primary objectives are to reduce reactive maintenance, equipment failure, and maintenance backlog. Standard inspections extend the life of assets and decrease the frequency of equipment repairs and replacements. Scheduling tasks also allows for more cost-effective and productive resource allocation. According to the statistics, the maintenance costs range between 15% and 40% of total production costs.

Benefits of Scheduled Maintenance

Commercial facilities require regular maintenance. This is because their moving parts are susceptible to wear and tear. It would be best if you opt for the scheduled maintenance plans for safety. With such strategies, you can guarantee the security of your system. Additionally, you can certify that you comply with safety standards. After doing so, you will gain these benefits. Here are eight reasons why scheduled maintenance is a good idea.

Proactively identify problems on time: Although it requires minor inspections and repairs, its significance cannot be overstated. Instead of waiting for the system to begin operating suboptimally, you can always stay ahead of the situation. Before the actuators start to malfunction, you will have resolved the issue. Additionally, it aids in keeping track of consumables in a commercial facility. Certain items like belts and filters have a suggested service life. After that period, they must be replaced. Keeping track of such matters is only possible through scheduled tasks. Again, there is no need to check everything at each interval; instead, you will examine what is scheduled for the service.Prevents costly repairs brought on by deterioration: Only facility maintenance services can guarantee that an extensive system remains pristine. You can prevent minor issues from escalating into extensive system-wide repairs. Before your system completely fails, it will consume some of its components. You cannot permit that to occur. When a system has been neglected to the point where it can no longer handle tasks, it usually requires expensive replacement and pneumatic components. You can prevent this from occurring by arranging for routine facility maintenance services. It begins with regular inspection services, followed by resolving emerging problems. The objective of this procedure is to seek out trouble. Look for potential sources of concern and immediately eliminate them.Minimizes downtime: Systems should always be in operating condition. Some systems support the activities of every employee in the organization, from production to customer service. In such a scenario, even a 5-minute outage can send the entire workforce into a state of panic. Many person-hours will have been lost before they can recover. Maintenance of commercial facilities is performed while the system is still operational. There is no actual free time. Even if there is some, it won’t be essential. There will also be an opportunity to observe the system in operation. If you wait until the system develops technical issues, you will be forced to shut it down for extensive maintenance.Incorporate technician training in-house: Extensive on-the-job training is required to have a team that can operate a commercial facility. You can always utilize preventive maintenance programs to train in-house personnel. They will have authority over the system. Since the installation company handles the technical aspects, your staff can perform routine updates. If a new crew is trained on the system every time there is facility maintenance, you will have a capable team that uses the system without assistance. You are not required to focus solely on technical use. You can educate employees on safe use, safety procedures, improvements, and new developments.Extends the life of your systems: All machines must be serviced as recommended if you want them to last longer. They won’t have many problems. You won’t have to replace essential parts because they will always work well. On time, grease and oil will be put on pieces that move. They won’t get worn out over time. The quality that you get from maintenance is the most important thing about it. You can get mediocre service from a system for longer. You can get better services for a long time from another system. Any person who runs a plant will want the best services done on time. If you take care of the system, you have the chance to get a lot out of it.Guarantees efficient scheduling: If you have a specific number of orders, you should schedule order appointments accordingly. If the machine malfunctions, you will need to inconvenience a customer. This is inappropriate in the modern era of customer experience. Your potential customers will become aware of your order delivery issues, and you will lose them. Fortunately, you can avoid all that by ensuring that your facility is always in reliable condition. Unless a system has reached the end of its useful life, it should continue to produce consistently excellent results. That is the function of facility maintenance.Enhances the security of your workplace: Protecting your employees is of utmost importance. A single incident of workplace injury can prompt a review of your facility. Such a review can result in the loss of your operating license. Compensation and loss of employee productivity will also affect your business. Unmaintained machines pose a significant health risk. There is potential for accidents there, and these factors are also considered by insurers when calculating premiums. If your equipment is in disarray, you’ll be charged more. You can increase the safety of your workplace by ensuring that your machines meet the recommended safety standard. You will pay fewer insurance premiums, and your employees will work without fear of injury or death. The authorities will also be on your neck if you run a substandard plant.Standardized manufacturing: Quality assurance is required. Once a product has been approved according to specifications, authorities anticipate maintaining the standards. If not, you may be subject to fines. The essence of mechanization is ensuring that each product receives the utmost consideration. Facility repair services guarantee the integrity of your production line. Depending on your commercial facility’s maintenance, you must adhere to specific schedules. They are organized to increase the plant’s value. This value can be realized by standardizing production inputs and outputs, enhancing safety, decreasing downtime, and preventing expensive repairs. Your system will also be highly durable. It will provide superior service for the duration of its lifespan.

Tips for Optimizing Maintenance Scheduling

Your delivery schedule will likely be disrupted if your truck experiences last-minute mechanical problems. And if you have to pull a car from duty, there’s a chance that some orders won’t be delivered, which can harm customer satisfaction and revenue. These five maintenance planning principles and maintenance scheduling suggestions will assist you in being proactive and keeping your trucks operating with minimal downtime.

1. Have a distinct position for planning and scheduling

Do not overburden your fleet manager or delivery manager with the responsibilities of planning all routes, addressing delivery delays, and attempting to find time for maintenance. If you do, they will likely be unable to perform optimally and may prioritize ways over care, leading to mechanical issues. Instead, create a maintenance management position responsible for fleet maintenance and let your fleet manager focus on meeting delivery targets. Hiring a maintenance manager will alleviate the workload of your fleet manager and permit more frequent routine inspections of all trucks. Your maintenance manager transforms your company’s approach to truck problems from reactive to proactive, reducing vehicle downtime and saving money.

2. Use a CMMS

A CMMS, or computerized maintenance management system, keeps track of each truck’s mileage and upcoming required and optional maintenance. In addition, CMMS software keeps track of vehicle information, equipment logs, asset management, and work requests or orders. A CMMS software keeps each truck up-to-date on required preventative maintenance. It automatically tracks optional or last-minute maintenance, preventing these issues from being lost in translation during busy days. Although this can be accomplished with wipe boards or tracking spreadsheets, you should utilize maintenance organization software because it can track this data in greater detail by VIN, thereby increasing accuracy and leaving a detailed paper trail after maintenance has been completed.

3. Prioritize tasks and projects

Prioritize preventive maintenance over delivery routes to avoid long-term delays caused by extensive repairs. Prioritize routine maintenance to prevent future more significant problems. If you do not prioritize essential maintenance over deliveries, you risk a breakdown resulting in days of costly and preventable downtime per truck. According to research, preventative maintenance can save businesses money by reducing downtime, increasing efficiency, decreasing the risk of expensive reactive repairs, extending equipment lifespans, and enhancing customer service.

4. Plan weeks ahead

Plan your delivery orders and maintenance schedules several weeks in advance to identify potential delays or scheduling conflicts. Look for slow periods during which you can bring your trucks in for routine maintenance and ensure you have sufficient lorries on the road. Planned maintenance saves money and time because it allows you to work around busy or slow periods.

5. Concentrate on route planning and optimization as a value generator

Regular maintenance is a necessary expense because it is the only way to prevent your truck from developing significant problems. However, it is based on miles driven; therefore, reducing mileage will reduce costs. With route optimization, you can be confident that the distances between stops are always optimal. Planning and optimizing your routes will reduce the operational expenses of your business over time. In addition, the individual responsible for creating your delivery routes and schedules will increase delivery efficiency, resulting in increased revenue and customer satisfaction.

How to Begin a Program of Preventive Maintenance

Before we get started, let’s review the distinction between reactive and preventive maintenance. Reactive maintenance refers to repairs performed on broken equipment. Due to the unplanned qualities of these repairs, reactive maintenance is ideal for assets that are either non-essential to operations or inexpensive enough to be repaired frequently. Alternately, preventive maintenance involves performing maintenance tasks regularly to prevent unscheduled breakdowns and associated costs.

Step 1: Establish Clear Goals

Remember, not every asset requires scheduled maintenance. Equipment essential to production, quality, safety, and service delivery is an excellent candidate for preventive maintenance programs. Leave everything else to routine reactive maintenance. In addition, you do not need a substantial budget to develop a system that supports consistent results. For these reasons, it is crucial to begin the process by outlining the program’s objectives. Potential program objectives include reduced equipment downtime, improved work completion rates, maximum production time, and increased asset reliability. Request early input from your organization’s machine operators, maintenance technicians, and other key stakeholders. Their information will be essential for establishing practical priorities, making future hires, outlining standard operating procedures (SOPs), and establishing a successful preventive maintenance program.

Step 2: Inventory Your Assets

Once everyone is on board, conduct an inventory of the assets you wish to include in your preventive maintenance program. Regular asset history tracking will play a vital role in your PM strategy. Monitoring asset data will ensure that your team does not perform excessive preventive maintenance on one asset relative to others. Refining your program will also reveal maintenance spending patterns, worker inefficiencies, and optimal asset replacement intervals. Also, consider the asset’s current condition, productivity, and workplace safety. You can organize your data using an excel spreadsheet or a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).

Step 3: Perform a Critical Analysis

Criticality analysis is the process of evaluating the significance of assets about their potential risks. In this context, the risk is defined as all possible failure occurrences and their potential effects on organizational productivity, expenses, and safety. Taking the time to rank the importance of your assets will assist in determining which routine maintenance tasks should be scheduled first, based on the availability of resources. High-priority assignments are crucial to production/safety AND have high repair/replacement costs. Alternatively, equipment maintenance that is not essential to production or safety and has low repair/replacement costs should be deprioritized. Assets that are non-essential, inexpensive, and worn-out are typically better for reactive maintenance. The procedure appears straightforward until competing priorities are weighed against one another.

Step 4: Identify Optimal PM Ratios

The financial benefits of preventive maintenance and unproductive worker hours are overshadowed by excessive maintenance. Determining the optimal preventive maintenance ratios for your unique assets and work environment is crucial. First, consult your equipment manufacturer’s manuals. These manuals contain valuable information regarding recommended maintenance schedules, work instructions, and essential spare parts. Next, examine your organization’s maintenance data from the past to gain unique insights into asset failure patterns. In addition, machine operators and maintenance technicians who work with the assets can provide insightful information regarding their behaviors.

Step 5: Schedule Your PMs

It is time to plan your preventive maintenance activities. Do not attempt to tackle everything simultaneously. Before breaking down high-priority tasks into short-term schedules, we advise developing a long-term maintenance plan. A user-friendly Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) will make assigning, monitoring, and modifying your PM program a breeze.

Step 6: Train Your Team

Up to 12% of unplanned downtimes can be attributed to operator error. If you do not want to onboard the employees responsible for maintaining your assets, your preventive maintenance program will likely fail, regardless of how meticulously you plan it. Organize training sessions for employees who will be holding the assets. Also, ensure that work instructions are written in clear, simple language. You should also provide additional learning resources for employees’ reference. Ensure that they are aware of when and how to perform preventive maintenance.

Step 7: Track the Success of the Preventive Maintenance Program

Monitor your chosen KPIs, solicit team member feedback, and make appropriate adjustments. Remember that you can never eliminate downtime. Instead, focus on progress by determining the number of PMs performed on critical assets and the number of times these assets have failed since the program’s inception. Based on this information, you should be able to determine whether you should reduce or increase your PM activities. If your team is not achieving its objectives, conduct a root cause analysis to determine where inefficiencies are occurring and make the necessary course corrections.

FAQs

What is a scheduled maintenance activity?

Predetermined maintenance tasks are those that are planned. They ensure that assets remain operational for as long as possible without unscheduled downtime. Maintenance triggers, such as time, usage, event, and condition, determine the timing of scheduled maintenance.

Is scheduled maintenance necessary?

Every vehicle requires routine maintenance to function correctly. Following your car’s manufacturer-recommended maintenance schedule will protect your investment, help ensure the vehicle’s durability and dependability, and even save you money.

Which type of maintenance is most effective?

Predictive maintenance is superior to preventive maintenance in detecting potential failures and determining required actions. Examine our comparative article on these two maintenance types to better understand their distinctions.

Executing a scheduled maintenance plan should be preceded by a comprehensive review of all assets, including their relative importance to the organization and anticipated maintenance needs. The time spent creating a new scheduled maintenance plan is also the optimal time to question any preconceived intervals or tasks that may have been applied arbitrarily or without adequate data. Are you prepared to create a Maintenance Schedule Checklist? We are cheering you on!