Most people think modern construction equipment is more reliable. Yet in the 1950s the average breakdown rate was about 20 to 25 percent. By the 1990s that figure had risen to 60 percent.
Why, when the equipment was getting better, were emergency repair rates creeping up decade after decade?
According to Preston Ingalls, president and CEO of TBR Strategies, in the 1950s an operator was expected to be a fair mechanic and take good care of his machine. A well-rounded operator back then knew how to use his eyes and ears and sense of smell and his ability to detect unusual vibration to tell when something was starting to deteriorate.
Today, says Ingalls, everybody is specialized. Operators operate and mechanics take care of the equipment. Trouble is, the typical mechanic or service tech may be responsible for dozens of machines and may only spend an hour or two with each one every few months. That’s no substitute for the kind of care a well trained operator can provide for a machine he works with 20 to 40 or more hours a week.
A properly-trained operator can detect 70 to 75 percent of all potential failures, Ingalls says. And companies that have trained their operators and instilled auditing and accountability procedures substantially reduce equipment downtime and the cost of repairs.
Five elements
In an operator care program, there are five basic things on which you should train your operators, says Ingalls.
1. Knowing how to tighten, lubricate and clean components and when to do so.
2. Inspecting, detecting and correcting deficiencies before a machine runs to failure.
3. Maintaining correct operating procedures. “Teach them not just how to operate the equipment, but how the equipment operates,” Ingalls says. Accidents, neglect and abuse are substantial contributors to equipment failures.
4. Improving design issues. This isn’t solely the operators’ responsibility, but train your operators to communicate with mechanics and fleet managers. Encourage them to speak up about access problems, ergonomic issues, any design element of the machine they think isn’t right. Form EITs, or equipment improvement teams to collect these suggestions and take countermeasures where you can. You should also communicate these concerns to your dealers and OEMs.
5. How they can elevate their skills. Give them the basic mechanical knowledge and skills they need to do simple maintenance, troubleshoot issues and understand how the machine works and reacts. Another part of this is ensuring they repair it with a “fix it right – fix it once” mentality.
There are typically three periods of time operators can perform these chores:
• The beginning of the shift
• During down time such as waiting for the trucks to deliver asphalt
• At the end of the day. “If you look at a typical day, eight to 10 hours, you can find 20 to 30 minutes,” says Ingalls. “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” – Equipment World