Whether you have a cable conveyor or a side grip conveyor, maintenance should never be excluded from the budget. As a conveyor manufacturer, Automation Ideas knows that companies can reduce costs and shut-down times by investing in maintenance. Continue reading to learn our 5 tips for conveyor system maintenance.
Conveyor System Maintenance Tips
1.) Invest in Maintenance
Do you change your car’s oil? Do you to inspect your roof? Just like any other area in your life, you’ll need to invest in conveyor system maintenance. Systems that are maintained have been shown to run longer with fewer problems. It’s much less expensive in the long run to invest in maintenance than it is to make large conveyor repairs.
You also need to consider the fact that every second your conveyor system isn’t running costs you money. Long system shut-downs cause you to lose sales and customer satisfaction. Thankfully, a conveyor system manufacturer can help you come up with a maintenance plan that works for you. Keep in mind that different parts of your system will require more maintenance than others.
2.) Stock Up On Obsolete Conveyor Parts
As a conveyor installation company, we know what industrial equipment will soon be obsolete. By scheduling regular maintenance and inspections with us, we’ll be able to let you know what parts will no longer be manufactured. We understand that it’s often not possible for our customers to replace entire conveyor systems, which is why we recommend stocking up on spare parts. When the time comes to replace your conveyor system, we will be more than happy to design and build a new one that complements your factory floor.
3.) Keep Spare Parts
It’s no secret that mechanical parts will eventually wear out and need to be replaced. We recommend keeping spare parts at your facility to prevent long shut-downs. The last thing you want is to lose days or even weeks of productivity because that certain part has a long lead time. If you know that certain conveyor parts have long lead times, we recommend keeping spares. That way, you’ll be able to maintain your factory’s productivity no matter what.
Keep in mind that a damaged part can also affect other areas of your conveyor system. If even a small part of your conveyor isn’t working properly, it could put additional strain on nearby pieces. When this happens, the repair may cost you more money than if you had stashed away a spare part for such an emergency. For example, we recommend keeping spare parts for your bottle conveyor that are critical to your system or have long lead times.
4.) View Conveyor System as a Whole
While it’s tempting to repair a part as soon as possible, it can be worth taking the extra time to inspect all connected parts. Conveyors and industrial machinery are more likely to break down when the system isn’t looked at as a whole. If you don’t take the time to check nearby components, you may end up shutting down the system again for repairs you should have done the first time.
5.) Inspect Your Conveyor System
Routine conveyor inspections can help you find small issues before they grow into expensive problems. Since your employees spend nearly every day in your facility, they may not be able to detect a small problem in time to prevent a shut-down. Thankfully, our inspectors will be able to perform a complete system audit so you can avoid expensive repairs and lost productivity.
Conveyor Systems from Automation Ideas
Automation Ideas is a conveyor system manufacturing company dedicated to helping factory owners streamline operations. If you are interested in our cable conveyor systems or any of our other conveyors, please contact us here or give us a call at (616) 874-4041.
