When your forklift is operating in a harsh and dirty environment, it is important to establish a strong maintenance plan. Craig Bruns, vice president of customer support at crown Cologne in the United States, shared the eight steps of managing the forklift fleet. The following content is compiled according to Craig Bruns' point of view:
The recycling environment will have a bad impact on the equipment, so special care and attention must be paid to the correct maintenance and repair of the equipment in this environment to ensure the operating performance and normal operation time, especially for forklifts.
Usually considered as the main force of the supply chain, most forklifts operate in warehouses, distribution centers or cross docking facilities. While these supply chain environments present their own set of challenges, they are often not comparable to the daily challenges faced by forklifts operating in recycling environments.
Whether indoors or outdoors, the recycling process can be dusty and produce a large amount of debris, which may cause damage or have a negative impact on the performance of the forklift. Generally, the recycling process can be carried out completely outdoors, which brings additional challenges, such as changing and unpredictable weather and soil paths filled with gravel, large potholes and ruts.
All of these may lead to increased maintenance costs and unexpected downtime of the forklift fleet, thereby weakening business profitability and growth.
So what should the owner or manager of the recycling enterprise do when maintaining the forklift fleet? Consider eight steps to help forklifts fight the terrible recycling environment.
1. Select the appropriate forklift. Forklifts that can withstand harsh environments and prolong operation time need professional design. This may include industrial engines with cast iron heads and larger, more robust components; The fully enclosed brake is not affected by debris and has fewer moving parts that can be disassembled; Pneumatic (hyperelastic) tires that can withstand rough surfaces; The solid cast iron shell can provide thermal protection and impact protection for the gearbox and axle; And protected landing gear to help prevent scrap metal damage.
2. Establish a strong maintenance plan. Given the performance requirements and potential hazards in a harsh recycling environment, it is important to develop a good maintenance plan. Properly managing service intervals can distinguish profitable or unprofitable operations. Set and strictly observe the regular maintenance interval, and pay special attention to the parts of the forklift that are most affected by the harsh environment. The goal is to keep the forklift in normal operation while minimizing unexpected maintenance problems. A strong and effective maintenance plan has two very valuable components. The fleet maintenance management system can provide a simple and effective method to capture and analyze the total maintenance cost of a single forklift and the whole fleet in a single or multiple locations. The operator and fleet management system enables you to monitor the health and performance of forklifts and ensure that maintenance is completed as planned. These systems can also guide operators to carry out pre Shift Checklist checks to ensure that they are completed completely and correctly, which helps to identify potential maintenance and safety problems. They also monitor the impact and send notifications when it occurs, which can trigger an investigation to determine safety issues or forklift damage caused by the impact.
3. Invest in telematics systems. A good operator and fleet management system will also help you better understand how and when forklifts are used. With this information, you can make decisions about service and maintenance requirements and better manage your resources. The collected data can also reveal trends or problems that need to be solved. For example, if the data shows that forklift collisions often occur in an area where you operate, you can consider changing the layout of the area, specifying an alternative route with less impact, or implementing speed restrictions. In addition, if some operators continue to have a significant impact, you can consider implementing incentives and additional training to ensure correct behavior.
4. Analyze maintenance history. Tracking the maintenance history of each forklift can help you identify trends, problems and best practices that occur in service and maintenance plans. The fleet maintenance management system can help record each maintenance problem of the forklift, including the cost of each repair or service, as well as planned maintenance and faults. Operators can use this information to help you identify trends, be more proactive in repair, and make informed replacement / repair decisions.
5. Take a proactive approach. Having a good operator and forklift fleet management system also allows you to transition from a passive service and maintenance plan to a more proactive and predictive plan. This includes using historical data to understand usage and scheduling regular services and maintenance to predict and eliminate potential problems before they lead to unplanned downtime. If your historical data shows that a specific part of your forklift has worn out after a certain amount of running time or indicates the most likely cause of the service code, you can arrange replacement / repair accordingly. If your forklift OEM provides networked maintenance services, you may need to consider remote health monitoring. This service makes forklifts in "unhealthy and", which can improve normal operation time. You can also create a proactive and planned replacement product lifecycle formula for your organization.
6. Conduct annual equipment health assessment. If this is the first assessment, you are establishing a baseline for the next few years. Create and maintain an accurate list of your fleet. Take a picture of each forklift and record its age, serial number, running time and the year it joined the fleet. Looking ahead, this will enable you to maintain an accurate overview of your fleet, including size, age and cost. By updating the list every year, you can better understand how your fleet changes and plan where you need to go in the future.
7. Track the average cost of each forklift. As forklifts age, the value they provide to your operations may decline as maintenance costs increase. The average cost of each model will help you determine the ideal service life of the forklift. The formula compares the annual maintenance and repair costs with the hours of forklift use in a year. This gives you the hourly cost of operating the forklift. However, the high cost of each model does not automatically mean that the forklift needs to be replaced. Other factors may be involved, such as the use of forklifts and the frequency of planned maintenance. This is especially true in recycling applications. Always higher than the number recommended by your forklift manufacturer may indicate that your service maintenance plan needs to be adjusted as necessary. These factors need to be analyzed when studying potential forklift alternatives.
8. Determine the ratio of planned maintenance (PM) to failure. Establishing and closely monitoring your PM and failure rate is a good indicator of the implementation of your service and maintenance plan. It's as simple as tracking all invoices or work orders for forklifts every year and comparing year-on-year figures to get an average. Once you have determined the ratio that best suits you, try to adhere to it. Ensure to track whether the work order is due to operator error / abuse or from daily scheduled maintenance or fault problems. This will help you identify other areas for improvement.
Recycling environment is not an ordinary environment. Debris, dust, uneven surfaces and weather can paralyze the forklift and bring your operation to a standstill. That's why you must take all possible steps to help ensure a healthy fleet, minimize downtime and maintain your operational efficiency.
