How to Get Ahead During the Downtime

It’s easy to overlook maintenance activities when you’re busy with projects during the paving season. Production, more tons, uptime, and other mantras from our make-hay-while-the-sun-shines business practices keep our eyes on working the job at hand, not necessarily cleaning and maintaining the equipment that keeps the job going smoothly. The folks at Caterpillar released some information in their Nov. 5 Cat Heavy Construction Equipment newsletter that shows the construction industry average of preventive maintenance hours spent is 35 percent, and the industry average of dollars spent on maintenance costs is 8 percent of revenue. Their author asked, “[D]o you want to run your company like an average one, or do you want to model your business decisions after companies who are out ahead of the industry?”

At first, the idea of spending 3.5 hours out of every 10 on preventive maintenance seemed outlandish. Is that amount of time necessary? The paver should be in the field laying beautiful mats. The compactor should be rolling those mats to smooth perfection. Neither machine should be sitting in the workshop bay while a mechanic scrutinizes some tiny part with a magnifying glass.

Or should it?

As reported in the December issue’s equipment gallery, the team at Atlas Copco has launched a whole new structure for making equipment rental centers more efficient. The company states it’s the first equipment manufacturer to offer multiple service centers throughout the United States specifically to support rental centers. They’ve built eight service centers to handle the “big” projects such as clutch replacements, coupling changes and refurbishments that rental companies might not have the expertise to perform. This clears the rental center’s schedule for minor calls and critical items that key customers need taken care of immediately.

Now that’s the repair segment of maintenance. That’s the kind of downtime you want to avoid by putting preventive maintenance time into your weekly activities. (We’re not even talking about the cost of the actual parts, shipping charges, labor, etc. incurred during an unplanned downtime event.) So the answer to the question is yes. Yes, crews do need to put adequate time into preventive maintenance to keep equipment up and running smoothly. Unfortunately, 35 percent of time spent is a questionable industry average, and the Equipment World survey from which Cat got its information could undergo review.

“That’s absolutely wrong,” John Ball said. “Preventive maintenance does not happen the way it should. There’s not even an incentive out there to get employees to perform maintenance the way they should. You’re lucky if you have half an hour at the end of the shift for maintenance. Even if it’s a veteran crew that knows better, they’ll get back to the yard, shut down and go home. They don’t even wipe down the lights or the mirrors. We have gorgeous backup mirrors and cameras on the new Hamm machines that are out now and these guys aren’t maintaining them to keep them safe. That has to change.”

A contractor in South Florida who wished to remain anonymous had a skid steer loader undergoing repairs at press time. The problem? One of the crew members left the diesel cap off after filling the tank. On one hand, the supervisor was pleasantly surprised that the crew member had taken the time to “gas up” the machine prior to leaving after his shift one night. On the other hand, the supervisor was angry because his crew now has a couple thousand dollars in repairs; the local mechanic has been cleaning debris from the tank and connected systems in the machine. Those are billable hours while the skid steer is down.

The problem with the skid steer might have been averted if workers had been paying attention to routine machine checks at the end of their shift. That time, Ball said, is the opportune time to clean equipment and prevent future problems. For example, another company that will remain anonymous left the spray bars of the distributor truck caked with material after multiple uses rather than taking advantage of cleaning up heated, malleable, more liquid tack at the end of the shift.

While this distributor truck helps us understand the importance of cleaning tack spray bars while they’re still warm, it also shows some other problems. Do you see what’s wrong in this picture? A Department of Transportation official could stop this driver and fine the company for the missing mud flap. What else do you see that needs repair? Photo courtesy of John Ball, Top Quality Paving.

“With tack, it’s very hard to get any mess off the bar or the nozzles,” Ball said. “You can use a release agent, but you have to put a lot on there. For tack, you’ve got to get at it while it’s nice and hot. You must get at it while the machine’s still hot. Clean it while you’re still on the job at the end of the shift to save yourself extra work, harder work or even downtime later.”

It’s not enough to be aware of these problems. Company owners and supervisors need to do something about the lack of preventive maintenance. The folks at Cat included an excellent list of tips in the Nov. 5 newsletter. Those are spelled out in the sidebar at xxxx. In essence, you want to create a preventive maintenance schedule with the assistance of available technology. Companies such as Roadtec out of Chattanooga, Tenn., have telematics like the Guardian software that keep track of hours the machine has been working, hours the machine has been idling, hours since the last rotor bar change, etc.

Be aware that simple preventive maintenance such as wiping down hopper wings, cleaning the spray bar on the roller’s drums, turning the nozzle on the striper to prevent drying in the tip, etc. are the general knowledge maintenance items that equipment operators won’t have technology telling them to do. You can check with your OEM for the latest telematics it offers to assist with monitoring maintenance activities, and then map your plan to make preventive maintenance a higher percentage of your schedule.
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Get Positive Preventive Maintenance

Create, post and stick to preventive maintenance schedules.
Construction accountants and financial advisors report that preventive maintenance schedules, when adhered to, are a best practice for maintaining the value of equipment and cutting down on repair costs.

Take a look at outsourcing as an efficiency booster.

Evaluate the maintenance and repair work that your team is doing—what’s being done, the number of hours and the cost of downtime. Also, look at the time involved to schedule and manage product inventory. It’s possible you could realize cost savings and convenience by outsourcing certain maintenance to a more efficient third party. If you have your shop handling maintenance for equipment and vehicles, you may want to consider outsourcing one fleet.

Use technology to make maintenance as efficient as possible.

The machine hour meter records the number of hours the machine is on, but it doesn’t differentiate between on time, working time and idle time. Various monitoring systems do make the distinction and this basic technology is integrated into many newer model machines. When you can look at the data and see which of the hours on the machine are actually working hours, you can schedule maintenance not off the hour meter, but using the actual time worked. This means you will reduce the number of preventive maintenance events needed annually.

For example, if you have a recommended service interval of 250 hours for a machine that has 70 percent working time, it means that approximately 30 percent or 75 hours of each 250 machine hours are non-working hours. So every fourth preventive maintenance event is due to the non-working hours alone, which is not a true indicator of use. With the more accurate data provided by technology, you will do preventive maintenance when it is needed and avoid unnecessary maintenance and the associated costs.

Technology also helps you keep track of machine health—proactively—with alert codes that let the operator know when the machine is operating outside of normal parameters or needs service. The overall result will be fewer failures, less downtime and reduced cost.

Source: Cat Heavy Construction Equipment, Nov. 5, 2014

[Company Name Here]
Equipment #:    Current Hours:    EQUIPMENT INSPECTION REPORT OFF-ROAD    Date:
TPR Standards on Machine? Yes    No
Inspector (print name):    Foreman (print name):
(first box)
Comp #    Fluids    Levels    Amt. Added    Leak Location    Comments for Fluids
B01    Engine Oil    Proper Level    Low Level    Qts
N01    Antifreeze    Proper Level    Low Level    Gals
I01    Hydraulic Oil    Proper Level    Low Level    Gals
I01    Hydraulic System    Leak Free    Leaks
F01    Brake Fluid    Proper Level    Low Level    Pts
D25    Pump Drive Box    Proper Level    Low Level    Qts
D25    Transmission Oil    Proper Level    Low Level    Qts

Comp #    Implements    Condition
M20    Bucket    Acceptable    Missing/Worn
M20    Bucket (teeth)    Acceptable    Missing
L01    Cutter Drum (holders)    Acceptable    Missing
L01    Hardfacing    Acceptable    Worn
L01    Holders    Acceptable    Worn/Missing
Comments for Implements

Comp #    Engine    Condition    Comments for Engine
N01    Cooling System    Fine Clean    Fins Dirty
N01    Cooling System    Leak Free    Leaking
B25    Engine Exhaust    Acceptable    Leaks
B60    Fuel System    Acceptable    Leaks
N01    Belts (condition)    Acceptable    Worn
N01    Belts (tension)    Acceptable    Tight/Loose
N01    Belts (sound)    Acceptable    Squealing
E01    Battery    Acceptable    Add Water

Comp #    Operator Station    Condition    Comments for Operator Station
G01    Seat    Acceptable    Operational/Torn
E01    Electrical (fuse cover)    Acceptable    Missing
E01    Exposed Wires    Acceptable    Frayed
E01    Lights    Acceptable    Not Working
N50    AC/Heating    Acceptable    Heating/Cooling
B70    Lubrication System    Acceptable    Damaged Fittings
B50    Auto Lubricator System    Acceptable    Damaged Lines
I01    Hydraulic System (power)    Acceptable    Loss of Power
I01    Speed    Acceptable    Slow Operation
I01    Controls    Acceptable    Sticking
B50    Air System (air filter and hoses)    Acceptable    Red Zone
G01    Gauges (volt meter reading)    Voltage Reading
G01    Oil Pressure Reading    Engine Oil Pressure Reading
G01    Engine Water Temp    Engine Water Temp Reading

Comp #    Tires    Condition    Comments for Tires
H01    Left Front    Acceptable    Worn
H01    Right Front    Acceptable    Worn
H01    Left Rear    Acceptable    Worn
H01    Right Rear    Acceptable    Worn
H01    Left Middle    Acceptable    Worn
H01    Right Middle    Acceptable    Worn

(sixth box)
Comp #    Tracks    Condition    Comments for Tracks
J01    Track    Acceptable    Tight/Loose
D75    Final Drives Left    Acceptable    Worn
D75    Final Drives Right    Acceptable    Worn

Comments:
I have performed my daily OSHA INSPECTION and informed my foreman of all deficiencies.
Inspector’s/Operator’s Signature:

Comp #    Body/Appearance    Condition    Comments for Operator Station
G01    Paint    Acceptable    Poor
G01    Decals    Acceptable    Damaged
G01    Doors    Acceptable    Dented
G01    Steps    Acceptable    Bent
G01    Glass    Acceptable    Cracked
G01    Mirrors    Acceptable    Damaged
G01    Vandalism Guards    Acceptable    Damaged/Missing

Comp #    Safety Item    Condition    Comments for Safety
E01    Back-up Alarm    Acceptable    Too Low
G01    Seatbelt    Acceptable    Will Not Latch
G01    Horn    Acceptable    Not Working
F01    Brakes    Acceptable    Will Not Stop
A50    Steering    Acceptable    Loose/Hard
G01    Fire Extinguisher    Acceptable    Not Charged
G01    Roll-Over Protection System    Acceptable    Damaged

Note: A phone call is required to a mechanic or supervisor when a phone icon is next to a checked component item.

Equipment inspection form courtesy of John Ball, Top Quality Paving