2 answers
Alexandria
Student
Greensboro, North Carolina
9
Questions
2 answers
Brandon Recknagel
Manufacturing engineer
3
Answers
Walworth, WI
Updated
Brandon’s Answer
It really depends on what "hat" of maintenance you're talking about.
For facilities maintenance, things like making sure the lights work, the plumbing works, the HVAC system is in good shape and working properly, safety exit lights, etc are all working. Most of that stuff is maintained by Preventative Maintenance or PM's. Things like changing batteries every 6 months in smoke detectors are important here. Also having the ability to react quickly and effectively to an emergency like a power outage, or a burst pipe is helpful.
For maintenance like machinery, or vehicle maintenance, the values are slightly different. Frequently most maintenance people are either reacting to an emergency, or doing PM's on equipment like greasing slides or cylinders, changing filters, inspecting for damage, etc. It can be quite boring sometimes.
Either way, in all honesty, one huge value that you need to have in maintenance is patience and temperance. Most companies, if not all, that I have worked at, always want to cut the maintenance budget, to save money. So you learn to deal with what you've been given. Instead of changing filters every 6 months, you try to stretch it to 8 or 9 months. Instead of buying a premade kit of repair parts for something, you're trying to save money by purchasing all of the parts and pieces individually. It can be very frustrating at times, but it is what it is.
For facilities maintenance, things like making sure the lights work, the plumbing works, the HVAC system is in good shape and working properly, safety exit lights, etc are all working. Most of that stuff is maintained by Preventative Maintenance or PM's. Things like changing batteries every 6 months in smoke detectors are important here. Also having the ability to react quickly and effectively to an emergency like a power outage, or a burst pipe is helpful.
For maintenance like machinery, or vehicle maintenance, the values are slightly different. Frequently most maintenance people are either reacting to an emergency, or doing PM's on equipment like greasing slides or cylinders, changing filters, inspecting for damage, etc. It can be quite boring sometimes.
Either way, in all honesty, one huge value that you need to have in maintenance is patience and temperance. Most companies, if not all, that I have worked at, always want to cut the maintenance budget, to save money. So you learn to deal with what you've been given. Instead of changing filters every 6 months, you try to stretch it to 8 or 9 months. Instead of buying a premade kit of repair parts for something, you're trying to save money by purchasing all of the parts and pieces individually. It can be very frustrating at times, but it is what it is.
John Storimans
Maintenance manager
1
Answer
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Updated
John’s Answer
The values that are important to maintenance simple in theory, maintenance values equipment and a environment that is safe and allows operators to produce quality product which end customers can use without fear of failure. Now this sounds simple but in fact there is a lot that goes into it. predictive and preventative maintenance, knowledgeable trades people and leadership that allows for a smooth work flow and a free exchange if ideals. At the end of the day Maintenance is service department , and we are ensuring that fellow employees can come to work every day be safe, enjoy equipment and a place to work that allows them to perform their jobs and go home again. so in simple bullet points:
Ensure location and equipment is safe
Ensure operators and other employees can perform work safely and to required levels
Reduce the operating cost of the facility and location
Improve on what can be improved to further enhance the over all process
Ensure location and equipment is safe
Ensure operators and other employees can perform work safely and to required levels
Reduce the operating cost of the facility and location
Improve on what can be improved to further enhance the over all process