There is a range of different factors that each contribute to the efficiency and productivity of a manufacturing line. The training you provide your team, how you measure and manage loss, and others contribute, but the greatest leading cause for inefficiency is the lack of proper care for your equipment. If your machinery costs are starting to chew a large hole in your budget, here are a few ways to stay on top of them.

Ensure they’re being used in the right way

Training is crucial on the production line. It’s a man-made error more than machinery failure that can lead to damage and extraneous costs. As such, you should invest in effective manufacturing training for your team to make sure they’re using machines in the most appropriate ways and retrain them on a regular basis to keep the standards high.

Get your team involved in machine care

Rather than having separate machine operators and machine repair teams, you should consider training the people who operate the machines to also be the ones who do the required maintenance and minor fixes. It can help them learn to identify problems with the machines more quickly than they would otherwise and they might be able to independently make the necessary fixes. What’s more, it offers them transferable skills that make them easier to retain as skilled employees.

Get ahead of the issue

Even if human error outpaces it, machine error can still be a major cost of predictable and preventable loss on your production line. To that end, you should look at creating predictive maintenance schedules that can help you be more aware of the most common breakages and malfunctions, taking steps to prevent them ahead of time.

Know where to get your replacements

Even with the best maintenance and repair processes in place, things are going to break down and need some investment. When it comes to replacements, you want to make sure you identify high-quality suppliers for the parts you need often. The machine’s manufacturers can be a great help but specialist providers of things like hydraulic cylinders can provide the highest quality components that might even increase the overall reliability of the machinery. Get to know what parts have to be replaced most often and do a little shopping for suppliers.

Make sure it’s getting the attention it deserves

Most business owners and CEOs do not spend their days worrying too much about their production line, they have other things to focus on. As such, it might be a good idea to ensure you have someone more qualified for the job to watch over the production line, such as a manufacturing manager who is better trained to keep an eye out for issues with the machinery and processes.

The tips above are only the beginning of an effective approach to keeping your manufacturing machinery in the condition you need. You have to get more specific based on the machinery you use and the suppliers you work with, so be sure to do your own research.