Most business owners and even workers know how expensive the pieces of equipment they’re using.
14 Tips To Make Your Business Equipment Last Longer
However, after some time, these same people forget about it and start taking their equipment’s health for granted. And as you already know, poorly maintained machinery will run inefficiently and won’t last long.
It’s no secret that many small businesses and start-ups often need to take a loan just to buy the needed appliances and machinery to get their business operations running smoothly.
And when they break down early, it could instantly cost a business a small fortune.
If you understand the importance of the gadgets, tools, and appliances in your business, you must learn how to make them last longer.
To help you out, here are a few tips that can let you keep your business’ equipment in top condition.
1. Test and Add Lubricants Regularly
The primary function of a lubricant is to reduce friction between moving parts. A good example of a mechanical part that often requires lubrication is a caster wheel.
These wheels have ball bearings that roll inside two round strips of metals.
Without lubrication or the lack of it, these balls and strips will grate against each other and generate heat.
The heat can make the balls expand, which then stops the bearing from rolling.
Thus, a schedule of lubrication maintenance will extend the life of most equipment with mechanical parts, especially the larger ones.
However, don’t just use any lubricant you can find. Know that there are multiple types of lubrication products in the market, and each of them has specific uses.
So, before you lubricate or grease up anything in your office, check the manual of the office equipment that you want to lubricate first.
Normally, these manuals will tell you which type of lubrication product you can use or if you need to perform this type of maintenance task.
2. Keep Manuals
Unfortunately, some of the people in your company don’t read manuals. The worst part is that some of them may throw them because they think they’re just a waste of space. You need to put a stop to these things.
It’s highly recommended that you keep manuals because it’s your primary source of information when something goes wrong with your business equipment.
They provide helpful troubleshooting information and even the contact information of the team or department you need to get in touch with if you hit a dead-end with your troubleshooting.
3. Invest In Quality Equipment
If you want to save money in the long run, you should invest in high-quality equipment. And this should be a priority if you need to procure huge heavy-duty machinery.
Aside from avoiding expensive repair costs in the future, keep in mind the safety of the ones who’ll operate them.
For example, you wouldn’t want to have a cheap trash compactor that doesn’t have safety features that can prevent people from getting thrown inside it.
To make sure that you’re getting high-quality machines, be sure to rely on reputable manufacturers and suppliers. For instance, if you want a good trash compactor, you can head over to https://www.gkcompactor.com and other similar companies.
4. Prepare Spare Parts
Typically, a piece of equipment will show a warning before it becomes inoperable. Fortunately, it’s possible to avoid machine death by replacing malfunctioning and faulty parts before it’s too late.
But if you don’t have spare parts on hand, your equipment might break down before the needed replacements arrive. So, before it’s too late, consider procuring spare parts for all your equipment.
5. Don’t Allow Consumption Of Food And Beverages Close To Your Equipment
Various unnecessary damages may happen to your machinery, especially when people spill their drinks or throw food on the machine.
To prevent this from happening and to ensure that your equipment lasts longer, impose a strict rule concerning food and beverage consumption in your production area.
Remind your employees or colleagues that this policy will be for their and the company’s good and safety.
They should put in mind that it’s far better to experience a bit of inconvenience rather than have someone becoming a victim of an accident.
6. Know Your Equipment
Taking a detailed note about every piece of equipment at your disposal is crucial as it allows you to ensure that it meets or exceeds its life expectancy.
Make sure to document every bit of information you think is essential. By having enough knowledge of the equipment, you’ll have an idea of what to expect from it and how you’ll react when your equipment fails to meet such expectations.
7. Store Equipment Correctly
When it comes to taking care of your equipment, storage matters. This is especially true for small and sensitive machines.
You wouldn’t want them to get damaged and get lost in a busy working area.
And even if your equipment or machine is advertised to be durable and weatherproof, you still need to store them properly.
Remember that nothing is indestructible. Even if it’s advertised that it can withstand harsh weather conditions, there’s no disadvantage in further prolonging their life by keeping them out of harm’s way.
8. Regularly Inspect Your Equipment
By inspecting your equipment regularly, you’ll be able to point out problems and inconsistencies that might not be noticed in everyday use.
By doing this, before the problems get worse, cause extensive damage, and become unsafe, replacement or repair can be arranged.
Depending on your equipment’s nature, it’s mandatory to get qualified engineers and technicians to assess them carefully and regularly.
9. Train Your Workers
If your workers don’t know how to operate and handle your business equipment correctly, how can they guarantee that they won’t be the ones that will put your machines in disrepair?
To avoid unnecessary repairs caused by employees, you’ll need to hire or assign a reliable supervisor to train them.
Train them on how to use and maintain the machine and tools they’re using every day. By ensuring that your workers know how to operate the equipment, productivity will increase as well.
10. Use the Right Equipment
To avoid tear and wear, it’s highly recommended to use the needed equipment for the job. It will also allow you and your colleagues to finish tasks more rapidly.
Most of the time, suppliers consult with you and even advise if you’re getting the right piece of equipment for the job—take advantage of this. After all, when you use the wrong equipment, there’s a tendency that it will eventually stop working and can even cause an accident.
11. Make A Checklist For Standard Equipment Maintenance
Practice makes perfect, but there are instances that you and your maintenance team may become complacent when maintaining your business equipment.
Remember, not just because you know the maintenance tasks like the back of your hand doesn’t mean that you’ll not forget or overlook anything.
Create a checklist for your maintenance task, and encourage its use every single time. Always remember that one mistake may cause you money, your equipment’s lifespan, or someone’s life.
12. Perform Routine Maintenance
Make sure not to skip scheduled maintenance of your equipment, especially the bigger ones. However, if you haven’t established a maintenance schedule, make sure to create one as soon as possible.
Also, be sure to hire a professional to inspect your equipment at least once a year. As much as it’s great for you and your team to be capable of maintaining your tools and machines, it’s much better to have an expert help you.
13. Do Not Muscle Wires
A lot of pieces of equipment come with ports for wires. Often, these ports come with pins that are easy to break into certain types of connectors.
When you’re switching connector ends in and out repeatedly, you’ll run the risk of breaking and bending such pins. You’re lucky if you can easily find replacement parts.
However, there are some appliances with connectors that can’t be sourced easily.
For example, if you bend and break a patented cable or wire from an old machine, expect that you might get forced to buy a completely new machine instead of getting a hold of a replacement.
14. Regularly Clean Your Equipment
Whether you’re dealing with construction workers or a lab technician, every person needs to be responsible for cleaning the equipment and tools they’re using regularly.
Clean equipment tends to perform better. What’s more, it’s not susceptible to breakage which helps in prolonging its lifespan.
Final Say
As a final point, following the tips mentioned above can considerably prolong the life of your business equipment. Keeping them in top shape isn’t as difficult as you think.
Just ensure to maintain and clean it regularly, handle it properly, and buy quality products that will last a considerable amount of time.
Given that you and your workers are careful, you’ll be able to lessen issues and your equipment will not need to replace your equipment frequently.
Keep in mind that your equipment is your means of performing business. So, when the equipment is down, the bottom line of your company is affected.
So, to make sure your business has pieces of equipment that work like they should, make sure to maintain everything that is in use.
By ensuring that your equipment is running smoothly, you can gain a competitive edge. And since productivity will be increased, you’ll be able to make your business more profitable.
