A regular health check-up is a part of our yearly schedule. We may not be suffering from an ailment, but it is good to know that everything is working just fine. It also helps in detecting any anomalies early on to tackle and prevent further complications. Preventive Maintenance does the same for your equipment. Preventive Maintenance is the planned maintenance done periodically to ensure that your machines keep performing at the optimum capacity. In this blog, we will talk about the context of Dock Solutions – like Dock Levelers, Dock Shelters and Sectional Doors.
Image 1 – Preventive Maintenance is a Health Check-up for Dock Solutions
Why preventive maintenance must always be a priority?
Reduce Expenditure
A routine visit to the doctor can help in detecting any potential health issues. It also helps you keep on track with your health and lifestyle goals to prevent expenditure on medical treatment or hospitalization in the long run.
With preventive maintenance, you can plan and schedule routine maintenance activities for dock equipment. These are more cost-effective than expensive emergency repairs and can help in consolidating the company’s expenditure over the lifetime of the equipment. For example, routine maintenance may be useful for regular lubrication of moving parts, like lip hinges, on a dock leveler. This helps in increasing the life of the machines and keeps them running at peak performance. Another example is regular cleaning of dock shelter parts will prevent dirt and debris from clogging the equipment and help in increasing their life.
Nip the problem in the bud
One of the main advantages of regular health check-ups is that it reduces the possibility of a health emergency because diseases can be diagnosed before they get out of hand.
A preventive maintenance program can help you avoid unexpected downtime and save you a lot of money that would be spent on repairs and loss of productivity. Usually, there are multiple dock levelers and dock shelters in most large-scale industries. Maintenance activities can be planned such that at least 50% of dock equipment is operating at all times. This ensures a high level of productivity even during maintenance and prevents any surprise breakdowns. For example, a worn out dock shelter that may fail any time is not serving its purpose. Such problems can be detected and addressed immediately with preventive maintenance.
Improved Safety
When we go for a health check-up the interest of our family and friends is also involved. Our well-being is connected to the well-being of the family.
Preventive maintenance of dock solutions offers safety benefits for employees and your business at large. It reduces the possibility of accidents in the workplace because of faulty equipment, which not only results in injury or casualties in the workplace but can also be a nightmare for company management. Mishaps can be easily avoided with regular maintenance activities which will also make employees feel safe in the long run. A simple example, in this case, can be the adjustment of the dock leveler. If the height of the dock leveler is not properly set, it can trap a worker’s leg or arm and result in serious injury. Another case is of dock seals installed around the perimeter of dock shelters. The purpose of the seal is to keep out external elements like rain,w ind, snow, and dirt. If dock seals are not maintained, there may be build up of moisture or risk of wet floors in the docking area. This poses a hazard as workers can slip or equipment can skid and fall resulting in injury.
Documentation and Records
A health check-up is always accompanied by your medical file in which all details of your well-being are recorded. Any doctor attending to you can refer to these records and get all the relevant information for any further treatment or action.
Similarly, preventive maintenance involves documentation that records all activities that are undertaken in the maintenance schedule. With details like problem areas, repair works, replacements, and further schedules, these documents are the ideal source of information for workers and maintenance staff across various shifts and even in case of change of personnel.
NIHVA provides dock levelers and dock shelters that make preventive maintenance easy, fast, and secure. Contact today for the best quotes for customized dock solutions.
Image 2 – Benefits of Preventive Maintenance for Dock Solutions
Maintenance and Technology
Doctors have many gadgets and devices that make their work easier. In the same way, technology has enabled increased adoption of preventive maintenance. Equipment is loaded with sensors and smart devices that are connected to the Internet of Things (IoT). We have previously discussed this concerning Smart Doors.
For Dock Solutions, sensors can be used to detect events like blockage due to debris, improper alignment, infiltration of external air in dock shelters, and many more applications. These smart devices are connected to a central dashboard which displays if any action is needed on part of the operator. Even documentation can be automated and require minimal effort on part of the operator and maintenance staff. Records can be updated to an online system at the click of a button which may be through an on-machine device or a handheld device like a smartphone with a maintenance app.
NIHVA provides dock solutions in association with ASSAABLOY, that can be connected to IoT and are designed to make preventive maintenance easier. As a result, these dock levelers and dock shelters have less wear and tear, last longer, and are safer and more efficient.
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