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Packaging Equipment Preventative Maintenance Checklist

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Regularly scheduled maintenance of your machines is a much better alternative than paying invoices for costly repairs, not to mention lost revenue due to machines being out-of-service. Korpack customers know that quality preventative maintenance performed by trained technicians is the best way to keep their packaging operations up-and-running and keep their customers happy.

There are few things worse than starting off your day by finding when you power up your equipment that it’s not working properly. It sends you into “damage control” mode and has you dropping everything to find a local technician who can be on-site ASAP to get your operation up and running.

The problem is that it can be extremely costly waiting hours for a technician to get to your facility and troubleshoot the problem. You can be looking at hours of downtime just for a simple fix. Or you may be down for days while you’re waiting for parts that weren’t readily available.

Preventative maintenance performed at regular intervals can minimize the risk of finding yourself in this costly situation.

 

WHAT IS PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE?

Preventative maintenance (PM) is maintenance performed by a trained technician on a regularly scheduled basis on a piece of equipment. It’s a proactive approach rather than reactive, allowing you to make any necessary fixes BEFORE anything severe, and expensive, happens.

Often, it’s the small things that cause BIG problems. Worn parts like gears, belts, and chains can bring a machine to a grinding halt; bolts loosened by machine vibration have been known to disrupt lines – all things that could have been discovered during PM.

Korpack has found through years of maintaining packaging machines that preventative maintenance:

• Helps you avoid component failures
• Diminishes downtime
• Extends the lifespan of your equipment
• Prevents excessive wear on parts
• Keeps your equipment safe to operate
• Reduces operating costs
• Improves the reliability of your equipment

 

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND YOUR BUSINESS

PM helps keep your business running profitably by helping to make sure your machines are available at all times. When sudden breakdowns occur, an operator can be left with little to do, and you have a machine that is unable to generate revenue.

Machine breakdowns can wreak havoc on your company’s finances. Breakdowns are never expected, and you may not be prepared financially to cover an expensive repair. PM helps you budget for machine maintenance and avoid unexpected machine failures.

PM also keeps your equipment safer for your operators to use, making them feel more confident in their work. Knowing that their machine is safe and dependable gives them greater peace-of-mind. They’re more confident knowing that they’re a contributing member of the team each day, not a liability because they can’t work due to a machine that is out of service.

PM provides your company with a competitive advantage. You’ll have less downtime, fewer expensive overhauls, and reduced operating costs.

 

MAXIMIZING THE LIFE OF YOUR PACKAGING MACHINES

These 5 tips can help you maximize the life of your packaging machines:

1. Commit to a Korpack preventative maintenance program.

Committing to PM is an all-inclusive approach; it’s much more than just regular upkeep. You and your machine operators have a lot of responsibility each day, and PM keeps machines producing so you can take care of day-to-day business without dealing with emergency breakdowns.

2. Train your machine operators.

Your operators are your frontline in reporting machine warning signs. They operate the machines each day and get to know when something isn’t right with a particular machine. The first sign of a problem is generally something you hear. A proactive machine operator should be able to hear a bearing beginning to wear, or a roller starting to go out of round well before it will begin to negatively affect the output of the machine. Training them in-depth on a machine can help them provide these extremely important details to the servicing technician, streamlining repairs and maintenance. Well-trained operators are also safer operators.

3. Know your machines.

Product knowledge is necessary if you want an effective machine maintenance schedule. Knowing and understanding the machine manual is paramount for anyone working on your machine. It relays extremely important information around service intervals, typical operations and troubleshooting.

4. Document history.

Recording your preventative maintenance and repairs is proof you did so according to professional recommendations. Having a complete history on your machines aids you in knowing what was done and when. Document the services, history and runtime information of a unit to help you complete effective equipment management.

5. Adhere to maintenance intervals.

Korpack can help you follow the manufacturer’s suggestions on maintenance intervals, which protects your warranty, enables you to keep accurate maintenance records, and encourages economical operation. We’ll also factor in company-specific factors, such as climate, production levels, and site environment.

The Korpack team can help you with all facets of packaging and will recommend the best preventative maintenance program for your particular machines.

 

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR YOUR PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

Every machine is different in terms of size and components. It typically takes a technician 1 to 2 hours to examine your machine. Having scheduled maintenance downtime is much better than having unscheduled downtime.

During PM, your technician will check such things as:

• Belt tensions
• Chain wear
• Bolts
• Sensors
• Safety switches
• Fuses
• Voltage to the machine and main electrical components
• Cutters and blades
• Rollers

They will also leave your machine cleaner than when they found it upon wrapping up their PM visit.

Every PM will vary because different machines have different motors, belts, bearings, tolerances, and electrical components. Two of the same machine types from the same manufacturer and only one year different in age can have completely different components.

Korpack technicians are happy to help you create a daily checklist for your machines to keep them running efficiently and keep your operators safe.

LET KORPACK HELP

Every company runs differently; no two are alike. Volume fluctuates in certain months, which can be forecasted. Don’t let your equipment fail during peak production.

Located just 25 miles west of O’Hare Airport, Korpack serves companies throughout all of Chicagoland and the Chicago suburbs. Contact us today about preventative maintenance and schedule time to perform PM. It’s one of the best investments your company can make.

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