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Top Signs Your Material Handling Equipment Needs Service and Repairs
Material handling is an integral part of many manufacturing and warehousing operations. However, it’s a non-value added activity. Therefore, it’s important to elongate the life of your material handling equipment so the expenditure of material handling could be minimized. For elongating the life span of your equipment, it’s important to service and repair it on time. Now the question is how do you know it’s time for service and repair of the equipment? In this article, we will tell you solutions for material handling and the top signs your material handling equipment needs service and repairs.
- Wear & Tear
When your equipment is regularly in use for a long time, it might show signs of excessive wear and tear every now and then. In that case, it might need servicing, repair or change of parts. It’s important to train your workers to detect any early signs of wear and tear so they can notify the management and corrective measures can be taken by way of servicing and repairs. The signs of wear and tear might differ depending on the type of equipment. When it’s the forklifts, the signs of wear are damaged chain, oil leaking and forks worn out. When it comes to racks, the signs of wear are swaying of upper sections, corrosion, shelves looking pale, scrapes on the rack, space between beams and uprights, etc. When it comes to lifting equipment such as hoists, look out for damaged chain, corrosion and worn out hooks.
- Low Fluid Levels in Heavy Equipment
A clear sign of a problem with heavy machinery is leaking coolant or hydraulic oils. When machine parts aren’t lubricated well enough, they will end up needing downtime and repairs. These repairs cost way more than any preventative maintenance. You should regularly check if your equipment fluid levels are low. Most dashboards come with low-fluid lights or symbols that flash to call attention. But that doesn’t mean you should underestimate the importance of assessing liquid components and system parts manually.
- Grinding, Creaking, Hissing, Screeching Or Other Strange Noises In Equipment
When your material handling equipment is making sounds that are different than the usual sound, it’s a sign that it needs to be checked by specialists. Creaking or screeching sounds are tell-tale signs that your equipment needs servicing. Normal noises can sound quite different. It makes it difficult to assess what’s okay and what’s crying out for servicing. It is a good idea to consult with crew members and machine operators in such a situation. They would know how long and how consistently these mechanical sounds occur. Make sure to power off any machines as soon as you notice the noises. Do a quick but thorough analysis of major parts of the material handling device in question. If required, call the manufacturer and ask them to send professionals for servicing.
Other signs that your material handling equipment needs servicing could be slowing down of equipment, equipment being wobbly during operation and overheating of equipment. These solutions for material handling can come in handy when there’s a problem with any device.