How to Reduce Costs of Your Heavy Machinery
The heavy machinery you own and operate will contribute to a considerable amount of your business’ costs. It’s important for your Company to identify any factors which could be increasing your costs, particularly relevant when revenues are under pressure.
This article explains various costs involved in heavy machinery operation and maintenance, and some effective solutions to minimise unnecessary extra costs.
Costs Involved in Heavy Machinery
A sensible and unavoidable cost when it comes to using heavy machinery is maintenance. Maintenance is essential to ensure the longevity of equipment, its correct function, and safety for those operating the machinery. Wear and tear are unavoidable, however the costs involved in maintenance can add up quickly if the necessary checks are carried out insufficiently or irregularly.
Premature failures, unlike wear and tear, can be avoidable. However when they do take place, your business can take a large financial hit seemingly out of the blue. Premature failure of your heavy machinery can be caused by improper or irregular preventative maintenance, as components can end up contaminated with dust, dirt, and debris.
Another contributor to unnecessary costs of your heavy machinery is the improper use of equipment, whether it be through negligence of a lack of training. Injuries and accidents are three times more likely to happen with new personnel than with those who have undergone more extensive training, meaning that heavy machinery is not always being used correctly or safely in workplaces. For your business, this means increased costs associated with repairing machinery.
Idle time is a further cause of high costs for your business. No productivity, coupled with fuel usage and an engine running unnecessarily means that downtime can easily increase your costs, not to mention potentially waste your machinery’s engine warranty hours.
How to reduce costs of your heavy machinery
How can you reduce these costs? Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to lower operating and maintenance costs.
Be sure to set up a comprehensive, easy to follow, daily maintenance schedule. Keeping on top of fixing smaller parts like loose bearings or damaged electrical components is necessary to ensuring the longevity of your machinery by identifying issues when they arise, and picking up on small faults which could be symptomatic of larger issues developing.
Costs involved with premature failure and component replacements can be reduced greatly by essential, thorough cleaning. Power washing can help with removing dirt from site and grime, and chemical treatments are beneficial for particularly stubborn parts. The regular replacement of oils and lubricants are a must for reducing friction between moving parts and greatly reduces overheating and avoidable damage and failure.
Thorough training can also help lower your long-term costs as accidents and improper usage of your plant is less likely. Make sure your employees are safe and confident with using expensive equipment and are aware of how to spot faults promptly.
A final tip on reducing costs is to minimise idle time. This can be done by proper management and planning, in order to avoid unnecessary downtime of heavy machinery. However be sure to avoid using very low priced fuel as an alternative solution, as the low quality and increased sulphur levels can damage your engines. Correct fuel quality is essential!
Since 1995, Jaytrac has stocked high quality parts at the right price for your heavy machinery. We also supply all new parts with a full and comprehensive Warranty. For more information on how we can help your business with high quality, cost effective parts solutions, contact us today on 01604 491133 or email us at sales@jatrac.co.uk.