RIPON, Wis. — Does this scenario sound familiar? You’re driving down the highway and suddenly your oil light comes on, which, for any car owner, means significant repairs if the problem is not addressed quickly. The same can be true for OPL managers who ignore warning signs when it comes to preventive maintenance of their machines.
When OPL managers give their equipment proper maintenance and care, they prolong the life of their investment, avoid costly repairs and decrease downtime.
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE 101
One of the best ways an OPL manager can stay on top of preventive maintenance is through tracking advanced controls messaging and alerts, ensuring that it’s as routine a part of the day as starting the next laundry cycle. Ignoring any control panel alerts and maintenance messages can have a negative impact on an OPL manager’s bottom line.
Lara Querubin of Taylor Houseman, an OPL equipment distributor in Sacramento, Calif., knows firsthand the importance of keeping on top of preventive maintenance alerts and warnings.
“We have accounts where our clients don’t have the staff to perform routine repairs. The control panel notifications help us by reducing a lot of the guesswork from the maintenance calls we receive. It gives us the ability to be more efficient when we are troubleshooting and helps reduce the chance of misdiagnosing problems with our clients’ machines,” says Querubin.
MAKING THE PROCESS SEAMLESS
The preventive maintenance process can be made more seamless if managers have a historical account of what repairs have been made, how frequently these repairs have been performed and what repairs are needed in the future. Querubin says this information helps them anticipate and manage the maintenance schedules for each of the distributors’ clients.
“Our clients expect zero downtime. Equipment installed with advanced controls makes the maintenance process that much more efficient. Our clients can anticipate potential issues before they experience any downtime,” says Querubin.
Customers of Taylor Houseman, Jim Fambrini, facilities manager, and Joe Alger, facilities associate, at Peninsula Humane Society in Burlingame, Calif., process about 20 loads, 15 hours a day, of towels and blankets.
“Our facilities’ associates check on our machines daily. It’s part of their daily routine, just like turning on the lights. They look in the recent machine-history report for any errors or alerts, lint filter issues, or problems with the drains. If something goes wrong or they see a notification on the control panel, we can easily diagnose the issue and immediately repair it ourselves or call Taylor Houseman to assist,” says Fambrini.
COMMON MAINTENANCE ISSUES
One of the most common and important preventive maintenance activities OPL managers can perform is keeping the bearings greased on large washer-extractors. This process needs to be done once a month or every 200 machine operating hours. When bearings are in need of a greasing, managers will receive an automated message on the machine’s control panel telling them it’s time to address the issue. The important thing to note, however, is while the alert is sent, the machine doesn’t stop and the cycles continue. If a manager doesn’t address the alert in a timely manner, it could result in significant repair costs, downtime and a possible shutdown of operations.
Fambrini added, “Our washers and dryers are pivotal to our operations. If our machines stop or break down, everything within our facility slows down. We address these issues immediately before they impact our bottom line.”
LEAK DETECTION TECHNOLOGY
Another preventative maintenance procedure OPL managers can tackle rather quickly and easily is leak prevention. It is suggested managers have leak detection technology automatically programmed—through their distributor or during installation—and set to run either on a regular timed basis or once every set number of cycles. OPL managers should pay attention to any errors or notifications regarding a change in water levels to ensure they run a more efficient operation and save on utility costs.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
Routine maintenance maximizes operating efficiency and minimizes downtime. In many cases, managers are provided maintenance manuals, which specifically outline the repairs needed to extend the life of their investment. These maintenance manuals complement any control panel messages and alerts by providing a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly repair checklist. These tools highlight everything from checking the door interlock daily, to verifying the drain valve is working on a weekly basis, to lubricating the bearings each month and finally to inspecting the bearing mounting bolts every quarter to ensure they are torqued properly.
Whether it’s an oil change warning light or a reminder alert on a laundry equipment control panel, proper and routine maintenance is critical to extend the life of your investment and avoid significant repair costs. For OPL managers, tracking control panel alerts and creating a routine maintenance log ensures they are operating the most efficient and effective laundry operation.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].