The ability to respond quickly to industrial control failures and electrical breakdowns to minimize unplanned downtime depends heavily on the ability of your production and maintenance staff to quickly identify the problem and determine what help is needed.
They need to go through the elimination process to determine in a timely manner if the problem is related to a mechanical, electrical or control system.
Whether you have in-house or outsourced maintenance support, control system and automation failures will always require the niche skills of experienced control system technicians.
But even if the problem is control system related, there are ample opportunities for your production or maintenance staff to proactively reduce total downtime.
"Their ability to quickly identify the cause of a failure and/or correct a failure that can be handled in-house can have a significant impact," says Garrick Wiley, a former Holden Electrical Maintenance Technician who is now a SAGE Automation Service Technician.
Especially when a few minutes of downtime can cost thousands of dollars ......
Here are some basic fault-finding steps to help your staff determine what the problem is. Next time a problem arises, pass these on to them to give them some basic knowledge.
Fault Finding Tip #1: Find Out What Happened Moments Before the Fault Happened
Yes, this is obvious, but it is often overlooked when there is a panic. Most of the time, this question will reveal the cause and type of problem. Always return to this question when determining the cause of a faulty device.
Fault Finding Tip #2: Ask Your Machine Operators to Share Their Knowledge
Your machine operators are an untapped resource - in addition to being able to explain what happened before the failure:
- Whether the device is operating outside of its parameters
- If someone comes in and changes anything or performs any maintenance
- Produce documentation
- Explaining machine tendencies and quirks
- Recent changes in product lines, materials, or setups
Let them know the answers to these questions so they can identify and solve problems faster.
Troubleshooting Tip #3: Getting Employees to Look for and Understand Trouble Alerts
Being able to recognize alarms and general problems is one thing. It is quite another to be able to understand and act on the meaning behind the types of faulty PLC, SCADA, HMI and drive alarms. Skilled control system and automation electrician technicians will be able to resolve these types of alarms.
However, that doesn't mean your production or maintenance staff can't help. Upgrading the skills of your maintenance technicians with a basic PLC course will allow them to resolve simple errors and know when to call in the experts - ultimately saving you unplanned downtime.
Troubleshooting Tip #4: Use Product Manuals and Machine Documentation
If you don't have a technical manual handy, look it up online. It's simple, Garrick says, but it's an essential step in finding more information about a malfunctioning piece of equipment.
"Product manuals contain a wealth of information, from specifics on product features to inputs and outputs, setup and maintenance practices, that can help you recognize a malfunction," Garrick explains.
At the very least, store these resources with the machine so maintenance personnel or external control system technicians can use them.
OVERVIEW
Your production and maintenance staff have the power to reduce unplanned downtime by minutes, if not hours. Just a little knowledge, the right questions and the right allocation of resources will ensure that you minimize the time between breakdowns, fault finding, operation and repair.