Maintaining a supply of spare parts can make the difference between keeping your grinding machine in production and shutting your customer’s assembly line down. Check out some tips on managing your spare parts information and inventory to spare yourself and your company the grief of costly down time.
Proper Documentation
Equipment and engraved serial numbers fade with the passing of time. Store copies of your machine's parts list, blueprints, and operation manual in several places so both your technicians and accountants can access the information when they need it. It can make the difference between a “machine down” situation for a few hours and a “machine down” situation for several weeks from having to wait for the proper replacements for improperly selected replacement parts.
Keep Track of Your Spare Part Consumption
By monitoring what pieces of your grinder are wearing out the fastest, you can customize your spare parts inventory according to your needs. Getting at least one of everything is an admirable goal, but you'll want to stock up on parts that won't sit in a warehouse for years and turn to rust before they are ever installed. Ask the manufacturer of your equipment for recommended spare parts package so you will have exactly what you need on hand and you won’t have to wait for back ordered or overseas shipments. When you pull parts from your inventory, remember to replenish your stock to prevent the possibility of future downtime.
Preventative Maintenance is Key
Another key ingredient in keeping those wheels of production turning is keeping a regular schedule for preventative maintenance. By performing preventative maintenance on your grinding machine, you can push its lifespan and usefulness to the limit.
At Koyo Machinery USA, a preventative maintenance visit includes an inspection and status report of every component of your grinder. We will adjust parameters and offsets and perform any repairs that can be performed onsite.
If your spindle was about to take a turn for the worse, would you like to know ahead of time? That knowledge could save you costly downtime, expedited shipping cost and major repairs. A preventative maintenance visit includes an electronic evaluation of the spindles, which can discover conditions that cause spindle failure.