Reducing Repair Time

Repairs always cost money; but the longer they take, the more they cost. Having assets out of service longer than necessary is usually bad. Having critical assets out of service too long can be disastrous.

So naturally, you want to reduce repair time. One way to do that is to chart every step of a repair and then address it separately for improvement. Consider these examples:

• Breaker repair/replacement in a critical feeder panel. Getting baseline thermography data for this panel is essential. But starting the panel after replacing the breaker means putting all of the covers back on and bolting them down. Conducting the thermography requires taking at least one back off, after allowing for the equipment to reach run temperature.
  Solution: Install infra-red windows.
• Replacing any of four critical motors on the main production line. Waiting the extra fifteen minutes while electricians terminate the motor leads always drives production supervisors batty. At $600,000 an hour of lost production, it should.
  Solution: Install quick disconnects.
• Lockout/tagout takes too much time.
  Solution: Do the research once, and put the info on laminated placards to be attached to the equipment