Masonry Magazine December 2005 Page. 18
PARTS & REPAIRS
One business owner who stresses the importance of maintenance is Masonry Technology's Guth. He requires employees at each job location to conduct a daily equipment check, then send him a signed report.
Guth's track record lets employees know where he stands on keeping equipment in prime condition. He has terminated workers who failed to take care of equipment, such as the former employee who ruined a forklift by running it while it was low on oil.
"This is serious. If you don't spend money on maintenance, you'll spend it on repairs," he says, adding that because masonry equipment is often dirty and looks old, employees tend to neglect caring for it. "When people look at equipment, they don't look at the money behind it."
The main obstacle to making repairs and conducting inspections is time.
"You're getting pulled from both directions. You need the equipment on the site, but you need to bring it back into the shop for maintenance," Guth says. In those situations, he switches out equipment, even if it means renting machinery, to make sure the maintenance plan is followed.
Some contractors perform the maintenance right on the job site. When buying new equipment, especially something with new technology, owners should include training for their mechanics and operators as part of the purchase agreement.
"Almost all of our servicing is done in the field," says Kirkpatrick, who spends 40% of his time on job sites. "The urgency is to keep the guys in the field working." For major repairs, such as a broken gearbox, leaking seal or crack in the framework, the equipment is brought back into the shop.
Training for Everyone
Not only should employees understand the importance of maintenance, they should actively participate in it. Dolce says business owners need to train employees how to inspect equipment and perform maintenance. Employees should know what the owner considers acceptable and what the owner considers in need of replacing.
"The training is literally a formal training, It doesn't have to be in a classroom, but show them what to do. Teach them, and see if
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