Common misconceptions in equipment management

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Equipment management takes equipment as the object of study, aims to improve its overall efficiency, and employs a range of theories and methods, along with various technical, economic, and organizational measures, to carry out scientific management of the physical and value aspects of equipment throughout its entire life cycle. However, equipment management has always been misunderstood by many people, with several of these misunderstandings being particularly severe. Misunderstanding 1: As long as the equipment can produce, that’s enough; in other words, as long as the equipment is operational, that constitutes effective equipment management ； Misconception 2: The faster the device, the better ； Misconception 3: Prioritizing production, fixing things only when they break, and ignoring them otherwise ； Misconception 4: Equipment problems are solely the responsibility of the equipment department ； Misconception 5: Equipment technicians are just mechanics, people who use wrenches to tighten screws. Today, the equipment experts will guide everyone away from these misunderstandings! 1. Clarify the objectives and significance of equipment management. The purpose of equipment management is to use technically advanced and economically reasonable equipment, along with effective measures, to ensure that the equipment operates efficiently, for a long period of time, safely, and cost-effectively, thereby enabling the enterprise to achieve the best economic results. The significance of equipment management is to ensure the material foundation for a company’s production and reproduction, as well as to serve as the basis for modern production. It is of great significance for ensuring that enterprises increase production, maintain product quality, develop new products, update their offerings, and reduce costs. 2. How to do a good job in equipment management? The business of equipment management is based on the operational goals of an enterprise, and it involves managing the entire life cycle of equipment. Through a range of maintenance methods, technical measures, economic strategies, and organizational actions, and in accordance with the theories of equipment management, it is necessary to carry out comprehensive management of equipment, which includes its \"evaluation and selection, training for use, maintenance, preventive management, and renovation.\" The tasks of equipment management are to improve the level of technical equipment in the factory, ensure that the factory’s equipment is in good condition, maximize the efficiency of that equipment, and achieve good returns on investment. 3. How to evaluate and select equipment? The principles for selection are technical advancement, economic Rationality, suitability for production, satisfactory quality, consideration for future development, compatibility of equipment, and fulfillment of delivery deadlines. There is no best option in buying and selling – only the most suitable one. Enterprises must purchase the most appropriate equipment based on selection principles, so that the equipment can function most effectively. 4. Equipment training and utilization: The main purpose of equipment management is to ensure that personnel responsible for managing and operating the equipment not only have a thorough understanding of it, but also are fully capable of performing their duties, thereby guaranteeing the safe and reliable operation of the equipment. The training content mainly includes theoretical training on equipment structure, working principles, and control processes, as well as procedures for operating the equipment, on-site operations, equipment maintenance, installation and commissioning of the equipment, adjustment of operational parameters, troubleshooting of equipment issues, and emergency response measures for accidents. To fully improve the efficiency of equipment utilization, companies need to develop reasonable plans for its use based on its condition and characteristics, extend its operational time, and avoid low utilization rates resulting from the equipment remaining idle. 5. How to maintain and service the equipment? Develop a maintenance plan by understanding the characteristics and usage of the equipment, and use this information to create plans for inspecting and maintaining it. Establish maintenance schedules for daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual tasks. Adopt a culture of overall participation in management, formulate standard operating procedures for maintenance, define the techniques, methods, and precautions involved, and provide regular training. This helps to avoid a separation between those who operate the equipment and those who maintain it. Carry out repairs and inspections according to the established plan, and finally, monitor the actual status of maintenance activities, making timely adjustments to the maintenance guidelines as necessary. 6. How to carry out effective preventive equipment management? Preventive management: What we should hear and see frequently is the principle of \"prevention first, safety foremost\" – focusing on fire prevention, disaster prevention, and theft prevention. If no preventive measures are taken in advance, it will be too late once an accident occurs. Therefore, preventive actions are needed in many aspects of our lives, and the same applies to equipment management. When equipment suffers safety incidents, mass defects, or fatal quality issues, it can result in huge losses or require substantial costs to resolve them. So how can we carry out effective preventive management for equipment? 1. Establish a equipment management ledger to carry out comprehensive management of the equipment’s life cycle, as mentioned earlier. 2. Formulating quality inspection plans and ORT test standards is primarily aimed at preventing batches of defective products from being manufactured by the equipment. 3. Prepare and maintain equipment history records (medical records) to monitor the operational status of the equipment in a timely manner. 4. Set safety stocks for equipment consumables and accessories to prevent delays in addressing issues that cause unexpected equipment shutdowns. 5. Carry out the training, use, and maintenance mentioned earlier, and identify and resolve issues promptly. 7. Equipment renovation and upgrading: Based on the enterprise’s development plans and current situation, analyze its needs to develop new products and improve product quality, and carry out planned and targeted renovations and upgrades of existing equipment. Equipment upgrades focus on improving equipment efficiency, reducing labor costs, and saving materials, as well as on enhancing yield rates and minimizing quality issues. Equipment renewal: Equipment, just like people, is subject to wear and tear over time. To improve the company’s production equipment standards, it is necessary to eliminate those devices that are no longer suitable for use from a technical or economic perspective, in order to prevent losses of corporate assets; thus, equipment also needs to be phased out.