Experience that is easily overlooked during equipment inspection

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Image 1: Why Should We Choose a Inspection System? Equipment management plays a very important role in enterprise production; in fact, production in enterprises relies on people operating equipment to manufacture products. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the dynamics of the equipment; by doing so, the measures taken next in response to the equipment’s conditions will be targeted and effective. Due to factors such as level and experience, the initial measures may be unreasonable or even incorrect. But with dedication, we will soon reach a new, higher level. So how can we keep track of the status of the equipment? There are many ways, and I think, given our current situation, a inspection system is the more suitable approach. Once the inspection system is properly established, and more advanced instruments are added later, online monitoring can be achieved. With a proper inspection system in place, while keeping track of the status of the equipment, we can gradually shift from \"reactive maintenance due to failures\" to \"preventive maintenance\". I worked as the equipment supervisor for five years and have some insights from that experience. The most obvious thing is that you never know what difficulties might await you tomorrow; maintenance workers are like firefighters, constantly trying to deal with various problems, and you’re extremely busy. The managers look frustrated, but what’s the result of all that? I think it’s a negative number, because with such a busy schedule, the more busy you are, the greater the impact on normal production, and the worse the production efficiency becomes. There used to be a saying that went: “The quieter our maintenance workers are, the more normal our production is.” I think that’s also incorrect! This will further motivate me to become a firefighter. Maintenance workers must take action when the equipment is operating properly. So, what do they do? I believe that \"preventive maintenance\" should be carried out based on the inspection system; in other words, using the information obtained through inspections, maintenance workers can take targeted actions in advance to carry out repairs at the appropriate time. From the time signs of trouble appear in the equipment until repairs are carried out, the maintenance technician needs to prepare necessary materials and spare parts as well as develop a repair plan. Before starting the repairs, they can coordinate with the production team to minimize the impact of the repairs on production. I believe this is the purpose of implementing a inspection system; its main advantage is that it keeps things organized, ensures tasks are carried out in advance, and minimizes impacts. Image 2: My views on the inspection system. The person in charge of the workshop must be a strong supporter of implementing this inspection system. I first came across the term \"inspection system\" in 1997, when I visited the flash smelting workshop at a steel plant for training; I thought it was a good idea, so I kept all the relevant materials for future reference. However, later on, when I became the equipment manager and faced many issues while trying to implement a routine inspection system, it had to be put on hold for various reasons. It was not until last year, when I moved to the lifting area, that these conditions were available. Moreover, the actual circumstances in that area also required us to raise the level of our approach to equipment management. Otherwise, the current situation of a small workforce, heavy tasks, high security requirements, and fragile systems simply cannot meet the mine’s mining needs. The inspection system is a systematic approach that covers all aspects of workshop management. Its implementation involves almost everything from personnel training to the design of operational systems, while its operation entails economic evaluations as well as coordination between production and equipment. If the person in charge of the workshop does not push for its implementation vigorously, and does not firmly uphold its operation once it is put into place, who else can accomplish this task? Conversely, if the workshop supervisor wants to accomplish this, what difficulties cannot be overcome? The inspection system does not have to be a rigidly fixed model. Before implementing it, we referred to some practices used in smelting plants, but there are differences. After the implementation, we visited the third concentration workshop at the ore processing plant as well as the west main shaft in the second mining area, and found that each place had its own differences. What works for others may not be suitable for you, or it might be good, but your circumstances don’t allow you to use it. Therefore, as long as the essential meaning of the inspection system remains unchanged, the operation mode can be designed according to one’s own conditions. What’s suitable is the best! For example, we require that inspection cards be placed in the inspection boxes at the end of each shift, while those for San Jinguang and Xi Zhujing are issued on a monthly basis ； Each workshop has five or six full-time inspectors, while we all hold other positions as well. Therefore, we need not constantly worry that our conditions are not met; by calmly analyzing them, we can still design a highly practical inspection system. As long as it achieves the goal of providing accurate and reliable information for \"preventive maintenance\" and ensures the safe and reliable operation of the equipment, then it’s good! Image 3: The benefits brought by the inspection system are substantial. Our work area began to plan and prepare for this system in April 2006, and it was officially implemented at the end of June. In February of this year, under the guidance of technical staff from the Equipment Department’s Equipment Section, further significant revisions and standardizations were carried out. Since the implementation of the inspection system, our work area has managed to prevent 4 major accidents, identified 122 potential hazards and problems. The number of unplanned shutdowns caused by equipment has decreased from an average of 52 hours per month in the first half of 2006 to less than 20 hours per month at present. Inspections at all levels are currently showing good results. During the first few months from preparation to implementation, we were indeed very busy; dealing with existing faults was already enough of a challenge, and on top of that we had to make an effort to carry out preventive maintenance as well. It is by no means easy to transition from one system to another, but we persevered through the hardships of that transition. By last October, the transformation was essentially complete. After the transformation is completed, workshop managers have it easier. The main focus is on ensuring that everyone carries out their duties properly during inspections, assessing the quality of preparation work done by maintenance staff, determining when shutdowns for repairs are necessary, and adjusting the inspection standards as needed in light of any errors in those assessments. On this basis, technical improvements are made to the areas where failures occur frequently, to achieve continuous and steady improvement. This puts it on a path to a complete positive cycle. In short, I believe that implementing a inspection system and carrying out preventive maintenance based on it is quite demanding at first; once things get on track after about half a year, although managers still have to do a lot of work, they are no longer overwhelmed, and management becomes more efficient. It is evident that the inspection system brings us substantial benefits!