Thread Content
Equipment can only fulfill its role as a factor of productivity when it is in use, and the proper way in which it is used directly affects its service life, accuracy, and performance, thereby influencing the quantity and quality of the products produced as well as the economic efficiency of the enterprise. Therefore, the proper and correct use of equipment becomes an extremely important aspect in achieving comprehensive equipment management. At present, many companies have developed various effective methods and systems for the rational use of equipment. Overall, it can be seen that proper and rational use of equipment should focus on three aspects: first, improving the degree of utilization of the equipment ； The second is to ensure the working accuracy of the equipment ； Third is the establishment of sound rules and regulations. I. Improving the utilization rate of equipment The fundamental goal of equipment management is to enable equipment to deliver maximum benefits throughout its lifecycle; therefore, how to make full use of equipment and improve its utilization rate becomes an important issue in equipment management. Generally speaking, improving the utilization rate of equipment implies three main aspects: 1. Increasing the breadth of equipment utilization. By increasing the breadth of equipment utilization, it is meant to make full use of the possible working time of the equipment, so that it does not remain idle for long periods. When equipment remains unused for extended periods, it not only suffers from economic wear and tear (and physical wear and tear if not stored properly), leading to a continuous decline in its value and causing direct financial losses for the company; moreover, such idleness prolongs the equipment’s useful life, slows down the pace of equipment replacement, and hinders an increase in the company’s labor productivity. Generally speaking, to increase the scope of utilization of equipment, it is necessary to start by improving the management level of the enterprise. Firstly, when selecting and purchasing equipment, it is necessary to do so in strict accordance with the requirements of production capacity development; purchases or selections should not be made indiscriminately. This ensures a balanced capacity among various production stages while allowing the equipment to operate under reasonable loads throughout its useful life ； Secondly, during the use of the equipment, proper planning and management are necessary to ensure that it has sufficient tasks to carry out, thereby reducing downtime caused by various factors. Wherever it is possible to operate in two shifts while ensuring that the equipment has sufficient time for rest and maintenance, it should not be operated in just one shift. If one can handle three shifts, they shouldn’t settle for two. 2. Increase the utilization intensity of equipment To make full use of the equipment’s capacity, it is far from sufficient to focus only on the breadth of its utilization. Our goal is to enable the equipment to produce as many qualified products as possible throughout its useful life. Therefore, there is also the issue of utilization efficiency, that is, to make the equipment produce as many qualified products as possible per unit of working time – which is the issue of improving so-called machine productivity. Machine productivity is related to the machine time and auxiliary time of the equipment; to improve machine productivity, it is necessary to reduce these two factors. 3. Improve the rational use of equipment To make the most of equipment, it is first necessary to ensure that it is used in the appropriate manner. In some enterprises, there is often excessive misuse of equipment; for example, large machines are used for small tasks, precision equipment is employed for rough work, and long-lasting machines are used for short-term tasks. There is also a pattern of idling at the beginning of the month and then working intensively at the end. Such improper use of equipment prevents it from functioning at its full capacity, resulting in a waste of its potential. II. Ensuring the working precision of equipment The capability of equipment is manifested in two aspects: one is the machine’s productivity in terms of quantity, and the other is the precision of processing in terms of quality. There is a difference between the two: the former affects the quantity of objects to be processed, while the latter affects their quality. At the same time, these two are related; it is not advisable to focus solely on quantity at the expense of quality, or to prioritize quality to the point of ignoring quantity. III. Establish sound rules and regulations for the rational use of equipment The rational use of equipment is an important aspect of equipment management, and it is also a task that is closely related to enterprise workers. To ensure the proper use of equipment, in addition to improving its utilization rate and maintaining its operational accuracy as mentioned earlier, it is also extremely important – and often the most challenging – to establish appropriate rules and regulations and ensure that they are followed. In enterprises, it is necessary to provide ideological education to the operators of equipment, so that they understand the importance of using the equipment properly and correctly. They should also be required to strictly adhere to all the basic requirements, rules, and relevant operating procedures for proper equipment use. After years of exploration, China’s industrial enterprises have developed a series of effective rules and regulations for the rational use of equipment, such as operating based on procedures, assigning specific personnel to specific machines, a shift-handover system, the “four requirements” (neatness, cleanliness, lubrication, safety), the five disciplines, the “three dos” (properly managing equipment, making good use of it, and maintaining it well), and the “four skills” (knowing how to use ； Being able to inspect, maintain, and troubleshoot faults, etc. – if these actions are carried out in accordance with the actual conditions of the enterprise and through proper adherence to relevant rules and regulations, it will undoubtedly play a significant role in the proper use of equipment, as well as in its overall management.