As a relatively new driver, I remember coming home with my little red Dodge stick shift, and hearing a "funny sound" as I applied the brakes where I'd get off the highway and onto the city streets. Over time the noise got louder, so I eventually told my parents, which ended costing about $1,000 to repair at the time (in the late 1980s). Had I mentioned the "funny sound" earlier, simply replacing the brake pads would have been necessary, but instead, a complete brake job was required.
That experience provided a complete paradigm shift for me with not only car maintenance, but for maintenance of every kind.
And maintenance is part of keeping every mill going. It can seem easy to "get by" with (seemingly) minor issues. It can even be easier to pay fines rather than take the time, expense, and bother of stopping production and repairing or replacing the equipment needed.
Equipment failure in a mill, depending on which equipment it is that fails, can be a small deal or a big deal to maintain and replace when some part of it goes out of spec or damage occurs. But with the risks inherent to working in the industry, good maintenance is essential. Go to PaperMoney, to Risks: Fires, Fatalities and Catastrophes. Some (it could be argued most) of these serious accidents happen after a series of smaller accidents or fines take place in a mill.
Fines indicate lax maintenance, and if you're postponing maintenance in your mill don't, for the sake of your budget, your quality, your reputation, and the safety in your mill. Maintain equipment, repair what needs repairing, and replace what needs replacing promptly, and your long-term operating costs will be lower.
Pay now, or pay more later, or... pay dramatically more much later. Simple as that. That's the essence of mill maintenance. |
