Delays are not impossible to avoid. It is possible to put realistic plans and timetables in place to minimize downtime and avoid the most typical reasons for delays. However, if you are looking for a way to effectively minimize downtime on the construction site, it’s ideal to find strategies that work best for you and your crew. In this article, we will look at tips on how to minimize downtime effectively on a construction site.
Tip #1: Make A List of All Onsite Equipment & Machinery
Much time can be wasted searching for missing machinery and tools on a large project site. It can cost precious minutes that quickly add up to precious hours of downtime. In order to prevent this common issue from happening, it’s a good idea to start a database to track every piece of equipment that will be onsite. This includes trucks, heavy construction equipment, and smaller essential tools and machines.
You may want to log them by serial number, model , or any other defining characteristics. Marking down where they are being stored, when they are being used, and when they are put away is ideal for ensuring that workers and operators are not scrambling to find what they need to get the job done. Utilizing GPS, or an equipment tracking app is also a good way to keep track of equipment and tools on the jobsite.
Tip #2: List all Routine & Preventative Maintenance Requirements
The machinery and equipment are in the right place, but it breaks down at midday. What do you do? Sometimes everyday things on the agenda such as maintenance and service slip out of mind. To minimize downtime, this should not happen. Checking the running hours of your equipment and securing regular service intervals is essential. Implement best practices by using your owner’s manual as a guide for scheduling regular maintenance and preventative maintenance measures. Using a maintenance tracking app, such as Nektar, not only helps with keeping track of, but scheduling maintenance.
Poor maintenance of your equipment will affect its lifespan and safety, so it’s in your best interest to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for care, operation, and servicing. Depending on what types of heavy construction equipment your site has and how often it’s used, you can stock spare parts to quickly replace when needed. Having these on hand will minimize downtime waiting for parts deliveries.
Tip #3: Maintain a Routine Maintenance Schedule & Log
Another important tip: having your equipment regularly serviced and kept up-to-date will reduce the frequency of costly breakdowns. Poor equipment maintenance is one of the most frequent causes of downtime on construction sites. To avoid unnecessary delays, create a routine schedule for every piece of heavy machinery your site will use. How often you need to service each item will depend on your equipment owner’s manual and a combination of the following factors:
- Machine operating hours (eg: every 500 hours)
- Length of time (eg: Daily or weekly)
- Distance traveled (every 10,000 km)
- Local climate concerns (rainy season, humidity, snow, temperature fluctuations)
After repairing equipment, or performing any scheduled or unscheduled inspections or maintenance, keep a log in your servicing records. This will help ensure business continuity so anyone on the team can check the status of maintenance and repairs when needed.
Tip #4: Communicate Systems Clearly
The last tip, but certainly not the least, is to ensure your servicing schedule and system is clearly communicated to your team. Do so by providing your onsite workers with proper training so they know how to properly and quickly maintain their machines, and are aware of the maintenance schedule of each piece of equipment.
Keep them motivated to participate in these measures by showing them how maintaining their equipment benefits their own safety, the safety of their co-workers, and the company. Finally, make vehicle inspections and preventative maintenance a non-negotiable part of their job description to ensure that breakdowns will happen less frequently.
One Last Tip
Be sure to schedule your equipment for maintenance with a trusted and certified repair and service team who has experience with heavy machinery. JAPA has been the top choice for servicing and renting construction machinery, to the oil and gas, construction, and road construction industries since 1972. Over the last fifty years, our company has provided high quality and durable machines to these industries, and are the Alberta dealer for XCMG earthmoving and road construction machinery. . Our technicians are here to help you get up and running again with our on-call service trucks and our state-of-the-art service center.. Whether you need an excavator, a compactor, a wheel loader or any other piece of heavy equipment, JAPA can provide it. JAPA will keep your fleet running, and help keep your job on time and on budget.
