It's not uncommon for supply chain management (SCM) projects to hit snags that threaten timely product delivery in the midst of their rapid pace.
Problems like this can arise at any point in the supply chain's lifecycle, from initial planning to sourcing, production, and delivery. Any disruptions throughout the supply chain might have a snowball effect, reducing efficiency across the board.
Due to the delicate nature of the supply chain, the facility maintenance team must assist supply chain management in anticipating and mitigating any problems that may arise. Additionally, having a maintenance crew operating behind the scenes guarantees a problem-free production and distribution phase.
The following are some of the most common facility management maintenance issues in the supply chain.
Maintenance Issues in the Supply Chain: Three Key Issues and Possible Solutions
Maintaining Current Productivity Levels
There was a time when maintenance was looked down upon as an unnecessary drain on resources. It is possible that when businesses implement more preventative maintenance practices, they may realize that the maintenance function is no longer a "burden" but rather a substantial source of revenue.
Equipment in the workplace, the built environment, or any other commercial setting benefits from regular maintenance to keep it functional and up and running.
The factory floor, for instance, shows clear signs of the need for upkeep. In the event of equipment failure or subpar performance, the production process will have to be shut down.
Supply chain disruptions are commonplace due to factors such as broken equipment. Experts estimate that industries might lose as much as 5% of their production capacity due to unscheduled downtime. Further, it reduces manufacturing efficiency because of the following effects:
Manufacturing process delay. Therefore, there can be no sales or profits until there are items to sell.
Costlier repairs, including the purchase of replacement components and the payment of overtime to maintenance staff who work to restore the damaged equipment. Incomplete or faulty goods produced while the machine was broken but still functional.
Good news: Most of these problems may be prevented or at least kept to a minimum with a solid preventative maintenance plan.
Instead of waiting until equipment goes down before fixing it, maintenance managers can investigate preventative maintenance options. One might select for predictive maintenance or a preventative maintenance plan (time-based intervention that is prepared in advance) (condition-based monitoring and intervention).
Second, a storage facility and warehouse
It's not unusual for the contents of a warehouse to be worth more than the building itself, especially in the case of large organizations. As a result, these items require a safe and sound storage environment.
Warehouses and other storage facilities within the maintenance division's purview must provide a clean, safe, and secure environment for warehousing finished products and raw materials. The following steps will help them achieve their goal:
* Perform regular maintenance on the warehouse by fixing any issues that arise, such as leaking roofs, broken windows, burned-out light bulbs, wobbly shelving, etc.
All of the company's mobile machinery, such forklifts, must be kept in top working condition at all times.
Make sure safety measures are taken and equipment is utilized in the correct manner. For instance, all exits should be clearly labeled and unobstructed in case of an emergency.
Fire safety equipment has to be regularly serviced and checked.
Methods of pest control and preventative hygiene should be implemented.
If the final products are perishable or meant for human consumption, more precautions must be taken to guarantee that freezers and other cooling equipment are constantly operational (such as food, beverages, or medicine).
Logistics facility management also includes transportation and fleet management. It is necessary to physically move raw materials to a warehouse before completed items can be shipped to a consumer on time.
The logistics crew provides effective services thanks to their careful planning and other efforts. Has anyone checked to see if the trucks used to deliver the things are, for example, weatherproof? Would the items still make it to the client's location dry and undamaged if it started to rain en route?
Food and other perishable items that need to be kept cold or frozen should also be factored into the logistical strategy.
However, the temperature needs to be perfect since vaccinations, pharmaceuticals, and biotech goods, among others, sometimes suffer damage due to inadvertent freezing while in transportation. A mistake at this stage might compromise the quality of the entire batch and cause havoc in the distribution network.
This discussion has made it very evident that the supply chain process as a whole is extremely vulnerable to flaws and delays at any stage. By coordinating closely with the Facilities maintenance team, however, the supply chain unit may mitigate many of the negative consequences of these holdups before they become an issue.
Source: In-Chain Operations: Prioritizing Facility Maintenance Concerns