The main screen of the Hoppe maintenance planner. © Hoppe Management Consulting

Periodic maintenance in particular must be coordinated with the maintenance department in order to avoid downtime. If communication is not correct, machines will come to a standstill because spare parts were not procured in time. For good planning and organization, it is essential to know the life cycles of the systems subject to inspection. Ideally, the legally prescribed maintenance, servicing, rectification of faults or repairs are assigned to each system and machine.

3. poor documentation

Once the inspection has been carried out, its results must be documented: comprehensible, easy to find and preferably centralized so that everyone who needs it has access. In many companies, however, the documentation of inspections, maintenance and repairs is still done manually on paper or in Excel spreadsheets. The administrative effort and manual work for employees is enormous. In addition, the company is unable to provide legally compliant documentation. It therefore loses legal certainty and is liable in the worst case scenario when it comes to proving that inspections have been carried out correctly and within the prescribed periods. Detailed documentation directly in the system can prove that enough has been done to prevent machine breakdowns and accidents at work.

4. production losses and machine downtime

Machines come to a standstill because their repair status was not known or the company was not prepared for an upcoming inspection. This lack of overview can cost companies dearly. Not only do production losses have to be accepted, but production chains are also disrupted. Unforeseen repairs are delayed if spare parts cannot be procured promptly. These disruptions have an impact on the entire operation. Safety and occupational health and safety also depend on functioning machines and systems. Only those who keep an eye on potential sources of danger can counter them in advance.

The consequences and how they can be avoided

Status information can be called up quickly via the dashboard. © Hoppe Management Consulting

Even minor negligence in inspection management can have major consequences. In the event of a breach of the maintenance deadlines, fines may be imposed; in the worst case, insurance cover may be voided. In the event of damage, this may have criminal consequences for those responsible.

With maintenance planner software, companies can record the items and devices to be checked and document the results of their maintenance and servicing. All relevant information is available to those responsible at the click of a button. They quickly get an overview of the maintenance status of the work equipment subject to inspection and access to due maintenance dates. The tool provides up-to-date and clear evaluations as well as all economic key figures for maintenance in order to drive forward the optimization process in the company.

This overview helps to identify and correct weak points in workflows and to optimize work processes. Digitized inspection and maintenance management enables economical and legally compliant occupational health and safety.

Ulrich Hoppe, Senior Consultant at Hoppe Unternehmensberatung / ag