The baler stops again
Mid-morning, the baler stops. The operator calls the maintenance fitter, who finds the same hydraulic fault as a few weeks ago. He fixes it the same way, with the same part if there is one on the shelf. If not, the plant waits for delivery, and the infeed backs up.
The fitter knows this fault well. He has fixed it several times. But there is no record of how many times, what it cost, or whether the manufacturer's engineer said something about it on their last visit. When the fitter is off, the relief fitter starts from scratch.
The shredder has a service interval nobody tracks. It is serviced when someone remembers, or when it breaks.
Why faults repeat
Maintenance in many recycling plants is reactive, and the knowledge is held by individuals.
- Breakdowns are fixed but not logged with cause and fix.
- Service intervals are tracked in a diary, if at all.
- Parts are ordered when needed, with no record of which parts fail most.
- External engineers' reports are filed and forgotten.
- Nobody can say which machine or fault costs the most downtime.
What maintenance your machines need and how they are kept safe are for your maintenance team, the manufacturers and your advisers. We deal with the records.
What repeated breakdowns cost
Every stoppage on a baler or shredder stops or slows the whole plant. Material backs up, staff stand idle or are moved to other work, and outbound loads fall behind.
Repeat faults are the most frustrating, because they are the ones that could be prevented. A part that fails regularly could be stocked, replaced on a schedule or raised with the manufacturer. Without a history, none of that happens.
Emergency parts and call-outs cost more than planned ones. And the fitter's knowledge is a single point of failure.
How we build maintenance records
What we build gives each machine a history that everyone can see and add to.
- Each machine, such as balers, shredders, conveyors, screens and loading shovels, has a record with its details, manuals and service requirements.
- Breakdowns are logged on a tablet or phone by operators or fitters: machine, time stopped, fault, cause, fix, parts used and time restarted.
- Service schedules are set by hours run, date or both, and the maintenance team gets reminders before each service is due.
- Parts used are recorded against faults, and a parts list shows which parts are used most and which should be kept in stock.
- External engineers' reports are attached to the machine's record.
- A monthly report shows downtime by machine and fault, repeat faults and service compliance.
| Record | Useful for |
|---|---|
| Breakdown with cause and fix | Faster repair next time |
| Service schedule | Services done on time |
| Parts used | Stocking the right spares |
| Engineer reports | Knowledge kept with the machine |
| Downtime by fault | Deciding what to fix first |
The next time the baler stops
The baler stops with the same hydraulic fault. The relief fitter opens the machine record and sees the last five occurrences, the fix used each time, and a note from the manufacturer's engineer suggesting a component replacement. The part is on the shelf, because the parts report showed it was used often and the maintenance manager stocked it.
The monthly report puts the hydraulic fault at the top of the downtime list. The maintenance manager books the replacement the engineer recommended. The fault stops recurring.
Do the same faults keep stopping your plant?
- Breakdowns are fixed but not recorded.
- The same faults recur every few weeks.
- Service intervals are tracked in a diary or not at all.
- Parts are ordered in emergencies.
- Only one fitter knows the history of each machine.