Industrial facilities rely on water. It plays a crucial role in the production process, steam generation or cooling water especially, and so is crucial that the water system is maintained at peak operating condition.

No matter what industry you are in, unplanned downtime is expensive and a massive inconvenience. The average downtime period lasts from 1.5 hours – 4 hours and could cost anything from €500 – €100,000 depending on your operation.

Impure water is one of the main causes of downtime, it reduces equipment efficiency, resulting in damage to machinery and poorer-quality end products. Improving water quality by making it purer reduces the impact of minerals and hard water deposits that disrupt operations.

Here are some tips to help reduce downtime at your facility

Track downtime

Know it, track it, own it. If you record all instances of unplanned machine downtime you can calculate how much they cost and know exactly what piece of equipment are causing trouble and how often.

Preventative maintenance program

A preventative maintenance program is imperative to make sure the water being supplied is clean & pure.

Your maintenance program can further be enhanced by upgrading your control software to enable predictive maintenance, which will help identify specific equipment that is not performing at its best, before any downtime occurs. This can be done by a step-by-step approach that will not only increase uptime, but provide a range of benefits for your facility whilst preparing your plant for the future.

Involve employees & ensure they are properly trained

By involving plant staff in your efforts to reduce downtime, it enables them to understand their role in boosting productivity and efficiency.

Employees need to be trained in the proper use of all equipment and to recognize warning signals that indicate machinery is nearing the point of breakdown.

Employee ignorance of the limitations of a machine’s capabilities and environmental needs can result in costly downtime and equipment repair or even replacement.

Have a risk audit carried out

A thorough risk audit will point out potential issues that can be tackled proactively, such as aging equipment at risk for failure, systems that are no longer supported by their manufacturers, equipment with difficult-to-replace parts that can severely prolong downtime and the existence of technology upgrades that can help you manage your suppliers more effectively.

Maintenance strategy

Having a comprehensive maintenance strategy is one of the most important things you can do to reduce downtime. A comprehensive strategy should include predictive, preventive, and condition-based maintenance.

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The optimal operation and maintenance of your water treatment system requires frequent monitoring, documentation and adjustments.

Good water quality guarantees end products meet the standard the first time, preventing wasted time and raw materials. It also stops staff spending hours each day dealing with machines that aren’t performing properly.

Contact us today to see how we can help you with your water system strategy.