Operator's Mechanical Awareness Seminar

We have tremendous access to technical operating instructions, feed rates, speed control, and procedures fro efficiently manufacturing products with our machines. However, we have very little training in how to monitor the mechanical health of these essential machines. The operator needs to know how to diagnose the mechanical condition of their equipment. Early intervention can prevent a routine maintenance item from becoming a safety event.

"If a machine operator is not able to recognize a pending failure, then every breakdown is a surprise and every surprise a potential accident." ~ David Geaslin

The key to reducing maintenance costs and avoiding safety problems is the Early Detection of maintenance problems and the Early Intervention by the Maintenance Department. 

This seminar teaches operators how to become involved in the maintenance of the machines they operate. They need to know when to shut a machine down and have the confidence in their decision to act. 

If they know how recognize a pending failure and create an excellent write-up at the end of the shift, the Maintenance Department can repair, refurbish, or adjust the machine to produce a quality product that will perform in a safe manner. 

Of the multiple variables affecting the operation of a machine, none is more important than for the operator to be able to recognize a pending failure before it occurs. If a part fails, it always damages the part next to it. If you can train your operators to recognize a pending failure and get the problem fixed before it fails,  you can cut your parts and labor bills by up to 50% or more. 

Some points covered in my class:

• What makes a machine unsafe?

• What makes a machine unreliable?

• What are the right lubricants to use?

• How do your read a volt-meter? ...an amp-meter?

• How do the controls work?

• What are the key things to look for on a pre-start inspection?

• How do you assure a good pneumatic system?

• How do you know what is "normal" for your machine?

• What are the primary causes of over-heating?

• When should you shut down your machine and not move it?

When the full-service gas station dried up in the eighties, we lost the primary form of mechanical training in our society. Nothing has developed to assume this responsibility in our culture. This seminar puts the primary mechanical information into the operator's hands to operate their machine in mechanically responsible manner and then give meaningful information to the maintenance department about its health in a good shut-down write-up.

The operator can have the most dramatic effect on maintenance cost. They are the first to see a puff of smoke, a strange smell, a small puddle of fluid, or an unusual vibration or sound. If the operator has the confidence to report these symptoms early, maintenance cost drop like a rock. It has been my experience over my 43 years in managing maintenance that the more an operator knows, the more likely they are to perform in an efficient and safe manner. When operators are better educated about the mechanics of their machine, they perform better under adverse conditions and better products are created.

Our operators today often don't know what they don't know about maintenance. I teach them what they need to know to be confident of the value of their judgment. This seminar is a 4 - 6 hour class that starts with the shift inspections  and goes through the end of shift evaluation. It is targeted to the machine operator. It is also recommended that the scheduler or operators supervisor attend to create a consistency of communication. 

Seminar Offered At Your Location:
4-hour Class
You may mix & match classes for Facility, Operator, and Driver Courses.
Class size unrestricted if offered at your facility.