10-things-to-include-in-your-pm-inspections

What are the 10 things to include in your PM Inspections?

Preventive Maintenance (PM) Inspections play a vital role in maintaining the health and longevity of your equipment and assets. This process allows you to discover and address issues before they develop into significant problems that could take a bite out of your budget or, worse, cause operational downtime. Thus, it becomes essential to identify the top ten elements every PM inspection must incorporate which we would be covering in this article, and they are:

1. Purpose and Policy
2. Data Collection
3. In-depth Equipment Inspection
4. Spare Parts Inventory Check
5. Scheduling and Prioritizing Maintenance
6. Documentation and Reporting
7. Risk Analysis
8. Outsourcing or In-house PM
9. Training and Development
10. Continuous Improvement

Key Features of Effective PM Inspections

PM inspections contribute significantly to the safety, functionality, and sustainability of your business. The key features of a comprehensive PM inspection process include the following:

1. Standardized Policies and Procedures: These serve as the foundation for your inspection process
2. Data Collection and Analysis: It informs decision-making and helps identify potential issues
3. Equipment Check: An in-depth inspection to catch mechanical issues before they escalate
4. Inventory Control: To ensure spares and necessary parts are always available
5. Scheduling: For efficient maintenance that guarantees minimal disruption

How to effectively implement PM inspections

Implementing PM inspections requires careful planning and precision. Here is a rundown of the key steps:

1. Define your goals and what you want to achieve with the PM inspections.
2. Create standardized procedures and checklists.
3. Train your team on these standards and procedures.
4. Ensure that there’s a system in place for scheduling and prioritizing maintenance tasks.
5. Use an advanced CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) to record and analyze data.
6. Create a culture of continuous improvement by using analytics provided by the CMMS.

Tools required for PM Inspections

PM inspections require a set of tools to carry them out effectively. The most important of these tools is a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). A CMMS allows for the easy scheduling of inspections, tracking of asset health, and analysis of maintenance data. Other equipment will depend on the specific types of machines or assets you're inspecting but may include items like multimeters for electrical systems, ultrasonic gauges for measuring thickness, infrared cameras for detecting heat, etc.

Top 5 FAQs about PM Inspections

1. What is a PM Inspection?

A PM Inspection is a preventive measure carried out to inspect and maintain equipment to avoid any future breakdowns.

2. How often should PM Inspections be done?

The frequency of PM inspections depends on the manufacturer's recommendations, usage frequency, and the age and condition of the equipment.

3. What are the benefits of PM Inspections?

PM Inspections extend equipment life, improve safety, minimize downtime, and save money by preventing costly repairs.

4. What does a PM Inspection include?

A PM Inspection includes an in-depth equipment check, inventory check, scheduling, data collection, risk analysis, and more.

5. How do I start implementing PM Inspections in my organization?

You can start by defining your goals, creating standardized procedures, training your team, and investing in a good CMMS.