If you find yourself replacing forklifts more often than you’d like, the reason for the frustration may be simpler than you thought. Forgoing a regular maintenance schedule may be the culprit. Whether it’s a laptop or a forklift, planned maintenance secures a business’s punctual delivery to clients and helps boost profit.
“We see too many operators with a ‘wipe and go’ mentality,” says Ben Karas of Atlantic Lift. “There’s no clear discussion on the perils of not having a consistent planned maintenance program in place and no real emphasis on what a quality program entails.”
A planned maintenance program can be an extensive – yet easy to complete – process. The key is to think it through from start to finish. From catching small issues before they worsen to certifying that every vehicle in a company’s fleet is compliant with OSHA guidelines, our planned maintenance technicians ensure equipment safety with regular checkups.
“In today’s economy, we are tasked with reducing the bottom line and increasing profits,” explains Karas. “Lift truck maintenance programs, and the quality of technicians who service them, have a greater impact on bottom line profit than one might think.”
By monitoring equipment and sending our technicians when a problem is identified or a machine is deemed susceptible to damage, we nurse equipment before it becomes sick. We believe that the best medicine for machinery is prevention, and our Black Box technology makes it much easier to carry through planned maintenance at proper hour intervals.
Consider for a moment how neglecting equipment maintenance can impact your business revenue. First, having to deal with repairs every day means down time for machines in your fleet. Second, unfinished repairs cause reductions in productivity, which means less revenue flowing into your operations. It’s only wise to minimize repairs by preventing them with skilled technicians maintaining your parts.
You might be thinking that it’s just as expensive to do all of these maintenance cycles as it would be to repair the equipment. This is not the case. Having a trained technician assess your equipment for any potential problems allows you to control the outcome. A series of minor checkups will increase your equipment’s lifespan, which means you have to buy less equipment less often. In turn, you have less downtime and more revenue. For a list of maintenance costs, be sure to ask your Cat® lift truck dealer about regular costs and how to customize them to maximize your bottom line.
It’s important to keep a few quick tips in mind regarding equipment maintenance. First, keep all moving parts well lubricated. Friction can be harmful to forklifts, and the grease between joints prevents this. Second, remember to check fluid levels on a regular basis. Transmission and hydraulic fluids, coolants, and motor oil are all essential to a fork lift running with efficiency. Finally, always keep your forklift charged or fueled. Following these few simple tips will leave you with a noticeable increase in your forklift’s lifespan.
There is no doubt proper maintenance decreases repair expenses and equipment downtime. Choosing the perfect service plan will maximize your ROI and shield you against the financial problems that accompany malfunctioning equipment. The customized planned maintenance programs offered by Atlantic ensure equipment safety with regular equipment inspections at pre-determined costs. These programs are the best in the industry.
If you’re ready to secure your equipment, find us at AtlanticLift.com or give us a call at 410.644.7777.
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