Published: 2022-04-26
Written by: Linn Björklund
Written by: Linn Björklund
What would happen if half of your frontline employees suddenly got sick overnight? Could your production continue as usual with agency substitutes, or would it come to a halt? If your day-to-day operation is depending on key employees being on-site, your business is at high risk. That’s why you need to digitize your daily routines with customised checklists that are easy to follow – regardless of previous experience.
Key employees – great but risky
Key employees are a great asset to your company. From years of experience, they’ve developed a unique understanding of the most effective maintenance routines. They also know which actions are required when and this can often prevent breakdowns and downtime before it’s too late.
However, it doesn’t come without a downside. Your operation is like an ecosystem: if a key component fails, it has a negative impact on the whole site. If your routines aren’t clear enough for other employees to repeat, your production depends on certain people always being on-site.
As a result, key employees become gatekeepers of valuable information if their routines aren’t properly documented. Therefore, you need to make sure your routines are designed around your machines – not the people using them.
How to minimise people dependence
So how do you set up routines that are machine-based, rather than key employees? Here are four things you need to do to set yourself up:
1. Take the time to establish great routines
Invest time in creating a solid foundation for your routines and quality checks. It’s far too common that complicated production sites are found to have no framework in which they can follow. Without it, you risk unnecessary downtime and reduced availability.
When you set up your new maintenance routines, make sure they are transparent and easy to follow. Ideally, any employee would be able to perform the checks without much introduction. This not only reduces your dependence on key employees but also significantly improves the onboarding of new employees.
Create clear, step-by-step instructions for the new routines. Preferably, add pictures to make the checks crystal clear.
2. Pick a digital checking system that fits your needs
Next, decide on how you are going to log and follow up on your new maintenance routines. Historically, pen and paper have been a go-to, but digital development has highly improved and streamlined the checking process.
When you select what system to use, pick one that is powerful and can be customised to your business needs. Make sure the user experience is intuitive for both frontline and office users, and the system operates in real-time.
3. Integrate operational data
Once you have your maintenance routines and checks in place, you need to integrate your operational data. By doing so, you can access the relevant information without extra administration and intermediary. This minimises data pollution while also simplifying warranty requests and making sure alerts are activated at the right checking intervals.
4. Get your employees on board
Finally, make sure you accommodate the whole workforce when you’re implementing new routines. A digital checking system is pointless unless everyone is using it, so you need to make sure it’s clear and easy to use for all your employees – regardless of previous digital experience. Be open to feedback from the frontline staff, and adjust accordingly.
By following these steps, you will limit your reliance on key employees and replace it with independent routines. The goal is not to make the key employees’ insights obsolete – rather, it’s to make sure their knowledge is shared with the right people, contributing to building a stronger business.
Want to know what CheckProof can do for you?
CheckProof's easy-to-use app makes it easier to do the right thing at the right time. Discover how you can run world-class maintenance that is both cost-effective and sustainable.
Book a demo
2023-05-02
Sustainable aggregates: challenges and solutions for a rapidly changing industryÂ
Electrification, technological development, and tackling climate change are all top priorities for the aggregates industry. What are the main obstacles toward a more sustainable industry, and what actions must be taken to reach the climate goals going forward? Although the numbers are looking bleak, there’s a great deal of optimism among industry players and experts within sustainable technology.
2023-03-22
Unannounced inspections? With these 6 steps, your plant is always readyÂ
All of a sudden, a government inspector walks into your plant. Before you could blink, they already noticed that one of your processing equipment is missing its guard. The next minute, you’re served a hefty fine, and your plant is ordered to shut down until it’s fixed. To prevent this from happening again: what steps can you take to ensure your plant is always ready for an inspection?
2023-02-10
Health, safety, environment, and quality (HSEQ)
Without exaggeration, health and safety in the workplace is a matter of life and death. ILO (International Labour Organization) estimates the yearly number of work-related deaths globally to be nearly 2 million. Creating and maintaining a solid HSEQ framework is crucial for protecting your employees – but also your business – from harm. This comprehensive article will walk you through the key areas of HSEQ and what you need to set up a successful strategy.
2023-01-13
Preventive Maintenance – Maximizing efficiency with CheckProof
Preventive maintenance is the practice of routinely inspecting and proactively servicing your facility’s equipment. This way, you’re able to notice minor issues and fix them before they turn into machine failure – in contrast to acting after. In this comprehensive article, we touch on everything from different types of preventive maintenance to implementing an efficient and future-proof maintenance plan.
2022-12-12
Improve your maintenance with IoT
Tired of guesstimating when you need to perform maintenance for your assets? The Internet of Things, or IoT, connects non-traditional computing devices to the internet and transfers their data over a network without human interaction. Use this data to create optimal maintenance routines for any piece of equipment in your facility.
2022-12-12
How to make accountability a core value at your facility
When you return to work on Thursday morning, you soon notice that the feed conveyor still hasn’t been fixed. The technicians have a lot on their to-do list, but this is a high-priority matter that must have fallen between the cracks. You start to wonder: “How can I make my team more accountable?”
2022-11-11
Highlights and insights from the Bauma trade fair
What were the hottest topics at the 2022 Bauma trade fair in Munich, Germany? What was a miniature wheel loader doing in the tech section? And did it all end with a big bang – or was it more of a beep? Get ready for a glimpse behind the scenes of this massive industry happening.
2022-10-21
How Swerock reduces their maintenance costs through smart digitization
Data-driven optimization through digital tools has helped Swerock – a major Swedish construction material supplier – reduce their maintenance costs per produced metric ton by a third. Find out why Swerock’s Project Director Payman Namvar has chosen a somewhat unusual setup for his team’s maintenance work, and why he considers CheckProof the most modern maintenance system on the market today.
2022-06-21
Let the games begin: how gamification can reduce idling in heavy industries
Breaking bad habits is hard, and forcing change top-down in bigger organisations is ineffective. That’s why you need to implement engaging elements into your heavy industries’ transformation, and gamification is a terrific tool for that. In this post, we’ll show you how activating core motivators can boost organisation-wide behavioural change.
2022-06-17
How to establish a continuous improvement culture for your facility
Continuous improvement is exactly what it sounds like. You strive towards always doing better, because there’s always room for improvement. The practice lets you identify opportunities for production and equipment optimisation – resulting in higher efficiency and lower costs. The concept itself seems straightforward, but how do you establish a continuous improvement culture for your facility?
