Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 12

BACK TO BASICS You should ask the OEM for an example service report to understand what the professional technician will look for in their inspections. You’ll also want to understand the duration of a professional OEM technical inspection. Many times, the technician will want to spend time while the machine is operating and then while the machine is shut- down and locked out. The first visual observations will point the technician to potential troubled areas. The shut-down inspection will allow the technician to safely enter the machinery to conduct more measured inspections and photo-document the findings. Based on these input considerations you’ll want to discuss the necessary frequency of an OEM technical inspection which can be quarterly, semi-annual or annual. It may be safe to schedule a higher frequency early on and use these visits as continuous training exercises for the staff. As time goes on, the familiarity of equipment and continual professional training may provide the confidence to extend the time frame between OEM technical inspections. If your foundry embraces the importance of a robust and planned OEM provided technical inspection, then you are ahead of many of your peers. If your foundry abandoned OEM provided technical inspections or hasn’t conducted one in a long time, we hope you’ll take this article as a friendly reminder about the importance of OEM provided technical inspections and how it plays in your long-term success. If you need help reestablishing an effective program, we can help with any portion of these suggested steps. Above is an example photo gallery of damaged or nearing damaged devices that a professional service technician can identify along with corrective actions. 47 Contact: SCOTT SHAVER s_shaver@emi-inc.com