August 2, 2004—Advanced Technology Services, Inc., (ATS), a provider of managed services for production equipment maintenance, IT infrastructure support and industrial parts repair for manufacturers, has launched its best practices maintenance primer: “The Guide to Successful Factory Maintenance—Is Outsourcing Right For You?”
In the guide, ATS illustrates the benefits—immediate and long-term—found in outsourcing factory maintenance. It enumerates the steps ATS takes, as an outsourced partner, to deliver dollar and productivity value to manufacturers.
“The challenge factory management faces today is how to transform maintenance from the reactive mode it has taken in the past, to a proactive, data-driven model that can enhance today’s cutting-edge productivity and quality initiatives,” said Dick Blaudow, CEO of ATS. “By outsourcing factory maintenance, key management time can now be focused on core business issues. And the cost savings and new efficiencies found provide more reasons, for manufacturers considering a plant move overseas, to keep the work and the jobs in the US.”
Effective maintenance is key to the success of any lean manufacturer, and predictive and preventive maintenance is essential for addressing sophisticated delivery requirements. But for many plants, internal factors inhibit making critical improvements to their maintenance programs. Manufacturing management realizes that they can’t sustain successful production lines in their plants without professional, attentive maintenance.
To help determine whether maintenance is a manufacturer’s core competency, and whether it is a candidate for outsourcing, The Guide dispels common myths and poses six questions:
- Do you lack the time, resources, and experience to develop an advanced factory maintenance program?
- Do you find it difficult to recruit, train, and retain technically competent maintenance personnel?
- Do you effectively analyze maintenance problems, determine their root causes, and drive continuous improvement?
- Do you analyze repairs, procurement, management, ownership, warranty administration, and total-cost-to-own issues?
- Do you have the required spare parts when you need them, while maintaining minimum inventory levels?
- Do you stay a step ahead of technology demands?
If the answer is “no” to two or more of these questions, then maintenance is probably not a core competency, and outsourcing all or part of maintenance may add value to the business.
For more information or to request a copy of “The Guide to Successful Factory Maintenance—Is Outsourcing Right For You?” visit Advanced Technology, or call 800/328-7287.]
