How do you balance time between routine maintenance tasks and urgent robot repair needs?

Develop a system to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to distinguish between tasks that are urgent and those that are important but not urgent. Ensure urgent robot repairs are addressed promptly to minimize downtime, while routine maintenance tasks are scheduled systematically. Personal Experience: Implementing a priority matrix helped our team quickly identify which robot repairs needed immediate attention and which maintenance tasks could be scheduled later. This approach reduced our response time to critical issues and kept our maintenance schedule on track.

Taking care of the robot is very similar to taking care of a car. In both, we have systems and elements that are not crucial and can wait for repair, but others are essential, and the robot won't work properly without them. In critical situations, when we must choose which robot should be repaired first, we always consider the overall impact of that robot on the entire production line. During my almost 5-year journey in the service department, I encountered several situations where the customer had to decide which robot should be repaired first. This decision was always based on the impact and importance of the production. It's also important to point out that the delay of repair was counted in days from the first to the last one.

It is better to prioritize robots that have more impact to the production line. Does the line can be set to manual? If not, then it is an urgent class A to be fixed ASAP.

realizando un plan de trabajo dándole prioridad a la parte mas importante para iniciar y así sucesivamente para poder brindarle atención a todo lo que lo requiere a tiempo

Prioritization is a key component of maintenance, also adjusting priorities as you should do as you gain experience with the equipment will enable you to do more effective maintenance, ie. adjusting PM frequency, adding/removing particular checks.

By adopting a preventive maintenance program, we significantly decreased the number of urgent repairs. Regular inspections and servicing allowed us to catch and fix minor issues before they escalated into major problems, ensuring smoother operations. Implement preventive maintenance strategies to reduce the frequency and severity of urgent repairs. Regularly inspect and service robots according to a predefined schedule, which can help identify potential issues before they become critical.

I'll continue my allegory to cars :) When we check the oils, filters, brakes, suspension, etc., we gain many advantages: - We enjoy a pleasurable ride - We are safer in the car - We have the assurance that the car won't break down when driving with the whole family, packed to the brim, for the vacation of a lifetime. The same applies to robots. When we perform preventive maintenance, we can be sure that: - Robots will work longer - Robots will maintain consistent repeatability - Robots will not break down during important production runs Also, with the advancements in AI, we can now use it to perform preventive measurements. This allows for preventive repairs to be done only when truly needed, saving us a significant amount of money.

One thing I have found helpful is to conduct condition monitoring which involves in service observations which helps predict failures and reduces turnaround time.

When robot repair is needed, the most important thing to have on hand is the phone number of an authorized service provider. While we can perform maintenance checks ourselves, I would leave repairs to professionals who know their robots inside out. A very good approach is to keep spare parts for the robots in your machine park. However, this method can be incredibly costly. In the event of a breakdown, it's also worth assigning an engineer who will be responsible for the tasks around the machine during the service visit and, most importantly, will know how the malfunction occurred. Operators are a treasure trove of knowledge about the application. They work with the machine all day and are worth asking what went wrong :)

Establish clear protocols for handling urgent repairs. Define roles, responsibilities, and procedures for quickly addressing and resolving repair needs. Having a well-documented repair protocol ensures that the team can efficiently respond to emergencies. Personal Experience: Creating a detailed repair protocol with step-by-step instructions and assigned roles helped us streamline our response to urgent repair needs. This consistency improved our repair times and minimized disruption to our operations.

One practical piece of advice on robotics maintenance time management is to create a clear dashboard with critical issues at the top and put it on a large monitor easily visible to all the technicians. Ideally, it would display the task status and assignee to prevent clashes and misunderstandings. Also, gamifying the dashboard and overall repair experience might be a good worker retainer since fixing problems all the time is hard not only physically but mentally as well.

se effective time management techniques to balance routine maintenance and urgent repairs. Allocate specific time slots for maintenance tasks and keep some flexibility in the schedule to handle unexpected repairs without disrupting the overall workflow. Personal Experience: Allocating dedicated time blocks for routine maintenance while keeping some buffer time for urgent repairs allowed us to manage both effectively. This balanced approach ensured that maintenance tasks were not neglected while urgent issues were promptly addressed.

There is saying "When you fail to plan, you plan to fail" It works also with robots! Time management in robot servicing is a key point to maintain a factory efficiency. By proper planning we are able to avoid: Expensive Breakdowns - Believe me, it costs a lot more to stop the production line than it does to perform a scheduled inspection Tons of stress - nothing like the breath of a manager asking when that line will finally get going By using AI to keep eye on the robots we are able to significantly shorten time blocks that are necessary for routine maintenance.

Practice makes perfect. Repairing and maintaining robots is a craft that takes time and practice to master. Robot manufacturers offer maintenance training, where you learn on an actual robot how to perform basic diagnostic and service steps. However, after any training, the most important thing is practice. Just like driving a car, after you pass your driver's license test, the most important thing is to drive to become proficient! But... if you are not able to do maintenance for a long time and you are not confident with it, then it's always better to call professional service. I've encountered many cases where robots were damaged due to improper maintenance, and the cost of repair was much higher than calling for the service.

Provide comprehensive training to your team on both routine maintenance and urgent repair procedures. Ensure that they are equipped with the necessary skills and tools to handle both types of tasks efficiently. Regular training sessions can improve their readiness and confidence in dealing with emergencies. Personal Experience: Regular training workshops for our team on maintenance techniques and emergency repair protocols boosted their confidence and efficiency. This preparedness helped us manage both routine and urgent tasks more effectively.

Continuously review and improve your maintenance and repair processes. Gather feedback from your team, analyze repair logs, and identify areas for improvement. Implementing incremental changes based on these insights can enhance your ability to balance routine and urgent tasks. Personal Experience: We established a feedback loop where team members could suggest improvements to our maintenance and repair processes. This continuous improvement mindset led to several small but impactful changes that enhanced our overall efficiency and reduced the occurrence of urgent repairs.