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Component Manufacturing dverti$er
Adverti$er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
April 2018 #10225 Page #32
Technology, Progress, and Human Interaction The Second in a Series on the Servo Revolution Steve Shrader, Business Development/Operations, Hundegger USA
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ast month, I talked about how things were “back in the day” as compared to now. The Servo Revolution is upon us, and we must all work to keep up with technology. Modern technology drives our businesses, both literally and figuratively. Even so, technology is not the sole element in the equation. At the end of the day, business is about human interaction. As I wrote when I began this series, the objective is not to impress you with the advanced power of the servo—it is to impress upon you the importance of keeping up with advancements, both as individual companies and the industry as a whole. While we’re doing that, we also have to remember—we are all (only) human.
Training and Trouble-Shooting Today’s Equipment Operators have replaced the Sawyers of the past. They are called upon to perform countless duties which are essential for keeping production running smoothly. Unfortunately, everyone is not always “up to speed” on best practices, or sometimes even basic ones. At the Hundegger service call center, we receive a variety of calls from customers’ operators and maintenance people. Recently, we received a call from a Maintenance Technician who did not even know how to turn on the company’s Volt Meter. Obviously, we took the time to walk him through that. Our shared goal, of course, is to get the saw up and running—but we can only play a role from our side of the phone. I guess what I am saying is, If you are expecting equipment manufactures to up their game, you better be prepared to “up yours” (see what I did there?) and make sure that you are putting employees into roles that they’re prepared, and trained, to handle. It could mean the difference between 30 minutes of down time and 2 hours of down time. Again, this goes back to the need to graduate employees from Sawyer to Equipment Operator. The role of preventative maintenance can’t be underestimated either. When I was a carpenter, I learned to take care of my compressor, my nail guns, and my skill saw. Keeping my level clean and safe meant it would stay plumb. Scheduled maintenance, like regularly changing the oils of my compressor, was critical. Today, preventative maintenance remains essential for keeping machinery in proper working order. Too often, crises at the plant could have been averted if only a saw and its accessories had a regular 50-Point Inspection that checks every part of your equipment to ensure it is operating the way a saw should. Having a knowledgeable, in-house Technician with proper training can mean the difference between losing a couple hours of production and losing a day’s worth.
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