Tips to Increase Construction Equipment Productivity

Buying the right heavy Construction Equipment (CE) is a big challenge as it involves huge amount of investment. However, if you have been able to do so, the next challenge awaits you! It is increasing the productivity of the CE through rightful ways and means.

It is sure that after investing so much money on the heavy CE, you would expect better productivity from it at the site. Well, to tell you, productivity does not only come by purchasing highly efficient and costly equipment. It definitely requires a close observation of the machine every day and its regular maintenance.

Hence, big companies as well as small contractors need to take some precautions so as to ensure better and faster productivity at the construction site, thereby, ensuring the timely execution of the projects.

Here are some tips to ensure maximum productivity of the CE at the site…

1. Read and follow the CE manufacturer’s instructions and maintenance tips. It can help you to operate the machine efficiently.

2. Ensure that the employee who is operating the CE is skilled and trained in doing so, as inexperienced employees can damage the machinery or even injure themselves or others, causing delays and increasing cost.

3. Before starting the day, check the machine thoroughly.

4. Check the machine at the end of the day too to find out any possible damage.

5. Clean the parts that made the most contact with the soil and debris.

6. Use fuel which is prescribed by the manufacturer and avoid adulterated fuel which can reduce the life and productivity of the equipment.

7. Keep the engine completely shut off while refuelling the equipment.

8. Follow a periodic maintenance schedule, which would have notations on how often each part of the machinery should be inspected for problems, repairs and general maintenance. Through this way, you can ensure proper functioning of the machine and maximum usage for a longer period.

9. Keep the equipment properly greased and lubricated. Proper greasing of all moving parts of the equipment is also absolutely necessary in order to save them from failing to work and creating excess friction leading to severe wear and tear of the machinery, frequent breakdowns and shorter life span.

10. Lubricate the equipment wisely with the recommended grade of grease.

11. Make sure that you replace original parts in your CE as otherwise there could be major defaults in the long run.

12. Make sure that each tyre has the right pressure as this can help in lessening tyre wear. Also, you need to check for any cuts and replace the tyres when needed.

13. CE parts are fitted with special seals and filters designed to keep dirt and grime out of sensitive areas. Hence, broken seals must be repaired immediately, breathers must be kept clean and all filters should be inspected regularly and changed when they become dirty or clogged.

14. Pay close attention to wear and tear signs too as they may signal problems that can cause machinery to malfunction more often or result in costly repairs or component replacements before your regular inspection. Some common signs of wear and tear are vibration, heat and belt shape.

15. Ensure you follow all the safety guidelines and the workers are also aware of the safety norms so as to minimise accidents.

16. If possible, keep the equipment housed in a building.

In a nutshell

On any construction site, a lot of work is done by heavy CE and the last thing you would want is a non-working and unproductive equipment due to improper maintenance, frequent breakdowns, thereby, slowing down your operations.

Thus, as responsible owners of heavy CE, you need to follow the tips mentioned above to help increase the lifespan of your equipment. These small but important tips can help you to increase productivity as well as efficiency of the machine.