SPONSORED: 5 Tips to Protect Equipment and Prevent Downtime

By Erin Bala, director of brand management and innovation at WD-40 Company 

This article is presented by WD-40_® Brand.

Unscheduled downtime due to equipment failure means loss of productivity, increased risk and negative impacts on the bottom line – but it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, there are simple and inexpensive ways to protect equipment, extend equipment life and keep facilities moving. From ensuring proper training of crews to assessing lost time at the end of the year and choosing the right products for your maintenance routines, there are numerous strategies that can keep your equipment running for the long haul. 

Running a facility isn’t easy, but these tips can help: 

1. Train the Boots on the Ground: Training employees increases their engagement and efficiency, ensures proper use of equipment, and goes a long way toward ensuring compliance with OSHA and other safety standards. Take the time to train all employees on how to protect themselves and equipment with a “no shortcuts” approach to proper equipment use. 

2. Set up a Regular Cleaning Routine: Preventing equipment damage is generally easier and less expensive than repairing it after it occurs. Setting and sticking to a regular cleaning routine is a way to stay a step ahead of challenges that may appear down the road. WD-40 Specialist_® Cleaner & Degreaser is powerful, safe and easy to use. Its non-toxic, EPA Safer-Choice formula breaks through tough grease and grime. Designed with the industrial users in mind, it’s available in sizes ranging from a 24-ounce refillable bottle to a 55-gallon heavy duty drum. 

3. Inspect and Protect: Like cleaning, regular inspection of equipment allows for preventative maintenance and ultimately reduces downtime and expenses. Create a log of all equipment in use, including key points in need of inspection. The log should also track when inspections are done, who performed the inspection and how equipment faired on all inspection points. Most equipment benefits from a regular lubrication schedule – but choosing the right lube is critical to improving equipment and not damaging it. WD-40 Specialist Silicone works on a mix of surfaces like rubber, plastic or vinyl. It comes with a permanently attached straw that Sprays 2 Ways_® and, when flipped up, provides a pinpoint stream ensuring the product only hits targeted areas. If there are vertical surfaces that need attention, try WD-40 Specialist Gel Lube, which stays where you spray it making it ideal for vertical applications and moving parts like gears, bearings, cables, chains and rollers.

4. Track Equipment Downtime: While juggling multiple responsibilities, it can be hard to assess the real impact of downtime if it isn’t tracked on a regular basis. Create a log for noting what equipment is down, the length of time it is inoperable, and the root cause of the equipment failure or challenge. By tracking equipment downtime, you can better asses what equipment is working well and what may be due for an upgrade. 

5. Ban Rust from the Production Line: It doesn’t take long for rust to develop, especially for equipment exposed to the elements, so it’s important to prevent it from happening or take care of it as soon as it’s found. For prevention, WD-40 Specialist Corrosion Inhibitor protects metal parts by blocking rust and corrosion for up to one year outdoors or two years indoors. It is ideal for preventative maintenance applications in challenging environments such as high humidity and long-term storage. If rust does form, use a fast-acting penetrant like WD-40 Specialist Penetrant with Flexible Straw, which is ideal for rusted nuts, bolts, threads, locks and chains. The permanently attached 8-inch flexible straw bends and keeps its shape, allowing unlimited access to hard-to-reach places, which means less time spent disassembling equipment to get the product where you need it. It not only has capillary action to penetrate deep into crevices, threads and seams to break the rust bonds that hold stuck parts together, but it also leaves behind a protective layer that prevents rust and corrosion from reforming. 

At WD-40 Company, we’re constantly listening, innovating and improving products to help users work smarter and get their jobs done right. Learn more about how the WD-40 Specialist product line delivers superior performance for specialized maintenance jobs with best-in-class products at wd40.com and download a copy of our facility maintenance solutions at wd40.com/industrialsolutions/.