Date:10/19/2010

3 Steps To… Minimizing Expensive Dock Repairs

You might think that once your dock equipment is installed it will work forever. It just isn’t true.

Just like your automobile, all moving equipment and machinery undergo strains that could create major failures if maintenance is delayed or done improperly. This especially applies to dock equipment, given the heavy loads they are required to handle.

Many industrial facility managers are just too busy to think about the maintenance of the “less than crucial” equipment in their facility. Or their priority for their maintenance staff is on keeping their production machinery in order.

“Most of my customers don’t consider loading dock equipment and industrial doors as high priority maintenance issues,” says Tom Estrada of McKinley Equipment, “that is until they see the bill from an emergency repair.”

There are 3 simple steps you can take to eliminate these unnecessary and expensive repair costs:

1 – Three months per oil change. When it comes to dock and door equipment, the rule of thumb is quarterly inspections. Just like you car’s oil change, the recommended interval is 3 months for servicing your dock doors & equipment. This will also maintain all the factory warranties and keep you compliant for VRC state inspections.

2 – Use a qualified mechanic. Loading dock equipment and industrial doors might look simple, but they are specialized pieces of equipment. Factory-trained technicians are much more adept at catching the small problems before they become big problems. It is their job to inspect this unique equipment every day, not just once every 3 months.

3 – Consider a planned maintenance agreement. Instead of adding more items to your staff’s duties and hoping they will get it done, McKinley Equipment will automatically send one of the members of their expert service team to inspect your equipment every 90 days. No calls to make. No worries. No headaches. Learn more about Planned Maintenance

A planned maintenance agreement is just that, a simple agreement to inspect, identify issues, and maintain your loading dock and industrial door equipment on a planned basis. It’s not a contract. It’s not an upfront investment. It sounds simple because it is.

What’s the Point? You can avoid the high cost of catastrophic failures due to your loading dock doors and equipment through planned maintenance. Don’t forget the hidden costs such as lost productivity when equipment is down, increased risk of accidents when unqualified technicians attempt to service unfamiliar equipment, security risks from a broken door and fire hazard risks.