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New maintenance strategies guarantee higher productivity

Understanding the difference between the two types of maintenance can lead to higher levels of productivity in pharmaceutical packaging and eliminate many of the problems the operations confront every day.

Packaging equipment requires two types of maintenance. There is maintenance based on the manufacturer’s recommendations and maintenance that is based on equipment operation and usage. Every station of a machine has certain recommended servicing at designated intervals based on hours of operation. For example, on a cartoner the leaflet clip chain is replaced after 5,000 hours of operation, the carton chain after 7,000 hours of operation and the product loading chain after 10,000 hours of operation. Adherence to a servicing schedule based on hours of operation, helps to avoid unexpected downtime. As a result, machine availability increases, and production reliability ensures that orders are completed on schedule.

When we look at machine operation, individual machine maintenance is required to ensure machine efficiency and reliability in the long run. In this case, required maintenance depends on the operating hours as well as other machine and production data. Some lines run only 8 hours per shift, some operate over 2 or 3 shifts, while others are in operation for only a few hours per week. Some machines package just one product while others are required to package many products per day. An individual maintenance program depends on the individual process data of each line.

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