Performance Improvement of the Maintenance Department in the Apparel Industry

In the apparel industry, machine maintenance department is one that works silently. They don’t get recognized
much for their work. In the organized garment factories, maintenance people work closely with Industrial
Engineering department when it comes for shop floor machine maintenance. In many factories, management
does not concern about their performance. So machine mechanics just do their job to keep the machine running
and always do breakdown maintenance.

A factory can gain substantial benefit by setting up defined work responsibility and making a list of activities to be
done by the maintenance department other than just repairing machines when it breakdowns.

  "Good machine maintenance is an investment in productivity. Well maintained machines are more reliable, safer
and last longer. " .. Better work, ILO

In this post, you will find various activities of a machine maintenance department that would help to improve their
performance. Some of the tangible benefits of performing given activities well are

1. Reduced machine breakdown,

2. Lower maintenance cost
3. Lower product cost
4. Improved Machine performance

The maintenance activities can be broadly classified into two major categories, such as machine breakdown
maintenance and preventive maintenance. Main reasons of frequent machine breakdown in shop floor include
lack of maintenance, or use of spare parts of substandard quality or faculty operations. Breakdown maintenance is
always undesirable because breakdown causes loss of production, man hours and revenue. Machine breakdown
disturbs the production of particular operations and subsequent operations by delaying feeding.

To improve performance of the machine maintenance (mechanics) department, factory should introduce
preventive maintenance instead of following breakdown maintenance.

Following activities are necessary to improve machine performance.

Prepare a checklist – Prepare a check list what all things they need to do daily basis. They should have plan for
scheduled machine maintenance plan with other works. Like, planning for machine requirement, attachment,
guides and presser foots required for next style.
Prepare Maintenance schedule - The first step is setting up the preventive maintenance program is proper
scheduling of the maintenance plan. Make a database of all types of sewing machines and other machines you
have in the factory. Other machines like cutting machines, pressing tables, irons etc. You must have machine
numbers on each machine types. Keep account of number of machines operational and number of machines
those are not in use.
Make machine maintenance card and hang this cards on each machine to stop forgetting and missing checking of
any machine on the scheduled date. Include list of thing to check in the machine maintenance card. See the fig for
example.

Checklist for Sewing Machine

Improving awareness and motivating maintenance team – In the sewing factory maintenance department
involved in providing machine pressure foots, work guides and attachment. Industrial engineering department
needs to share style information and list of machines, attachment and guides required for the upcoming orders
with the production schedule of the upcoming orders with the maintenance department.

If a factory is giving incentive to sewing operators and other staff, maintenance department needs to be included
in performance incentive scheme.

Prepare maintenance of records and reports. Accurate recording of the day to day maintenance work is
essential for exercising effective control over the maintenance program, planning, the replacement and
procurement of store and spares.

Initiate making a record of machine breakdown time daily, type of machines that got a breakdown, the time
required to repair or restart the machine. This record will help you to find the top 20% machines that cause 80%
of the machine breakdown.