Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance anticipates failures and adopts necessary actions to check failures before they occur. It includes activities like inspection, lubrication, cleaning unkeeps, minor adjustments and replacements found necessary at the time of inspection etc.  Its purpose is to minimize breakdowns and excessive depreciation. Neither equipment nor facilities should be allowed to go to the breaking point. In its simplest form, preventive maintenance can be compared to the service schedule for an automobile.

Preventive maintenance can be either: running maintenance or “shut down maintenance”.

  • Running maintenance includes maintenance activities e.g. minor adjustments in machines revealed through inspections, lubrication, cleaning and upkeep etc.,
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Objectives and Principles of a Good Plant Layout

Plant layout is a plan for effective utilization of facilities for the manufacture of products; involving a most efficient and economical arrangement of machines, materials, personnel, storage space and all supporting services, within available floor space. A good rather an ideal layout is one which provides maximum satisfaction to all concerned i.e. shareholders, management employees and consumers.

Objectives of a Good Plant Layout

Only through an efficient layout, the organization can attain the following objectives:

  • Economy in handling of materials, work-in-process and finished goods.
  • Minimization of product delays.
  • Lesser work-in-progress and minimum manufacturing cycle time.
  • Efficient utilization of available space.
  • Easy supervision and better production control.
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Batch Production and It’s Key Characteristics

Batch production is one of manufacturing methods where limited quantity of each type of product is authorized for manufacture at a time. It is characterized by the manufacture of a limited number of products produced at periodic intervals and stocked in warehouses as finished goods awaiting sales. Typical examples of such batch production are process industries such as pharmaceuticals, paints, chemicals, medium and heavy engineering industry engaged in the manufacture of electric motors, switch gear, heave motor vehicles, internal combustion engines; manufacturer of readymade garments etc.

Characteristics of Batch Production
  • Short Runs: Short production runs and frequent changes of setup also characterize batch production.
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