Three tips to optimize your processing plant

Prepare a written preventive maintenance program that includes specific dates when work will be completed, and have it approved by the management team. Manufacturers can provide recommendations for their equipment.

The most important part of a preventive maintenance program is sticking to it. Regardless of production requirements or if operators think they can skip a day, preventive maintenance ensures optimal operation of equipment.

Maximize production levels

The most efficient way to maximize the processing circuit’s production level is with an ongoing system. This system can be simple, but it takes time.

First, operators must make time to assess their circuit in order to understand how equipment is operating. This will help them determine if they are producing what they want and how to adjust the circuit to make changes if they are not.

Assessments also allow operators to see what happens as they make changes, as well as whether those changes have a positive effect on the plant. Documenting each step in the assessment process is important to realize the benefits of efforts.

Additionally, operators should make time to craft a production schedule based on market forecasts. Knowing how many tons of a certain product are needed in a certain amount of time – and factoring in downtime – will tell operators how many hours they need to run to meet those goals. Monitor these forecasts monthly or quarterly.

Final thoughts

Following the three steps presented in this article will lead to a better operation. Putting these measures in place will also help produce an extra three to five tons per hour, keep production in line with sales, and make products customers want to purchase.

This approach is essential to ensure the circuit produces the desired product sizes at the lowest cost per ton.

Information for this article courtesy of McLanahan Corp.

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