Alain Leclerc (1)

Alain Leclerc
President, CEO

In short…

A breakdown on an overhead crane can result in production stoppage costs. These costs will have to be borne by the company.

The best way to reduce them is to draw up a contingency plan, i.e. a series of preventive measures to :

• Limit downtime

• Restart production quickly

In concrete terms, this plan consists of 5 stages :

1. Select the right equipment

2. Draw up a corresponding maintenance plan

3. Identify the key stages of the production process

4. List critical equipment, components or parts for each stage

5. Implement a preventive solution to limit downtime

Read the article to find out more!

Your production manager comes to see you with an emergency: the production line has stopped! Indeed, you look up, and the plant's employees have stopped working and are chatting with each other. Discouraged, you pause all your current tasks to... make an emergency service call.

You're well aware that beyond the costs for travel, labor and replacement parts related to this call, there's another hidden cost: lost productivity. And that hurts even more!

If your employees have stopped and your production is running behind schedule, it certainly means :
• Lost profits
• Tensions with customers
• Work overload
• Etc.

Having managed several teams, and after 15 years at the helm of Premium Industrial Group, an industrial production company, I know the feelings that this situation can bring: frustration, discouragement and worry. We even consider making the manufacturer bear the cost of our loss of productivity! After all, he’s the one who got us into this mess!

I've also been personally involved with customers who have experienced this kind of frustration. What did I find? Many had never considered the solution that should be implemented in every critical production process : the contingency plan.

In this article, you'll learn what a contingency plan is, how to limit production downtime and get things up and running again quickly. You can then design and implement your own contingency plan in 5 steps :

1. Equipment selection
2. Maintenance plan
3. Key stages of the production process
4. Critical components
5. Preventive solutions

Let's start now with the basics: What is a contingency plan?

The contingency plan: the preventive solution to limit costs

The contingency plan is a series of preventive measures that the manager or management team takes to achieve 2 objectives related to its lifting equipment :

1. Limit downtime of a key piece of production equipment
2. Accelerate return to production

These 2 objectives are like 2 phases to be followed in order. Let's take a closer look.

Phase 1 - Limiting downtime through equipment and maintenance

To minimize overhead crane downtime, you need the right equipment with the right maintenance program.

When an overhead crane is at the heart of your production, it must obviously be reliable. But even the most reliable equipment will wear out, especially if heavily used. And if this equipment is relied on, it will definitely be used heavily!

A piece of equipment used intensively will not have the same classification as a device used lightly (see the article " Crane and hoist classifications "). That's why the first step is to make the right equipment selection. What's more, lifting equipment of a higher class doesn't require the same maintenance frequency (see the article " What maintenance do I need to do on my overhead crane? ").

Conclusion: if equipment is over-used for its class, it will wear out prematurely and downtime will increase. But even with the right class of use, if maintenance frequency is not respected, wear and tear will go undetected, and downtime will also increase.

In other words, the first phase involves 2 key first steps, which should be followed during equipment purchase, namely :

Step 1 - select equipment with the right class of use

Step 2 - establish a maintenance plan corresponding to this class of use

AGT Robotic

But once your overhead crane has been properly selected and your maintenance plan put in place, will downtime become a thing of the past? Well, not exactly. Manufacturing defects, breakdowns caused by misuse or premature wear can always occur! Hence the importance of phase 2.

Phase 2 – Preventive solutions for each of your key production processes

Is a machine manufacturer legally obligated to pay the costs of lost productivity related to its product?

Not unless the business contract clearly mentions this clause. But in reality, it doesn't.

While it can be frustrating to pay for an expense that is deemed to be the manufacturer's fault, the warranty does not extend to consequential damages caused by a breakdown, such as lost sales and profits. This is legally established by case law in Canada ¹.

To illustrate : a car owner misses work due to an appointment at the garage for a warranty repair. The car manufacturer pays for parts and labor, but not for the car owner's lost working hours.

Does your productivity depend on certain key production processes? You know that the consequences will be far-reaching if your overhead crane breaks down in these cases? If the situation is that critical, then the solutions must be consequent, right from the start!

Even if your lifting device is still under warranty, your loss of productivity is not (see box " Is a machine manufacturer legally obligated to pay for loss of productivity related to its product? "). Yet it’s the element that could well have the greatest impact on your profitability. Then, what to do? This is where the contingency plan comes into play!

The heart of your action plan lies in the following steps.

Step 3 - identify your key production stages

This step consists of segmenting your production into stages (or processes) to determine which ones cannot be subject to downtime. If, at a certain stage, you can afford downtime on your overhead crane, then it's less critical. But if, at a certain stage, downtime is unacceptable for your profitability, then it's critical. Indicating degrees of importance on each process will help determine the solution chosen in step 5.

But first, you may need expert guidance for step 4.

Step 4 - list critical equipment, components or parts for each key stage of production

frein Once the critical stages have been identified, you need to know which components could be involved in a production stoppage. This may require the help of a lifting equipment specialist, who can analyze it with you (see the article " 5 spare parts to keep in stock for your overhead cranes ").

For example, contactors, hoisting cables or brake linings are parts that wear out and can cause production breakdowns.

But sometimes, entire components are involved, such as frequency drives, geared motors or control systems.

It can even involve a piece of equipment, such as a hoist or cart.

Through good communication with your supplier, you'll be able to pinpoint the components involved and find a solution, which will be the final step.

Step 5 - implement a preventive solution for each part identified

Collaboration with your lifting specialist is essential here. Thanks to his technical expertise, you'll be able to work with him to establish a strategy for each component, at each stage of your production.

Here's what that might look like.

Example 1

VFD At stage X, which is a critical stage, your overhead crane must be able to continue to operate in travel. This crane is equipped with a motor with variable frequency drive on each side. You may decide to add another pair of motors, connected and ready for operation. What's more, by equipping your equipment with an HMI (see box), you'll receive notification of a fault on the VFD and the possibility of bypassing it by connecting to the 2nd pair of motors.

HMI, communication systems with your overhead cranes

Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) are systems connected to lifting equipment, enabling the collection of its data. They also sometimes offer certain remote control options, although these functions are limited.

In concrete terms, it's a module installed on the device and linked to a computer system where data can be consulted and interacted with.

It's important to be aware of the type of HMI available, as some are more advanced than others.

Example 2

At stage Y, which is also critical, constant up and down operation is vital. But the hoist has several wearing parts that could be involved in a breakdown. You then decide to buy a spare hoist ready to operate should the first one fail.

Example 3

GH module

At stage Z, you go all out! At this stage, you can't afford any downtime. So you implement the solutions from examples 1 and 2 and add the most common spare parts. You also install a high-tech remote troubleshooting system. And finally, you make sure you have a spare remote control system ready for use.

That said, the costs of these solutions may seem high. But you need to analyze them in context: compare them with the cost of a production stoppage. This exercise will enable you to implement the least costly strategy.

The contingency plan: a profitable exercise!

Yes, it pays to take the time to draw up a solid contingency plan. Why? We've seen the negative consequences of a production stoppage: a direct impact on finances and resources, as well as on the company's business relationships. It can be very costly, as well as frustrating.

But limiting the damage is possible by following 5 key steps: selecting the right lifting equipment for your needs, implementing an appropriate maintenance plan from the outset, determining the key or critical stages of your production process, drawing up a list of the parts involved, and finally, implementing a solution in each case.

Summary table of the steps for a contingency plan

Steps	Phases	Goal	When	Related article
1. Equipment selection	1. Equipment and maintenance	Limit downtime	When purchasing equipment	Need an overhead crane
2. Maintenance plan	1. Equipment and maintenance	Limit downtime	When purchasing equipment	Overhead crane maintenance
3. Key production phases	2. Preventive solutions	Accelerate the return to production	During equipment purchase or after installation	5 spare parts to keep in stock
4. List of critical components				5 spare parts to keep in stock
5. Preventive solution				Avoid unexpected downtime

So, where do you start if you want to set up your contingency plan?

If you are about to purchase an overhead crane, make sure that it is best suited to your needs, the use you will make of it, and the reliability you are looking for. To help you make this choice, we recommend the article " Need an overhead crane : Where to start? ".

On the other hand, if your overhead crane is already installed, contact your lifting specialist with the key stages of your production clearly identified, including information on the lifting equipment involved. He or she can help you identify critical components and implement solutions to reduce your downtime.

Premium Industrial Group's specialists have helped many companies in various industries to implement contingency plans. Don't hesitate to contact us by clicking on the " Contact a specialist " button at the bottom of this page.