Will routine maintenance be enough for a reliable car stacker? If not, what does it take?

In most automated manufacturing facilities, machines are maintained 24/7 with extensive maintenance routines, advanced analytics systems, and a maintenance crew available onsite.

Car stacker systems are no different; but adding to the challenge is the wide landscape of the city, presenting logistical problems and making it difficult to handle without a proper management plan.

Without a good plan, whatever maintenance program is implemented is likely to eventually fail.

Routine maintenance is not enough

Having a preventive maintenance checklist is a good start, but it’s the bare minimum.

As well as a comprehensive checklist, the history of the car stacker needs to be considered, and a picture of the system’s health developed over time. 

It can be similar to monitoring the health of your own body – if you monitor your blood pressure, you cannot rely on only one reading, and require more information to build a picture of what’s going on.

Continuously checking puts you in a much better position to identify and predict potential problems that could happen further down the track. The health of a complex machine such as a car stacker requires the same kind of attention.

6 fundamental ways you should take care of your car stacker

1. Machine operating Conditions – Make sure that the car stacker is cleaned regularly, has no water leakage, extreme temperature, or dust build-up.
2. User training – New users must have an induction to ensure proper and safe use of the system, to prevent hassle for other users.
3. Routine servicing – Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for servicing, which may be done every 4 – 6 months, or annually.
4. Make use of the data – A car stacker generates data with every operation, which can be collected and analysed to monitor performance.
5. Yearly performance analysis – A yearly report of system health and call out history is vital to inform you of any modifications or enhancements that might be needed.
6. Escalation and management – When there’s a problem, there must be a system in place to connect the dots as to why it happened, whether it’s related to a previous issue, and then to pass the issue on to be looked at by the engineers.

Communication is key between these 3 groups

Users – Following the correct parking procedure and reporting any issues that may affect the operation of the car stacker.

Strata Managers – Making sure that the service provider is engaged, and servicing takes place as planned, with reports sent to the committee and clear service level measures.

Car Stacker Service Providers – Carrying out servicing on time, ensuring uptime, and communicating any enhancement that may be required to reduce breakdowns.

As a strata manager, it’s in your best interest to engage a service provider that partners with you for the best outcome for the end-user and makes it possible to provide the best care for the car stacker.

Additionally, it’s extremely important that a service provider conducts a yearly audit.

This should give a summary of all the details about your parking system’s performance, together with recommendations for any modifications or potential improvements so you can get the most out of your automated parking system.

Kirlos Grais

Director

Email: kirlos@vspaceparkers.com.au

Phone: 1300 VSPACE (877 223)

Website: www.vspaceparkers.com.au