For NASCAR race teams, optimal race performance during a race is achieved through education, practice, and communication between driver and all team members. The same is true for your machine operators and maintenance personnel. To achieve optimal performance of new packaging equipment, your team must train, practice and communicate.
Education and Training
When a racecar driver understands a car’s set-up and practices every day, he/she can better communicate with technicians how to maintain the vehicle and to prepare for race track conditions.
Operators and maintenance staff should not only be trained on how to operate the equipment, but should also understand how the system’s set-up. This will help to identify and address the variances the system will encounter during a run, for example, changes in film gauge or product densities. The best way to prepare for these variables is through both verbal and written communication, along with a well-diagrammed operational manual. Proper training offered by the machine manufacturer can also help ensure your team ready to race!
Practice and Follow-up
Before a NASCAR race team and driver take to the track, they must prepare. Practicing allows all team members to reinforce best practice procedures and receive feedback, which translates to minimal downtime and optimal performance during a race.
EDL strongly encourages a manufacturer follow-up visit after a month or two of operating the new machine. This allows your staff time to practice and become familiar with the packaging equipment, compile questions and feedback on the machine’s operation and suggest and make improvements when required.
Communication and Maintenance
Prior to the green flag waving, a successful race team has already identified a pit stop strategy to keep the car running at its highest level of performance throughout the race. When operators and maintenance staff communicate and plan ahead, and schedule routine maintenance, the machine’s optimal performance can be achieved.
Ideally, by planning ahead, the need for unplanned pit stops or maintenance is reduced. EDL helps customers plan ahead by offering a checklist to help them identify areas that should be inspected for wear and potential fault points. In instances when a machine does go down, and unplanned maintenance needs to be performed, a well-trained team can better troubleshoot and get the machine up and running again.
Just like in a race, optimal packaging equipment performance will be the direct result of a team’s pit stop strategy. Be ready to make adjustments when needed, and constantly train and communicate. Because EDL strongly believes in proper training and maintenance, we offer comprehensive operator training and preventive service plans to help keep your machine running at its best. Contact us to learn more.