Managing the production facilities of heavy industries is a high-stakes, round-the-clock contest in which only a few service providers can dare to compete. To start with, each factory is an ultra-high-ceilinged, mega facility that houses tonnes of heavy machinery. Indoor temperatures tend to be on the higher side, and fire is almost always a risk. The production equipment itself is gigantic, with several moving parts, a lot of automation, and massive amounts of oil and grease that inevitably spill onto the shop floor.
Dust is a constant intruder, as are hazardous chemicals that may be part of the manufacturing process. Most importantly, the production cycle is on 24×7, leaving almost no intervals for housekeeping teams to sweep in for necessary interventions. To top it all, strict statutory regulations need to be followed across multiple aspects of facility management, to fulfill waste management norms, protect the health of employees, safeguard the quality of the product and more.
In the following pages, FM heads of heavy industries and facility management service providers who support such facilities will take us into these busy, booming areas to shine a light on what it takes to maintain the factories of heavy industries.
1) The role of service providers in heavy industries
2) FM can be a vehicle of change
3) Metalwork units need housekeeping mettle
4) Leaning on mechanisation for lean manpower
5) Cementing SOPs for facility management
6) Manufacturing facilities are now using sensor-based products