A maintenance log book is a collection of maintenance logs, that are documents used to record asset maintenance activities and track them over time. In plain words, that’s the collection of documents a company uses to monitor how their assets are doing. Without a maintenance log, their equipment can break down at random times and disrupt their day-to-day. Without a maintenance log book, It’s tough to keep track of all of the equipment, what kind of maintenance was done, why it was done, and at what time.
Breaking down even further, a maintenance log book is a chronological entry document, recording maintenance status and reports over time. It’s essential paperwork, aimed at recording the maintenance done to assets to make sure it was done on time, and properly, and to help figure out when the next maintenance needs to happen.
Why a maintenance log book?
If the company is providing maintenance services (like a car shop), they can’t operate without a maintenance log book. But if the company is not primarily focused on providing maintenance services, but has a need for them as a background activity, then a maintenance log book is even more essential. It makes sure that the revenue-generating operations are running continuously, smoothly, and without stressing (or causing harm to) operators.
Keeping and using a well-organized maintenance log book can save a company a lot of money in the long run. It diminishes risks associated with the stopping or breaking down of assets, and also streamlines the maintenance processes and times.
Not only that, running certain equipment without maintenance for too long can be dangerous, while also being illegal in some places. Keeping a maintenance log book ensures that the equipment is safe for use, and when the operator needs it to be. That’s another function of a maintenance log book: ensuring the availability of assets at needed times, so the flow of the business is never disrupted.
Having a maintenance log book is a win-win for the company and the operators, while always helping the bottom line. Even further than that, it can help with inventory management and keep the resale value of equipment under control.
Understanding the maintenance log book
That’s what a maintenance log book is: a collection of maintenance logs, and those being separated by date and person responsible for equipment/maintenance. The maintenance log itself is just a document, or a sheet of paper, further divided into separate sections. So let’s break down what they are:
Equipment and operator information
The first section in a maintenance log is the general information about the asset – commonly model, manufacturer, and serial number – the location the asset’s in, and the person responsible for the equipment. So, when looking at a maintenance log, the first thing to read is the information about who is responsible for what, and what the equipment is. Sometimes includes the purchase date of the equipment and the purchase price.
Maintenance actions and timestamps
This section is the meat and potatoes of the maintenance log book. Here, the person responsible for the maintenance must put in information about the maintenance itself. It usually works with those entries: date of maintenance, description of maintenance, who performed the maintenance, and additional notes.
In this section, things can get a little trickier without a maintenance log book. The person doing the maintenance must include the date and time. Not only that, but they must also include information equipment serviced, sometimes out of many different assets, spread out in different company sectors. Adding personal notes at the end of the log can be very useful to the next person performing maintenance, or even to assess if it’s time to retire the equipment entirely.
Over time the logs can amount to absurd numbers. Thus, the usage of a maintenance log book is necessary to consolidate all of that info into one place. However, in the end, the log books can also start their own pile of shame, being just as numerous. In equipment heavy industries, keeping track of all that information can bog down the business process, slowing down the activity and hurting the overall bottom line.
Tearing down the maintenance log book
We already know how critical maintenance log books are. But we need to discuss how difficult it is to maintain a proper maintenance log book. Especially when a lot of different people may need to use it, with their own interpretations of what information is relevant, their own personal way of performing maintenance, and sometimes even unintelligible handwriting can be a problem. If using a computer-based maintenance log, there’s the problem of understanding excel sheets and learning a new PC software.
But what if you could get rid of this system entirely, and have something streamlined and easy to use? Well, then you would be using OneView. A software that is focused on smart asset maintenance. It’s no paperwork, so no wasting time finding the physical logs and writing down proper information. It’s not a complicated excel sheet, it’s an intuitive platform designed to make life easier and faster.
Forget about the old maintenance log books, and welcome the new OneView system: schedule a free demo. Truly understand how all of this info can stay organized, so you can stop wasting time (and losing money).
