Developing The Culture of Maintenance of Machinery: Lessons From The Wise Maxims of Our Forebears

Machinery is a great product of human wisdom designed with the sole aim of easing the painstaking task of work. Serving relentlessly as faithful slaves, machines respond to the will of man without a word. Some users of this machinery abuse this right of the speechless workaholic devices by constantly requiring their services without having a thought of maintaining them. Indeed, the culture of maintenance has not been a vocabulary in the books of many factory managers. Yet, the machines are their latent source of revenue. As humans require personal and regular health checks and care, so does the machinery that we use in our everyday life activities.

Our genius forebears craftily developed the culture of maintenance and it was evident in their everyday life activities as well as the maxims that were frequently used in their conversations at family and societal meetings. Though they never had the modern machinery, the few resources that were at their disposal were judiciously used and regularly maintained. The numerous ancient buildings that inspire awe and are tourist sites today were maintained on a routine basis. The philosophical underwriting of some of the maxims that regulated their moral behavior regarding the essence of cultivating a maintenance culture have high currencies in our quest in maintaining our machinery today. The paper discusses two of these maxims and their resonance in the culture of maintenance.

1. Procrastination is the thief of time-

This wise maxim warns against the constant postponement of repair and maintenance of machinery. Usually, owners of these devices procrastinate whenever machinery gives signs of needing repair of its parts. Owing to the fact that owners feel the signs of a defect is minimal they usually turn deaf ears to it. The aftermath of such attitude leads to incurring huge repair bills which could have been avoided. On the other hand, prompt attention to a repair need on regular basis attract minimal cost since less material is lost whereas the vice versa results in extensive repairs. Thus, it is worthwhile to act swiftly to maintain machinery rather than to procrastinate.

2. Eating the food at one’s disposal gradually is better than eating all in one day-

This adage warns against the attitude of undertaking a Herculean activity once, but it, however, advice on carrying it out gradually. This is true in the case of maintenance of machinery. The great pain and the high cost of engaging in such repairs can suck all the financial strength of the owner of the machinery or the company. Such attitude mostly leads to the neglect of such machinery because of high maintenance, which comes at a great cost to factories and individuals. On the other hand, a regular, minimal form of maintenance is less costly and less demanding. Indeed, attending to the routine oiling of machinery parts has been always much cheaper and less time-consuming.

Conserving and sustaining one’s machinery on a regular basis by cultivating the culture of maintenance pays greatly. It saves our lives since faulty machinery usually results in accidents. It aids us to wisely use our time and money while ensuring constant and efficient productivity as well as increasing the lifespan of machines. More importantly, it speaks well of our personality, as persons who are responsible, poised and resourceful. Let us seriously ponder and imitate the maintenance culture of our intelligent forebears and it will impact greatly on our machinery, even conserving them for future progeny.

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