Don’t be frightened into cutting out essential maintenance when the going gets tough, warns industry machine and tooling gurus Jade engineering. It’s a false economy and could end up costing you thousands more in unexpected repair costs.

If you neglect the regular maintenance of the engine in your car, the likelihood of it breaking down increases manifold.

If you miss out on having your boiler annually serviced, chances are your repair bill could be even bigger. If you abandon the care and attention of your own health and wellbeing, the damage you do to yourself could well be permanent – and the cost will be more than money could ever settle. There is a reason why establishing regular, thorough maintenance protocols across all areas of your life and business makes good sense.

Unfortunately, it is these protocols that are often the first to go when budgets get tight. The annual servicing, the gym memberships, the yearly garage servicing contract – how many times has your car scraped through its MOT on a wing and a prayer?

For window manufacturers, regular maintenance is the bare minimum of what must be implemented to keep production lines running efficiently and cost effectively. A reduction in sales should never herald in a period of cost cutting in the factory, that might itself end up producing hefty repair bills that haven’t been accounted for.

Unfortunately, when sales start to drop off, the knee jerk response for many manufacturers is to reduce overheads – which more often than not includes the routine maintenance of machinery.

“A drop in sales in the window and door industry should automatically lead to an increase in activity for us at Jade Engineering,” states Adam Jones, co-owner at Jade. “The slow down in production rates gives factory managers an opportunity to assess the state of their machinery. When we get called in, we can see a marked difference between those machines that have been maintained properly, and those who have been sailing a bit too close to the mechanical wind!”

When there is a reduced demand on the production line, those factory managers can get to their CNC kit, replacing tooling and, where necessary, upgrading machinery such as millers and other relatively high cost specialist machinery.

However, Jade is constantly conscious of the fact that repair bills are higher for those who have not maintained regular maintenance protocols, even during busier times when lines are running close to capacity. The company has seen the effect of holding off the essential maintenance of machinery of all types and complexities, let alone tool replacements and upgrades. It has dealt with machinery repairs, for example, which are the direct result of tools being extended beyond their effective cycle, resulting in expensive failures of components such as bearings.

“Damage to the machinery is one thing. The effect on product quality exerts yet more damage on a manufacturer’s brand and reputation,” added Sean Mackey, co-owner of Jade with Adam Jones. “This is a true case in which a workman should be blaming his tools – because those tools have been exhausted and need replacing. Producing below par window and door products is a direct result of those tools not being properly maintained and replaced when necessary. A good workman will always keep his tools in tip top condition, through good times and bad.”

The company advises that an operation producing around 400 frames a week should repair or change tools every six months or so. Any deviation from this is a false economy. Even using a tool past its recommended cycle for a further 100 frames will eventually land the manufacturer with a bigger bill in terms of machinery reliability, product quality and output.

“We’re living in unpredictable times at the moment, and there seems to be no certainty about what the autumn will bring after this summer of discontent,” continued both Adam and Sean. “While we have no control over the direction of the economy, taking care of your machinery investment is one area that you can control. Make sure that you continue strict maintenance protocols no matter how challenging times get.”