Conducting an Efficient Equipment Audit

For any business operating in an industrial setting, equipment maintenance is a core responsibility.
Not only does effective maintenance ensure ongoing productivity – it also protects the safety of operators and the community as a whole.
So, instead of waiting for something to go wrong, what’s the best way to stay on top of your equipment? Regular equipment audits.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of undertaking audits that ensure the integrity of your equipment and the safety of your team.
How to audit your equipment
Step 1: Define audit objectives
Planning is key. Think about what you want to get out of the audit. Maybe you want to get on top of your asset management and gain a better understanding of equipment conditions. Maybe compliance is your major focus, and you want to make sure all equipment is operating safely. Or maybe you’re interested in finding opportunities for cost-savings, so you’re on the lookout for equipment that could perform more productively with a few adjustments or even replacement.
Knowing what the outcomes are before you start your audit will provide a solid foundation for assessing audit results.
Step 2: Make an inventory of your equipment
Next, you’ll need to make sure you have an accurate and up-to-date inventory of your equipment. There are a number of ways you can do this, including:
- Physical inspection of inventory
- Inventory management software
- An inventory database, like a spreadsheet
Now, you’ll have a clear picture of the inventory you need to audit.
Step 3: Assess the equipment condition
Before you begin your assessment, you’ll need to finalise your inspection criteria. These criteria will usually relate to functionality, safety, and maintenance history. In some cases, they may be expressed as key performance indicators (KPIs), like uptime, cost-per-unit, or efficiency.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll begin with a visual inspection. This assessment helps you identify signs of wear and tear, as well as any external damage. Next, you’ll undertake functional testing to assess whether the equipment is operating as expected.
Step 4: Evaluate Equipment Performance
Sometimes, the results of your assessment will be clear-cut: yes, this piece of equipment functions appropriately, or no, it doesn’t.
Other times, you’ll have to dig into the data to determine whether the equipment is operating effectively. If that’s the case, you’ll need a reliable method of collecting data. Manual data entry is always an option, but ideally you’ll be able to export performance reports from your equipment and access them using a program like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for further analysis.
From here, you can analyse the data to assess whether performance criteria are being met and identify performance trends over time. By doing this, you can hone in on opportunities for improvement or areas of concern.
Step 5: Identify Maintenance Needs
Once you’ve evaluated the performance of your equipment, you can start to plan any required maintenance, such as:
- Preventative maintenance, which is scheduled periodically to promote longer useful life
- Corrective maintenance, which addresses equipment failures with timely repairs
However, sometimes replacement will be more cost-effective than maintenance. This may be the case if the cost of repairing the equipment is comparable to purchasing a new model, or if the equipment has degraded to the extent that regular, costly repairs are required to keep it operational.
Step 6: Implementation
Now that you’ve gathered all of these insights about your equipment, you’re ready to implement your audit findings.
Depending on the scope of your audit, this could constitute quite a long to-do list. If that’s the case, an action plan with clearly defined priorities is the best way to tackle implementation.
These priorities should be informed by your audit objectives, established in Step 1, and the severity of the issue identified. For example, any equipment issues that pose a health and safety risk if left unchecked should be a top priority.
Conclusion
It’s no secret that audits can be stressful, but the potential fallout from unchecked equipment issues can be catastrophic. Regular audits help you protect your team, your community and your reputation while also ensuring that your equipment is operating at its peak.
If you have a question about any of the topics covered in this guide, our team is here to help. Simply get in contact and we’ll respond to your enquiry shortly.