More planning security for the use of construction machinery - with klarx.com & plancraft

A wonderful weekend is just around the corner, the sun is shining on the company yard, a few hard-working employees are washing the vehicles and checking equipment. Then the shock: the trailer crane has a leak in the lower jib section.

“When we need a crane spontaneously, it can be tricky and, above all, dangerous for our projects.” Johst Dallmann, Technical Director Carpentry Noll GmbH

The problem? The crane is already planned for the upcoming project. Since no further cranes are available, because they are also planned or not available, there is what should not be present: a bottleneck.

shortages are possible in a variety of ways - for example with personnel or machines. In practice, they often arise at short notice because they are usually not foreseeable. Then you have to momentarily Find a solution. In this series of articles, we look at Machine bottlenecks

In addition to the crane from our example, this can of course also be the excavator, the lift or even The one Be a machine that you need on your construction site but is simply not available.

With our partner, the professionals from clearx, We have looked at the situation for the craft sector together and worked it out for you in a two-part article. In this post, we'll look at:

• Phase 1 - Effective planning of machine use
• Phase 2 - There is a bottleneck - what should be done?
• Phase 3 - Improve planning

In particular, how bottlenecks can be avoided, what role planning plays and how bottlenecks can be dealt with in the short term will be of interest to you. Also interesting: how to calculate correctly so that you do not report an economic failure for your company. Let's go!

Plan machine occupancy cleanly - but how?

Sounds trivial. Of course, you should also plan the machine occupancy in a craft business in such a way that there are no bottlenecks due to your own incorrect planning. Here are a few tips to make planning easier.

Step 1: Overview of mobile machines and devices

Each company should identify for itself which machines and devices actually exist. The key question here: Which of them are mobile and which are permanently installed (immobile)?

For mobile devices and machines, it is recommended to have overviews. This can be the classic planning board in the office, ideally a digitally (correspondingly mobile) retrievable overview. This also gives employees on construction sites the opportunity to get an overview. So-called KanBan Boards. Columns can be created for the respective status of machines, e.g. “In operation”, “planned”, “in use”, “in repair”, “assigned, “defect” and comments with details (such as the construction site) can be stored.

Clear tips here are Trello, Master task, Wekan or many other free web tools. There are no limits to creativity. In the end, it is the result that counts: You have the overview.

Step 2: Identify bottleneck machines

In addition, in addition to an overview of all devices and machines, you should also know exactly the significance of each machine. Because a bottleneck can be critical not only for a crane or excavator, but also for important other machines, which are usually used every day in stake are. That can the band saw, the painting chamber or the CNC milling machine be.

• Does the machine exist multiple times?
• How often is the machine in use?
• Can I find a replacement spontaneously if a machine fails?

It is therefore important to consider what, in the event of a machine failure/defect/etc. as Plan B works.

Step 3: Adjust project and order planning

Accordingly, special attention should be paid to these machines when planning projects or orders. One option is to plan buffers so that you have time to react in an emergency.

Regular tests should also include checklists be carried out. After work, at the end of a week, at the end of projects — the gap depends, of course, on the particular machine, the duration and intensity of use, as well as maintenance and repair costs.

That means concretely: The trailer crane from our example should not be planned for 40 weeks with 20 deployments of two weeks each. Slots for potential repairs, more detailed maintenance and checks must be scheduled every few weeks.

Another option is already here partners To have on hand who can provide support in case of a bottleneck. This can be done by friendly companies, local rental companies of construction equipment or holistic providers such as our partners klarx.com be.

First of all, you should get an idea of the extent of the bottleneck:

• Timing: from when until when will the bottleneck last?
• Personnel: Where can I deploy the planned employees and how? Do special employees have to be deployed to counteract the bottleneck?
• procedural: What do the impending delays mean for my own trade union/project? Are other trades affected? What about follow-up projects?
• In terms of cost: How much do repairs/repairs, rental equipment and logistics cost me? Are there any contractual penalties? Do I have to plan extra work?

The second step is to remove the bottleneck as quickly as possible.

In the second part of this article from our professional partners, you can read how you can best do this, what influence the costs have on your calculation, and how you can calculate them in advance and how the project will still be a success klarx.com.