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Set permanent limits for temp site work

28th April 1988, Page 142
28th April 1988
Page 142
Page 143
Page 142, 28th April 1988 — Set permanent limits for temp site work
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Once the workshop manager has decided on the range of repairs that can be tackled on a temporary site, the right decisions can be made on which jobs to keep locally. By John Parsons

• The setting up of a temporary workshop requires a whole new management outlook, if it is to be successful. Whether it is done to cover a period between permanent sites or whether it is a true working workshop supporting a shortterm project, the manager must decide first exactly what jobs he is going to attempt It is futile to try to do too much in a temporary site. Yet sending everything back to base is expensive and time consuming for the user. The balance between the two extremes is a difficult one to set, but once you have decided on the range of repairs you can deal with on site, then making decisions on which particular jobs to keep locally will be far easier. This is not a matter of just making a list, for repair jobs have a habit of becoming more complicated than at first thought, and even experienced staff tend to overestimate what they can do without special tools or facilities. You are unlikely to be able to do anything but the most basic running repairs without shelter and power. So you need accommodation for vehicles, spare parts and for some generating capacity.

If at all possible go for your own workshop generator, rather than a spur from the main site supply. This will make you independent, but it will also stop you fusing their lights as well as your own when you plug in a heavy drill.

Put the generator under cover, but make sure that the ventilation is good, that exhaust is vented to the outside, and that regular checks are made on its condition. The output required of the generator must be at least 20% greater than the sum total of all the appliances you would have running at the same time. This way you will not stall the unit with the surging which often goes with the use of power tools. Be careful to check that the rating quoted for the generator is for continuous power.

If your school electricity lessons are long forgotten, do not be too proud to ask any electrician or engineer how electrical power is measured. Some generators quote outputs in kW, some in KVA, some just in horse power. The same goes for the rating of the appliances that you will use_ Make sure at least that you use a common measure in doing the sums before you order the machine. Most suppliers will estimate this load for you without charge, but they often do not know just how you work. One infallible rule is that is you provide a socket, someone will plug something in to it eventually — usually a kettle, and out go all the lights.

It is perfectly possible to operate a repair workshop for quite large vehicles using only tented cover, though I would not recommend it. Some excellent prefabricated buildings now exist which can be put up and taken down in less than a day. If building your own, the open front barntype construction is the most cost effective, and can be closed off with tarpaulins if necessary.

If your site is near existing habitation, have a try at getting a suitable building to rent. Most farmers will happily rent out a big barn, if the price is right, and it is not full of combine harvesters. My own rule of thumb would be to keep the workshop within one or two kilometres of where the majority of the vehicles are working, or based at the end of the shift. A small amount of distance is a good thing, for it stops your customer coming in every time he goes by.

You can cut a few corners

The choice of building is critical. Previous articles on workshop efficiency have given some guidelines on the floor space needed for supporting a particular sized fleet, but in temporary accommodation you can cut a few corners.

Include in the calculations the immediate area outside your workshop — as many of the quick jobs will de done there. Try to have a total area that could take up to 10% of the fleet at any one time.

Sometimes, two buildings are better and cheaper than one. This happens if the fleet has a wide variation in the height of the vehicles, because two different height buildings waste less space than one big one. The same logic applies to bench work — you do not need height that you cannot use, but you will need one building that has approximately one and a half times the height of the fleet's tallest vehicle.

Do not carry this argument to extremes, though. If there are 50 similar vehicles and only one really tall one, put up with the fact that you will have to do that one outside. In which case remember to provide waterproof work clothing for the unfortunates.

Even if your site is off-road, it is still a good idea to impose some kind of circuit. Ail awaiting repair park outside at one end 3f the building and a collection park at the kher will achieve this naturally and withmit the need for signs, but if the number vehicles supported is large, you will lave to have a proper in and out direction end a one-way circuit.

The key to not biting off more than you an chew on a repair is good inspection.

k competent inspector should be able to estimate not only the standard time of the .equired repair, but also the likelihood of ;nags and their cost in time. A simple way .0 do this is to quote "Eight man hours Or the engine change, plus 50% chance of 10 man hours if the bell-housing bolts ;hear". If you know your fleet well enough, this is easy.

For example, say you have set a limit of 12 man hours a job without bacIdoading, and said that there should be no more than a total of 100 man hours in hand. You can then total up the base estimates, adding in the correct proportion of possible extra work-one hour (50% of 10 minus 8) in our example. You will then know what your likely loading in man hours is at any time, and how many fitters you need to keep on site.

This simple rule — it owes its origins to the Army — is not hard and fast, but it gives a starting point that can be tempered by experience.

The method enables you to work out the quantity of spares, both for components and expendable items such as nuts, bolts and lubricants. It also stops things getting out of hand in the critical start-up period of site work, but you must be tough on those limits you set — however loudly the boss shouts at you.

What may seem an easier way to set the limits is to define the type of repair that will be accepted. A blanket rule of "no complete engine changes" may be sensible on some vehicles, but many a medium-size vehicle can be back on the road in less than a day this way, and then the engine repaired back at base, or by a contractor. Look for the cost-effective rules, not the ones simplest to write.

Weigh your heaviest engine

The workshop equipment needed in this environment depends very much on what these limits to work are. Engine and gearbox changes need hoists and cradles, but there are some very good mobile hoists available which take up little space and are easy to transport. Make certain that you know the weight of the fleet's heaviest engine — you could be in for a surprise.

There is also nothing wrong with the good, old fashioned block and tackle for this job, with a good support frame of course. Using an old, rusty roof tie for this is asking for trouble.

Trolley jacks are just about indispensable, but ensure there are a range of capacities available. Axle stands are worth their weight in gold, too, and cheap. Pits are out, and don't be tempted to dig one just because the surface is soft. It will be a death trap.

Hard standing is a luxury on site, but get it if you can. More important, though, is level ground. Working on even a slight slope with vehicles off their wheels is at best tricky and at worst downright dangerous. It also makes lining up clutches and halfshafts about twice as difficult as necessary, even if you do have a mandrel.

One luxury to bring along is a pressure or steam cleaner. Choose one with its own power source to save on your electrical load. Remember to have at least one vehicle available solely to the workshop for fetching and carrying. You will never survive if you have to borrow a working vehicle every time you want to nip down to the nearest factor. Get the boss to agree to hiring one in if there isn't one in the fleet. It is very cheap at the price for the help it will be, especially if you specify a Hiab or similar hydraulic lift crane.

On the subject of hydraulics, off-road work needs really scrupulous cleanliness when working on such components. Ideally create a clean area where this can be done. A Portacabin makes a good one. Otherwise you will create more trouble than you cure.

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Organisations: Army
People: John Parsons

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