Aside from construction and freight, the only other industry that truly gets affected by the cold settling in, is manufacturing. It’s because the majority of the work is being done using very heavy, large and complex machinery. On top of this, manufacturing doesn’t stop, so it’s a continual process of building, making, examining and rolling out of the production line. New deliveries of materials come in every other day, and managers are trying to work as best they can with a decreased workforce as sickness and illness take hold. If you know what lies ahead in terms of challenges you face, uniquely because of the cold season, you can avoid damage and loss to your business.
Freezing of machinery
Perhaps the most frequent trouble manufacturing companies face is the freezing up of their industrial machines. Lubricant is needed more than at any other time of the year, as this will prevent the liquids in the pipes, such as oil, coolant and hydraulic fluids from freezing up. This will allow the machines to operate under very cold temperatures and keep your business churning out the products it sells. Since your machines are probably outside or in a work floor where they are in an industrial plant, the cold will always be affecting moving parts. That’s why you need to have a liquid level sensor which can tell you if your machine is operating correctly. It will detect when things seem to have frozen, perhaps slowed down, as well as tell you when the liquid is in need of a refill
The employees
Without your workforce you cannot function, so allowing them to work in an environment which doesn’t nip away at their morale is so important. Without warm and happy employees, productive and motivation plummets. Therefore, always pay a little extra on your heating bill, by keeping the ambient temperature tolerable in your plant. You should also do something kind and relatively cheap, such as offer free hot chocolate, coffee and soup to your workforce. It will give them a boost of energy, morale and motivation to keep working through the cold weeks just as focused as the other months. Order some hot fresh pastries to your plant and watch smiles appear on your workforce.
Loading and unloading
As the ice builds up outside, it will be difficult to load products onto trucks and unload them safely. Therefore, you should consider keeping a hose and hot water by the loading bays. A water heater fixed to its very own water pipe, would allow your managers to melt the ice just before the freight trucks arrive to load up. It also makes it safer as heavy trucks won’t be skidding and sliding. We also recommend that every employee be given a short health and safety reminder to avoid ice and watch their step as they transition from inside to outside when loading trucks.
Manufacturing is tough at any time of year, but always more so during the colder months. Plan ahead so you aren’t caught out and have to watch employee productivity fall through the floor.
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