While manufacturing has experienced employment ups and downs over the past few decades, in recent years it’s become clear that there is a growing labor shortage that needs to be addressed. Even though manufacturing has some of the highest employee satisfaction numbers, there is still a critical gap between the amount of job seekers and the number of positions available. While predictive maintenance offers the best solution to cut costs on unnecessary repairs and prevent downtime, it also stands as a potential solution for addressing the challenges of the labor market.
The Next Generation is Drawn to Technology
The average age of a manufacturing worker is 35 years old. While the lure of stable employment drew huge numbers of young workers in past years, the manufacturing industry has failed to maintain the same appeal. Recent college graduates view the manufacturing industry as outdated, and over 40% of millennials want to work with the latest innovations. Predictive maintenance and IoT-enabled devices offer the next generation the opportunity to work on the front lines of cutting edge technology. In addition, companies with predictive maintenance programs stand out from the competition as having a clear focus on the future – which is a great incentive for young professionals looking for jobs with viable professional growth.
Efficient Maintenance Reduces Labor Needs
While the, “run it till it breaks,” mantra of yesteryear has subsided from most manufacturer’s vocabulary, there is still a trend to treat maintenance as an afterthought. 70% of breakdowns are the result of improper use and maintenance. Reactionary maintenance programs don’t just increase costs in parts and replacement machines, but they also increase the number of people required to keep a plant operational. With a professionally run predictive maintenance plan, fewer people can implement repairs and track machine health more effectively.
Predictive Maintenance Creates Skilled Jobs
It’s always been true that with any new advancement in technology comes new jobs. It’s estimated that by 2020, 60% of manufacturers will depend on digital platforms to support their operations. With all that information, skilled workers will be essential to put it to good use. The key to any predictive maintenance program is diligent and strategic information tracking. It’s essential to keep your team trained on how, when, and why to record vital machine metrics to accurately track baseline data and predict future repairs. As your predictive maintenance program evolves and more information becomes available, new skilled labor jobs will be required to implement the predictive maintenance strategy effectively.
To learn how you can implement a predictive maintenance program, contact the professionals at VibePro today.
About VibePro
At VibePro, it is our mission to provide the best predictive tools on a single iPad platform with services to monitor nearly any asset. We strive to bring our customers the portability, connectivity, and affordability offered by the latest available technologies. Our product family combines wireless portable and online vibration data collection and analysis, balancing, shaft alignment, thermography, and ultrasound into an affordable and completely scalable solution on one simple to use platform. VibePro’s predictive technology apps feature many additions that have come directly from customers. Click here to learn more.