Have you ever wished you had stepped on the brakes a bit sooner instead of hitting the car in front of you? Ever wish you could have prevented that cavity by taking better care of your teeth? Yes, we know the feeling, but these concepts should also be applied to taking care of your equipment. Preventative maintenance is crucial to protecting your branch's technology investments and insuring the longevity of your machines.
Let us go back to the recent blog article on Branch ATM Downtime: 10 Tips to Increase your ATM Uptime & Efficiency. We discuss the 10 ways to keep your ATM in the best condition possible:
- Clean reader with cleaning cards
- Store thermal paper in temperature controlled environment
- Sort money when loading ATM to prevent jams
- Only offer denominations of $10 or higher
- Replenish cassettes before low or out of cash status
- Control temperature in ATM environment
- Keeping the touch screen clean
- A well-trained staff
- Regular scheduled preventative maintenance
- Choose your vendor carefully
By reading, performing these tips and training your staff accordingly, it could possibly prevent damage to your machine. We also had our experienced QDS service technicians weigh in on the subject of preventative maintenance and why it's important:
Preventative Maintenance: Decrease Downtime
Cash automation equipment is comprised of a number of moving parts with sensors and motors. After a period of use, belts can be stretched, sensors can become dirty or misaligned, and motors can become grimy and sluggish. In addition, the constant handling of currency or coin will create very fine dust that, if not removed, will adversely affect the operation of the equipment. Preventative maintenance is an attempt by the technician to jump ahead of failures before they occur to prevent unnecessary down time of the equipment. This is normally accomplished by disassembling the equipment beyond what an operator can do to get to the components that require the extra attention. Elements of a proper "pm" should include cleaning, calibration and adjustment of sensors, rollers and belts as well as cleaning and lubrication of bearings and motors as needed. This should be followed by reassembly of the equipment and thorough testing to ensure that all aspects of the equipment are fully functional. The technician can identify and resolve potential problems that otherwise would not have been caught until a failure has occurred. Failure to follow a proper preventative maintenance schedule will increase the risk of catastrophic failure of the equipment resulting in longer periods of down time.
Preventative Maintenance: Proper Cleaning
Preventative Maintenance is a way to catch small issues with your machine before they become big issues. It involves thorough cleaning to remove dust from inside your machine. If the dust is not removed, it can cause your machine to overheat and have premature failures.
Preventative Maintenance: Protect Your Investment
Preventative maintenance is something everyone is familiar with. Whether it is brushing your teeth or changing the oil in your car. It is important because it dramatically reduces the possibility of catastrophic failure. Think about the dangerous and debilitating consequences of never brushing your teeth or never changing the oil in your car. Preventive maintenance is a way of protecting your investment while maximizing the item's utility through continued proper operation and use.
Preventative Maintenance: Improved Performance
Preventative Maintenance is needed to help guarantee the accuracy of your equipment and to extend the life of your machine. When your equipment is under a preventative maintenance program, the equipment not only runs better but also enhances the capabilities of the machine. It gives the service technician the opportunity to ward off any potential problems that may occur under normal wear and tear of your machine. Under a preventative maintenance program, your equipment is cleaned, inspected, adjusted or updated, and tested by a professional. A highly knowledgeable technician that truly cares about the accurate operation of your equipment will make sure these are completed.
Preventative Maintenance: Routine Check of Sensors
Preventative maintenance is important to decreasing machine down time. Regular cleaning of your machine will keep it operating at its peak. In addition, a routine check of sensor settings will help your machine detect counterfeit bills effectively, which our clients count on for their success.
Even if we do not service your branch currently, we are here to help with any suggestions or advice. If you are looking to use a company where preventative maintenance is not only important but a way of life, please visit our service page.