Miller Magazine Issue: 151 July 2022

70 COVER STORY MILLER / JULY 2022 As a result of both the increase in production capacities and increasing competition conditions in mills compared to the past, mill maintenance management has developed over the years and its importance has been understood, and to- day it has become an indispensable element in the manage- ment of flour facilities. First of all, when it comes to maintenance in mills, it should be mentioned what should be understood today. Mainte- nance in mills, periodic replacement of parts and consum- ables with predetermined useful life in order to reduce the possibility of malfunctions during the operation of the equip- ment used, detection and repair of prematurely worn or damaged parts or equipment in the condition control of gen- eral equipment, and finally ensuring the smooth operation of mechanical parts and making the necessary lubrication to prevent premature wear. Today, modern flour mills use "preventive maintenance" management instead of "condition-based maintenance" management, which was widely used in the past. Unfor- tunately, the issue of maintenance is not a priority in the management of the mills in those regions, since there is no proper maintenance culture or it is not fully established in un- derdeveloped and developing countries. These companies either apply "condition-based maintenance" and intervene in the machines when there is a problem or malfunction in the plant or the final product. This seriously affects the efficiency of the plant and even causes equipment losses as a result of serious damage to the equipment, as well as production losses in cases where it leads to an unplanned stop of the plant. It would be more accurate in today's conditions to talk about preventive-based maintenance management rather than condition-based maintenance management. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT In its simplest definition, preventive maintenance manage- ment can be defined as ensuring that the equipment does not disrupt production by maintaining its functions until the next planned maintenance, within a certain plan made in ad- vance, before a malfunction occurs in the operating facility. The purpose of preventive maintenance management is to prevent a malfunction by intervening before it occurs. For the effective implementation of preventive mainte- nance management in flour facilities, it is very important to plan the 4 items listed below in a coordinated manner in advance. “The most important element in maintenance management in mills is pre-planning. Effi- ciency in production, which is the real purpose of maintenance, can be achieved when the workforce, spare parts, production and facility layout are planned realistically in a coordi- nated manner. Otherwise, the success of the planned maintenance is left to chance, which increases the risk of failure during the operation of the enterprise and the enterprise may face unexpected costs.” Maintenance management in mills Temel Harmankaya Food Process Engineer Business Development Director Selis Co.