An orderly shop minimizes safety threats, eliminates wasted time looking for tools or materials, and creates a more pleasant and presentable work environment.

Rob: We’ve put on a big push over the years to get our housekeeping in order, and recently that’s really paid off. Now, it doesn’t matter who shows up at the front door any day of the week. We should be proud of our shop, and anybody should be able to walk through there at any time. Our techs have really bought into this concept. 

That said, this is not an easy thing to do. The key is that you need to develop a habit of cleaning up as you go, and for many people, that’s a significant behaviour change. I know because I was one of the worst offenders in my early days as a tech in the shop. I finally got my act together after my supervisor had to keep reinforcing the importance of a clean workstation. It took me a while to realize, “this is much nicer. I know where my tools are, and I’m not covered in grease when I go home.” Now, my garage at home is spotless with everything in place – I’ve become obsessive about that. Through my experience, I’ve been able to help a lot of our techs go through the stages to build better habits. Today, if you’re the messy one in our shop, you will feel the peer pressure to clean up. There is an understanding that working smarter also means working cleaner and safer.

Up-to-date training and well-equipped facilities are necessary prerequisites for running a productive equipment maintenance shop, but they are only prerequisites. Ensuring that the shop is productive also requires a work environment where employees know exactly what’s expected of them, can communicate openly, and count on each other for support. 

Through shops like Rob’s, SMS Equipment provides maintenance support for customers across Canada to help them ensure that their equipment performs to its full potential.