Equipment Records

Records of equipment are a necessary part of every good maintenance program. Such records include all the pertinent data concerning the equipment itself, such as serial number, supplier, and initial cost. Such information is of course necessary when ordering parts or when seeking information about that equipment from the supplier. A history card might also contain a record of repair work performed, the schedule for inspections, and the costs of inspection and repair. Repair cost information is especially valuable, for with such information one can determine when costs are running much higher than normal - possibly calling for replacement.

Some companies are now making excellent use of data processing equipment and digital computers to assist in maintaining maintenance records. One aircraft company utilizes punched cards to feed data into the system and can get almost immediate answers to such questions as: who received service, when and where did they receive service, what kind of service was performed, how much time did the maintenance man spend, what was accomplished, how much did it cost and where are excessive maintenance costs being incurred. Also, this system is of tremendous assistance in making decisions on what to do when, to forecast equipment-replacement schedules and so forth.