Are your paper-based inspection reports becoming a burden for your organization?
Filling out a paper everytime you want to start operations can be tedious. Especially if you are doing it to check issues that were not present the previous day.
Frontline workers tasked with these daily inspections end up not giving the paper-based inspection checklists the attention they deserve.
As a result, managers end up noticing issues in the facility only when equipment fails or the whole facility is incapacitated.
This is why you need to adopt a digital facility inspection and production rounds checklist.
FAT FINGER offers you a no-code builder to create enterprise grade mobile applications that can help you manage your production.
Our platform is the easiest and most flexible in the world to use. All you need to do is drag and drop the features you would like included in your app and voila! You can now digitally inspect your facility and monitor your production rounds.
In the process, make sure you prioritize the following items:
- Safety
- Equipment
- Inventory
And on top of that, adopt an efficient production rounds checklist to ensure that nothing goes wrong in between inspections.
Essential Facility Inspection Checklist
Inspections help prevent your facility from harming your front line workers and the community around.
Matter of fact, in the first seven weeks of 2023 alone, The Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters recorded more than 30 incidences of accidental release of harmful chemicals.
The coalition records incidences of different severity, but they all involve release of harmful chemicals. For example, a recycling facility in California spilled caustic materials leading to the hospitalization of nine people and evacuation of more than 300 people.
Now, imagine such an incident happening in your facility, just because one of your frontline workers used illegible handwriting when filling the paper-based inspection checklist.
This is why when you conduct preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance inspections, you should regularly inspect your safety, equipment, and inventory.
Fortunately, FAT FINGER provides an easy drag-and-drop no-code builder to build and deploy enterprise-grade mobile applications that can facilitate your regular facility inspections.
1 – Safety Checks
Here’s how it works, you customize an app that lists all the items that could cause harm in the facility. Then, everytime your frontline workers confirm their safety, they simply indicate on the app and include their signature after checking all the items.
This information is relayed in real-time to the managers who are able to make better decisions on the facility’s operations.
A safety inspection checklist of a production facility can vary depending on the type of facility and nature of the production process. Facilities that handle hazardous materials need to conduct these checks more regularly than others.
More importantly, here are some common items that should be included in any safety inspection checklist:
- Electrical safety. Check that all electrical equipment is in good condition, there are no exposed wires, and that all plugs, cords, and outlets are grounded properly. Faulty electrical equipment can cause death or serious injury.
- Machine safety. Check that all machines have appropriate guards and safety devices in place to prevent accidental injury.
Ensure that machines are properly maintained and lubricated to avoid breakdowns or malfunctions that could lead to accidents.
- Chemical safety. Check that all chemicals are properly labeled and stored according to safety regulations.
Make sure that employees are trained in handling chemicals and that there are appropriate safety equipment, such as googles, gloves and respirators available.
- Fire safety. Check that fire extinguishers are properly charged and easily accessible. Make sure that all exits are clearly marked and that emergency lighting and exit signs are functioning correctly.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Check that employees are using the appropriate PPE for their job tasks.
Make sure that PPE is in good condition and that employees are trained in its proper use.
- Housekeeping. Check that the facility is clean and well-organized. Make sure that there are no trip hazards, spills, or clutter that could cause accidents.
- Emergency response plan. Check that there is a well-defined emergency response plan in place, and that all employees are trained in its execution.
Make sure that emergency equipment, such as first aid kits, defibrillators, and emergency eyewash stations, are in good condition and easily accessible.
- Security. Check that the facility has appropriate security measures in place, such as access controls, cameras, and alarms, to prevent unauthorized access or theft.
After ensuring that your frontline workers are safe, check whether your equipment can achieve operational excellence through regular equipment checks.
Bonus Tip: Find out how to achieve operational excellence and more in this article.
2 – Equipment Checks
Alexander Hill, chief global strategist at Senseye, stated that unplanned downtime is the curse of the industrial sector.
When equipment in production lines fail, organizations stop earning. Instead, their investment in machinery starts costing them rather than making money.
Case in point, The True Cost of Downtime report published by Senyeye shows how, on average, large plants lose 323 production hours every year.
The table below summarizes the cost of downtime in different industries as shown in the report.
| Cost \ Industry | Automotive | FMCG/CPG | Heavy Industry | Oil & Gas |
| Unplanned downtime hours per facility each month | 29 | 25 | 23 | 32 |
| Cost per hour of downtime | $1,343,400 | $23,600 | $187,500 | $220,000 |
| Annual cost per facility | $468 million | $7 million | $52 million | $84 million |
| Estimated cost to Fortune Global 500 constituents | $557 billion | $35 billion | $225 billion | $47 billion |
| Cost of downtime as a percentage of revenue | 20% | 4% | 18% | 1% |
Regular equipment checks will help you identify issues before they cause breakdowns and production delays.
Fortunately, you can use FAT FINGER to build a mobile app that records all the identified issues and deploy it to your frontline workers. This will streamline your facility inspection workflow.
Here are some tips on how to perform comprehensive equipment checks:
- Start With Visual Inspections. Before performing any physical tests, start by visually inspecting the equipment.
Look for signs of wear and tear, rust, cracks, leaks, or any other signs of damage. Identify any irregularities that may need attention and record this information on the FAT FINGER mobile application.
- Check Moving Parts. If the equipment has moving parts, check for proper alignment and lubrication.
Inspect the gears, chains, belts, and bearings for signs of wear and tear or damage. Make sure everything is working correctly.
- Test Performance. After the visual inspection, perform tests to ensure that equipment is performing according to its expectation.
Check for proper functioning of controls and switches, seals, and fluid levels. If the equipment has gauges or meters, compare them with the manufacturer’s recommended levels.
- Review Maintenance Records. Review the maintenance records to ensure that the equipment has been maintained following the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Check if any maintenance task has been missed, and schedule it accordingly.
- Prepare for Repairs or Replacement. If during the inspection, any faulty equipment is identified, schedule the repairs or replacement as necessary.
Avoid taking risks and continue using damaged equipment as it can lead to unexpected downtime.
FAT FINGER’s machine learning digital procedures allows you to create a priority list when checking your equipment so that you check the most vulnerable equipment first.
It does this by using data from previous equipment checks to determine which equipment has a higher rate of damages. Such equipment will need to be checked more times than the rest.
After you have verified that your equipment is up to standard, it is now time to check your material.
3 – Inventory Checks
Keep accurate inventory records to ensure that the production process runs smoothly.
Running out of critical components or raw materials can cause production delays and halt operations, while excess inventory can tie up valuable resources and lead to unnecessary expenses.
This is akin to trying to cook eggs, only to realize that your eggs are expired. Now you have to delay your meal by buying new eggs. In this case, your eggs are the inventory.
To conduct an efficient inventory check, you need to do the following:
- Check stock levels. It is important to maintain accurate stock levels for all materials and components to ensure that production can continue without interruption.
Regularly check the inventory levels of critical items and adjust ordering quantities as needed to avoid stockouts.
- Monitor Expiration Dates. Some raw materials or components have a limited shelf life and must be used before their expiration dates.
Regularly check the expiration dates of all inventory items to avoid waste and prevent production delays.
- Conduct Regular Cycle Counts. Regular cycle counts help to maintain inventory accuracy by identifying discrepancies between inventory records and actual stock levels.
Conducting cycle counts at regular intervals can help to identify issues early on and prevent them from becoming larger problems.
Here’s the interesting part, if you use FAT FINGER to record all the data collected during inventory checks, our machine learning capabilities will be able to notify you whenever you need to restock your inventory or reduce orders.
Our drag-and-drop no-code builder allows you to create enterprise-grade mobile applications that your frontline workers can use to document all the data collected.
This way, managers can monitor inventory levels in real-time during inspections.
As if that’s not enough, you can run concurrent safety, equipment, and inventory checks while transmitting all the data to the managers in real-time. As a result, your manufacturing facility improves its operational excellence.
Now, inspections are mostly conducted before production starts, in different intervals during production, and after production.
So, how do you guarantee a smooth production process in between inspections? By establishing effective production rounds.
Essential Facility Production Rounds Checklist
In any production facility, performing a production round involves a series of crucial steps that must be executed correctly to ensure that the production process runs smoothly and efficiently.
From assembling the raw materials and components to producing finished goods in a specified quantity and quality within a predetermined time frame.
It is typically carried out based on a predetermined schedule and is part of a larger manufacturing process.
An efficient production round enables the manufacturers to optimize their production process, minimize waste, and produce high-quality products that meet their customer demands.
Here’s how it works, it includes the following steps:
- Planning and scheduling. This involves identifying the production goals, determining the resources needed, allocating the workforce, and setting timelines for completion.
A detailed plan ensures that all the resources are available and the process runs smoothly.
- Material preparation. After you have determined the resources needed, source the materials from suppliers, store them appropriately and prepare them for use in the production process.
Regular inventory checks will ensure that the material quantity and quality meet the required standards.
- Equipment preparation. Once the materials are ready, the equipment used in the production process should be prepared. This involves checking and maintaining the equipment to ensure that it is in good working condition.
Regular equipment checks will enable you to notice any repairs and maintenance required, and carry them out beforehand to prevent delays in the production process.
- Worker safety and well-being. Before you start using your equipment for the production process, it is important to ensure that the workers have the necessary skills and training to operate the equipment safely and efficiently.
Your regular safety checks will ensure that they are wearing protective gear and following the safety protocols. Include regular work breaks and rest periods in your schedule to prevent worker fatigue.
Ultimately, prioritizing worker safety and well-being creates a positive work environment and improves the overall quality and efficiency of the production process.
- Production process. With the materials, equipment, and workers ready, the actual production process can begin. It involves following the planned production schedule, operating the equipment, and assembling the raw materials to produce the desired products.
Now, this is important, you must monitor the production process closely to ensure that it is running as planned. To do this, use FAT FINGER to stay on top of any issues that may be relayed through the production chain and address them
- Quality control and assurance. Finally, the finished products must be inspected for quality. This is the last step in the production process because once the products pass this test, they are approved for distribution.
It involves checking for defects, ensuring the products meet the required specifications and standards, and are packaged appropriately. Any issues identified should be rectified.
- Continuous improvement. After the production and quality control process is complete, it’s important to evaluate the process and identify areas for improvement.
Fortunately, our no-code builder allows you to create apps that can gather feedback from workers.
Analyzing worker feedback together with the production and inspection data will help you make safer decisions. This involves refining your production process to increase efficiency, reducing waste, and improving the quality of your products.
Continuous improvement is an ongoing process. Manufacturers implement feedback and make changes after every production process, optimizing their production rounds and improving their overall operations.
This video shows you the steps you can follow when using FAT FINGER to create a production round checklist.
By following the Essential Facility Inspection and Production Rounds Checklist for Manufacturing Facilities, businesses can save time, resources, and increase their profits while keeping employees safe and fostering an excellent working environment.
Learn More: Our previous article goes into more depth on the importance of facility inspection checklists and even links to a sample checklist you can use.
Optimizing Facility Inspections and Production Rounds With FAT FINGER
As a manufacturing facility, manually keeping track of every detail during inspections can be a daunting task. Traditional inspection processes that involve manual paperwork are often time-consuming and prone to errors.
That’s where FAT FINGER‘s digital inspection process comes in.
With our digital checklists and real-time reporting, we can help streamline your facility inspections, making them more efficient compared to traditional paper-based inspections.
Our digital process allows you to save time, reduce errors, and increase efficiency.
In contrast, traditional inspections can be tedious and prone to errors. Paper-based checklists can be easily misplaced, and handwriting can be difficult to read.
Digital inspections, on the other hand, allow for easy data entry and quick access to important information.
Furthermore, this table shows you a comparison between Traditional Inspection vs Digital Inspection.
| Aspects | Traditional Inspection | Digital Inspection |
| Preparation | Manual preparation of inspection sheets | Automated inspection sheets created on software |
| Conducting | Manual inspections done on paper | Automated inspections conducted via a mobile device or tablet |
| Documentation | Manual entry of inspection data into an excel sheet | Automatic transfer of inspection data into a digital database |
| Reporting | Manual creation of inspection reports | Automated report generation with graphs and visuals |
By using FAT FINGER’s digital inspection process, you can eliminate the hassles of manual paperwork and enjoy a streamlined facility inspection process that is more accurate, efficient, and productive.
Create a Facility Inspection and Production Round Checklist
Regular facility inspection and production rounds are crucial for efficient manufacturing operations.
FAT FINGER can help you streamline the inspection process, identifying potential safety hazards, equipment issues, and inventory problems.
As a result, you can ensure that safety procedures are up-to-date and effective, equipment and machinery are well-maintained, and inventory records are accurate.
“Being able to capture information during an investigation is big.” Sean Seager
Our goal is to become the world’s most used and most profitable no-code digital procedures platform. Therefore, adopt our digital facility inspection and production rounds checklist to optimize operational excellence.
Action: Be proactive about the inspection of your facility by signing up for a free trial of FAT FINGER’s facility inspection workflow.
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