[surfit]

I was recently appointed the Position of Manufacturing Manager at my company. The shop is 25,000 sq ft and has been neglected for the past ten years. The machines have been poorly maintained and I don't think that the floor area under them has ever been cleaned. We recently merged with another company and I have been told that the shop has to have a major clean up in the first half of this month. This is my plan to get the shop cleaned up and back in order. Start at 6:00 throwing away scrap and moving (save) items to staging area while one employee starts the transfer of coolant from the CS25 using the machines coolant pump to transfer as much coolant as possible to a Blazer container. When the coolant transfer process is complete move to the HT20R3 and begin the transfer process. At this point another employee will start steam cleaning the CS25 having the empty coolant tank capture the wastewater. When the steam cleaning is complete remove the coolant tank from the machine and use the wastewater machine to empty the tank then clean the tank and pump. At this point have another employee start steam cleaning under the machine, surrounding area and wall with steam clean machine #2. Inspect machine hoses for damage and leaks, repair if necessary when the floor is clean and repairs are complete replace the clean coolant tank and refill. Continue this process until all machines, walls and floor are clean. Now the question is has anyone ever had to do this and can you give me any input on how you attacked this issue. Also do you see any problems with the plan?
Thanks
Surfit.

[miljnor]

Make sure its a "steam" cleaner and not a pressure washer. People often use the terms interchangably...steam cleaners are way more efficient with water and clean better.

that being said...man that is going to be a messy job! good luck....wish I had a steam cleaner!....My solution to cleaning is moving

[beege]

Can you afford downtime? Can you hire a cleaning crew from a temp agency? Might be better than taking your valuable employees off their regular jobs.

Not as intense, but near to me there is a company finding work for Down's Syndrome and other disabled adults, and hiring them out as packagers, cleaners, yard rakers, envelope stuffers, etc... $35/hour gets me a crew of four or five, plus a "supervisor". Not always very efficient, but it keeps me from doing the mundane while I could be doing the stuff that keeps the money coming in.

[surfit]

Make sure its a "steam" cleaner and not a pressure washer. People often use the terms interchangably...steam cleaners are way more efficient with water and clean better.

that being said...man that is going to be a messy job! good luck....wish I had a steam cleaner!....My solution to cleaning is moving

Thanks for the input and yes I do know about the "steam" clean vs the pressure washer. It's going to be messy but it's a mess I see no other way to get it done in the time frame given.

[surfit]

Can you afford downtime? Can you hire a cleaning crew from a temp agency? Might be better than taking your valuable employees off their regular jobs.

Not as intense, but near to me there is a company finding work for Down's Syndrome and other disabled adults, and hiring them out as packagers, cleaners, yard rakers, envelope stuffers, etc... $35/hour gets me a crew of four or five, plus a "supervisor". Not always very efficient, but it keeps me from doing the mundane while I could be doing the stuff that keeps the money coming in.

Can we afford the downtime? This is our slow time of year and to do this efficiently, shutting down is a must so we have to bite the bullit. I have been places where they hire temps to do this sort of job however I want our shop as a team to acknowlage how important it is to keep things clean. I am changing the mind set from the past ten years from, "Just do what I tell you and shut up, I don't want to hear it" to, "If you have any ideas on how to do things better or faster let me know and I will consider implementing them" I have also been having a shop meeting on Fridays to discuss ideas for improvments. These employee's are used to being told, "submit the first article and keep running the machine or your fired" We laid off seventeen people out of fifty four two months ago along with the verbal abuse made for really bad morale. We are going to do this as a team and I will be one of the two people in the rain suit, rubber boots and gloves manning one of the steam cleaners. When we are finished I think they will have different view of how things are going to be.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

Personally, I would be tempted to shoot anybody that pointed a steam cleaner, pressure washer or air hose at any of my machines. I remember the first machine shop I worked in. The owner very clearly pointed out that blasting an airhose at any of his machines was a firing offence.

But I'm an old school ol' fart.

Dick Z

[surfit]

Personally, I would be tempted to shoot anybody that pointed a steam cleaner, pressure washer or air hose at any of my machines. I remember the first machine shop I worked in. The owner very clearly pointed out that blasting an airhose at any of his machines was a firing offence.

But I'm an old school ol' fart.

Dick Z

This is one of the reasons that I will be manning the steam cleaner I completely understand that you don't steam clean way guides, spindles, ball screws, seals and other criticle areas. All electrical panels and fans will be sealed prior to cleaning. Sheet metal areas that have chips, grime and dirt glued on with coolant along with the floor will be the target.

[surfit]

Personally, I would be tempted to shoot anybody that pointed a steam cleaner, pressure washer or air hose at any of my machines. I remember the first machine shop I worked in. The owner very clearly pointed out that blasting an airhose at any of his machines was a firing offence.

But I'm an old school ol' fart.

Dick Z

Hey Rich,
You and your former employer had respect for your machinery and know that this machinery is what is making money. Now that being said what would you do to clean up ten years of chips/tar that has accumulated on your equipment. These machines have, and I am not exagerating, at least one inch of chips mixed with what looks like tar on top inside and any where there is a place for chips to fall. I got on a ladder and tried to use a putty knife to scrap some of the stuff off of the machine and it is "glued" to it. I am going to take some before and after pic's. I am sure there are some guys that have worked at shops like this.

[John Welden]

Personally, I would be tempted to shoot anybody that pointed a steam cleaner, pressure washer or air hose at any of my machines. I remember the first machine shop I worked in. The owner very clearly pointed out that blasting an airhose at any of his machines was a firing offence.

But I'm an old school ol' fart.

Dick Z

Why can't you blow a machine off with air? I hate stupid rules like that. I'm smart enough to run the machines and make parts, but not smart enough to properly blow off a machine?

[fuzzyracing1967]

John the reason we were told that is becouse if you go look at those older manuel machines you will see that they don't have very good covers over ways and even screws,if any covers at all.So if you blew the chips around they would go to places that they wern't ment to go,and cause many a headach ,we were tought to use a brush to sweep them away.Even with the new machines all inclosed and all you still get chips in some odd places.open up a way cover some time.

[ChrisW]

I used cleaner called Greased Lightning from Menards or Home Depot

See link to picture

http://sdrv.ms/M46WH8

http://sdrv.ms/N4EkJQ


RK TECH MFG

[keebler303]

I used cleaner called Greased Lightning from Menards or Home Depot

See link to picture

http://sdrv.ms/M46WH8

http://sdrv.ms/N4EkJQ


RK TECH MFG

If they haven't figured it out in the last 2.5 years, I doubt Greased Lightning is going to help either.

Matt

[ChrisW]

Maybe they did.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

I like to have the machine operators clean the machine they operate. It's tedious work. When the machine is CLEAN, they should appreciate the effort it took to get it clean.

Hopefully, they will keep the machine clean thereafter. If not, maybe somebody else will keep it clean.

A few minutes at the end of shift is money well spent compared to a filthy workplace and periodic major clean-ups.

Visiting "Nobility" will be favorably impressed by a clean shop and negatively impressed by a dirty shop.

Dick Z