Machine Maintenance Cards for Non-Critical Issues
A Velcro card and marker on each machine let operators log minor issues for the weekly check without stopping work.
- Creator
American Precision Engineering- Company
- American Precision Engineering
- Wastes
Operators notice small machine issues that are not showstoppers, but there is no easy way to record them. The problems get forgotten, pile up, or trigger unnecessary stoppages.
The team added a maintenance card to every machine, held on with Velcro and paired with a marker. When someone spots a non-critical issue, they mark it on the card. Maintenance reviews the cards during a weekly check and fixes the logged items.
Make small problems visible at the point of use so they are captured and resolved on a set cadence.
What is a Machine Maintenance Cards for Non-Critical Issues?
A maintenance card is a simple write-on card fixed to each machine, held with Velcro and used with a marker. It gives operators a defined place to note issues that do not require an immediate stop.
The card separates critical from non-critical problems. A showstopper still gets acted on right away. A minor issue gets marked on the card so the line keeps running, and the note is not lost.
Maintenance treats the cards as a shared queue. During a weekly check they walk the machines, read what operators logged, and address the items. The card becomes a running record of each machine's known small problems.
Why it works
The card turns each operator's private observation into shared, reusable knowledge that maintenance can act on.
- Captures small defects before they are forgotten or grow into failures.
- Makes every machine's known issues visible to whoever works or maintains it next.
- Builds a predictable weekly review so problems are handled on a schedule, not ad hoc.
- Lets operators decide keep-running versus stop without losing the note.
How to create this idea
- 1Attach a card to each machine
Use Velcro so the card stays put but can be swapped or removed for review.
- 2Provide a marker at the machine
Keep a magic marker with the card so logging takes no searching.
- 3Define the threshold
Agree on what counts as non-critical, meaning the machine can keep running, versus a showstopper that needs an immediate stop.
- 4Have operators mark issues as they occur
Write the problem on the card at the moment it is noticed.
- 5Run a weekly maintenance review
Walk the machines, read the cards, fix the logged items, and clear the card.
Best used when
- multiple machines
- minor recurring issues
- scheduled maintenance
Less useful when
- safety-critical faults
- single machine
- real-time alerting needed
Products and tools mentioned
- markers: Writing tools used to label parts, boards, and shop-floor documents.
Tags
- Problem
- lost issuesminor defectsunclear status
- Lean methods
- visual managementTPMstandard work
- Application
- machinesmaintenanceshop floor
Captured from American Precision Engineering at American Precision Engineering in the video "Tour of APE's lean shop", at 00:04:05. On Lean Toolbox. Watch the original video on YouTube ↗
