Do You Have a Planned Maintenance Program? by Jeff Cinciripino

This Issue’s Table of Contents
category: Retailing (5 min read)

Does your dive center have an effective operational maintenance program in place?

by Jeff Cinciripino, JeffCinciripino.com, Former Owner of Scuba Shack, Rocky Hill, CT

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MANY YEARS AGO, I served in the U.S. Navy. As a division officer and then as a department head, one of my many responsibilities included the execution of the planned maintenance program for all of the equipment assigned to the division or department. It taught me the value of performing routine preventative maintenance that not only ensured that all of the systems were combat-ready but also allowed for the safe operation of that gear. Like a Navy ship, the dive center has many systems and a lot of equipment that must be operationally ready to perform in a safe manner. The dive center needs to have a planned maintenance program.

The planned maintenance program is not overly complicated. The program focuses on two key elements. When does the maintenance need to be done, and what does that maintenance entail? Back in my Navy days, we had a large wall chart listing all of the equipment that showed each planned maintenance activity and the amount of time to complete each task. For example, a winch might have two or three different maintenance activities that would occur over the course of a year. There could be a quarterly activity, a semi-annual task and a yearly maintenance job. When the activity was scheduled, the sailor would pull the card that listed all of the tools required, plus instructions on how to complete the planned maintenance task.

Do You Have a Planned
Maintenance Program?
by Jeff Cinciripino

Today, we are fortunate to have incredible technology that allows us to automate many of the administrative tasks associated with a planned maintenance system. A technician armed with a tablet or smartphone can be provided a list of their assignments along with the detailed steps necessary to perform their work, complete with high-resolution graphics and videos. These systems also allow for the complete and proper documentation of the maintenance activity that can prove invaluable down the line.

As discussed above, the two key aspects of the planned maintenance program are:

When the maintenance needs to happen?
What service needs to be performed?

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For example, we know that scuba cylinders have two major service activities: hydrostatic testing and visual inspection. Dive centers have many tanks, even small operations. If you do not have a hydrostatic testing capability, you’ll need to plan getting those cylinders to the facility and also budget for that cost. Our plan for hydrostatic testing was to ensure that one-fifth of our cylinders were due each year and the tests were conducted during the first quarter of the year, when we did not need all of our tanks in service.

It took several years to get the program fully established, However, in the end, we were able to budget appropriately and know that our fleet of cylinders would meet our operational needs without any surprises.

Dive centers can get crazy busy during peak season. There never seems to be enough hands on deck to meet the challenging class and diving schedule. The planned maintenance program needs to account for the reality of the operational commitments. Even if there are dedicated resources assigned to the service center, during peak season they may be swamped with customers’ gear that is needed to keep them diving.

If the maintenance program calls for rental regulator service at the same time there is a definite risk that it may get delayed or simply not get done. What happens then if one of the staff members grabs that unserviced regulator, thinking it has been done, for an upcoming class and it fails?

In a previous article, I discussed the need to ensure that maintenance technicians are up-to-date on their certifications. In addition to maintaining current certifications, technicians must ensure that documented maintenance procedures are followed when performing service.

Technology has made it a lot easier today to ensure that you have the latest manuals and bulletins. We found that having a monitor display the service manual over the workbench provided an easy way for the technician to find and utilize the proper documentation.

Finally, the planned maintenance program is fortified with the proper documentation. A detailed record documenting the work performed and the results is invaluable. Should there be any issues with the equipment in the future, this documentation can provide some level of defense.

The equipment a dive center uses to conduct business is life-support gear, and it must be maintained in a timely and correct manner.

By having a viable planned maintenance program integrated into the dive center business model, we are better positioned to meet our operational needs.

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