Dewon Morris, maintenance manager for Taylor Linen Services, says listening to staff and constantly watching for potential problems are essential to running a successful plant-maintenance program.

“You have to talk to people,” he says. “If they hear something that doesn’t sound right, you’ve got to look at it.” Typically, a machine operator or lead in this 25,000-square-foot (2,322-square-meter) plant in Andalusia, AL, can tell by the sound of a machine if it needs repair or adjustment. That kind of teamwork—coupled with observing machinery and systems on an ongoing basis and performing routine maintenance—can help minimize downtime. “We know with the ...