The Toyota Motor manufacturing campus in Georgetown, Ky., is home to more than 1,000 pieces of lifting equipment—from huge overhead gantry cranes to small lifts and hoists.

Safely and reliably running all those lifting devices, which were supplied by a variety of manufacturers, required diligent maintenance. Toyota had contracted each hoist and crane manufacturer to maintain its own equipment, but working with many different maintenance teams was inefficient.

Plant officials opted to hire a single contractor (Konecranes, 800-934-6976, www.konecranesamericas.com) to manage the entire crane and hoist maintenance program. The contractor assigned a dedicated team to the Georgetown plant and established an office just off campus.

“They'll often be on-site within 10 to 15 minutes of a call, whether that's 1:00 in the morning or on the weekends,” says Willie Tye, facilities control specialist for the plant. “That's made a big difference in maintaining our production.”

Stationing skilled technicians nearby was just the first step in helping Toyota improve its operations. Next, the contractor began tracking plant-wide maintenance. This study revealed that certain repairs were being made again and again, so the contractor developed a monthly preventative maintenance program to address problem areas. The proactive approach resulted in a 28% drop in repairs spending.

The contractor then reviewed all the lifting equipment on Toyota's campus and prepared a modernization plan. Toyota accepted the recommendations, and the investment in new technology saved the company an additional 70% in maintenance costs.

Such comprehensive reviews would likely never have been possible under the old multi-vendor system. Having a single maintenance contractor, says Tye, has saved his plant tens of thousands of dollars.

“Our plant has benefited from everything the maintenance team provides,” he says. “We consider them a valuable partner in our success.”