The maintenance department plays a significant role in product recall management. Without the maintenance team, an organization can’t manage product recalls — and could face lawsuits and expensive government penalties.

As we continue our series about the impact of product recalls on different departments, we examine the role of the maintenance team.

What Does the Maintenance Department Do in Recall Management?

A maintenance team facilitates various operational activities within a business. In a recall management context, maintenance teams carry out duties that ensure organizations meet product recall responsibilities. These duties include:

  • Performing repairs and maintenance on machines/equipment in response to recall notices from the FDA or other government departments.
  • Performing maintenance operations as per safety protocols.
  • Working with the operations and logistics departments to remove faulty products, materials, and components from supply chains.
  • Creating maintenance reports to share with other departments.
  • Ordering spare parts for machines in response to recall notices.
  • Improving maintenance productivity during and after a product recall crisis.

As you can see, the maintenance department, headed by a maintenance manager, has various responsibilities that ensure an organization meets its recall management obligations. Although the maintenance team doesn’t oversee every aspect of recall management, this department fulfills an important role. Without maintenance workers, an organization could receive fines from the government because of slow recall response times.

What Problems Do Maintenance Teams Come Across?

When an organization receives a recall notice or safety alert, it has to act quickly. Sometimes, in the confusion, different departments receive the wrong information, which leads to poor product recall responses. Maintenance teams that don’t foster good communication with product managers won’t be able to carry out duties properly.

There are several ways to solve these challenges. First, product managers should communicate recall notices and delegate tasks to maintenance teams for proper recall management. Communication should be clear, concise, and timely. Otherwise, maintenance workers will be slow to act.

A slow-responding maintenance department could endanger lives. If managers require maintenance workers to fix faulty equipment or replace broken parts, and this doesn’t happen immediately, customers could be at risk because of ineffective manufacturing processes.

Therefore maintenance managers should invest in the latest digital tools like recall management software. These programs provide maintenance departments with unparalleled insights into recall management so they can make smarter, more informed decisions.

Many maintenance teams already use digital tools to track tasks, create reports, and execute workflows. But, sometimes, these tools complicate matters. Outdated systems, for example, don’t let maintenance departments access the information they need for responding to recall notices. Too many digital tools prove just as difficult.

By centralizing recall information into one system, maintenance workers (and the rest of the organization) can manage product recalls more effectively.

Recall management software benefits maintenance teams in the following sectors:

  • Manufacturing
  • Food and beverage
  • Pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals
  • Chemicals
  • Medical devices
  • Supply chain management
  • Professional services
  • Agriculture

What are the Benefits of Recall Management Software for Maintenance Departments?

Recall management software lets maintenance teams handle the challenges associated with product recalls from one piece of software instead of relying on several digital tools. Trievr, for example, simplifies digital recall management with a SaaS-based system that provides remarkable value. There’s no “software bloat,” so users only pay for the features they need. This could save organizations thousands of dollars every year.

Then there’s the enhanced security. Today, many maintenance departments worry about the safety of digital tools in case there’s a data breach. And rightly so. With cyber-crime on the rise, organizations need to balance security with digital recall management. Trievr takes security seriously and never shares data with third parties. It subscribes to the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield frameworks.

Here are some other features that benefit maintenance teams:

  • Product recall templates
  • Auto-alert reminders
  • Real-time reports
  • Cloud-based
  • On-demand pricing

The great thing about using a recall management system is that maintenance workers can communicate with different departments from one system, which makes life so much easier. Trievr boasts various collaborative tools for maintenance teams.

Final Word

Maintenance teams are a core component of the product recall management process. However, these employees need digital tools that simplify product recalls. The wrong software can make it difficult to execute workflows and this results in poor recall response times.

Need a product recall management solution for your maintenance team? Trievr handles all aspects of recall management with a suite of smart tools that provide value. As a result, maintenance departments can respond to threats and protect the reputation of their parent organization. Click here to learn more about Trievr or try a live demo today!