The "One-Trip" Repair Strategy: Stop Paying Your Technicians to Walk (2026 Guide)

Maintenance Technicians are often the highest-paid hourly workers in a factory.
Yet, studies show they spend up to 65% of their day walking, searching, or waiting.
They are professional "Walkers" who occasionally fix machines.

This isn't their fault. It is a process failure.
The typical repair workflow forces them to leave the job site constantly to get information or resources.

The Goal: The "One-Trip Repair."

The technician leaves the shop with the right knowledge, the right tools, and the right parts. They walk to the machine, fix it, and move to the next job.
If you can achieve this, you effectively double your workforce capacity without hiring a single person.

Here is the strategy to stop the walking and start the fixing.

1. The Problem: Anatomy of a "Four-Trip" Repair

To fix a problem, you must visualize the waste. Here is a typical reactive event:

1. Trip 1 (The Scout): Tech walks to the machine to see what's wrong. "Oh, the motor is jammed." Walks back to the shop.

2. Trip 2 (The Librarian): Tech walks to the office to find the manual for that specific motor. Prints it. Walks back to the shop.

3. Trip 3 (The Shopper): Tech walks to the store room. Guesses which seal fits. Walks to the machine. Realizes it's the wrong seal. Walks back to the store room.

4. Trip 4 (The Execution): Finally fixes the machine. Then walks back to the office to type "Job Done" into the desktop PC.

Total Time: 2 Hours.
Fixing Time: 20 Minutes.

2. Phase 1: Remote Diagnosis (Video Triage)

You can't bring the right tools if you don't know the problem.
The Fabrico Strategy:
Before the technician leaves their chair, they open the Fabrico App.

• The Alert: "Line 4 Jammed."

• The Zoom-In: They click the video attachment. They watch the 30-second replay of the jam.

• The Insight: "I see the guide rail is bent. I don't need electrical tools; I need a wrench and a pry bar."

Result: Trip 1 (Scouting) is eliminated.

3. Phase 2: Digital Kitting (The Asset BOM)

Now they know what is broken. They need the parts.
The Fabrico Strategy:
They tap the Asset Profile on the tablet.

• The View: They see the Asset Bill of Materials (BOM).

• The Selection: It lists: "Guide Rail Bolt: Part #555."

• The Action: They check stock levels on the app. It's in Aisle 4. They walk to Aisle 4, grab the bolt, and put it in their pocket.

Result: Trip 3 (Shopping) is combined with the walk to the machine.

4. Phase 3: The Pocket Library

They arrive at the machine. They need the torque spec for the bolt.
In the old world, if they didn't print the manual, they have to walk back to the office.
The Fabrico Strategy:

• The Scan: They scan the QR code on the motor.

• The Data: The PDF manual pops up instantly.

• The Assistant: They ask the Fabrico Assistant: "What is the torque for the mounting bolts?" It answers: "45 Nm."

Result: Trip 2 (Librarian) is eliminated.

5. Phase 4: Field Closure

The job is done. The machine is running.
Do not make them walk back to a desk to type.
The Fabrico Strategy:

• The Photo: They snap a picture of the fixed rail.

• The Input: They use voice-to-text to dictate: "Replaced bent bolt and aligned rail."

• The Close: They tap "Complete."

Result: Trip 4 (Admin) is eliminated.

Conclusion: Logistics is Maintenance

We often think maintenance is about mechanical skill. In reality, it is about Logistics. It is about getting the right things to the right place at the right time.
By using Fabrico to digitize the logistics, you stop paying your highly skilled team to walk laps around the factory.

Double your wrench time.
[Request a Demo] and see how the mobile-first workflow changes the game.