Wait until something breaks and then repair it? "Of course", you might say, that is the way it should be?! Your maintenance staff are on site anyway, that is their job. And besides, it is right not to have a problem with unplanned downtime! So far, so understandable. But the hidden costs of this "we-have-always-done-it-this-way" strategy are unfortunately not usually transparent. And unfortunately, this approach is not good for the environment either. We have put together three scenarios to show you what can be incurred here and how this could look better...
Scenario utilisation: If as many things break as you can repair, your maintenance staff are completely utilised. Sometimes, however, when everything breaks at the same time, they are overloaded and there are times when the workload is only 50% – after all, you always have to keep capacity on hand for emergencies. The mistake? Valuable resources are wasted precisely for the case of under-utilisation. Maintenance staff are highly skilled and typically have hundreds of ideas on how to improve a plant, not just repair it. They would just have to have the time. However, the few moments of under-utilisation cannot be planned and are rarely longer at a stretch...
Your supplier is happy, but the environment is not. On the contrary – this is exactly what can become really expensive in the future. It would be a good idea to be able to plan maintenance in advance here, would not it?
Spare parts storage scenario: Since you never know when a spare part will break and need to be replaced, you have an abundant stock for the many spare parts that may be needed. After all, you cannot wait for your supplier to deliver when the important engine suddenly breaks down. The replacement must then be really quick. However, the large warehouse ties up space and capital. And if the replacement engine is not needed at all, then it actually has to be scrapped NEW.
Scenario time-based exchange of spare parts: Unplanned failures can of course also be prevented by replacing spare parts well before the end of their service life. That way you play it safe. But this is not efficient, causes high costs and is bad for the environment. Even if one can of course assume that in many situations this procedure is cheaper than an unplanned breakdown in production. So spare parts are exchanged that would actually last for many more years, simply because you do not know any better. Only your suppliers are really happy, because you order more spare parts than you actually need...
So why not think about changing these scenarios? With Senzoro's Ultrasound Condition Monitoring System you know exactly when something is going to break, replacement procedures can therefore be better planned, resources are not wasted. They save budget, are even better at delivery reliability and do something for the environment. In its study "Smartening up with Artificial Intelligence (AI) - What’s in it for Germany and its Industrial Sector?" McKinsey confirmed: "Predictive maintenance enhanced by AI allows for better prediction and avoidance of machine failure (...). Asset productivity increases of up to 20 % are possible, and overall maintenance costs may be reduced by up to 10 %." Contact us!
Autor: DI. Mag. Markus Loinig
E-Mail: markus@senzoro.com
