Oil condition is extremely important to the health of an asset. If machinery is not properly taken care of and maintained, it can lead to extremely expensive damage being caused to the asset and reducing its overall useful life. Preventative maintenance can be defined as “maintenance that can be performed economically to prevent equipment breakdowns before they occur, shifting the greater portion of maintenance work to a planned basis.”
According to Plant Engineering’s 2017 Maintenance Report, 69% of respondents have decreased downtime with a preventative maintenance program, while 66% report a reduced probability of equipment failure, 63% experienced improved overall equipment effectiveness and 62% have improved their plant’s safety. Keep reading to learn more about why oil condition monitoring is crucial in preventative maintenance!
1. Cost Minimization
When using preventative maintenance, it is easy to regularly perform smaller, planned maintenance which is less expensive than the repairs necessary when damage actually occurs. It is more cost effective to regularly have small expenses to keep equipment healthy rather than periodic, unplanned for, large expenses due to equipment damage or even failure which can also damage other parts of the machine.
2. Life Extension
When equipment is properly cared for throughout its life, it is going to remain useful and can stay in operation for a much longer time as compared to equipment that is only maintained once issues arise. Older equipment is more likely to unexpectedly break or go down, so maintaining it throughout its entire life is more likely to keep it in better condition for a longer time.
3. Decreased Downtime
Unplanned downtime can cost a business significantly in lost operation times. Preventative maintenance is, as explained above, able to keep old equipment operating better and more efficiently. Since according to Plant Engineering’s report mentioned above, aging equipment is the number one source of unplanned downtime. Also, if damage to or failure of the machinery does occur, it is going to take much longer to repair and lead to much more downtime than regular preventative maintenance.
Poseidon Systems’ sensors help enable a seamless implementation of a preventative maintenance system. Our online sensors are capable of detecting events as soon as possible and much sooner that traditional offline analysis tools and techniques. Due to this earlier detection, customers are able to perform maintenance even sooner and using better planning, as is in line with the definition of preventative maintenance.
To learn more about the value online oil condition monitoring can bring to your business, check out more information here!