What is the best way to maintain equipment throughout its lifecycle?

An often overlooked aspect of equipment selection is where the product is in its lifecycle. Often times it can be enticing to install end of lifecycle products due to attractive pricing, but many manufacturers do not maintain spare parts availability at that stage to support the equipment's full service life.

An important aspect also during equipment selection is considering the availability of warranty plans (manufacturers warranty policies, warranty canceling mishaps, warranty plans covering spare parts etc.)

The best approach to maintain equipment throughout its lifecycle involves proactive preventive maintenance, regular inspections, and timely repairs. Develop a structured maintenance schedule based on manufacturer recommendations and equipment usage patterns. Implement condition monitoring techniques to detect early signs of wear or malfunction. Train personnel on proper operation and maintenance procedures, and ensure access to necessary resources and spare parts. Keep detailed records of maintenance activities and equipment performance. Continuously evaluate and improve maintenance strategies based on data analysis and feedback. Embrace a culture of equipment stewardship, emphasizing ownership and accountability.

Choose the correct ones Good Will Good Quality Install its with the correct way follows SOP and MOP, manufacture support thats will warranty for your lifespan and limitation.

Develop a clear road map of life cycle maintenance plan as recomended by OEM.This include routine maintenance on monthly basis and some major works which may happen after couple of years. The critical issue would be getting the original parts during the cycle and replacing them with competent person. Some may choose for shortcut by ignoring the cycle and use cheap labour. In maintenance technology we have 3 setup ie high productivity / reliability/cost, we can only choose 2. High Productivity and reliable equipment not cheap to maintain, while High Productivity and cheap maintenance will not be reliable. A proper balance require by needs and applications.

Predictive maintenance does not require permanent sensor integration or "smart" (read network connected) devices as the article implies. Predictive maintenance, in its simplest form, is a periodic maintenance event where quantifiable data is recorded from consistent points. Predictive maintenance data is most commonly recorded in the form of thermographic data and vibration data. This data is then compared to a baseline, and over time plotted against a trend line to establish if unusual preventative maintenance should be scheduled either to prevent catastrophic failure or take advantage of downtime during other planned maintenance.

Preventive maintenance can help you reduce the risk of unexpected failures, improve efficiency and quality, extend equipment life, and save on repair costs. You should plan and schedule preventive maintenance based on the equipment's specifications, performance indicators, and maintenance history. Predictive maintenance can help you increase availability and reliability, reduce downtime and waste, enhance safety and security, and optimize resources and costs. You should implement predictive maintenance by integrating smart devices, software, and platforms with your equipment and systems.

Maintaining adequately the equipment makes a huge difference in the life cycle of the facilities. It is something to consider from the design of the facilities because many designers focus on the process of building the facilities or equipment but they overlook the maintenance. Everything is done for the facilities to run smoothly and needs to be considered throughout all the phases in order to ensure the maintenance is as easy as possible.

Maintaining equipment involves regular inspections, adherence to scheduled maintenance, and proper lubrication for optimal performance. Operators and maintenance staff should receive training on usage and routine procedures. Promptly addressing issues, avoiding overloading, and ensuring a clean environment contribute to longevity. Record-keeping and occasional upgrades enhance overall equipment lifespan, fostering efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. Communication is crucial for coordinating maintenance efforts, especially in diverse usage scenarios.

Documentation is of great importance for proper maintenance. Important documents include warranty certificates, installation and maintenance manuals, maintenance plans. From the owners side, 2 important documents shall be created and regularly updated and monitored, these are the Equipment Log & Maintenance Log. Equipment log shall include the following: - Equipment name, serial number, location within the project, date of purchase, date of installation and warranty duration. Maintenance log shall include the following: -Equipment Name and serial number - Warranty status - Date of preventive maintenance. - Date of corrective maintenance and what's been done in it. - Down days during the year.