Increasing profits through better lubrication practices

It’s impossible for any business to be profitable if they can’t keep the tools of the trade in good working condition. A delivery driver can’t be successful if their car won’t start, just like a painter won’t be successful if their brushes aren’t up to standard.

In any industrial organisation, the same principle applies. An inability to keep equipment up and running will ultimately have a significant impact on profits.  Repair bills can be costly; engines are expensive to fix and even more expensive to replace. According to MIT, 6% of the gross national product in the US is spent on repairing mechanical wear damage. But it’s just not the costs of the repairs, businesses will need to foot the bill for any overtime accrued during the repair process, and of course any downtime caused by mechanical failure will result in reduced revenues. In the UK alone machine downtime is costing manufacturers over ￡180bn per year, according to research by Oneserve, in partnership with British manufacturers.

Of course, the most cost-effective way to solve mechanical failure is to stop the failure from happening in the first place. This may seem obvious and an oversimplified approach to maintenance, but the fact is that many businesses do not do enough to prevent breakdowns from happening. Lubricants play a key role on the performance of machinery and in avoiding these breakdowns. They reduce wear and protect against rust, and also help with issues such as temperature control, so logically they should form a critical part of any maintenance strategy, especially as more than 60% of all mechanical issues relate to lubrication in some way. Despite this, lubrication often only takes up a fraction of maintenance budgets.

Proactive maintenance is the way forward

The challenge going forward for those responsible for managing equipment maintenance is to adopt a new approach that places greater emphasises on the prevention of mechanical issues and breakdowns by implementing preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, rather than a reactive approach focusing on fixing broken equipment.

Proactive maintenance is based on root cause analysis. It is performed while the equipment is in operation, regardless of whether slow down or failure signals have been observed. Appropriate lubrication and cleanliness of lubricants both play an important part here.

Predictive maintenance is based around identifying failure signals and planning overhaul before the failure occurs. Scheduling planned downtime into production reduces the impact on operations and performance; such as during night shifts or holiday season.

We have seen a number of mining houses in Africa that have significant issues with equipment downtime and have only been able to deliver between 30% to 50% of their annual mining activities. Some mining managers put this down to a lack of equipment. However, often, the real reason behind the reduced output is that equipment is very often spending too much time in workshops undergoing repairs. To tackle this issue and prevent mechanical breakdowns, it is critical that lubrication is treated as a core part of maintenance regimes, rather than being treated as an afterthought. And this isn’t just as simple as buying higher quality lubricants or a larger volume. They also need to be used in the correct way.

Matchmaking is important in the world of lubrication. Each type of machinery requires a certain type of lubricant to be effective, they can’t just be mixed and matched at random. You should also know how much lubricant is required for the workload of the equipment not using enough can result in breakdown but using too much is not cost effective and could even cause machinery to jam.

A consultation with a lubrication expert can quickly provide the answers to these questions, in addition to other tips (such as how to store your lubricants). This will require a little time investment, but can save you a great deal of time and money in the long run if it helps to prevent a breakdown.

From mining to haulage

For example, take this real case of a phosphate mine that had no proactive maintenance strategy. Along with a lack of investment, the mine regularly experienced downtime, supervisors and engineers regularly had to pull all-nighters on breakdowns, and overtime was out of control. Not only were the technical issues affecting the performance of the plant’s machinery and therefore its output; but also the workers’ morale, energy levels and productivity, causing a further dent in overall performance.

By changing their approach to maintenance and investing in a proactive maintenance regime, this mine has managed to become more efficient, prioritising long term maintenance over cheaper short terms options.

This process isn’t just applicable to mines or other large industrial sites, it’s also relevant for vehicular fleets. As we’ve seen in our work with Directhaul Australia, taking a more proactive approach to maintenance and lubrication for vehicular engines can significantly reduce wear and enhance the lifetime of the engine. For Directhaul, a bit of expert advice and a more proactive approach to maintenance resulted in an 18% reduction in wear, and over $48,000 of annual savings in maintenance costs.

The importance of proactive maintenance is often underplayed and should be encouraged at every opportunity. Proactive maintenance is key to reducing operational costs, and making sure machinery is available 24/7.

The most compelling solutions come from our technical experts and the engineers of our customers working together. Puma Lubricants are made with leading lubricants technology and together with our technical expertise it keeps our customers operating their equipment at the highest level.

Puma Lubricants – Inspiring Change