Martin Engineering field support supervisor Sue Griffith explains how the company’s approach to aftermarket conveyor services, including maintenance, builds longstanding partnerships.
Unscheduled downtime of belt conveyors in bulk handling operations can be calculated in cost per minute. For sanity’s sake, don’t calculate this. It might reveal the severe logistical and scheduling inefficiency of service contractors and equipment manufacturers and seriously raise your blood pressure.
Generally, when operators install retrofitted conveyor solutions, they focus on the up-front price with little consideration for the cost of ongoing service, maintenance costs, and supply chain. But down the road, when critical service or parts are needed, the cost per minute difference between days and weeks of downtime or keeping the system limping along at 25-50 per cent production can amount to an entirely new equipment retrofit.
Research published by the Australian Coal Association indicates the cost of downtime is on the order of five times the cost of replacing the component. When the root cause of downtime is related to the basic conveyor design, the downtime cost is approximately two times the cost of the redesign.[1]
At first, these ratios may seem to be erroneous or even backward but consider that a component failure often involves maintenance with a relatively short downtime window for replacement.
Whereas a basic design mistake often involves a significant capital expense and a prolonged outage for correction.
This is why having a close relationship with equipment manufacturers and/or their certified contractors that offer responsive “factory direct” products and services is important to the cost of operation. The main factors to consider are service availability, technical expertise/safety, and supply chain logistics.
Service availability
The mystery of the “disappearing manufacturer’s representative after installation” is a tale as old as the Industrial Revolution, and back then, even Sherlock Holmes could not solve it.
Reliable and timely site visits are a hallmark of a solid partnership between the operator and the factory-direct manufacturer. Service technicians and certified representatives who are available during problem-free uptime are likely to be responsive during panic-inducing unscheduled downtime.
Site visits are also not arbitrary.
A reputable equipment manufacturer representative will examine not just their components but the entire conveyor system, offering preventative maintenance support. The goal is to find indicators of the causes of downtime and offer practical solutions.
For example, Martin’s Walk the Belt program is specifically designed for predictive maintenance. A Martin Service Technician (MST) or certified contractor will physically examine the entire system with an extensive checklist and then write a report, often with photos, of observations, recommendations, and solutions to improve safety and efficiency.
Technical expertise
Experts have “seen it all” until they haven’t, and that’s when their expertise is tested and safety becomes an issue. Outside service contractors may be generally familiar with systems and maintenance procedures but often face a steep learning curve when servicing new equipment designs.
The top equipment manufacturers consistently iterate on previous designs, seeking to improve safety and efficiency. Factory-direct technicians and certified contractors from these reputable equipment manufacturers respond quickly to calls and arrive equipped to diagnose and solve issues.
Most operational site managers strive to maintain the highest workplace safety standards. If external contractors don’t operate to the same level, they risk being ejected from the site. In addition to stringent conveyor and flow equipment maintenance training, MSTs undergo comprehensive safety training. With regular visits, factory-direct MSTs quickly learn the latest standards and procedures of each production site, staying up to date with the needs of their customers and ensuring compliance and safe working.
Supply chain logistics
Often, during the installation of retrofitted equipment, some creative engineering is required to make components fit, secure, and operational. Maintenance crews can’t have a replacement part for every bolt in their operation, especially if storage space is limited. This becomes acutely apparent when specialised parts are needed for repair.
Equipment designs should have standard, easy-to-understand parts and procedures.
In addition to providing a solution, this engineering design should prioritise safe inspection and maintenance access.
Whether it’s replacing wear-parts or engaging in routine service, getting the proper manufacturer parts in a timely manner is imperative.
Factory direct means that wear parts can be predictively scheduled and delivered by simply monitoring the speed at which they wear, especially for processing plants making use of remote monitoring systems. If the wear timeline is somehow shortened, this can be an indicator of downstream issues causing more wear. It can also mean that an unexpected rapid early delivery is required.
Factory-direct MSTs and certified contractors usually have the proper equipment in the service truck. If they don’t, depending on the remoteness of the site, the MST simply calls, and these parts can be procured and delivered rapidly.
Reporting
As mentioned above, after walking the system, reporting observations is an important part of the process. There is a wide difference in cost between preventative maintenance and reactive maintenance. The ‘2016 Maintenance Study: Seven key findings’ performed by Amanda Peliccione observed, “76 per cent of manufacturing facilities follow at least some form of preventive maintenance strategy on some equipment while 61 per cent still have a run-to-failure method, and 51 per cent use some form of Computerised Maintenance Management System, CMMS.”[2]
Notice the study observed that 76 per cent was performed on some, but not all, equipment. That’s how 61 per cent can still have a run-to-failure policy. Factory-direct expert inspection and reporting methods take a holistic view of the system.
By only addressing the broken parts, downstream causes are ignored, and expenses for repeated equipment maintenance and replacement rise incrementally over time. The holistic approach recognises and offers solutions to the causes of costly repetitive maintenance.
Factory direct benefits
The cost savings for a factory-direct relationship are only realised over time when that relationship is replaced by a cheaper, less reliable equipment solution from a manufacturer without the infrastructure to offer adequate service. Down the road, the “disappearing manufacturer’s rep” suddenly becomes a serious issue, along with response time and preventative solutions.
When operators realise the overall cost savings of the factory-direct model, then they understand how service, expertise, and supply chain are intertwined to offer a full long-term solution. AB
