Preventative Maintenance or Repair on Breakdown?

The big question:  Is preventative maintenance in the long term better than a repair on breakdown? 

We remember the old analogy are you buying the drill bit or are you buying the hole? 

This leads us to have to consider two aspects when trying to answer the big question. There is the question of the drill and the question of the hole. Let's consider an example of an excavator which is being employed to dig a hole, if the excavator fails there are costs associated and if the hole can't get dug there are also costs associated. 

The Drill (Equipment) 

Lead times currently on new equipment are very extended and so it has never been more important to maintain existing plant and equipment to a standard that will keep them operating efficiently. We also need to think about the knock-on cost of unplanned downtime of equipment, this is largely not calculated but has the potential to be huge including unnecessary environmental damage. 

The temptation for a hire company or a contractor is to skip a service routine because the machine is too busy and unable to be taken offline for service. However, with the growing complexity of modern equipment it has never been more important to carry out regular preventative servicing. The fuel and air systems on tier 5 engines are finely balanced and the filtration is extremely important to the efficient and effective running of the engine. 

The resale value of regular serviced equipment is always enhanced as well. 

• Longer Asset Lifespan
• Increased asset value
• Lower risk of breakdowns
• Unplanned downtime
• Environmental Impacts
• The Hole (Job to be done)

This is where the true costs off a breakdown can be almost catastrophic. There would be many examples that the readers can site but invariably the cost of not getting the job done on time far, far exceeds the actual cost of the breakdown of the equipment. It also leads to customer and operator dissatisfaction. 

• Improved operator/customer satisfaction
• Health & Safety
• Penalties
• Improved equipment brand perception

At Holm Filters we have created the range of 500-hour and 1000-hour service kits which makes selection of filters very simple, with everything provided in the box of quality OE standard filtration to keep a machine running when it needs to. 

Along with the website and filter finder tool, we are offer to all readers the opportunity to reach out for a discussion about how we best can fulfil your filter requirements to assist your plant and equipment servicing routines. To speak to one of our knowledgeable filter experts about replacement filters, the Holm Filter Finder or your own filter requirements please phone Holm on 01403 914400, email info@holmfilters.com or fill out our contact form.