You know how important it is preventive maintenance for your air compressors by read our last article. Since you know have the understanding about your air compressor’s needs, you may ask yourself, what are the benefits of scheduling preventive maintenance?Here are five reasons and benefits on why you should proactively maintain your air compressors:
1. Have More Control over Your Maintenance Schedule
One major benefit of preventative maintenance is that it gives you more control over your air compressor’s maintenance schedule. You determine the best times to have your compressor serviced, so there are minimal interruptions, if any, to your operations. Unexpected repairs can easily throw a wrench in your agenda, but you can count on this 100% of the time if you wait until an equipment failure happens to service your air compressor.No business owner or manager wants to feel out of control of their operations. However, too many people settle for unpredictable repairs rather than proactively planning.
As we’ll see, this unpredictability can lead to complications like unplanned downtime and increased costs. Greater control over your maintenance schedule means a more predictable plan and budget.Essentially, you treat maintenance as a part of your plan rather than something that disrupts it. That doesn’t mean you’ll never run into an unexpected repair or replacement, but these will become increasingly rare instances. Instead of reacting to sudden problems, you can schedule maintenance for off-hours and keep your operations running smoothly.
2. Decrease Equipment Downtime
A major advantage of tracking your air compressors’ maintenance needs is that you can avoid long periods of downtime. You may think, “Even if I plan maintenance, that still means some downtime, so what’s the difference?” The reality is that not all downtime is created equal. The most expensive type is unplanned.
Remember that old saying, “A stitch in time saves nine?” Planned maintenance measures tend to take less time than a major repair or complete equipment replacement. You can also plan these maintenance tasks to take place at a convenient time, so they won’t interfere with your production schedule. Quicker, conveniently scheduled downtime is certainly preferable to a long, unexpected period of it.
Because air compressors are a mission-critical piece of equipment for many companies, your operations could come to a sudden halt if they fail. Even if you have multiple air compressors, one of those breaking down will cause a swift slowdown in your operations. Time and money are of the essence for any business, and you can’t always afford to manage a slowdown, let alone a breakdown.
When you’re dealing with unplanned downtime, all your overhead costs continue adding up while you’re not adding any value, leading to a sharp downturn in your bottom line. The actual financial cost of unexpected downtime will look different for every company. However, even an hour of it can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for a manufacturing business. Avoid this expensive problem by planning preventive maintenance.
3. Increase the Life Expectancy of Assets
When it comes to maintenance, the greatest potential disruption to your operations and finances comes when you have to replace your equipment. Replacing your air compressor is sometimes an inevitable reality. All of them will age and eventually need replacing.
Plus, as technology evolves, you can install new models that run more efficiently or accommodate more functions than their predecessors. However, it’s still best if you can maximize your current compressor’s life and get as much out of it as possible before replacement.
Preventive maintenance is one of the very best ways to increase your assets’ life expectancy, including your air compressors. Keeping them well-lubricated, changing their filters and fixing minor problems as needed can help your systems run smoothly for a long time.
4. Reduce Unexpected Costs
•Expensive service bills: The bills for major problems that have spiralled out of control are sure to cost more than charges for routine maintenance measures. You can avoid these major expenses by addressing issues quickly.
•Replacement costs: Replacing your compressor is an expense you want to delay as long as possible. You can get more life out of your equipment when you maintain it well.
•High energy consumption: Systems that aren’t well-maintained may also run inefficiently, which will raise your energy bills. If your electricity costs seem high, it may be a sign of inefficiency.
•Downtime costs: As we’ve seen, the serious costs of unplanned downtime is another set of expenses you can avoid when you proactively maintain your compressed air system.
•Overtime pay: When you have to make up for downtime, you may find yourself incurring high labour costs for overtime. Stick to the schedule and avoid overtime expenses by keeping your air compressor in good shape.
Overall, the proactive strategy has been shown to reduce a company’s maintenance bills by up to 70%. When you want to take a financially wise approach to maintaining your equipment, preventive upkeep is the clear way to go.
5. Improve Workplace Safety and Quality Conditions for All Involved
It’s also important to note that proactively maintaining your air compressor can enhance workplace safety. For one, an unexpected equipment failure can pose a safety hazard since it may lead to other types of machinery malfunctioning or stopping suddenly. But your air compressor doesn’t need to fail completely to cause a safety hazard. Unmet maintenance needs can contribute to dangerous problems over time.
For instance, an overburdened system that is no longer ventilating and working efficiently can cause a fire hazard. You never want to learn about a problem with your equipment because of a dangerous event that injures employees. Workers should never be subject to avoidable safety hazards. If your company prioritizes safety, you should practice the regular upkeep of all your equipment, including your air compressors. Also, take all necessary safety precautions when you’re performing maintenance tasks.
Source: titusco