Six-feature guide offers advice on evaluating independent companies that can help support the maintenance efforts of pulp, paper mills
Are your repairs being handled by a pro? Six criteria that ensure your independent repair service is reliable IMPO Magazine
An efficient repair system is more important today than ever due to rising expenses. Spares have all gone up in value over the past ten years, some as much as 100%, while the cost of downtime has also risen. These factors make it unacceptable to send out a faulty part and wait months for the repair.
For most maintenance departments, the usual source for equipment repair is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that sold them the component. OEMs are sometimes equipped with a repair service to cover the products, but these services tend not be comprehensive since the OEM's main concern is selling new equipment. Because of various disadvantages associated with OEM repair services, more and more maintenance departments have been discovering a cost-effective alternative to OEM repair---independent repair firms. These companies specialize in repair, so they are generally in a position to offer lower fees than OEMs. They also provide other cost-saving benefits, including quick turnaround and greater flexibility.
However, there are differences among the services and capabilities of independent repair firms, so it's important to evaluate all vendors before committing to one. A good repair service will feature six critical elements:
The repair firm provides an in-service warranty. An in-service warranty is far more beneficial than the warranties offered by many OEMs. The clock of an in-service warranty ticks only when the component is being used. If it sits on a shelf for six months after returning from repair, the component is still covered by its full warranty period when brought to the shop floor. If the component needs repair again, the warranty still covers it.
The availability of an in-service warranty can often justify the repair of a component over the purchase of a new one. As a rule of thumb, the cost of repair is abut half the cost of a new purchase. But if the repair saves half the purchase cost and the in-service warranty saves an additional $500 to $2,000 over the OEM's warranty, the repair is more cost-effective than the purchase.
The repair firm system-tests components. To restore the tight tolerances and specs for your components, repair services should use testing and inspection equipment that rivals that of the manufacturers themselves. For example, servo motors, encoders and resolvers ought to be fully tested with a complete loop of feedback components, including machine motors and mechanical loads. Programmable logic controllers and circuit boards should also be tested in the loop of actual machine components. As an independent repair firm, PSI Repair Services, Inc. has designed and built much of its equipment to accurately system-test components.
Just as important, the testing and inspection of the components ought to be performed only by certified technicians. The restoration of mechanical components, like ball screws and bearings, should be inspected by high-resolution equipment.
The repair firm has expertise with a range of components. Some independent repair firms specialize in repairing a certain type of component, while others handle only one or two brands. Try to avoid hiring a wide range of firms to support a variety of components. The firm that restores ball screws or bearings should also be able to tackle mechanical assemblies, hydraulics, circuit boards and instrumentation. It's also important that the firm has the ability to handle the differences between manufacturers of the same type of component.
The repair firm restores severely damaged components. After disassembling a failed component, the repair company ought to evaluate each part individually. If any part needs to be remanufactured, it should meet or exceed the manufacturer's original specifications.
Restoration work of mechanical components should be done on CNC machinery in a controlled environment. PSI, for example, operates a number of CNC-controlled machining centers to handle various metal working needs. The repair service should also employ certified technicians in the manufacture of the components. Furthermore, the firm ought to operate under established quality control measures. PSI received ISO 9001 certification in April 1995 for its quality procedures.
The repair firm sets up cost avoidance programs. Even the best-run plants sometimes do not have the resources to efficiently manage the hundreds of components in their inventory. An independent firm with expertise in inventory control can help plants save a significant amount of money. With the hectic pace in most plants, spare components end up scattered over the shop floor, in cabinets, closets and forgotten stashes. ( Studies have shown the only about 30% of spares are kept in a secure stores area.)
As a result, plants often pay for redundant components because they do not know the exact number of a certain component in stock. Other times a facility ends up with excess downtime if they do not have a working spare on hand when a component malfunctions. And, probably most aggravating of all, a plant too often pays for repairs that are still covered under warranty. But a well-implemented cost avoidance program can assist plants in eliminating these unnecessary expenses. In fact, such programs have been known to yield savings of 20% to 25% in repair budgets.
Consider the example of a cost avoidance service offered by PSI, called Repairable Asset Control (RAC). The service tracks usable inventory and eliminates excess or obsolete items. By getting rid of redundant spares and keeping essential ones, RAC helps cut downtime. Knowing the exact number of a certain component on hand prevents the facility from paying for unnecessary replacements. And the RAC database tells maintenance how much time is left in the warranty period for each component, so the plant avoids paying for covered repairs.
Also included in PSI's service is the free certification of all spares. When components are found outside the stores system, they are sent to the firm's home office for testing to determine if they are in working order. Those that test good are cleaned, packaged and sent back to the customer. Bad units are given a repair cost and the client decides whether to repair them.
The repair firm tailors services to its customer's needs. To keep pace with today's technology, facilities regularly invest in new technology. Make sure the repair service has the resources to support that next generation of equipment. At the same time, if an OEM abruptly ends its service support for one of your older machines or components, the repair company ought to have the resources to support ³obsolete" equipment repairs. Today it's more critical than ever for maintenance departments to efficiently manage the repair of equipment. As manufacturing technology becomes more sophisticated, fixing machinery becomes more expensive. Savings provided by an efficient repair system can make the difference in a company's bottom line.
