A report by Shell Lubricants has found that UK power companies are incurring avoidable costs and shutdowns due to ineffective equipment maintenance and lubrication practices. 78% of companies report incurring costs because of issues with equipment reliability1. However, with maintenance teams under-resourced, they are not set up for success, reveals Shell Lubricants in a new power industry report, Powering Peak Performance.
In an industry where cost-efficient, reliable operations are critical, companies in the UK are well aware of the importance of equipment maintenance. However, they are not necessarily succeeding in its implementation; 86% of those surveyed believe that effective equipment maintenance can lead to cost savings1, but 40% still feel that maintenance is often deprioritised until there is a breakdown.1 An absence of senior management engagement in the importance of maintenance has come to light as one barrier to effective preventative action.
Klaas Thielemann, EU Power and General Manufacturing Sector Marketing Manager said: “It is clear that in-house maintenance teams are under strain; facing a lack of time, budget and expertise. As such, third-party expert advice and support can play an important role in helping bridge the knowledge gap. Equipment lubrication is one area where expertise is currently lacking, and 82% of UK Power companies1 said their maintenance staff would benefit from additional lubrication training.”
Klaas Thielemann continued: “31% of companies surveyed reported often experiencing breakdowns due to ineffective lubrication.1 By working together with customers, Shell Lubricants’ experts can help upgrade equipment lubrication practices. High quality lubricants are designed to keep equipment clean to guard against the build-up of efficiency robbing deposits to better the yield on the return of investment in equipment; and protect components against wear meaning less unplanned equipment downtime and ultimately, savings on avoidable maintenance costs, which can help to enhance their competitive advantage.”
To read more, and find out about the products and services such as Shell LubeChat, the first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot tool for B2B lubricants customers in the UK, that Shell Lubricants can offer to help companies optimise maintenance operations, please visit https://www.shell.co.uk/business-customers/lubricants-for-business/power-industry.html
Readers can find solutions on for preventative maintenance on Shell’s website www.shellglobalsolutions.com
