“Lifting equipment and its associated component costs is no small line item in any company’s CAPEX budget. The equipment is selected to deliver an optimised performance, offer reduced downtime and compliance with regulatory safety laws. These factors make it critical for overhead gantries, cranes, hoists and related lifting equipment to be serviced and maintained regularly and in the case of a malfunction, as quickly as possible” says Ian Grobler, Sales Manager for Konecranes and Demag in South Africa.
Grobler said “It is important to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to maintenance. While most crane manufacturers provide scheduled maintenance guidelines or recommendations to help equipment perform as expected during normal operation, the most effective preventive maintenance programs are those that are customised or tailored to the environment within which the cranes operate. Crane usage, the environment, duty classification, and local regulations and compliance should be taken into account along with manufacturer recommendations in order to keep downtime reduced, thereby improving uptime at site”.
Preventive Maintenance Program
At a most basic level, an effective preventive maintenance program consists of periodic inspections, routine maintenance and repairs. The objective is three-fold: to help comply with regulations, to follow a manufacturer’s recommendations for maintenance and to reduce the likelihood of failures that result in unplanned downtime. Grobler commented that “Preventive maintenance, when implemented properly, is an investment, not an expense.”
When it comes to lifting equipment there are numerous benefits to having an effective preventive maintenance program in place, such as:
• The right preventive maintenance program can have a significant impact on the performance and reliability levels of your cranes and lifting equipment.
• Regularly scheduled inspections help identify and address safety issues before they threaten employee safety and affect company revenue.
• A good preventive maintenance program can help minimise the frequency and cost of unplanned downtime.
• Planned and scheduled maintenance work can help minimise excessive labour and parts replacement.
• A maintenance program can help assess whether your cranes are being used properly or as intended, and identify opportunities for user/operator training.
• Preventive maintenance conducted at regularly scheduled intervals can often be the most effective way to maintain and potentially extend the lifespan of certain cranes.
• Preventive maintenance supports compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
“Konecranes ensures their technicians deliver a high standard of expertise and customer service through the company’s continuous training programmes. Without properly trained and certified inspectors and technicians, even the best-designed preventive maintenance program will fall short of expectations” said Grobler.
Cost and Deficiencies Reductions
Norfolk Southern Corporation’s subsidiary, Norfolk Southern Railway, operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states throughout the USA and serves every major container port in the eastern U.S. Over a three-year period, the company worked with Konecranes to increase safety and reduce maintenance costs at one of its major railroad yards. During that time, the company was able to reduce equipment deficiencies by 62 percent. Total maintenance costs of the equipment were reduced by 50 percent. A key part of this effort was a routine maintenance program designed to identify and replace components with a pattern of wear on a regularly scheduled basis long before they become a safety hazard. These repairs can be scheduled around production, increasing the efficiency of the facility.
Similarly, a North American chemical manufacturer had four identical cell room cranes that required significant maintenance due to constant exposure to chemicals and extreme heat. They needed to find a way to make the cranes last longer in such adverse conditions. Konecranes technicians conducted a risk assessment to identify the necessary adjustments that were needed. Which resulted in improvements that enhanced the performance of the cranes and make them less prone to corrosion, including sealing the cranes with fiberglass, enclosing the hoists, trollies, bridges and mainline controls, installing high-heat and chemical-resistant cables, and adding soft starts in the panels, which reduces impact by starting each lift at a lower torque.
“All cranes and hoists have a finite service life. To help get the most out of the equipment, it is important to take care of the little things before they become big problems and focus attention away from the rest of the operations. An effective preventive maintenance program is designed to improve equipment safety and productivity through the systematic application of inspections, routine maintenance, risk assessments and
recommendations, remote monitoring capabilities and a good maintenance management software” commented Grobler.
“Cared-for lifting equipment is more likely to perform as required and deliver a long, happy and productive lifespan, giving increased production up-time, reduced down-time, safety compliance coupled with substantial cost savings. It’s a win-win situation “Grobler concluded.
