Optimise today, accelerate tomorrow

18 February, 2020

Q: What are some of the costs companies can pay through adhering to a poor maintenance regime for their plant and equipment?

A: One of the most common misconceptions among equipment users is that their maintenance regime should only start once their equipment stops. However, growing demand for high quality manufactured products in an output intensive industry, and the strain that this places on plastics injection moulding equipment, means that the repercussions of a poor maintenance regime are stronger than ever before. Poor maintenance can reduce a factory’s productivity by 5 to 20%, which ultimately impacts total cost of ownership. Preventable maintenance issues such as varnish and sludge can develop as a result of improper hydraulic fluid condition.

Varnish and sludge are by-products of oxidation and thermal degradation of oils. The decomposed hydrocarbons, if left untreated, can lead to costly equipment failures such as blocked filters and sticking valves. Similarly, if your lubrication becomes contaminated with water, rust particles will begin to form, or if undissolved air enters your hydraulics system machine compressibility increases and can damage pumps and impede operational efficiency. This can all lead to unplanned downtime and reduce the lifespan of your machinery.

Arguably, the most significant cost of poor maintenance is unplanned downtime. For plastics injection moulding equipment, running with optimum precision and efficiency whilst operating at peak productivity is pivotal to maximising output. However, if equipment fails unexpectedly, operators will not only accrue costs from fixing or replacing their machinery, but from lost production during equipment downtime.

Adopting a pro-active maintenance regime allows operators to reduce maintenance and equipment costs, and unplanned downtime, in turn helping lower total cost of ownership and improving competitiveness.

[subhead italics] Q: How can companies improve the performance and total cost of ownership of their plant and equipment through choosing the right type of lubricants?

A: Another common misconception within the industry is that an effective maintenance regime comes at a great cost. However, research has found that up to 70% of equipment failures in injection moulding machines are a result of improper hydraulic fluid condition. On average, hydraulic fluid represents less than 2% of overall operating costs of a plastic injection moulding plant, so simply taking the time to think about the quality, performance and condition of your equipment’s lubrication could generate some big savings.

In an increasingly competitive market, prioritising high performance lubrication is an essential part of optimising equipment performance as it allows your machinery to endure conditions like fluctuating temperatures and high pressures. High performance lubricants, such as Shell Tellus S4 ME, are specially formulated to meet these demands and can last up to 10 times longer than industry standard oil life.1

One example of this is leading plastic packaging solutions company, Alpla, who switched to Shell Tellus S3M lubrication. This transition extended machinery oil life from 5000 to 15,000 hours, generating annual savings of over $16,000. The enhancing properties of premium lubrication such as increased oil life have the potential to maximise your equipment’s productivity, reduce downtime and increase energy efficiency – factors that ultimately help reduce total cost of ownership.

Q: How have lubricants evolved in recent times to meet the demands of modern equipment?

A: The plastics injection moulding industry is expected to grow to $496 billion across the globe by 2025. As outputs increase, machinery becomes more advanced and the role of lubricants becomes even more critical. Lubrication is no longer just a part of equipment maintenance procedures but plays a critical role in helping manufacturers to boost productivity, improve precision, reduce costs and waste, ultimately giving them a stronger competitive advantage.

Modern lubricants, like the Shell Tellus range, are formulated to meet the demands of these sophisticated hydraulics systems. Modern systems are often more compact, and therefore more susceptible to oxidation and the formation of contaminants such as sludge and varnish. Shell Tellus oils are designed and can help to improve oxidation resistance to restrict the formation of these acidic contaminants, increasing equipment life and productivity.

To meet the requirements for a continuous and consistent production cycle, machinery has to work harder for longer, which in turn, generates more heat. Modern lubricants need to offer resistance against heat deterioration, Shell Tellus oils offer better wear protection and greater thermal stability, to help increase the service life of your equipment.

With a growing demand for peak efficiency, modern lubrication is an essential support for operators, to help them mitigate the risk of unplanned downtime and optimise the lifespan of their machinery.

Q: What type of service and support provision should end users and OEMs insist on from their lubricant supplier?

A: The potential impact of lubrication choice and maintenance on a company’s operations, output, and total cost of ownership is immense. As such, it’s pivotal that all employees and staff, who are at the frontline of equipment operations, undergo training in how to maximise the benefits of an effective maintenance regime. By instilling the help of technical experts through training programmes like Shell LubeCoach, OEMs and equipment operators can improve their staff’s understanding of lubrication choice and support them in the adoption of a successful maintenance regime.

Equally, with so many factors to consider during lubricant selection, application, and equipment running processes, OEMs and equipment operators need to ensure that they are receiving expert advice and guidance to support them with any questions and challenges they may face and achieve measurable results. However, 56% of manufacturers feeling that there is a lack of trusted third-party experts to provide support. With over 260 technical experts globally at Shell Lubricants, we work closely with customers via lubricant related services, LubeChat, Lube Advisor and Lube Analyst to provide tailored support, knowledge-sharing and consultancy.

 Q: What technological advances can we expect to see in the future?

A: The plastic injection moulding industry is experiencing a rise in ‘smart’ factories. These are underpinned by Industry 4.0 technologies, which support digitisation and automation of operations, such as AI, big data and Internet of Things (IoT) means that manufacturers are steering towards digitised and automated operations. By leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies, operators can benefit from factors such as remote monitoring, maintenance and data-driven decision making. By adopting the TCO saving technologies of today, operators can reinvest saved costs into the uptake of smart factories in the future.