Trust rewarded Explaining the regular maintenance process, Robbie continues, “Prior to a planned service event we produce and share with Pirtek an asset inspection schedule. This allows the hose engineer to inspect the hoses on the relevant assets and produce a report with recommendations to replace or address potential hose related issues. I don’t think we have ever turned round to them and said, ‘We’re not going to change those hoses based on your recommendation,’ because we see these guys as the experts. Additionally, Pirtek have rerouted existing hoses to prevent further rubbing and chaffing, thus increasing the life of the hose in current operation. This clearly demonstrates added value beyond being just a hose supplier. “It’s money well spent – we’ve been tracking the effectiveness of that strategy and our figures confirm that it works.” In January 2016, 34 per cent of maintenance jobs were unplanned or emergency intervention, with only 66 per cent performed as part of a planned and scheduled event. During 2017, this ratio significantly improved, averaging 82 per cent planned and 18 per cent unplanned across the year. Monthly unplanned figures were frequently in single figures, going as low as five per cent in February of that year and six per cent in September 2017. “Our department works to a target to provide 98 per cent availability on the prime movers fleet, which is challenging but achievable through our maintenance strategy and continuous improvement philosophy,” says Robbie.
“If we had a hose burst, we would have to call Pirtek out, therefore we suffer a delay in production and associated cost. We’d have an asset stood idle and we’d be introducing contamination into the system and risk subsequent expensive premature component failures. “We spend a lot of money on lubricants, so we’re tracking that cost against spend on hydraulic hoses and we do see a correlation. By investing in hoses you fundamentally reduce your spending on hydraulic oil as well.” Predictability is a key attraction of Total Hydraulic Management. “We don’t like to live in an unplanned, unpredictable world,” says Robbie. “We target ourselves in line with world class maintenance standards at 80 per cent of maintenance planned. Planned servicing, brake testing, component replacement, preservice inspection. On average 80 per cent of every activity performed on an asset is planned and controlled. Once you move into a world of being unplanned your cost escalates. “With Total Hydraulic Management, we can take the asset down when it’s convenient to the business. There is a real benefit to that.”
Banks Mining The Tyne and Wear franchise has been doing Total Hose Management for north- east mining company, Banks Mining (www.banksgroup.co.uk/mining) for around three years. Robbie Bentham, plant director at Banks Mining (below) sees it as an investment. “From where we were previously, reacting to breakdowns, we analysed the nature of the breakdowns and concluded we needed to start addressing hoses on a more proactive basis. “We see the value in improving the availability and reducing the downtime of the assets, particularly on the large rigid trucks and the prime movers, because if one of those assets is down then production comes to a grinding halt – that has a huge impact on production efficiency.
UK 0800 38 24 38 ROI 1800 74 78 35 www.pirtek.eu
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