Cost Saving Opportunities for Compressors: Maintenance

• Type of compressors

• Auxiliary equipment (dryers, filters, control and regulation equipment)

• Operating cycle load/unload

• Installation conditions

• Media quality

• Maintenance planning

• Choice of safety level

• Energy recovery/cooling system

• Degree of utilization

Well-planned compressor maintenance allows costs to be anticipated and the service life of the machine and auxiliary equipment to be extended as a result. Costs for repairing small faults is also decreased and downtime is shortened. By utilizing advanced electronics to a greater degree, machines are equipped with instruments for diagnostic examination. This means that component parts can be utilized optimally and replacement takes place only when truly needed. The need for reconditioning components can be discovered at an early stage before damage is significant, thereby avoiding subsequent damage and unnecessary downtime. By utilizing the compressor supplier's aftermarket services, its staff and original spare parts, the machine can be expected to maintain a high technical operational standard, while offering the possibility of introducing modifications based on recent experiences during the machine's service life. The assessment of the maintenance requirement is made by specially-trained technicians, who also conduct training for in-house first-line maintenance staff. In-house skilled staff should preferable be used to perform daily inspections, as local ears and eyes can hear and see things that remote monitoring equipment cannot.

It is easy to expand an installation by adding numerous pieces of auxiliary equipment, for example, to increase the air quality or to monitor the system. However, even auxiliary equipment needs service and incurs maintenance costs (e.g. filter replacement, drying agent replacement, adaptation to other equipment and staff training.) In addition, secondary maintenance costs exist, for example, for the distribution network and production machines, which are affected by the quality of the compressed air, and include deposit costs for oil and filter cartridges. All of these costs must be evaluated in the cost of ownership calculation that forms the basis for any new compressor investment.