The relationship between lubrication and maintenance

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Experience has shown that the cost of lubricants accounts for only 1-2% of the operating costs of equipment, while maintenance costs make up 30-40% of those operating costs. In other words, the cost of equipment maintenance is more than 20 times the cost of lubricants. The costs of production equipment and raw materials are fixed and often beyond a company’s control. In a business, equipment must be maintained, and the expenses associated with such maintenance come out of the net profits. Every dollar saved on equipment maintenance is equivalent to earning more than a dollar in profit from that investment. Lubrication in Chinese enterprises is just beginning, and it will completely transform maintenance, shifting it from reactive repair to proactive maintenance. New approaches to proactive equipment maintenance: In recent years, new ideas for proactive maintenance have been proposed from the perspective of equipment maintenance. The core of these approaches is to monitor the key parameters that cause equipment degradation, and to adjust and improve these parameters in a timely manner, thereby ensuring the proper operation of the equipment and extending its lifespan. Cleanliness is a key parameter for hydraulic and lubrication systems. Numerous practical studies conducted in China have shown that, in addition to the quality of the oil itself, oil contamination is often caused by poor management and maintenance. Efforts must be made to ensure the cleanliness of the oil; a high-efficiency lubrication and filtration system suitable for the equipment being used is necessary to remove contaminants promptly, which can significantly extend the service life due to reduced friction. These practices can be handled entirely before the components fail, shifting from a passive to an active approach. The current maintenance model actually gives priority to maintenance. We should prioritize maintenance over repair; the goal of achieving \"zero failures,\" \"zero repairs,\" and \"zero inventory\" for our equipment is not far off. Shifting from reactive maintenance to proactive maintenance – fixing problems as soon as they arise – seems to have become the standard approach for maintenance in our country. In an era when technologies were not complex and equipment was simple, this method was feasible. In contemporary times, production processes have become faster and more automated; mechanical equipment features high speeds, complex structures, advanced monitoring and feedback systems, as well as increasingly high precision in processing. Traditional maintenance methods are no longer suitable for these conditions. In the past, our responsibility for maintenance was to fix the equipment when it broke down; if the equipment was not broken, then we would wait until it did break. At this point, it is necessary to ensure that the equipment is not damaged by carrying out proper inspections and maintenance. More importantly, it is essential to analyze the causes of failures and develop measures to prevent them from occurring again. People choose proactive maintenance because it involves monitoring and controlling the fundamental parameters that lead to equipment damage, thereby delaying the occurrence of failures and eliminating any signs of trouble at an early stage. Failures in equipment are caused by lubrication issues in about 40-60% of cases; with the current level of lubrication technology, it is entirely possible to address these issues before the equipment fails.