Flat Tire vs. Bearing Failure

Preventive Maintenance saves time and money. The cost penalty for not doing Preventive Maintenance goes up as time goes on. Most equipment does not fail immediately when it has not been maintained on a regular schedule. It generally takes a significant amount of time to progress from when the parts begin to wear, the equipment shows signs of suffering, the operating costs increase, to when an actual failure occurs.

This gradual failure becomes more and more costly as the practice continues. This can be illustrated by showing the steps involved in something as straightforward as a flat tire as compared to a bearing failure at your company!

Category/Cost $	Vehicle: Flat Tire	Equipment: Bearing Failure
PM Not Performed	Pressure Not Maintained	Bearing Not Greased
$ Excessive Parts Wear	Operating Temperature Rise, Excessive Tread Wear, Loss of Rigidity, Lower Gas Mileage	Operating Temperature Rise, Increased Bearing Wear, Excess Bearing Vibration, Increased Energy Costs
$$ Equipment Problems	Vehicle Handling Suffers, Reduced Speed, Increased Travel Time, Shorter Life Cycle	Quality Problems, Increase in Defective Parts, Production Slowed, Decreased Quantity Produced, Reduced Up Time
$$$ Breakdown	Premature Tire Failure, Trip Ruined	Premature Bearing Failure, Production Lost
$$$$ Emergency Maintenance	Maintenance Schedule Disrupted, Waiting for Cruiser and Flatbed, Waiting for Tire	Maintenance Staff Disrupted, No Time for Preventive Maintenance, Troubleshoot/Identify Problem, Waiting for Part
$$$$$ Costs Skyrocket	Loss of Vehicle Use, Expedite Fees, Replacement Vehicle Costs, Anxiety Factor, Personal Overtime to Catch Up	Lost Income/Use of Equipment, Overnight Freight Costs, 24/7 Maintenance Effort x 3 Days, Angry/Alienated Customers, Production Overtime to Catch Up.

As can be seen from the above table, for a small investment in time and materials in the form of a properly executed Preventive Maintenance program, the reward is an extremely large return in the form of increased production, reduced energy and maintenance efforts, and best of all, a substantial increase in equipment reliability!

A different perspective relating a vehicle flat tire to an equipment bearing failure can be found at:
Preventive Maintenance Versus the $ 5,000.00 Dollar Flat Tire

Preventive Maintenance Software
Avoids Skyrocketing Costs

Flat Tire vs. Bearing Failure

Preventive Maintenance - Preventive Maintenance Software

Preventive Maintenance Software Avoids Skyrocketing Costs

Flat Tire vs. Bearing Failure

Preventive Maintenance - Preventive Maintenance Software

Preventive Maintenance Software
Avoids Skyrocketing Costs