Despite what many businesses just starting may believe, the overall cost of oil goes well beyond the price tag on the barrel. Each barrel will require more be done in order to ensure its value is completely realized. For example, disposal costs and labor expenses, will make whatever price was supposed per barrel to increase exponentially. Organizations should expect to spend much more than the barrel cost when considering upwards of two man-hours of direct labor and a purchase order will be needed to ensure the oil is properly utilized.
Every organization’s operations are at the mercy of their machinery. Sub-optimized machinery can result in an organization incurring additional costs that could otherwise be avoided entirely. The most sound way to ensure an organization’s machinery is operating appropriately is through maintenance, specifically proper lubrication and completing regular oil changes. Sounds easier than it is in practice, as even the most seasoned businesses can incur additional costs throughout the process. This post will include a closer look at the hidden costs of mismanaged lubrication in industrial settings.
The first hidden cost comes in the form of unnecessary oil changes. Organizations will look to oil changes much too frequently in hopes it can solve a problem actually related to contamination or excessive wear. Before an organization can realize that this wastes valuable resources and time, they’ve already paid out their maintenance providers. The truth is, most issues are much deeper rooted than a simple oil change can solve.
While these oil changes are costly, what’s truly expensive for an organization are the various damages that occur to machinery. Even one simple mistake can result in a costly error for organizations to solve. An over or under-filling the sump or reservoir, for example introduces a new cost for organizations to handle. The same can be said for contaminated or incorrect product runoff. The damage they resolve will also require maintenance and subsequent downtime, keeping organizations from operating at max efficiency.
This damage and inefficiency can also lead to equipment failure in the worst cases. This is why it’s so important for organizations to be prepared for these instances. Most equipment failure can be attributed to bearing malfunctions, nearly half of all reported failure in fact. The replacements necessary to prevent this failure are expensive and can be proven useless if a machine is non-operational.
All of this, in addition to even more issues not mentioned within this post, can cause serious harm to an organization’s bottom line. Ensuring these issues can be avoided is made possible through proper education and preparation when it comes to lubrication for an industrial organization. For more information on the methods that can help organizations prevent these costs, such as preventive solutions and various upgrades to machinery, be sure to review the infographic presented alongside this post. Courtesy of Isomag.