Production facilities must operate reliably, ensure high availability, and be run cost-effectively over many years. However, over the course of a long machine lifecycle, costs and risks can arise that are easily overlooked in day-to-day operations.
It is not always large investments that determine a system’s economic viability. Unplanned downtime, a lack of spare parts, reactive maintenance, and outdated components can impair productivity and delivery performance while increasing operating costs.
A holistic view of the machine’s lifecycle helps identify such risks early on.
The availability of drive and automation technology, a proactive spare parts strategy, professional services, and modernization concepts all play a decisive role in ensuring long-term cost-effective operation.
Unplanned downtime rarely occurs without warning signs. Wear on bearings, elevated temperatures, increasing vibrations, or changes in key operating parameters can indicate technical problems at an early stage.
However, if there is a lack of transparency regarding a machine’s actual condition, such developments may go undetected for a long time. A failure may then only be detected when it is imminent or already affecting production.
Regular inspections and a systematic condition assessment provide a better basis for decision-making. Critical developments can be identified early on, and necessary maintenance measures can be planned in a targeted manner.
The key question is therefore not just: Is the machine running today? But also: What is its condition, and how can its long-term availability be ensured?
Lenze supports machine operators in assessing the condition of drive and automation components and identifying potential risks early on.
When a machine is down, it’s not just the repair time that matters. How quickly the necessary replacement parts become available is also crucial.
As a machine ages, procuring individual components can become more difficult. Delivery times may increase, and certain products or components may no longer be available. This is particularly critical for components whose failure affects large parts of the plant or even the entire production process.
Strategic spare parts management therefore begins even before a potential failure occurs.
If a component cannot be replaced at short notice, professional repair services can offer a cost-effective alternative. Professional repair of drive and automation components can reduce downtime and extend the useful life of existing assets.
The goal here is not to keep as many components in stock as possible. Rather, it is crucial to ensure that critical spare parts are available on demand and in a timely manner. An early spare parts strategy developed in collaboration with a service partner such as Lenze can help identify availability risks for critical components in a timely manner.
3. Maintenance Strategies Should Be Based on the Actual Condition of the Equipment
Reactive maintenance follows a simple principle: a component is repaired or replaced when a malfunction occurs. However, what may seem cost-effective in the short term poses risks to continuous production operations.
Unplanned service calls, production interruptions, and spare parts needed on short notice can incur additional costs and complicate planning.
Condition-based maintenance takes a proactive approach. Information about the actual condition of machines and components forms the basis for targeted maintenance decisions.
This allows necessary measures to be better planned, resources to be deployed more effectively, and unplanned downtime to be minimized.
4. Obsolescence Can Jeopardize Long-Term Equipment Availability
A machine does not have to be defective to pose an economic risk.
Many pieces of equipment continue to perform their tasks reliably even after many years of operation. At the same time, components may become technically obsolete or no longer available. This increases the demands on spare parts supply and maintenance. Integrating new functions or digital technologies can also become more difficult.
Therefore, obsolescence should not be considered only after a component fails and a suitable replacement is no longer available.
An early assessment makes it possible to specifically identify the need for modernization. Through retrofit and modernization measures, existing machines can be technically upgraded and prepared for longer-term economic operation.
Modernization does not necessarily mean replacing the entire machine. Rather, it involves selectively upgrading existing equipment where technical or economic risks arise.
5. Untapped Energy Efficiency Potential Increases Operating Costs
A machine’s cost-effectiveness is not determined solely by its purchase price and maintenance costs. Its energy consumption also influences costs throughout its entire lifecycle.
For existing systems in particular, it is therefore worthwhile to take a close look at drive systems, components, and operating modes. Outdated technology or unfavorable operating conditions can result in existing efficiency potentials remaining untapped.
Even small efficiency losses in drives, motors, or VFDs can result in significant energy costs over many years of operation. An analysis of energy consumption helps identify opportunities for optimization and provides a sound basis for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of potential modernization measures.
Targeted adjustments and modernization measures can thus not only improve a system’s technical performance but also contribute to more cost-effective operation.
Lenze supports machine operators throughout the entire lifecycle of their drive and automation technology. From service and spare parts supply, through maintenance and repair, to modernization and retrofitting, one goal remains central: ensuring machines remain available and operate economically over the long term.
6. A Lack of Machine Knowledge Increases Operational Risk
The technology used is not the only factor crucial to the reliable operation of older machines. Knowledge of the system is at least as important.
In many companies, this know-how is closely tied to individual employees. When responsibilities change or experienced specialists leave the company, valuable knowledge can be lost. In the event of a malfunction, important information about components, settings, or past maintenance activities may then be missing.
Up-to-date documentation, structured knowledge transfer, and regular training help help ensure that this knowledge remains available over the long term. Equally important is access to technical expertise. Service partners can help fill gaps in know-how, analyze faults more quickly, and ensure the safe, long-term operation of existing equipment.
Holistic lifecycle management therefore considers not only the technical availability of a system but also the necessary know-how for its safe and efficient operation.
7. Machine Performance Must Be Considered Throughout the Entire Lifecycle
High machine performance over the long term is not achieved through a single measure. It is the result of many decisions made throughout the machine’s entire lifecycle.
From commissioning and operation through maintenance and spare parts management to modernization and optimization, numerous factors influence a system’s availability and cost-effectiveness.
Companies should therefore regularly assess:
- What is the machine’s current condition?
- Which components are particularly critical?
- Which spare parts must be available in the long term?
- Where are there obsolescence risks?
- Which maintenance measures can be better planned?
- Where is there potential for modernization or energy efficiency?
- Is the necessary machine expertise available in the long term?
This holistic approach helps identify risks early on, prioritize measures, and plan investments more effectively.
Ensuring Long-Term Machine Performance
Many costs associated with machine operation do not result from a single event. They develop gradually over months or years.
This is precisely where strategic lifecycle management comes into play: Instead of reacting only after malfunctions or discontinued components, the machine’s condition, maintenance, spare parts supply, obsolescence, and modernization are continuously monitored.
This allows risks to be identified early, unplanned downtime to be reduced, and existing investments to be utilized economically for as long as possible.
After all, the economic success of a machine is determined not only by its purchase price, but above all by how it is operated, maintained, and upgraded throughout its entire lifecycle.
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