One of the modules offered by DINGO’s Trakka® software, a cloud-based predictive analytical and workflow maintenance management tool, is the Condition Based Component Change (CBCC) Module. CBCC allows for life process mapping, and evaluation of component condition. In this module, components are assessed based on oil analysis results, assisting sites in making decisions to change based on condition, which results in extended component life with a positive impact to the bottom line.
DINGO’s Condition Intelligence® expert analysts play an important role in the CBCC program. These experts proactivelyevaluate components approaching scheduled replacement, and perform a detailed analysis of their condition the financial impact of continuing to run the components past their average life.
Recently DINGO performed an exercise for a customer concerned about the validity of CBCC benefits calculated and if the module was, in fact, impacting component replacement costs. There was a concern that increased rebuild cost for high-hour components could lead to a net negative value to the site through an increase in cost per hour for a component, rather than a decrease.
DINGO experts set out to prove the validity of the CBCC program at four different sites for this customer, using a combination of data from Trakka’s component change records and accompanying data from rebuild costs for common components in the customer’s CMMS system. The components initially assessed were: Caterpillar 785C engine, transmission, differential, and final drive; Caterpillar D11R engine, transmission, and final drive; and Hitachi EH4500 final drive.
If the customer’s concerns about increasing rebuild costs was correct, from this investigation, DINGO experts would have expected to see a sharp increase in rebuild costs when components were pushed beyond budgeted life.
The initial assessment showed that, while budgeted values for most components were close to the average rebuild cost, there were a large number of outliers. The historical average lives achieved were significantly lower than the lives budgeted for. There was a higher occurrence of early component failure than that of components still functioning well beyond their budgeted life, due to components previously being changed out as they approached budget life. Since implementing the program components have frequently been run past their budget life and overall, the assessment showed that there didn’t appear to be a significant cost increase to run components beyond their budgeted life.
DINGO recommendations as a result of these assessments aimed to improve data quality, as there was some questionable data, likely attributed to multiple components being allocated to a single component code in the customer’s CMMS. Recommended steps to improve data quality included the use of component tear down reports to ensure individual component values are being allocated properly to changes. Additionally, data should be recorded to determine if ongoing maintenance costs increase after budget life – are there more minor repairs, turbo or injector replacements, etc., after high hours have occurred.
DINGO’s detailed analysis was able to show this customer that the CBCC calculations were indeed valid, and there was not a net negative impact on their bottom line.
Overall, DINGO’s assessment service within the CBCC module can provide its customers with an assessment of each component scheduled for replacement,; recommendations for additional inspections or tests before determining to extend the component’s life, deciding on whether to keep running the component or change it, and a basic financial risk/reward calculation on continuing to run the component.
