By using the latest condition monitoring systems and automatic lubrication units for bearings, companies that process oil, gas and chemicals can reduce the risk and costs associated with an unforeseen failure of critical production plant and machinery, says Kate Hartigan, Managing Director, Schaeffler (UK) Ltd. When it comes to owning and managing a high cost item such as a car or home, most of us are comfortable with paying insurance premiums to help safeguard us against an unforeseen accident or breakdown. The policy we take out is a type of risk management policy that invariably helps us to sleep better at night. So, as process manufacturers, surely we too need to ensure that our high-value capital goods - such as production machinery and other critical plant equipment - are adequately insured against the cost of unforeseen breakdowns? In the downstream oil and gas sector 'lost' production time can equate to hundreds of thousands of pounds per day - until the problem is rectified.
展开▼
