Did you know there’s a way to decrease maintenance costs by spending more money? Many industry experts say that 2 to 3% of a machine’s total replacement value is the gold standard for effective maintenance budgeting. However, most manufacturing companies spend far higher proportions of their equipment’s value on maintenance each year.
Using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts is one of the best ways to spend a little more now and save a lot later on maintenance. OEM parts can also boost productivity in your manufacturing and admin departments. Keep reading this list of benefits to find out how.
When to Buy OEM Parts
The best time to buy original equipment manufacturer parts is right when you purchase the equipment itself. This way you won’t have to spend more time and money tracking down the company when you need to do maintenance or repairs. You also save on shipping and ordering costs, but just make sure you have the storage you need to house the spares.
Good for Planning
One of the main benefits of OEM parts is that you can buy them alongside the equipment you’re purchasing. This way, you cut out having to do extra research on aftermarket parts and their manufacturers. You get the best-fitting spares with guaranteed quality.
You can also move the cash-outflow of purchasing the part from some undefined point in the future to today when you definitely can afford it. This way you will never be caught off guard.
Predictable and Reliable Performance
Keeping OEM components on hand is the best way to know that your equipment will have like-new performance after maintenance or repair. This predictability is crucial for accurate cost analysis.
Aftermarket part sellers may say that certain components boost performance, but remember they may have an improved design made with worse materials. If aftermarket parts don’t fit well or degrade faster, it could mess with your cost predictions.
OEM Equipment Parts Extend Machines’ Useful Lives
Certain aftermarket parts can actually damage and break machines faster. This can be because the designer made them too efficient with unintended results. For example, if a pipe allows too high a volume of fluid through it, it could overwhelm the valve on the other end.
Aftermarket parts can also be made by people who don’t understand the machine as a whole. They could cut certain features out without knowing why that’s bad for the machine.
With OEM parts, you know that the parts you source are perfectly made for the machine. The machine and its parts will degrade slower than if you used cheaper parts. When you have to replace parts fewer times over a stretch of time, it works out cheaper.
Improve Your Maintenance Plan With OEM Parts
OEM equipment parts are high-quality parts for machines that are made by the original manufacturer. Unlike third-party aftermarket parts, these have guaranteed quality assurance and are sure to fit the specs of your equipment. Using OEM parts in your maintenance can extend your equipment’s useful life and save money in the long term.
Maintenance is one of the hundreds of concerns in a manufacturing business. Owners also have to deal with HR, supply chain, IT, and tons more. Learn more about all of these topics by visiting our tech and business blogs today.
