How to control spare parts and maintenance costs in advance to avoid small failures turning into major shutdowns

The cost of remote on-site repair is not just the price of an accessory. Personnel presence, transportation, accommodation, waiting, buying the wrong parts, and repeated inspections all make minor glitches expensive.

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01 Spare parts package View content 02 Inventory suggestions View content 03 Repair costs View content 04 Onsite service View content

Applicable scene

It is suitable for sites that are far away from cities, have high door-to-door costs, long spare parts cycles, many old machine failures, and long-term spontaneous power generation sites.

After-sales costs in mining areas cannot only be based on maintenance man-hours. A visit to a remote site may include transportation, accommodation, tools, spare parts, waiting and on-site cooperation costs. If it is discovered after arriving at the scene that there is a lack of data or accessories, or the scope of the fault has not been clearly determined, repeated costs will be incurred.

Truly controllable after-sales service requires clear explanation of basic spare parts, enhanced spare parts, repair information, remote judgment and on-site service before delivery. Instead of ensuring that all visits are free, each service should be spent as much as possible on restoring power.

Basic spare parts package

Oil filters, diesel filters, air filters, oil-water separators and common seals.
Belts, coolant, oil, common hoses, clamps and basic electrical consumables.
Battery maintenance tools, commonly used relays, fuses, terminals and small vulnerable parts of the control cabinet.

Enhanced spare parts package

Suitable for remote mining areas or critical load sites, sensors, controllers, AVRs, chargers and startup-related spare parts can be added.
For old machines or units with frequent faults, prepare high-probability spare parts based on historical faults instead of just purchasing them in standard packages.
For multiple units of the same model, unify the spare parts model and inventory location to reduce buying errors, troubleshooting and repeated purchases.

Service fee control

The local engineer or remote engineer will first determine the scope of the problem and then decide whether to visit the site.
If you really need to visit your home, prepare information, spare parts, tools, on-site electricians and shutdown windows in advance.
Put diagnosis, repair, replacement, testing and review into one service plan to reduce repeated visits.

Execution steps

On-site personnel follow fixed steps so that engineers can make judgments based on the same set of facts.

Maintenance actions must be performed repeatedly and evidence must be left. The following steps are suitable as the basic process before team handover and repair report.

Grade spare parts by risk of downtime

Divide spare parts into high-frequency maintenance parts, critical small parts, waiting parts and special order parts. Spare parts related to critical loads such as drainage, ventilation, and communications have higher priority.

Check the model number before purchasing spare parts

The same power unit may also use different spare parts due to different engines, generators, controllers and configurations. Nameplates, serial numbers and photos of old parts should be checked before purchasing.

Update inventory after each repair

After using the filter element, sensor, belt or electrical parts, update the inventory and next purchase list simultaneously. Don't wait for the next shutdown to find that there are no spare parts on site.

Exception signal

In these cases, do not just reset and continue running.

There are only random spare parts on site, but there is no follow-up replenishment plan.
Spare parts are placed in the warehouse, but there is no record of model, applicable unit and quantity.
Every time I repaired it, I had to temporarily find parts. After I bought it, I found that the interface, specifications or controller version did not match.
There is no fault information and spare parts judgment before on-site service, and personnel can only re-diagnose after arriving on site.

Record list

It is recommended to keep these data for each inspection and repair report

Spare parts name, model, applicable unit, inventory quantity, minimum inventory and storage location.
The date of use of each spare part, corresponding failure, installer and test results after replacement.
Supply cycles, alternative models, procurement methods and price changes.
On-site service fees, traffic conditions, arrival time and reasons for waiting.

How engineers can assist

The more complete the information, the faster the remote judgment, and the more efficient the door-to-door judgment.

If alarms, trips, starting difficulties, abnormal voltage, abnormal fuel consumption, or unstable loads have occurred on site, please give priority to retaining controller photos, fault videos, operating hours, recent maintenance records, oil status, load lists, and ATS/power distribution photos.

If a spare parts package is to be established, the unit model, serial number, operating hours, distance to the mine, critical loads and historical faults should be provided.
If verification of replacement parts is required, photos of the old part, nameplate, plug interface, installation location and controller version should be provided.
If you want to control door-to-door costs, you should first complete remote data collection and clarify personnel, tools, spare parts and on-site cooperation conditions.

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