Fluid Analysis: Cost vs. Price

Customers and potential customers often ask “what is the cost per sample?” This information is important for purchasing and supply chain reasons, but what is even more important is the savings a well-managed fluid analysis program can bring to any organization. Organizations that associate items with only cost will have little or no Return on Investment (ROI) – whereas those utilizing a complete fluid analysis program with value-added services can see an average ROI of 20:1, with some experiencing levels as high as 45:1.

Where Can You Save More?

Many fluid analysis program decisions are based solely on cost or price per sample as the major factor used to decide a supplier. What is often not considered are some of the unknown costs associated with a fluid analysis program. These include:

  • Day-to-day operational coordination to manage the program
  • Chance of incorrect or inefficient reporting
  • Manual, traditional, handwritten sample submission

It’s important to know these additional costs, how to leverage available solutions and maximize your ROI. Traditional handwritten submission forms can take up to five more minutes than submitting your sample online for via the mobile app or automated submissions from CMMS systems (check out DataConnect).

Take Advantage of Value-Add Services

True savings can only be measured by monitoring the efficiencies that your fluid analysis provider can offer you in your maintenance and reliability programs, and the services they provide integrate and enhance your strategies. POLARIS Laboratories® offers many value-add services included in the sample price – to help you decrease your operational costs.

  • Documented, transparent turnaround time
  • Sample status notifications and online tracking
  • Mobile app and online sample submission
  • CMMS integration (DataConnect)
  • Certified, experienced data analysis team
  • Automated, customizable data management reports
  • Hierarchical report structure and asset watch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you. 

Published October 30. 2018

VIDEO: How to Bridge the Gap with Filter Debris Analysis

Oil filters are designed to remove contaminants and particles that would have otherwise damaged the system – but did you know this also removes the evidence that data analysts can use to provide in-depth maintenance recommendations? Dive deeper into the particles, contamination and evidence of wear that are caught in the oil filter by sending in your oil filter for Filter Debris Analysis.

FDA Dives Deeper Into Contamination Causes

Standard oil analysis (Elemental Analysis by ICP) can provide you with information on what’s going on in your equipment – but, there are limits to what ICP can detect. ICP can only detect fine particles of approximately 10 microns or smaller – leaving larger particles unidentified. Filter Debris Analysis helps identify larger wear particle debris as well as outside contamination. The wear morphology, metal type(s) and contamination types can be identified to help determine the possible source of the wear or contamination.

How is FDA Performed?

The FDA process involves flushing the filter, extracting the particles and performing several tests (including micropatch and analytical ferrography) to identify wear particles. Check out the video below to see how we perform Filter Debris Analysis at POLARIS Laboratories®:

Learn more about Filter Debris Analysis by reading our technical bulletin.

Interested in adding FDA to your current fluid analysis program? Contact customer service or your account manager.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published October 9, 2018

The Future of Your Reliability

We live in a connected world

Do you find that your critical condition monitoring information (fluid analysis, thermography, acoustics, telematics, etc.) is stored and managed in many different places and systems? Do you have to manually connect each of these data points to come to conclusions? Companies like yours have to navigate through data and information that is too often siloed – creating unnecessary work, time and expense.

So, how do we eliminate these silos? How do we integrate data into one place and automate our reliability?

Imagine your machine creating a work order from the oil analysis results you received from the laboratory … but seamlessly, without the human connection. That’s the future of reliability – technology, integration, connections and removing the human connection.

Telematics. Artificial Intelligence. Machine Learning.

This prescriptive approach enables maintenance professionals to leverage the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) by integrating siloed data into a centralized digital system.

Leveraging fluid analysis information is the key to your success today, but establishing an asset reliability model for your organization of the future is paramount. And, if executed effectively, you will establish a truly empowered user experience that will save your company countless hours and effort in manual labor and analysis. And, it will improve your impact, uptime and savings. This is the future of maintenance and reliability, but you can take your first steps today.

So, where do you start?

POLARIS Laboratories’ DataConnect feature offers advanced data integration to seamlessly connect your CMMS to HORIZON®, our award-winning online management platform. This capability does the work for you by automatically importing your HORIZON sample data into your CMMS system.

The future of operational efficiency through integration, technology and advanced systems is here. Are you ready? Talk with one of our account managers or technical business consultants to turn today’s missed opportunity into tomorrow’s success story.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published October 2, 2018