Wednesday 17th January 2024 MANAGING THE RISKS OF EQUIPMENT OBSOLESCENCE Having a strategy for managing your equipment obsolescence is the key to ensuring your future uptime is protected, supported and assured. All technical equipment is subject to redundancy over time as technologies progress and parts become obsolete. Managing this process is a vital part of making sure that your production line continues to work efficiently without loss of quality or unnecessary downtime. At Sencon we have a long history of providing product upgrades and long term support for installed systems that keeps them running well beyond their predicted lifetimes. In fact, some of our leak testers are still running productively more than 20 years after their initial install. Sencon is not immune from the challenge of continuity of spare parts supply but we do, when possible, provide upgrade paths to ensure the continued running of our vital quality assurance systems. Our online ULTP™ for Cans, and ELTP™ for ends, as well as our on- and offline MLT™ Micro Leak Testers. Now, might be a good time to request a free system audit and find out exactly what upgrade options are available to you, to ensure your production lines continue to run without issue. STRATEGIES FOR OBSOLESCENCE MANAGEMENT Having an effective strategy to manage your equipment obsolescence is vitally important to the smooth running of any production facility and involves understanding and implementing a series of planning strategies, such as: Life-cycle Planning Develop a comprehensive life-cycle management plan for each piece of equipment. Define clear milestones for equipment evaluation, upgrades, or replacement. Consider life-cycle cost analysis rather than just the purchase price of new equipment to determine the most value-effective approach. Risk Analysis Assess the risks associated with equipment obsolescence, such as incompatibility with other equipment, loss of vendor support, and unavailable spare parts. Prioritize equipment based on how critical they are to your production, quality control and the potential impact on your operation. Supplier Relationships Choose preferred equipment suppliers who keep you informed about product life-cycles, support timelines, and available upgrades. Consider service contracts with suppliers for PPM (planned preventative maintenance) to mitigate against the need for emergency call-outs or unplanned downtime. Sencon offers PPM contracts. Please contact your regional Sencon office or agent for more information. SYSTEM AUDITS FOR SENCON LEAK TESTERS Leak detection systems for cans and ends, such as Sencon's ULTP, ELTP and MLT, are an integral part of any can or end making line, ensuring the quality and conformance of the products. So it is vital to manage for obsolescence in these systems pro-actively with planned upgrades. Periodically bringing them up to the latest specifications will maintain product quality, maximize uptime, ensure availability of replacement parts and guarantee ongoing technical support. Sencon offers a free audit of leak tester systems to help can and end makers gain the following benefits: Retrofit Upgrades Upgrade paths allow an easy route to enhanced efficiency and functionality without replacing the entire system. Existing installations can be easily upgraded with minimal disruption and downtime with replacement parts designed for straightforward drop in replacement. Industry 4.0 Capability System upgrades provide the latest industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connectivity including standardized touchscreen HMI’s across all systems for operator convenience, clearer machine information and fault diagnostics. Latest Technology Gain the benefits that our latest systems bring such as greater consistency, increased sensitivity, improved detection levels, and reduced system maintenance. For more information on our Planned Preventative Maintenance and Service contracts please contact your regional Sencon office or agent for more information. Alternatively, you can request a free system audit quickly and simply online.