When you purchased your equipment from the manufacturer, you likely learned about their specialized maintenance program to help maintain the asset throughout its life span.
There's some value in an original equipment manufacturer's advice on how to keep their product working well for a long time. However, OEM maintenance programs have several common drawbacks that can cost your company time and money.
Cost of excessive spare parts
Your OEM will more than likely suggest that you keep certain spare parts on hand so you can make quick replacements when needed without slowing down production. This is generally good advice, but there are a few potential issues in following your OEM's spare parts suggestions to a T.
Having spare parts on hand is helpful, but only if they're useful and necessary.First, there's the question of branding; your OEM will likely require that you only use spare parts created by that manufacturer. In fact, using another company's comparable spare part may void your contract and disqualify you from receiving maintenance at the agreed-upon rate
Additionally, the people suggesting certain spare parts may have little experience in maintaining the equipment they sold you, My Purchasing Center pointed out. There's a chance they're suggesting you stock up on extras of a part that rarely fails, or are neglecting to advise you to invest in a few spares of a component that's more prone to breaking down.
Working with a centralized maintenance provider with an on-site embedded technician can help solve this problem. These technicians have their own workspaces at their assigned sites, and are fully stocked with parts they know they'll need.
Brand loyalty clouds good advice
Your OEM maintenance provider isn't loyal to your company or your facility's success; OEMs are only loyal to their own brand. That means that, if you have a need that a certain piece of equipment will satisfy, OEM technicians will likely only point it out if it's sold by their company.
A brand agnostic technician doesn't have the same restrictions. He or she seeks out the best solutions for a facility, regardless of which manufacturer makes the equipment. Additionally, since these technicians are more informed about a wide range of brands, they can offer helpful advice on many different models of similar assets.
Delayed response for critical equipment repair needs
When a piece of critical equipment breaks down, you want it repaired and working as quickly as possible. When you reach out to your OEM maintenance provider, you'll have to deal with schedules, dispatched workers and the time it takes to travel to your site. If they don't have a unique part or tool needed to carry out the repair, you'll have to wait even longer for them to drive back to their home base, pick up the required item, and return to your facility.
When you have an on-site technician dedicated to keeping your equipment running smoothly, timing is rarely a concern. Since the technician is already located at your site, there's no travel time to worry about. Also, our technicians already have parts available at the on-site equipment parts facility which you can read about here.
To learn more about how our technicians save you money on equipment, contact NMS today.