Gauge inventory has a way of mushrooming, leaving storerooms stocked with duplicate and obsolete items that can create uncertainty about purchasing and replacing parts.
In fact, Instrument Audits of more than 300 processing plants showed that on average a facility’s unique gauge configurations could be reduced by 75% while maximizing field coverage.1 Reductions in gauge inventory were possible by:
- Eliminating duplicate configurations,
- Reducing the complexity of gauges, and
- Standardizing on full-scale ranges and options.
The outcome of addressing these key items is a more effective gauge inventory—one that improves your total operating costs and reliability. Here’s how.
Reduction in Costs
Industry studies show that maintenance teams spend 18% of their time searching for the right parts.2 Reducing the complexity of gauge configurations and standardizing on common pressure ranges helps reduce the amount of time spent looking for the right gauge as well as guesswork when it comes to gauge replacement. Stocking the right instruments helps eliminate like-and-kind replacement, and, in turn, stop repeated failures. The plant spends less on gauges, and the maintenance team saves time.
In addition, when gauge inventory is streamlined, waste costs go down. When you know what to order, you aren’t spending money acquiring and managing inventory you don’t need—whether it’s redundant or just wrong for your applications.
Improvement in Reliability
With functional gauges in place, operators have the data needed to troubleshoot issues with equipment and processes to prevent small problems from becoming costly ones. Gauges help detect signs of degradation in process performance; identify potential loss of process or containment; predict how long a piece of equipment can be run safely; and diagnose causes of system and production disruptions.
Often, essential pieces of equipment, such as pumps, aren’t tracked through a DCS, making gauges the sole source of data for monitoring operating conditions. With the right gauges, operators have the information needed to prevent expensive failures of these essential machines.
WIKA’s Full Audit Service Team (FAST) has helped hundreds of plants wrangle their gauge configurations to lower costs and improve uptime. From visual inspections to SAP updates, the FAST team provides turnkey services centered on gauge expertise. Visit www.WIKA-FAST.com to learn more about this value-added offering and how it can help you.