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As with all equipment, an air compressor installation requires maintenance during its lifetime. While maintenance costs only account for about 5-10% of a machine’s annual cost of ownership, failing to set aside a budget for maintenance can lead to potentially devastating consequences. Plus, when compressor maintenance is deferred, a snowball effect can occur with other compressed air equipment, leading to an increased risk of downtime and decreased efficiency across the board.
Because maintenance costs are relatively low in relation to other compressed air costs, planning a maintenance budget should be an annual exercise. In order to determine your maintenance budget, the following factors must be considered:
- Type of compressors
- Auxiliary equipment
- Operating cycle
- Installation conditions
- Safety levels
- Energy recovery or cooling system
- Degree of utilization
- Maintenance planning
As you can see, the maintenance budget depends on your installation and its required reliability and performance needs; a service agreement can help take the guesswork out of maintenance planning while optimizing your compressed air system. Atlas Copco offers a variety of service agreements including a Total Responsibility Plan that includes all regular maintenance, engineering improvements, breakdown repairs and machine overhauls with fixed annual costs for the agreed period.
Planning a maintenance budget is a no-brainer. The benefits – increased energy efficiency, productivity and a longer service life of the air compressor and its auxiliary equipment – far outweigh the annual costs of a service agreement.
Visit our website to search for an operating manual, inquire about spare parts or learn more about Atlas Copco service.
