UK industry 'operating without safety net' thanks to lack of obsolescence planning

Industry in the UK is “operating without a safety net” thanks to a lack of planning around how to handle obsolete equipment, an expert has claimed.

Tom Boswell from parts and maintenance supplier Eriks made the comment after research from the company and the Institution of Engineering and Technology found that more than half of industry has no plan in place for obsolete equipment.

Almost seven in 10 engineers said more than half of their equipment is more than 10 years old, while 62% of industry had never undertaken an obsolescence audit.

Of the engineers surveyed, 38% said ageing equipment caused “serious downtime incidents” of more than two days “a few times every year”, and 68% of industry reportedly did not know delivery times for spares of critical or obsolete equipment.

“This report is not designed to highlight the fact that UK industry is using ageing equipment,” said reliability engineering manager Boswell. “Older equipment is often extremely well built and continues to perform well in the field, but it does require special planning, specifically the supply of spares and coordination with the factory store. These results demonstrate that all too often this level of planning is not taking place and industry is operating without a safety net.”

Not undertaking obsolescence audits is a serious issue, Boswell said. “The obsolescence audit should not only identify obsolete equipment, but also highlight potential weaknesses in the indirect supply chain, specifically the ability to quickly deliver spares that keep machines operational.”

He added: “The collective importance of obsolescence and inventory management is all too often under-resourced and under-appreciated, despite their impact on downtime and, ultimately, profits. We hope this report will encourage those working in factories and industrial sites to take a more proactive approach.”

There is also a “broader underlying issue about stores management as a whole,” said Andrew Fraser, managing director of consultants Reliable Manufacturing. “The store needs to become a vital cog in the manufacturing process that improves uptime and reduces downtime. An ageing asset base need not be a critical risk, but it does require careful planning.”