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Barrel of Success: Northern Industrial Deliver Obsolescence Solutions to Black Sheep Brewery
Published: 28/10/2022
Barrel of Success: Northern Industrial Deliver Obsolescence Solutions to Black Sheep Brewery
For proactive manufacturers who want to avoid pausing production to install new equipment, an obsolescence strategy will be your new comrade in the fight against downtime, allowing you to maximise your initial return on investment.
When original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) discontinue product lines and technology advances, an increasing number of businesses are unfortified against obsolescence. As the machinery gets past its prime, the threat of unplanned downtime becomes perilously closer. With downtime costing two hundred thousand pounds per hour on average, evading this threat has never been more important to your bottom line.
Who is Black Sheep Brewery?
Nestled in the quaint market town of Masham, North Yorkshire, Black Sheep Brewery are pioneers in their trade, infused with a rich heritage spanning over three decades and five generations. Building their original brewhouse from reclaimed materials in 1992, their operations continue to stand strong to this very day, championing independent brewing.
Black Sheep states that quality, consistency and independence come first. To fulfil their values, reliable machinery is key.
The Challenge
Having identified some ageing automation components within some of their machines, Black Sheep Brewery contacted the Northern Industrial team to complete an obsolescence report and provide a correlating strategy to safeguard their future operations.
“Our award-winning range of beers is an eclectic mix of classic and modern styles as we continue to champion innovation whilst staying true to our traditional roots. We brew beer in cask, keg, bottle, can and mini-keg and constantly strive to create beers that excite our drinkers.
Never wanting to let our customers down, we decided to undertake an obsolescence plan to help us maximise usage of our legacy kit while also enabling innovation. While the process is more commonly used in high tech industries like pharmaceuticals and chemical production, we believe it’s not only our commercial duty but our ethical duty to make the most of our equipment and keep things up and running for the long term.”
Phil Douglas, Head Brewer
The Solution
Before finalising the plan of attack, a solid understanding of spares pricing is essential. While your necessary part may begin at a standard and expected price, the closer to obsolescence it gets, the more rare it becomes, causing the cost to inflate significantly. Once the part leaves circulation and equipment is updated, this price drops once again. As Black Sheep continue to stay true to their roots and utilise reclaimed materials in their operations, maintaining legacy equipment was and remains to be a priority. With the above pricing lifecycle and detailed planning, purchasing spare parts while the market is rife with affordable options would be the best course of action.
Our representative determined the first step to be a site audit where we could ensure that sufficient spare parts were available in the event of a breakdown. This audit would also identify vulnerable machinery which could fall victim to unplanned downtime and traverse along the entire production process if a certain part became obsolete. Upon his arrival, our engineer was given a guided tour, assessing various critical machines and cabinets pinpointed by the Black Sheep team. Data could then be collected from existing maintenance records while also assessing the OEM or supplier to determine SLAs and identify plans to discontinue any parts. While this risk audit is an essential first step in developing a robust obsolescence strategy, we always say that this should never be a stagnant, one time process. It must incorporate all potential variables and be integrated into your regular maintenance framework.
We documented every step of the process, taking photographs of each unit along with its part number which allowed us to produce an all encompassing asset register containing advisories regarding machinery positioning, presently available spare parts and current market prices. This asset register allows Black Sheep to have a strategy in place for repairs, upgrades and spare parts should the need arise, minimising the chances of downtime, one part at a time.
“This report consists of detailed lists of the automation equipment found in each machine along with whether they are obsolete and how much availability there is for each part. Based on our experience and in-depth knowledge, we would normally expect a drive to give at least 10 years of trouble-free operation. How long a drive would last after this time without failing, will be dependent on factors such as the build quality, the ambient temperature in the panel, cleanliness of the environment and the frequency of routine planned maintenance schedule.
The age and availability of each unit are then used to provide an indication of how urgently a solution should be sought, whether that be holding a spare, upgrading to a modern equivalent or having the existing unit serviced. Which of these solutions is the most appropriate, is considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all possible contributing factors, such as the number of hours or days of downtime would be acceptable, should a breakdown occur.”
JohnJoe McGonagle, Northern Industrial Regional Business Development Manager
How can we help you with your preventative maintenance?
If you have not yet heard about our SparesVault™ service, please let us introduce you to a bespoke obsolescence management system, ideal for the downtime conscious manufacturer.
Our service provides a bespoke obsolescence management system, minimising the effort required to procure obsolete spare parts. SparesVault™ provides an extra layer of protection for those who simply cannot afford the disruption and risks associated with unplanned downtime. We enable you to take charge of your assets and secure spare parts coverage for the future, with minimal up-front costs and without the need to house a huge spares inventory at your site.
Are you ready to unlock your SparesVault™?
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