Maintenance: in-house or outsource?

Maintenance: in-house or outsource?

In the times of Industry 4.0, is it still wise for an industrial enterprise to keep its own maintenance staff or is it more profitable to hire external partners for maintenance? We will discuss the pros and cons of this issue here.

It’s truly a dilemma! Many industrial enterprises downsize their in-house maintenance team to a minimum. Keeping such a team at 100% operational availability comes at a high price which many are not prepared to pay. On the other hand, maintenance teams should ideally be available 24/7 (including a back-up team) which naturally leads to increased personnel expenses. In addition, there are also costs for special tools used in maintenance as well as regular trainings. Some equipment, such as torque and vibration measurement technology, is extremely costly and its acquisition is of no clear benefit considering the limited operation hours.

In the end, the company’s financial situation is the deciding factor whether a dedicated maintenance team can be sustained or not. If you are thinking about establishing an in-house maintenance team, you should know the pros and cons!

In-house maintenance – an overview

An in-house maintenance crew is invaluable in case of an emergency when a prompt response is of great importance. The biggest advantage lies in the fact that the team gets to know all the ins and outs of their machines over the years. Due to their in-depth experience, the team knows the weak spots of their machines which prompts a very specific response.

Due to continuous staff cutbacks in many companies, maintenance technicians often become maintenance coordinators by hiring external firms when necessary. The unfavourable consequence is a deficit in responsibility when outsourcing maintenance tasks to external partners, and potentially dangerous loss of expertise within the company. When companies opt for external maintenance partners, constant availability must be guaranteed in case of emergencies so that the machines can be tended to under any circumstances.

At a glance – What speaks in favour of internal maintenance teams?

short reaction times
many years of specific experience with the company’s own machines
avoid the need to navigate the confusing market of maintenance service providers with many different outside firms
avoiding loss of expertise when outsourcing maintenance
high coordination effort required when managing several external partners
difficulty to control (several) external partner(s)
cyber security and confidential data stay within the company

At a glance: what speaks in favour of external maintenance?

external service providers are often specialized in whole parts of machines
high expertise in servicing all relevant components in a certain area
in-depth knowledge of complete powertrain systems, including clutches, brakes, gearboyes, motors, pumps and bearings
reduced downtime
external employees undergo special training
external service providers are certified
high expertise in condition monitoring systems
… and in implementing sensors as well as data analysis

Condition Monitoring – are you keeping tabs on your powertrain?

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Since 2020, we have been offering an innovative, newly developed Condition Monitoring Cloud to our customers. Grounded in our long-standing experience and the expertise of our Competence Center, we have combined a professional CM software with an interfacing internet platform. This enables our customers to conduct internal monitoring and autonomous analyses. With our Cloud solution, customers can monitor all their vital powertrains and aggregates using implemented sensors and preset alarm set points – across all locations and 24/7.

Maintenance: in-house or outsource?