The added value of sustainable maintenance 

Maintenance can make an important contribution to sustainable food production. This article gives a brief overview of the possibilities and also discusses the associated additional benefits including cost savings and increasing machine availability and reliability. It will also show that the measures are by no means always complex or expensive, but that the proverbial "low-hanging fruit" is accessible to practically everyone.

There are great definitions of the term sustainability on the Internet. Basically, sustainable business means that any activity or decision has no negative impact on the livability of our world. And preferably: has a positive impact. For a long time, sustainability has therefore been synonymous with energy conservation, CO2 emissions and the energy transition involving a switch from fossil fuels to renewable fuels. 

In the current era, this increasingly involves raw materials: due to the disposable society, "we" are rushing through the available raw materials at breakneck speed and there is a simple threat of shortages. Sustainability is thus increasingly linked to circularity: the continual reuse of the same raw materials for the same or other (lower-quality) purposes.

Lubrication maintenance

Maintenance can make an important contribution to sustainable machinery. Both in terms of energy and raw materials. First we mention good lubrication maintenance. When moving parts are lubricated at the right times, with the right lubricant and in the right way, friction between parts will be minimized. This has several effects:

- Energy consumption is significantly lower than with poorly or unlubricated machines. In terms of sustainability, this means less CO2 emissions and lower fuel consumption.

- The service life of individual components and thus the entire machine is extended. This means that parts need to be replaced less frequently. 

- Proper lubrication includes using the right amount of lubricant. Over-lubrication leads to unnecessary loss of lubricants and thus raw materials. The right lubricant also plays a role: if a lubricant does not suit the application properly, more lubricant will always be needed to achieve the desired effect. This means more raw materials and a negative effect on sustainability. 

Detecting compressed air leakage

Another way maintenance can contribute to sustainability is by checking for compressed air leaks. This is because generating compressed air consumes a relatively large amount of energy. Every liter of compressed air that leaks unnecessarily - and this is increasingly the case with larger openings - will contribute to an unnecessarily high energy bill and thus higher CO2 emissions. If renewable energy is used, CO2 emissions do not apply but companies still have to deal with compressors with a shorter lifespan in time.

For detecting these leaks - no matter how small - several options are available on the market. Ultrasonic measuring equipment in particular is an effective tool for reliable and rapid detection. Sensors that (continuously) monitor compressed air consumption can also help determine that leakage may be occurring somewhere.

Sustainable planning

Finally, the maintenance itself can also be done sustainably. For example, by making a good planning in a maintenance package suitable for this purpose. Possibly in combination with data from sensors that can determine the optimal time for maintenance. As a result, maintenance is not performed too early or too often, which means that power tools are used less often (energy savings) and parts are not exchanged unnecessarily early (resource savings).

Áf power tools are used, then in the context of sustainability it is possible to choose battery-powered tools charged with renewable energy. Finally, the disposal of parts or fluids to companies that process them responsibly into new products or recycle them contributes to a circular economy in which raw materials are used consciously and economically.

In all cases, good maintenance contributes to higher machine reliability and availability. In practice, this leads to less unplanned downtime and therefore less product rejection. This has value for any company but especially for the food industry where preventing waste is a serious item.