THE SITUATION
The customer, a producer of potato crisps, is a long-standing partner of HAYLEY DEXIS, and enjoys a close working relationship with the team at the local branch in Norwich. Over a period of time, it was noticed that a specific pneumatic cylinder installed on a cooker outfeed was failing frequently. Nine replacements had been ordered during the course of 2023. Each time, this was costing the customer £196 for a new cylinder, and between 6-8 hours of downtime on the cooker.
THE SOLUTION
A member of the HAYLEY DEXIS team attended site to examine what may be causing the persistent failures. The cylinder was continuously exposed to high temperatures, and was identified as suffering from oil ingress. These were determined as the root causes of the persistent premature failures being experienced. An upgraded cylinder was proposed and accepted, before being sent directly to site from stock held at the HAYLEY DEXIS | Fluid Power facility in Halesowen. The new cylinder conforms to ISO standards and benefits from both seals designed to withstand high temperatures, and scraper rings that prevent oil ingress, improving durability as a result.
"THE RECURRING FAILURES HAVE BEEN REMEDIED BY THE UPGRADE CYLINDER."
THE RESULT
Despite a very slight increase in the purchase cost price (£200.25 up from £196.00), the new cylinders have delivered on the promise of more reliable performance. In fact, there have been zero failures for the calendar year 2024, compared to nine failures in the previous
twelve months. Financially, the cylinder upgrade has saved the customer just over £1500. The improved reliability has benefitted the customer beyond the modest cost-saving as fewer hours of downtime have been suffered, and the maintenance burden has been reduced.