Case Studies

Injection moulding and assembly of test tubes

Doubling oil-drain interval saves a reported $60,000 a year
Omni Plastics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd operates more than 100 injection-moulding machines. When frequent filter blockages and damaged vane pumps were causing unplanned downtime, we recommended changing to Shell Tellus S2 M 46 hydraulic oil. The company also took advantage of the Shell LubeAnalyst oil and equipment condition monitoring service, and the Shell LubeCoach training programme.

By changing its oil, Omni Plastics has doubled the oil-drain interval of its moulding machines and no longer experiences blocked filters or vane-pump damage. The company reports annual cost savings totalling $60,000, through;

• Reduced lubricant consumption
• Lower labour and maintenance costs
• Improved production efficiency.

Marine construction cranes

Superior wear protection and longer grease life save a reported $158,000 a year
Marine construction and civil engineering company Empresa de Obras Terrestres e Marítimas, SA (Etermar) was experiencing problems with the caterpillar roller guides on a 317.5-t crane. The grease was providing insufficient load support. As a result, the crane needed frequent inspections for wear and the rollers had to be replaced.

Our technical experts inspected the equipment and proposed using Shell Gadus S3 V460D 2. This product contains molybdenum disulphide to provide shock-load resistance and is suitable for low-speed and very-high-load operations.

Etermar reports saving over $158,000 a year through;

• Longer grease life
• Lower grease consumption
• Better wear protection
• Reduced parts and maintenance costs.

Hydro-electric reservoir

Superior performance saves a reported $72,000 by avoiding downtime
A company operating a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant was experiencing an increase in turbine bearing temperatures. This caused serious wear and production outages. Poor bearing design was recognised to be the cause of the problem. We were asked whether lubrication support could resolve the issue. After a thorough inspection, including an assessment using the Shell LubeAdvisor service, we recommended using Shell Turbo GT 46 turbine oil.

The operator reported saving approximately $72,000 in avoided downtime, and the plant experienced an immediate 8°C decrease in thrust bearing temperatures, which gave the company time to work on an engineering solution.

Milling machine gearbox

Synthetic oil helps cut maintenance costs by 98%
A leading global supplier of high-strength tool steel was experiencing frequent gearbox breakdowns in two milling machines. The gear wheels were wearing out completely, and the machines required repairing every six months.

Our experts monitored the company’s operation and, using the Shell LubeAdvisor service, recommended changing to Shell Omala S4 GX 150 high-performance synthetic gear oil.

The company indicated that using Shell Omala S4 GX 150 reduced the time and money spent on maintenance and repair by 98%, increased productivity and extended oil-drain intervals for the milling machine gearboxes. It reported total annual cost savings through this improved performance of over $51,000.

Özkaymak transport company

Synthetic oil extends oil-drain interval from 30,000 to 70,000 KM
Leading national coach company Özkaymak transports over 3,000 people each day. The company wanted to extend the oil-drain intervals and decrease the maintenance costs of its modern Mercedes-Benz coaches.

Our technical experts worked with Özkaymak to understand its challenges and recommended using the high-performance Shell Rimula R6 M fully synthetic oil. We also monitored the engines for metal wear and oil contamination using the Shell LubeAnalyst service.

The company reported annual savings of over $40,700 through;

• Extending its oil-drain interval from 30,000 to 70,000 km
• Increasing vehicle availability
• Decreasing oil consumption and maintenance costs.