Categoría: Blog

£50K Saved in 48 Hours: Emergency Parts Sourcing in Action

When Downtime Isn’t an Option, Speed Is Critical

Rapid legacy parts sourcing helped a manufacturer avoid £50,000 in downtime-related losses during an unplanned automation failure.

 

The Challenge: Conveyor System Disruption

The facility’s main conveyor system experienced repeated interruptions due to servo drive failures, halting production and putting delivery schedules at risk.

Although the maintenance team quickly identified the issue, the OEM provided a lead time of several weeks for replacement components — a delay that would have resulted in substantial financial and operational losses.

The Response: Obso Automation Delivers — Fast

To avoid extended downtime, the manufacturer engaged Obso Automation for emergency parts sourcing. Our team immediately initiated a global search, leveraging a trusted supplier network and in-house inventory of hard-to-find components.

⏱️ Sourcing & Delivery Timeline [48 Hours]

• Hours 1–12: Specification review and inventory sourcing initiated

• Hours 12–36: Components located, quality verified, and procurement completed

• Hours 36–48: Express delivery arranged

 

 

The Outcome: Full Recovery, Zero Quality Compromise

Production was fully restored within 48 hours of initial contact, delivering the following measurable results:

• £50,000+ in downtime-related losses avoided

• Replacement components met all quality and performance standards

• Uninterrupted resumption of full production capacity

 

 

Strategic Insight for Manufacturers

This case highlights a critical operational risk: legacy equipment failures often expose supply chain limitations. Standard procurement timelines are insufficient during urgent outages, and unplanned downtime carries a significant financial impact.

Key Questions for Your Operation:

• Which components in your facility pose long-lead-time risks?

• Do you have a contingency plan for sourcing obsolete or end-of-life parts?

• Can your team activate emergency support within hours, not days or weeks?

 

 

Planning for Legacy Automation Failures

Many industrial facilities rely on automation systems deployed over a decade ago. While these assets remain productive, sourcing parts for legacy systems requires specialist knowledge, established supplier relationships, and rapid response capabilities.

Obso Automation takes the lead on proactive sourcing, helping you avoid costly delays and ensuring fast recovery when critical components fail.

 

 

Need Emergency Parts Sourcing?

Obso Automation is ready when you need us:
📩 Email: sales@obsoautomation.com
📞 Phone: 0800 36 888 17

The Real Story Behind MRO Purchasing Partnerships

Anyone who’s worked in maintenance knows the headache of hunting down obsolete parts. One missing component can bring everything to a standstill, and suddenly you’re scrambling to keep operations running. This is where solid partnerships become your lifeline.

 

Why Good Partners Matter

You know that feeling when your regular supplier comes through with a hard-to-find part just when you need it? That’s no accident. The best partners in this business aren’t just selling parts – they’re keeping your operation alive. When production stops because of a missing component, every tick of the clock costs money.

These relationships go deeper than simple transactions. Your best partners know your equipment inside and out. They understand which parts you can’t afford to run low on, and they’ll give you a heads-up when they spot trouble coming.

 

The Parts Hunt Challenge

Looking for obsolete parts is tough. Supply chains break. Natural disasters hit. Global events throw everything into chaos. Suddenly that part you need is nowhere to be found, or the price has shot through the roof.

Sure, there’s always someone willing to sell you cheaper alternatives. But anyone who’s been burned by counterfeit parts knows that’s a gamble not worth taking. One faulty component can take down an entire production line.

 

Building Trust That Lasts

Real partnerships take time. They’re built on countless phone calls, solved problems, and delivered promises. It’s about showing up when things go wrong and working together to find solutions.

Trade shows and industry meetups might seem old school, but they’re gold mines for finding reliable partners. Nothing beats meeting someone face-to-face and hearing firsthand how they’ve helped others in similar spots.

 

Smart Money Through Strong Ties

Let’s get real about costs. Good partners help you save money without cutting corners. They’ll work with you on bulk orders, set up payment plans that make sense, and find ways to ship more efficiently.

Think about your best suppliers. They’re the ones who remember your emergency weekend calls, who know your equipment specs by heart, and who’ve helped you dodge more than a few bullets over the years.

 

Obso Automation’s Role

Look, we get it – nobody wants their production line sitting idle because of one missing component. That’s exactly why we’re here. Skip the endless phone calls and desperate searches. Our network usually has what you need.

Obsolete parts that haven’t been made in years? Rare components nobody seems to stock anymore? These are exactly the headaches we fix for maintenance managers every day. It’s what we do best.

Got better things to do than chase down parts? Give us a call or send us an enquiry via email: 

📞 +44 (0)800 36 888 17
📧 sales@obsoautomation.com
🌐 www.obsoautomation.com

We’ll handle the parts hunt while you focus on keeping your operation running. Simple as that.

 

Bottom Line

Finding and keeping good MRO partners isn’t just business – it’s survival. These relationships make the difference between smooth operations and costly shutdowns.

Above and beyond to Mitigate Long Lead Times

Lengthy lead times affect us all, but there are ways to navigate the issues they can pose. 

 

One of the biggest problems in our industry is the culture of suppliers knowingly overpromising, quoting a shorter lead time to win an order. 

 

At Obso, we always aim to deliver components within the timeframes that we tell a customer at the time of ordering. We use our expertise in the market to anticipate any potential issues and work out how we can overcome them. This not only helps manage expectations but also means we breed a culture of honesty and transparency – overpromising doesn’t help anyone.

 

When it comes to delivery, it’s important to go for the most reliable option – not the cheapest. 

We build good relationships with our couriers and this in turn often helps make the process run more smoothly. Genuine daily interactions result in loyalty and quality of service, which then alleviates lead time issues that may arise.

 

The same goes with customs clearance agents in the countries that we trade-in. We take pride in getting to know them on a personal level so that we can mutually go above and beyond to get the jobs done swiftly and reliably. We understand that although we may be the “face” of Obso, many other people make up the whole process. If you consistently treat people well, then you will be rewarded by a team of good people who make up the bones of your business.

 

To further mitigate long lead times, it’s important to have a good understanding of processes in every country. We found that when the UK left the EU, we were educating customers on changes and new processes, advising them on what information or paperwork was needed to import and export parts swiftly. This added value is incredibly important to us and we’re happy to use our many years of experience and knowledge to help our customers combat any potential issues.

 

At the heart of this inside knowledge is, once again, the relationships we form with people across the globe. From making regular trips to the States and getting to know people and their systems, to attending Chamber of Commerce meetings to network with fellow members on home soil, we glean invaluable insight that we can then share with our customers.

 

We also think it’s vital to prioritise great service. Speed of delivery is key to the business and that’s why it’s so important for us to train and incentivise our teams to deliver quality service every time. This culture seeps through Obso and is the lifeblood of what we do. We want to take away the stress of long lead times from our customers and make the process much easier. Essentially, we make a promise to our customers, and fulfilling this promise is important to us.

 

Obso has created a free five-point plan to help guide operators through some key steps to take to mitigate lead times. If you’d like to discuss your requirements, please contact us at +44 (0)800 36 888 17, or email sales@obsoautomation.com.

Identifying Counterfeit Parts in the Supply

Counterfeit components extend beyond being mere inexpensive replicas. They present substantial hazards to the intricate manufacturing process, which hinges on the harmonious collaboration of an array of automated industrial parts. These substandard elements carry the potential to trigger numerous malfunctions, capable of bringing production to a standstill, jeopardising the well-being of employees, and resulting in substantial financial losses due to repairs and missed sales.

In light of this, what proactive measures can be taken to safeguard your production process?
Our Warehouse Specialist in Quality Assessment has over five years of experience in counterfeiting procedures, he goes on to say, “All industrial parts that come across my desk undergo rigorous tests to ensure that all parts supplied to the Obso clientele are genuine. Here are some of the preventative measures I’ve employed to stop over 215 fake parts from reaching our clients:”
Source Wisely: Cooperate with reliable vendors who have a history of authenticity and excellence. At Obso, we use a very niche group of suppliers and put them through a rigorous testing process. We also do not make any purchases from China, as we’ve realised that more part imitations are prevalent within that region.
Implement Stringent Verification Procedures: For all incoming parts, set up verification protocols. As a rule of thumb in our onboarding process, all new suppliers who pass through the initial testing phase must complete a supplier agreement and agree to supply only genuine original manufacturer parts. We also include clauses such as limiting them from buying from certain suppliers or parts of the world. And as an additional future-proof reference, any suppliers that send counterfeit goods are automatically entered into our non-conformance report, investigated and blacklisted within our system.
For every part that comes in for repair or replacement, these are some practical ways we perform quality checks:

• All barcoded units are scanned to ensure what is scanned matches what is on the unit.
• Manufacturer labels are checked to ensure the text displayed on the nameplate matches the font of known genuine parts and there are no spelling mistakes.
• Check the casing material is correct.
• Check that the unit weight matches genuine manufacturer parts

Below are some counterfeit units that have been stopped during our quality checks. These examples show common indicators that the goods are not genuine with serial numbers being tampered with and spelling mistakes displayed on the unit.

Educate Your Team: Equip your employees with information about spotting fake parts. The first line of defence is awareness – knowing what to look for and how it can be mitigated.
Keep up-to-date: Keep an eye out for new trends in counterfeiting. Future problems can be avoided by being proactive and remaining one step ahead of the game.
Even though fake industrial automation parts are cunning, you can outsmart them using the appropriate tactics. By guaranteeing the legitimacy and calibre of every component in your supply chain, you are prioritising not just the integrity of your products but also the safety of your employees and the production process as a whole.

El sector de la fabricación de alimentos y bebidas es un ámbito enorme

El sector de fabricación de alimentos y bebidas es un ámbito enorme, que da forma a una industria de 8 billones de dólares en todo el mundo y contribuye en mayor medida a la economía. El sector de alimentación y bebidas se dedica a garantizar la seguridad alimentaria por encima de todo. Con lavados regulares de los equipos para mantener estrictas normas de higiene, cada componente debe estar diseñado para soportar la exposición al agua sin sufrir daños. Motores, rodillos, cintas transportadoras: todas las piezas utilizan revestimientos de acero aptos para alimentos para cumplir la normativa del sector.

Para satisfacer las crecientes demandas de los consumidores de todo el mundo, las plantas de alimentos y bebidas funcionan ahora 24 horas al día, 7 días a la semana. En consecuencia, el mantenimiento es a menudo reactivo, y se produce en respuesta a problemas más que de forma preventiva. Sin embargo, en un sector con márgenes de beneficio estrechos, cualquier parada inesperada supone un coste considerable. Cuando una línea de producción se desconecta inesperadamente, las pérdidas financieras pueden aumentar rápidamente. Es urgente restablecer el funcionamiento lo antes posible.
Por eso, las prácticas de mantenimiento inteligentes son fundamentales para los fabricantes de alimentos y bebidas. He aquí algunas recomendaciones:

• Implemente un riguroso programa de mantenimiento preventivo para identificar posibles problemas antes de que se produzcan. Programe inspecciones periódicas de los equipos y sustituciones de piezas.
• Utilice sensores de control de estado para realizar un seguimiento de parámetros como la vibración y la temperatura. Analice estos datos para detectar posibles problemas.
• Mantenga registros de mantenimiento detallados para comprender los patrones de fallo y orientar el mantenimiento futuro.
• Almacene piezas de repuesto críticas in situ para permitir reparaciones rápidas cuando surjan problemas.
• Formar al personal de mantenimiento en principios de diseño higiénico adecuados y protocolos de seguridad alimentaria.
• Explore nuevas tecnologías como la supervisión remota y el mantenimiento predictivo para maximizar el tiempo de actividad.

Con un mantenimiento proactivo como prioridad, los fabricantes de alimentos y bebidas pueden evitar costosos tiempos de inactividad. Mantener la atención centrada en la seguridad alimentaria al tiempo que se optimiza la producción es fundamental en esta industria de ritmo rápido y gran volumen. La aplicación de las mejores prácticas de mantenimiento inteligente permitirá a las empresas cosechar los beneficios de maximizar el rendimiento y minimizar las interrupciones.

El mantenimiento es importante para los fabricantes

En Obso, nos apasiona el servicio que prestamos a nuestros clientes y esto va más allá de la recepción de un pedido. El servicio al cliente, la atención y la satisfacción durante un largo periodo de tiempo es para lo que estamos aquí, y la salud y la seguridad de nuestros clientes es una parte importante de ello. Al igual que los productos falsificados pueden suponer un riesgo para los clientes y sus equipos, lo mismo ocurre con un mantenimiento mal gestionado. Los programas de mantenimiento oportunos, metódicos y sólidos deben funcionar para mantener su seguridad y la de su equipo y para ayudar a evitar tiempos de inactividad innecesarios. Con una serie de noticias de gran repercusión aparecidas recientemente en la prensa de todo el mundo, nunca ha sido tan importante como ahora hacer balance, revisar los equipos y planificar con antelación la sustitución de las piezas que se acercan al final de su vida útil.

 

Cuando sepa que un equipo va a necesitar una comprobación o que va a ser sustituido, puede ponerse en contacto con nosotros con antelación para asegurarse de tener la pieza a tiempo. Incluso podemos colaborar con usted para asegurarnos de que disponemos de las existencias que necesita cuando las necesita, de modo que nunca corra el riesgo de utilizar un equipo de automatización que realmente debería haber sido sustituido. Si no tiene espacio para almacenar sus repuestos, trabaje con nosotros y sepa que tendremos la pieza cuando la necesite.

 

Un proveedor con un programa de gestión de inventario como el programa de gestión de inventario Obso Automation 360 puede ayudarle a mantener sus líneas abiertas, fiables y, lo que es más importante, funcionando con seguridad. Podemos trabajar con usted de forma proactiva para que no se vea atrapado y, con nuestra especialización en piezas obsoletas y notoriamente difíciles de encontrar, podemos ayudarle a mantener sus líneas abiertas, fiables y, lo que es más importante, en funcionamiento de forma segura.

Obso Automation sponsors the Stafford football team

Obso Automation has collaborated with Academy Club to sponsor the Stafford Falcons under 9s team.

The squad made up of 9 players has just finished an unbelievable season which saw them play teams a year up (these kids should be playing in the under 8’s), win 8-0 in the semi-final to reach the final! Despite not taking the trophy this year, the team still ended the season with a sea of smiles.

As part of our ongoing support of the local community, Obso Automation alongside the Academy Club has bought a new match kit and training kit for every player. With no rest for these dedicated young players, they’ll keep training every week and throughout the summer holidays ready to take on their next tournament.

Leroy Spence, Director and Founder of Obso Automation said,

“It’s really important to encourage and support kids in sports these days. Activity, friendship, competition and determination help form the foundations for life and we’ll always be here to support the communities in which we work. I have watched some of the kids in the squad go from being quiet, shy and unable to kick a ball, into driven, focused and outgoing kids who have formed friendships with children from other schools, and found ambition to better themselves – these skills will shape their future whether that’s on or off the pitch and we’re proud to help.”

Obso Automation ya está en Trustpilot.

Nos complace anunciar que Obso Automation ha lanzado una página de Trustpilot para recopilar opiniones y comentarios de los clientes. Trustpilot es una plataforma de reseñas independiente que permite a los consumidores compartir sus experiencias con las empresas.

En Obso Automation, valoramos mucho sus comentarios sobre nuestros productos y servicios. Sus comentarios nos permiten mejorar continuamente, al tiempo que demuestran nuestro compromiso con un servicio de calidad. Nos esforzamos por ofrecer la mejor experiencia posible a nuestros clientes.

Le agradeceríamos mucho que se tomara la molestia de dejar una reseña de Obso Automation en Trustpilot. Sus opiniones honestas y reflexivas ayudan a futuros clientes a tomar decisiones informadas a la hora de elegir soluciones de automatización.

Visite nuestra página de Trustpilot aquí: https://lnkd.in/eh3rBfZt

Gracias por elegir Obso Automation. Estamos deseando conocer su experiencia con nuestros productos y soluciones. Sus comentarios son muy valiosos ya que trabajamos para ofrecer sistemas de automatización de la más alta calidad y un servicio al cliente inigualable.

No dude en ponerse en contacto con nosotros si tiene preguntas o dudas. Siempre nos alegra recibir noticias de nuestros clientes.