Predict & Plan Maintenance Packages

Konecranes products are known for their durability. For example, a Konecranes port crane will give you good service for 25-30 years. However, not every part of the crane lasts that long – it will need spare parts eventually as components wear out. Replacing parts can extend the life of the crane for years. It also improves safety, helping ensure that the crane works properly at all times.

But how do crane owners know what spare parts will be needed? Just one crane could have 25,000 parts. How do you choose the right ones?

The other question is: how do you know when spare parts will be needed? Downtime is hard to predict, and is always inconvenient and costly, especially if several parts fail at the same time.

Up till now, spare parts replacement has always been based on the “best guess”. But this isn’t reliable, and the necessary parts are not always available when needed. They can be very expensive and eat into the budget, making it hard to plan ahead.

How can this problem be solved?

Real data provides real benefits

A few years ago, Konecranes experts started to think: what if customers could see what they actually need in advance? It would save them time and money and allow them to plan well ahead.

With this in mind, Konecranes established a new data lab in 2019. In only a year, the lab had analyzed material and parts failure data spanning decades, across hundreds of port cranes. The analysis started with Rubber-Tired Gantries (RTGs), and continued with Mobile Harbor Cranes (MHCs), since they are very important in customer operations, and a lack of spare parts can cause serious problems. The high quality of the data allowed a very precise analysis.

Using a combination of models and algorithmic formulas, Konecranes data scientists built a tool, which can pinpoint when material failure, per part, is likely to occur. By late 2020, the tool could be used to sell spare parts for their RTGs and MHCs.

The tool runs on the probability that some components fail at certain predictable times. Based on the equipment model and year, it delivers a list of consumable, mechanical and electrical parts that your machines are likely to need in the foreseeable future. It also provides clear estimates on delivery, months or even years ahead. You don’t need to look around for any parts, because even if you can’t get them now, they can be scheduled for manufacture and delivery in time for replacement.

With parts available only when you need them, there are no delivery wait times. Predictability leads to minimal downtime, planned in advance. Knowing what’s going to happen allows you better budgeting, business strategy and improved maintenance planning. When you need several spare parts at the same time, or the same part for all cranes in a fleet, you can get a bundled offering, which is more cost-effective than buying one spare part at a time.

So far, this has only been implemented in Finland, but the results are very promising.

“In just six months, we’ve seen a steadily growing interest in pre-ordered spare parts for our RTGs and MHCs,” says Olli-Pekka Nieminen, Manager of Data and Digital Business Transformation. “This project solves a real, practical problem that all crane owners face, and in so doing, provides a good example of a machine learning use case.”

Machine learning – also known as artificial intelligence, or AI – is a key part of the tool. The system never stops analyzing new information as it comes in. Every crane in the field adds more detail, improving the accuracy of the AI. Case data and customer feedback lead to long-term adaptability and fulfilling customer needs.

It will take time to put the entire database together, so the full concept is still a few years ahead. But progress is steady, with straddle carriers coming next. Eventually, every component in Port Solutions equipment will be in it, and available globally.

Maintenance has always been an important part of Konecranes business, and this tool adds a new, strong element to that. The difference is that spare parts was traditionally a passive sales channel. Not anymore.

“This solution allows us to be active with customers,” says Jukka Parkkonen, Sales Manager for Port Parts Global. “We don’t wait for you to order spare parts – we help you plan ahead.”

Because it’s based on real data, there is clear value and convenience to everybody involved. Sales personnel don’t have to guess, so they can provide better after-sales service. You don’t have to worry, because you will always have the spare part you need right when you need it.

See into your future before you go there with the spare parts bundle - a new and unique offering from Konecranes.