News

Pump Optimization Services Lower Total Cost of Ownership

    4/22/2008

    Seneca Falls, NY April 22, 2008 – Process plants with large populations of pumps can save millions of dollars in operation and maintenance costs using a suite of pump-optimization services announced today by ITT.

    ProActivity was created because maintenance and energy make up the majority of pump operating costs. In fact, the purchase price is only ten percent of the cost of ownership. “We are helping our customers address the 90 percent of pump operating costs that occur after purchase,” said Darren Moscato, Director of ITT Reliability, Energy, and Maintenance Solutions. “When customers use ProActivity, energy and maintenance issues are addressed efficiently with proven, positive results in pump reliability and operating costs.”

    Phase One of ProActivity is a system-level survey. The review takes one or two days and includes a plant walk-through, data gathering, and interviews with key personnel. Its findings determine whether Phase Two support will generate a significant return on investment.

    In Phase Two a team of ProActivity consultants conduct an in-depth assessment and analysis that takes up to three months. They use proprietary software to provide a comprehensive picture of the operation’s pump performance. The data collected includes maintenance records, energy usage, pump curves, inventory effectiveness, condition monitoring processes, skills needs analysis, and repair procedures. Customers can use the assessment to make recommended changes on their own or receive additional implementation support from ITT.

    In Phase Three, an embedded specialist joins the organization’s team as an on-site pump reliability specialist, providing ongoing consultation, technical assistance, and execution support. The embedded specialist also provides a direct link to the extended team of ITT experts and resources – including energy performance services, machine health monitoring, training, remanufacture and repair, inventory management, and engineering and design solutions.

    With the help of a ProActivity embedded specialist, one ITT customer realized savings of 43 percent, which translated to more than $1.3 million annually in operating costs. Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) increased 108 percent, from 15.4 months to 32.1 months.

    Other customers have benefitted from ITT resources including:

     An oil refinery used ITT remanufacture and repair services to upgrade power ends and seal chambers in ten different API pumps; the improvements reduced maintenance costs by 75 percent and lowered emissions by 95 percent, saving the refinery more than $2 million over three years.

    • A paper company employed ITT’s inventory management expertise to increase parts transfers across five mills, reduce overall inventory, and save more than $500,000.
    • A paper mill used an energy performance audit to install variable frequency drives on five inefficient pumps, generating $102,000 in annual savings.
    • A chemical and gas company hired the ITT solutions group to customize a Goulds 3196 pump to function as a turbine generating power from previously wasted process heat and saving $24,000 per year in energy costs.

    “ProActivity helps ITT customers to extend equipment life, reduce operating costs, increase up-time and improve overall process efficiency,” Moscato said. “The ProActivity team identifies and implements top-line improvements that provide sustained bottom-line results.”

    Learn more about the ITT ProActivity program at www.ittrem.com

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    ITT Corporation (www.itt.com) is a diversified high-technology engineering and manufacturing company dedicated to creating more livable environments, enabling communications, and providing protection and safety. The company plays an important role in vital markets including water and fluids management, global defense and security, and motion and flow control. ITT employs approximately 40,000 people serving customers in more than 50 countries. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company generated $9 billion in 2007 sales.