Four Steps to Minimizing Downtime with Smarter Electrical Asset Management

Massimo Muzzì, Head of Strategy, Business Development and Sustainability, at ABB Electrification.

Unplanned downtime can be extremely costly to businesses. According to a 2023 survey by ABB of plant maintenance decision-makers, unplanned downtime costs plants an average of EUR 147,000 per hour[1], which equates to over one million Euros per day. Additionally, a staggering 69 percent of industrial businesses globally experience unplanned outages at least once a month. But the total cost of downtime is more than simply being off-line for an hour – there are also knock-on effects to consider. For example, in the food and drink industry, a day’s revenue might be lost as lines need to be reset and sterilised before production can resume. Or if a blast furnace goes offline it could be multiple days before production is back up and running. Downtime may also have a resulting impact on customer satisfaction and brand reputation.

To reduce the risk of unplanned downtime, there are four steps plant engineers can take:

1. Take a proactive approach. As electrical distribution and management systems increase in size and complexity, there are more components and subsystems and more points of potential failure. So, reactive maintenance becomes increasingly difficult.
   First on the list should be to implement predictive asset management as this can decrease maintenance time and downtime by 30 percent, helping customers achieve a 40 percent OpEx cost reduction compared to a time-based maintenance strategy. Proactive maintenance strategies focus on preventing equipment issues before they arise and can be achieve by regular inspections and scheduled maintenance, and predictive analytics to ensure optimal asset performance.
2. Implement AI and predictive analytics. Digitalization is enabling plants to take a more proactive approach to maximizing efficiency and performance of digital assets. For example, implementing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning can help plant and maintenance managers to analyse and interpret data to recognise when a device is expected to fail, before it actually does.
   Legacy systems and older equipment can be retrofitted to provide predictive functionality. For example, non-digital circuit breakers can be upgraded with more intelligent, digitally-enabled breakers which are linked to monitoring systems. This is more cost effective than replacing an entire installed base of assets, and can help facilities improve their energy capacity by up to 20 per cent, at the same time as reducing operational costs by up to 30 per cent.
   This approach is one that has been implemented by both ENGIE, one of Europe’s leading energy suppliers, who was seeking to safeguard and extend the life of its switchgear systems, as well as Kemijoki Oy, one of the most important players in Finland’s renowned carbon neutral electricity system.
3. Modernize electrical assets. Another way that costly risks of downtime can be mitigated is by modernising and upgrading the existing electrical assets. There are additional benefits to this approach too, as upgrading systems not only extends the working life of equipment, but can also lower operating costs and improve sustainability.
   One example of this approach, is when one of Sweden’s largest cogeneration plants, Mälarenergi, worked with ABB to modernise its 16 switchgear units. Aging circuit breakers were replaced with modern Emax2 models – featuring Ekip Hi-Touch relay protection and energy metering. Not only were the electrical circuits fully protected, but new technology features help to reduce energy consumption, cost and resources. As a result of the upgrades, critical infrastructure had its lifespan extended, removing the carbon consumption associated with manufacturing an entire new system, as well as additional transportation costs and inevitable emissions.
4. Consider the power supply to enhance security. As facilities place greater reliance of their electrical infrastructure for business continuity, its uptime is becoming more important. Another way to ensure a consistent supply power to is consider where the energy is coming from. Rather than rely on importing fossil-fuel-based power sources (which are subject to volatile cost fluctuations and political interference) some plants are installing renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and solar panels on site. This enables them to generate their own clean energy and control the supply.
   Locally-generated power sources can be incorporated into Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and microgrids. These systems eliminate businesses’ traditional reliance on utility companies to satisfy their energy needs. It also reduces an organization’s dependence on traditional diesel- or gas-powered backup generators, further reducing carbon emissions and the commercial impact of volatile fossil fuel costs.

In a bid to improve uptime there are many factors to consider, but putting in place effective proactive asset maintenance and management strategies can go a long way towards helping organisations avoid costly downtime. Furthermore, embracing digitalisation, modernising equipment and considering the energy supply can help to improve the efficiency of equipment, reduce energy bills, and improve operational resilience. For more information visit www.abbnavigate.com.

[1] https://new.abb.com/news/detail/107660/abb-survey-reveals-unplanned-downtime-costs-125000-per-hour

This article appeared in the June 2025 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.