The Hidden Cost of Unplanned Downtime
For industrial operations, commercial facilities, and large-scale agricultural businesses, one hidden enemy constantly threatens the bottom line: unplanned downtime. That unexpected fault—a motor burning out, a transformer failing, or a switchgear malfunction—doesn’t just halt production; it bleeds profit. As a contractor dedicated to powering your enterprise, we know this pain point is the single greatest risk to your operational efficiency. We are focused on keeping your complex, high-stakes electrical infrastructure reliable.
Why “Preventive” Maintenance Fails Today’s Businesses
For decades, the standard defense against this threat has been preventive maintenance (PM). This is the calendar-based approach: changing parts and checking systems on a fixed schedule, regardless of whether they show signs of wear. While PM sounds responsible, industry studies show it’s often inefficient. Many of those periodic checks can actually be avoided, and critically, preventive maintenance fails to eliminate the risk of catastrophic failures. Why is this? Because in today’s complex operating environment, the majority of equipment failures—about 80%—are random, not strictly age-related. This means a costly component you replaced last week because the calendar said so could still randomly fail tomorrow. The preventive model is based on luck; the modern model is based on intelligence.
Introducing Automation Asset Performance Management (APM)
The groundbreaking trend now sweeping the non-residential sector is Automation Asset Performance Management (APM). Think of APM as giving your electrical and mechanical assets a voice and a brain. It’s a comprehensive, plant-wide management solution designed to provide actionable early insight into abnormal asset conditions. Instead of waiting for a scheduled check or, worse, a breakdown, your assets tell you exactly what’s wrong and when. This is a monumental shift from preventive to truly predictive and proactive maintenance. By leveraging the built-in intelligence of modern automation components, your plant can monitor the real-time health of everything from flow sensors and control valves to the backbone of your operation: the electrical assets like motors, drives, switchgear, and transformers.
The Schneider Electric Advantage in APM
At the forefront of this digital transformation are global technology leaders. We frequently partner with innovators like Schneider Electric, who are helping businesses move away from relying on outdated calendars and towards a data-driven model. Schneider Electric has championed integrated, modular APM solutions that are scalable to any sized facility—from a large commercial campus to a complex chemical plant. Their approach is built on three simple, powerful layers: Monitor, Decide, and Act. The ‘Monitor’ layer collects performance data from all your assets; the ‘Decide’ layer converts that raw data into intuitive, easy-to-understand health alerts; and the ‘Act’ layer ensures the right person gets the information needed to create a work order immediately.
APM in Action: Smart Industrial Solutions
For our industrial and commercial clients, this intelligence is particularly vital. A major Schneider Electric solution in this space involves smart devices and sensors that constantly stream diagnostic data. This allows you to identify issues like excessive vibration in a pump, rising temperatures in a transformer, or a slight drop in the efficiency of a key motor—all long before a catastrophic failure happens. This predictive capability eliminates unnecessary field trips and focuses the maintenance crew’s valuable time exactly where it’s needed. It’s about maintaining maximum availability of your machinery by acting on subtle, early warnings.
The Bottom-Line Benefit: Why APM is Worth the Investment
The financial results of adopting a well-executed predictive maintenance program are clear. Studies cited in the Schneider whitepaper estimate that moving to this predictive model can deliver 8-12% cost savings over traditional preventive maintenance programs. Moreover, it drastically reduces your operation and maintenance (O&M) costs and can virtually eliminate costly overtime expenses that inevitably come with an emergency shutdown. The efficiency gained isn’t just in saved maintenance costs; it’s in maximizing asset uptime, which directly translates to increased production and revenue.
Your Electrical Partner in the Digital Age
At its core, APM is about empowering your team to answer three essential questions instantly: Will my plant continue to produce efficiently? Do we understand what could go wrong and when? And what actions are needed right now to prevent a shutdown?. As your electrical contractor, our role has evolved. We don’t just install and repair the physical components; we are the electrical partners who install the infrastructure—the intelligent drives, the smart panels, the critical wiring—that makes an APM solution like Schneider Electric’s possible. We ensure your core systems are ready to be integrated into the digital world, giving you full command of your assets’ health.
Gaining a Competitive Edge
If your commercial facility, manufacturing plant, or farm operation is still relying on a calendar to tell you when maintenance is due, you are losing money to unnecessary labor and running the massive risk of unexpected shutdowns. The future of non-residential operations is predictive, automated, and intelligent. The ability to forecast maintenance needs is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessary component of competitive operational strategy. Partner with an electrical contractor who understands this new reality and is ready to help you gain a massive competitive advantage by putting intelligence at the heart of your electrical infrastructure. Learn how we can help you future-proof your electrical system here.
This blog post was created by Ag Electric Services, LLC, an Arkansas based electrical and general contractor serving the following areas of Central and Eastern Arkansas: McCrory, Augusta, Newport, Wynne, Brinkley, Des Arc, Forrest City, Hickory Ridge, Cherry Valley, Tuckerman, Jonesboro, Searcy, Pangburn, Heber Springs, Greers Ferry, Rosebud, Quitman, Romance, Kensett, Georgetown, Cabot, Beebe, El Paso, Hickory Plains, Carlisle, Lonoke, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood, Jacksonville, Maumelle, Conway, Mayflower, Vilonia. If you would like more information about the services we provide, please click “Services” in the main menu, or contact us through the online information request form on the “Contact Us” page.