Case Study: Early Detection of Bearing Wear
Executive Summary
In July 2025, Fluid Life’s oil analysis program detected signs of imminent gearbox failure on a customer’s critical pelletizer line. Thanks to early detection, our customer, a leading manufacturer of industrial conduit, halted operation, opened the gearbox, and confirmed severe bearing and gear wear. Instead of a catastrophic failure requiring a full replacement valued at over $150,000, the team executed a controlled rebuild for approximately $40,000 saving more than $110,000 in avoided costs, downtime, and operational disruption. This success has now triggered a corporate initiative to adopt Fluid Life services across all 12 U.S. manufacturing sites.
Customer Profile
| Industry: | Plastics manufacturing / conduit extrusion |
| Primary Equipment: | Pelletizer gearboxes and critical rotating assets |
| Program Scope: | Rolling out to all 12 U.S. manufacturing locations |
| Operational Priority: | Minimize downtime, maximize asset life |
| Reliability Goal: | Predictive insights and standardized condition monitoring |
Challenge
The customer’s pelletizer gearboxes operate under high load and continuous duty cycles, making unexpected failures extremely costly. Historically, monitoring practices were limited, offering little predictive insight. Without timely detection, a gearbox failure can result in days of lost production, labor inefficiencies, missed shipments, and six-figure capital expenses.
Fluid Life Intervention
Routine Fluid Life oil analysis in July 2025 detected abnormal trends that clearly signaled developing internal wear. These indicators provided early, actionable intelligence before catastrophic failure occurred.
| Parameters | Fluid Life Findings | Reliability Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Iron & Copper Wear Metals | Rapid increase | Advanced gear & bearing wear |
| Particle Count | Abnormal accumulation excessive ISO Count | Surface fatigue & abrasion |
| OPC Results | Elevated | Metal-on-metal contact likely |
| Viscosity | Trending abnormal high from base oil and trends | Oil degradation particle contamination |
| Additives | Shift detected | Reduced load-carrying capability |
Outcome: Failure Averted
Upon teardown, the customer’s maintenance team confirmed significant degradation: spalled bearings, heavily worn gears, and metal debris consistent with advanced distress. Because Fluid Life enabled early shutdown, the plant completed a planned rebuild rather than experiencing catastrophic failure during operation.
The cost comparison above clearly illustrates the financial impact: a $40,000 rebuild versus a $150,000+ full gearbox replacement, not including the value of avoided downtime.
Savings Summary
| Rebuild Cost | $40,000 |
| Replacement Cost | $150,000–$180,000 |
| Estimated Downtime Avoided | 2–4 days |
| Total Estimated Savings | $110,000+ |
Additional Reliability Wins
Beyond the immediate savings, the customer implemented new filtration strategies, including the purchase of a dedicated filter cart, to increase fluid cleanliness and extend component life across its facility. This success story gained executive visibility, resulting in plans to onboard all 12 U.S. sites to Fluid Life’s oil analysis program.
Customer Quote
“Fluid Life helped us catch a gearbox failure before it took our line down. Their analysis saved us over $100,000 and proved the value of a structured oil analysis program. We’re now in discussions for expanding Fluid Life across all our U.S. operations.” Head of Maintenance