Komatsu CMS & Kowa Keeps Equipment Running

Golding, one of Queensland's largest privately-owned companies, runs an extensive fleet of earthmoving equipment across its mining and civil construction activities. Warren Smith, who oversees the maintenance of Golding's Komatsu machinery, said CMS, and specifically KOWA, continually saved the company significant time and money.

"By regularly looking at oil samples, we have a good indication of any pending mechanical issue before they become costly and incur unplanned downtime," Smith said.
"It might seem insignificant, but something as simple as compacted dirt on duo-cone oil seals can easily lead to premature mechanical wear of a component.
"CMS will pick up any trace of dirt entry, or internal mechanical wear, and gives us a head start on tackling the problem by implementing preventative maintenance.
"Dismantling and repairing a part such as a final drive can put a machine down for two days, so being able to identify any issue before a major breakdown occurs is operationally invaluable," he said.

KOWA, a sophisticated service where oil and coolant samples from a machine are laboratory tested and analysed, is an important component of Komatsu's Condition Monitoring Service (CMS), a suite of services provided to customers to assist in maximising machine utilisation while reducing maintenance costs.

"CMS prevents mechanical problems arising in a machine by laboratory testing oils, coolant, grease, and fuel samples, detecting any contamination that may be a sign of potential component failure," said Komatsu's Operation Manager of CMS, Stephen Clarke.

"Condition Monitoring and the KOWA service can be performed on any make or model of machine, which is especially important for mixed-fleet operators," Clarke added. "We extract important data from each KOWA sample, which is then compared with previous samples to monitor any change in oil condition. These results are then returned to the customer, or placed online for instant client access via the myKomatsu web portal."

The state-of-art web portal provides registered CMS customers access to an enhanced range of KOWA oil sampling data and reporting, uploaded to the site directly by Komatsu's oil laboratories. All samples are tested to the same high standard, using state-of-the-art equipment certified to global ISO 9001 Standards.

For operators interested in CMS, Komatsu can perform an initial consultation, free of charge. The consultation takes into account specific working conditions and the unique application of each operator's equipment, providing a snapshot of the operational conditions and a recommended CMS process.

More information on CMS can be found at www.komatsu.com.au or by calling 1300 566 287.