The Million Mile Club

Are you a member of the million-mile club? What about 2 million or 3 million?

Not the airline miles you’ve racked up over the years, I’m talking about the miles logged during your adventures on the road. My truck is about to hit a milestone – 100,000 miles – so I had some routine maintenance performed. After a good report, I was happy to think that I can probably drive this truck to the 200,000 mile mark or maybe 300,000 if I’m lucky.

I did get curious. And when I’m curious, I do what everyone does – Google it. My question: “What are the most miles ever recorded on a car?”

I was surprised by the results. There were multiple examples of vehicles with over 1 million miles. The world record is over 3 million (note: this is cars or trucks, not tractor trailers, commercial vehicles, etc.).

There was one article that stood out to me by Popular Mechanics. It was intriguing because the car and truck owners had one common practice: maintenance. Good, old fashioned, disciplined maintenance. They took care of their assets and took pride in doing it. What were the key behaviors that stood out?

• Planned maintenance

• Inspections/condition-based maintenance: paying attention to odd noises, smells, vibrations

• Spare parts replacement

• Skilled and qualified labor/technicians

• Warranty management program

These same disciplines are important across all industries and asset types – facilities, infrastructure, fleet, manufacturing, distribution, and others. Having a strategic asset management program is critical to getting your assets to reach their respective “3 million miles.”

There are many factors to consider, and operating your assets beyond its intended life may or may not be the right answer for your organization. Questions to consider would be:

• How much money is maintenance making you by extending asset life and deferring capital purchases?

• Do you know your total asset lifecycle costs?

• Do you know the condition of your assets and can you measure it?

• Is it cost effective and safe to operate your assets before ongoing maintenance costs outweigh replacement costs?

• How many “miles” are you getting out of your assets?

While extending your asset life should be a key objective, it shouldn’t be done at all costs. You need a plan and good practices in place to make the proper repair/replace decision.

Are you getting 3 million miles out of your assets?

Until next time…We are Advoco, make every minute (or mile) count.

About Jefferson: As Vice President Industry Solutions at Advoco, Jefferson is responsible for strategy and business development focusing on public sector projects. He has nearly 20 years of EAM industry experience and is passionate about helping clients to drive productivity and bottom line improvements through EAM. When Jefferson is not working, he is spending time with family, traveling, or enjoying his “man-cave” in his small hometown of Plum Branch, SC. He enjoys his downtime and occasional weekends there with family and friends – hunting, fishing, cooking, watching college football, and hanging out with his chocolate lab, Max. Have a question for Jefferson? Send him an email!