Genuine parts improve equipment lifespans by providing a few distinct advantages:
- Lower variance in performance and tolerance
- Larger engineering scope with better manufacturing precision
- Increased liability for engineers
- Whole-system testing
- Better average warranties
Very few machines see the levels of use and abuse as those in the power generation industry. Even while these engines take on expansive challenges, failure is completely unacceptable. Power generation is so fundamental to everything else that performance and longevity gain additional scrutiny.
You need equipment to last as long as it can without any drop in performance. While you explore many techniques and solutions to this end, like the electroless nickel plating process, you also need regular maintenance and part replacements that precede failure. In terms of longevity, genuine parts offer some important advantages. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) typically make higher-quality and more reliable parts than aftermarket producers, even if those aftermarket parts can typically save money in the short run.
How do genuine parts boost longevity in your equipment? It all ties into variance.
Reduced Variance
Aftermarket parts are not inherently bad. Many perform quite well. The issue never boils down to any single part. Instead, the differences between genuine and aftermarket parts show up in the average.
Genuine Waukesha engine parts tend toward lower variance (this holds true for other OEMs as well). That stems from several manufacturing advantages that will be discussed throughout, but the core concept is simple. Aftermarket parts are trying to match fits to things that are already designed and built. Genuine parts engineers can design all of the pieces together.
The result of that is less variance in the parts themselves as they are built.
Understanding that, variance directly impacts the lifespan of engines and other essential power industry equipment. When a replacement part wears out prematurely, that failure is not isolated. It can take other parts with it.
Even when the replacement part doesn’t fail, if it underperforms by even a small margin, that can create wear on other components.
As an example, a high-pressure component could have a seal that leaks a very small amount of pressure. That pressure redistributes in the system, and it causes stress in other areas, hurting longevity.
Genuine parts avoid all of this by reducing variance and improving the predictability of performance and lifespan in your parts.
Precision Manufacturing
As mentioned earlier, genuine parts enjoy a manufacturing advantage. This is because every component is designed together as a system. This process creates components to the highest levels of precision and tolerance possible at these scales.
Aftermarket manufacturers often reverse-engineer parts. Even in the best case, this process introduces precision limitations that cause the average fit of these parts to fall behind genuine parts.
In other words, the manufacturing advantages for original manufacturers create the variance difference discussed above.
Warranties and Guarantees
Warranties and guarantees will always vary by manufacturer and part. There is no general rule that covers every case.
That said, original manufacturers often have more freedom to guarantee their parts. On average, warranties covering genuine parts exceed those of aftermarket parts, and this again comes back to the variance.
Aftermarket manufacturers are aware of the variance in their parts, and it prevents them from offering more competitive warranties in many cases. That variance simply doesn’t allow for stronger promises.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing advantages for OEMs give them better data and information, allowing them to be more competitive when they offer warranties and guarantees on their parts.
While warranties do not necessitate longevity in parts, the parts with the longer warranty are likely tested to higher standards, meaning that they will typically last longer.
Engineering Liability
It’s easy to overlook, but liability is baked into many facets of engineering. When an engineer designs something — from power industry engines to kids’ toys — they are liable for the outcomes of their designs. If a design fails or hurts someone, the engineers can be sued for damages.
This is a strong incentive to get things right, and it’s an important part of the engineering process.
This liability extends to engineers whether they work for original manufacturers or aftermarket companies. The difference lies in the scope of the design.
Original manufacturer engineers are responsible for entire systems. Every component in that system is held to the same liability standards, meaning those engineers have to take every small detail into account.
Conversely, aftermarket engineers often focus on individual parts. The liability is then limited to that one component. If the component meets minimum performance standards, those engineers are in the clear.
Here’s why that matters. Even if a component doesn’t fail, if it underperforms, it can create stress on other parts of the system and lower the lifespan of major pieces of equipment. OEM engineers have to take that into account, as they are responsible for the entire system. Aftermarket engineers have more leeway in their liability, and that leads to such cases where aftermarket parts ultimately hurt equipment lifespans.
Testing
Original manufacturers gain more advantages when it comes to testing components. OEMs have access to entire engines and systems. They make the whole thing, so they can readily allocate testing equipment for any design or change they want to implement.
Most importantly, they do not have to test parts in isolation. Instead, they can test performance with entire systems and get clear performance data from the part in question and its impact on the rest of the system.
Aftermarket manufacturers face a challenge. In the power generation industry, entire systems are prohibitively expensive. In many cases, it’s simply impractical to test a component inside a fully functioning engine or system. While some aftermarket companies will find ways to accomplish this, the overall access is restricted, and once again, this leads to the variance problem.
Comprehensive testing correlates with improved longevity, marking yet another way that genuine parts can improve life spans across your systems.
Get Longevity from Genuine Parts
Here’s the bottom line: Plenty of aftermarket parts can function, and some of them perform admirably. The ultimate advantage of genuine parts is statistical. In the long run, the average performance and longevity that you get from genuine parts exceeds other options. That protects your equipment, and in the power industry, maximizing equipment lifespans will always be paramount.