The Cost of Inaction: What Unmaintained Electrical Gear Could Be Hiding

In manufacturing, downtime doesn’t just hurt — it halts production, delays delivery, and can drain six figures or more from your bottom line. Yet too many facilities overlook electrical preventive maintenance (EPM), assuming “no news is good news” when it comes to critical assets like switchgear and transformers.

The reality? Electrical failures don’t announce themselves. They build quietly — until the lights go out, the line stops, and you’re scrambling to recover.

1. The Transformer Failure That Cost Nearly Half a Million

At a Midwest food processing plant, a main service transformer failed late on a Friday. Production halted immediately. With no spare on-site and a three-day wait for expedited replacement, the plant lost nearly $480,000 in spoiled inventory, overtime, and missed shipments. Post-failure analysis revealed thermal stress, moisture ingress, and insulation breakdown — issues that could have been caught with regular infrared and oil analysis testing.

2. Hidden Corrosion in Switchgear That Nearly Shut Down a $20M Run

A Tier 1 auto parts manufacturer in Ontario uncovered heat damage and corrosion in their main switchgear during a long-overdue inspection. If left unchecked, it could have triggered a cascading failure across three production lines. The cost of fixing it? Less than $10,000. The cost if it failed during a live run? Estimated at over $1.2 million in lost revenue and downtime.

3. Downtime Causes You Can’t See — Until It’s Too Late

Unlike mechanical systems, electrical equipment can degrade silently. Dust, heat, humidity, and loose connections chip away at performance over time. Without a structured EPM program, you’re essentially flying blind — and exposing your facility to risks that only show up when it’s too late to react.

4. Common EPM Gaps That Lead to Failure

• Breaker mechanisms that seize due to lack of lubrication and cycling
• Blocked ventilation causing overheating in panelboards and MCCs
• Moisture ingress in outdoor transformers and switchgear
• Loose terminations and connections causing arcing and heat buildup

Most of these issues are preventable — but only if they’re detected. That’s where electrical preventive maintenance earns its ROI.

5. Preventive Maintenance Isn’t an Expense — It’s Risk Insurance

Preventive maintenance isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about protecting uptime, extending asset life, and avoiding expensive surprises. When EPM is treated as a non-negotiable part of plant operations, the payoff is clear: fewer shutdowns, fewer emergencies, and far less stress when the pressure is on.

Bottom line? What you don’t see can absolutely hurt you. And in manufacturing, it usually hurts your margins first.