In the course of procuring a capital good, one-off acquisition and installation costs are incurred, followed by follow-up costs during its useful life. These follow-up costs are caused to a considerable extent by maintenance costs.
It is in the operator's particular interest to consider and influence future maintenance costs as early as the planning stage of a means of production, as these are of considerable importance for the life cycle costs. It is therefore imperative to obtain clarity about the follow-up costs of maintenance as early as the planning phase - i.e. before the investment decision - and to include the relevant criteria in writing in the procurement processes or to make them part of the specifications (see also VDI 2519 Sheet 1).
Overview of cost-driving maintenance criteria
VDI 2891 E "Maintenance criteria for the procurement of capital goods" applies to all areas in which production equipment is planned, manufactured, purchased, operated and maintained. The general criteria for the procurement of capital goods are presented and an overview is provided as a concentrated summary of the cost-driving maintenance criteria for the procurer or operator and the supplier.
Support for manufacturers and operators
The guideline is intended to enable the manufacturer and the operator of a means of production to make the maintenance-relevant events transparent and, if necessary, to formulate them contractually as early as the planning phase. The guideline provides the criteria and arguments for the life cycle-oriented approach in extensive tables and provides information on the cost-driving investment-dependent criteria of maintenance. Furthermore, the responsibility (whether supplier or customer) is noted in the tables and further sources in technical regulations are named.
The guideline VDI 2891 E "Maintenance criteria for the procurement of capital goods" was published as a draft in September 2022. It can be ordered for EUR 59.10 from Beuth Verlag (phone: +49 30 2601-2260). Objections to the draft can be submitted via the electronic objection portal or by e-mail to the publishing company
VDI members receive a 10 percent discount on all VDI guidelines.
