John Crane has helped a global producer of battery-grade lithium reduce annual mechanical seal expenditure by 48% in the first year of a Managed Reliability Program
The programme cut seal consumption by 37% and increased Mean Time Between Repair by 62% across 362 pumps, reducing maintenance demand, improving equipment availability and making better use of engineering resources.
Annual seal consumption dropped from 427 to 267 units, meaning 160 fewer seals were required, while the average inerval between repairs increased from 10.2 to 16.5 months. Fewer replacements mean fewer equipment interventions, less pressure on maintenance teams, and a lower risk of production disruption.
The result reverses a five-year decline in performance: between 2019 and 2024, annual seal consumption more than doubled, Mean Time Between Repair halved, and annual seal expenditure rose above $1.2 million, excluding labour, downtime, and potential production losses.
John Crane introduced dedicated on-site reliability engineering, digital failure traceability, and application-specific engineering reviews, supported by optimised seal selection and materials, controlled repairs, improved seal support systems, and targeted technical training for maintenance and operations personnel.
These actions created a single performance history across a mixed seal population, around 90% of which was supplied by other manufacturers, enabling the identification of recurring failure causes and the prioritisation of assets.
Aziz Sallie, vice president, Commercial & Service, John Crane, said, “Within one year, this customer moved from rising costs and declining reliability to fewer maintenance interventions, longer repair intervals and much greater control of seal expenditure. The benefit is operational as well as financial: better protection for production, less workforce exposure to equipment interventions and more engineering time for planned, higher-value work. This result also matters beyond one site. It shows lithium and other process operators that substantial reliability and cost improvements can be unlocked from existing assets by combining accurate data, engineering expertise and workforce capability.”
Battery-grade lithium is essential for batteries and electrification. Improving reliability at existing production facilities helps operators sustain output, control costs, and strengthen supply-chain resilience without wholesale replacement of installed assets. Additionally, extending seal life reduces material consumption and waste, while controlled repairs return suitable components to service.
The programme forms part of John Crane Performance Plus and provides a model for operators managing large, mixed equipment populations.
