Cat® senior parts & service marketing consultant Megha Garg provided insights about Maintenance for Mining Customer Value Agreements (CVAs) and the value they bring to a mining operation.

Take a closer look at Cat® Maintenance for Mining CVAs

Cat® Maintenance for Mining Customer Value Agreements (CVAs) give you a 100% hassle-free experience. They simplify the maintenance of your mining fleet by making sure you get the parts and service you need right on time for planned maintenance. 

With this CVA, you can be confident that your team will always have the required Cat supplies, along with options for proactive dealer labour. It’s a tailored solution to boost uptime and reduce the risks of unplanned costs. 

With three levels to build from, your plan can be customised with flexible payment terms, your choice of planned maintenance (PM) kits or dealer PM services, and Cat S•O•SSM Services fluid analysis.  

Be sure to schedule some time to talk with your dealer about your maintenance needs. Until then, here are Garg’s answers to offer expert insights into the Maintenance for Mining CVA.

“WHEN CAT FLUIDS AND FILTERS ARE USED TOGETHER, YOUR FUEL INJECTOR COSTS CAN BE LOWERED BY UP TO 80%, ENGINE WORKING LIFE CAN LAST UP TO 2 TIMES LONGER, AND MAJOR COMPONENT LIFE CAN BE EXTENDED BY UP TO 50%.”

— Cat senior parts & service marketing consultant Megha Garg

Cost Of CVA Versus Competitors' Parts

Well, you can probably find generic fluids and filters that cost less up front, but there’s a lot more to a CVA than just keeping your supply bins full. The difference is in the big picture costs across your equipment’s lifecycle. 

Just by using Cat fluids and filters alone, you can achieve significant savings. And when you sign a CVA, Caterpillar and your Cat dealer work together to schedule predictive maintenance services, using everything from machine connectivity and fluid samples to inspections and PM checklists optimised for every machine and application. 

It all works to enable extended oil drain intervals and filter changeouts. You end up saving money on PM parts and labour because you’ll have fewer total interventions.  

That also means you’ll incur fewer opportunities to introduce contamination into machine systems. Clean machines work better and last longer, helping to ensure that you get best-in-class machine uptime, controlled costs and greater peace of mind for your business.

“UNLIKE COMPETITORS THAT MAKE FILTERS TO SELL FILTERS, OUR FILTERS AIM TO REALIZE THE GREATEST VALUE FROM YOUR CAT EQUIPMENT INVESTMENT”

— Megha Garg

The Two Goals of a Maintenance CVA

If your focus is on repairs and rebuilds, why should you get a Maintenance for Mining CVA?

• Maintain peak performance and efficiency between rebuilds.
• Catch small issues before they turn into major (and costly) repairs. 

“IT’S LIKE US TAKING CARE OF OUR BODIES TO AVOID ANY MAJOR AILMENTS DOWN THE ROAD”

— Megha Garg

The bottom line is, optimising and simplifying your maintenance practices helps keep your equipment on the job — minimising downtime while maximising its value to your operation. 

A CVA helps keep your crew prepared for your next planned maintenance. It keeps parts on hand so repairs can be completed with as little downtime as possible.  Better still, your people don’t have to keep track of individual part numbers for filters and supplies. You get everything you need for each machine, delivered right when you need it.

You can also opt to have a dealer technician come on site to handle PM services for you and take care of any backlog. Plus, you can easily include rebuilds and planned component replacements in your CVA contract. Your CVA helps you focus on your mining operation, without worrying about PM details.

Genuine Cat Products are Part of the Coverage

Again, you can find cheap generic fluids and filters, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking they can offer the same quality as  genuine Cat products.  

Cat filters are designed to optimise system performance in Cat machines. They offer unique design specs for specific machines working in mining applications — unmatched by any competitor. 

They also undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they meet today’s tight tolerances, regulations and specifications.  You can have total confidence that they’ll perform the way they should in Cat equipment … and in machines from other OEMs, too. 

Again, your maintenance CVA is about more than just parts and supplies. Each of the three available CVA levels is designed to maximise the total value from your equipment investment, with complete protection, hassle-free convenience and expert support.

“THE CAT SYSTEM SOLUTION, WHICH IS CAT FILTERS + CAT FLUIDS + SOS FLUID SAMPLING, WORKING IN SYNCHRONISATION WITH EACH OTHER IS NOT SOMETHING THAT ANY OTHER FILTER OR FLUID MANUFACTURER CAN OFFER.”

— Megha Garg

On-Time Maintenance is Key 

The bottom line on Cat Maintenance for Mining CVAs is this: On-time maintenance reduces costs per hour. And performing those maintenance procedures with genuine Cat filters and fluids, designed to work together for maximum component protection, can save you 40% to 80% on overall costs.

With predictable monthly payments, your CVA gives you better control of your cash flow. You can reduce your parts inventory, too, while taking advantage of things like component life guarantees and risk-sharing programs. 

Visit the Cat Maintenance for Mining CVA website for more information, then work with your Cat dealer to shape a plan for your needs and budget.