RS offers an extensive selection of smart products optimized to support predictive maintenance strategies and improve mechanical power system reliability and performance — all backed by expertise you can trust.

RS, a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, offers the products and expertise you need to improve the reliability of your mechanical power systems.

Mechanical power systems are the backbone of industrial operations, driving everything from conveyor belts and gearboxes to HVAC systems and process manufacturing equipment. So, failures tend to cause a ripple effect, driving the average cost of unplanned downtime to a staggering $260,000 per hour and resulting in lost production, missed delivery deadlines, and reputational damage.

Unplanned downtime can cost $260k/hour. Predictive maintenance strategies & smart devices can reduce durations by 30-50%

Employing predictive maintenance (PdM) strategies and solutions — like smart technologies designed to leverage IIoT sensors, machine learning, AI, and data analytics — can help improve mechanical power system reliability and performance. The roughly 41% of industrial manufacturers who already employ predictive analytics report experiencing significant benefits, including:

A 30-50% reduction in unplanned downtime
12% fewer scheduled repairs when using IIoT-enabled maintenance
Extended equipment lifetimes
Improved reliability for high-load applications
Predictive maintenance can also help manufacturers cut their operating costs by 25-30% and have a positive impact on personnel — 67% of whom report feeling overwhelmed by urgent repair demands and 59% of whom report that their maintenance teams feel understaffed, which can further compound persistent skilled labor shortages.

Smart automation and control solutions for mechanical systems

Mechanical power systems rely on several key components, including gearmotors, gearboxes, motors, bearings, couplings, belts, and belt drives, to keep industrial processes moving. Selecting quality components and combining them with smart automation and control technologies, such as soft starters, vibration sensors, and alignment tools, is a sure-fire way to reduce mechanical stress, optimize energy usage, prevent equipment failures, and maximize uptime in demanding industrial applications, including discrete and process manufacturing, material handling and packaging, and HVAC systems.

Gearmotors are essential for reliable power transmission, especially in environments where contamination, moisture, and harsh washdown conditions can compromise performance. Models with advanced washdown protection address these challenges by preventing contamination, reducing corrosion risk, and maintaining lubrication integrity and are especially well-suited for food, beverage, and chemical processing applications with rigorous hygiene and uptime requirements.

Bison 261 Series SANIMotor gearmotors are manufactured in the United States and engineered for durability and sanitation compliance in harsh environments. They feature an IP69K-rated stainless steel shell, EPDM O-rings, and triple-lip shaft seals to prevent water and contaminant ingress, food-grade H1 grease for lifetime lubrication and maintenance-free operation, and modular gear trains with sealed ball bearings and inverter-duty AC motors for rugged reliability. Ideal applications include conveyors, mixers, and pumps in food and beverage processing facilities.

Belts are a cornerstone of industrial power transmission, but they're also a common failure point. High-performance belts, like synchronous belts and V-belts, help eliminate lubrication requirements, reduce contamination risks, and improve efficiency compared to roller chains. They also offer cleaner operation, quieter performance, and higher efficiency with significantly lower maintenance demands, resulting in long-term savings and operational stability.

Gates Poly Chain GT Carbon synchronous belts feature a durable polyurethane construction with patented carbon fiber tensile cords and exhibit outstanding horsepower capacity, flexibility, and resistance to chemicals, oil, abrasion, and elongation. They also reliably withstand extreme temperatures spanning -54°C to +85°C (-65°F to +185°F) and provide high power density for demanding applications, like conveyors and pumps.

Vibration sensors help monitor the health of rotating industrial equipment — including motors, pumps, fans, gearboxes, and bearings — by converting mechanical movement into electrical signals that can be analyzed to identify early signs of imbalance, misalignment, or wear. Smart vibration sensors integrate wireless connectivity, advanced analytics, and IIoT communication protocols to provide maintenance teams with actionable data. This enables remote diagnostics, trend analysis, and automated alerts and makes it easier to prioritize repairs and optimize maintenance schedules.

SKF's Axios wireless sensors and QuickCollect handheld tools help simplify predictive maintenance in mission-critical manufacturing, energy, and automotive applications. SKF Axios sensors continuously monitor vibration and temperature and wirelessly transmit data to cloud-based analytics platforms to provide users with real-time insights that enable early fault detection. QuickCollect tools offer flexible, route-based data collection that makes it easy for maintenance teams to capture and analyze machine health during routine inspections. Together, they help detect common failure modes, such as misalignment and lubrication issues, before they escalate, enabling root cause analysis and reducing downtime by up to 35%.

Soft starters play a critical role in protecting industrial motors and mechanical drivetrains from the stress of across-the-line starts, which can create torque shock, trip breakers, damage belts, couplings, and gearboxes, and even cause voltage dips across facilities. They gradually ramp up supply voltage to ensure that motors smoothly accelerate to full speed, which reduces mechanical wear and maintenance requirements, improves process stability, extends equipment lifetimes, and minimizes downtime. Ideal applications include pumps, conveyors, and high-inertia loads, like blowers, to avoid costly peak power usage.

Eaton's S811+/S801+ soft starter series delivers advanced motor protection in a compact design that's easy to retrofit into existing motor control centers or enclosures. It smoothly starts and stops three-phase motors extending from fractional horsepower up to 1,000 amps and features built-in overload protection and a run bypass contactor to simplify installation and improve efficiency.

Optimize your mechanical power systems with smart solutions from RS

These and other smart maintenance products proven to help industrial customers maximize equipment uptime, efficiency, reliability, and durability and protect critical assets, like mechanical power systems, are readily available at RS.

For more information about smart mechanical power transmission and motor control solutions from RS — including Bison gearmotors, Gates synchronous belts, SKF vibration sensors, Eaton soft starters, and proven, economical, industrial-grade RS PRO products — visit the links embedded here. For more information about industrial power reliability and predictive maintenance, check out the new "Improving mechanical power reliability with smart solutions" article by RS Category Manager Will Morris and other relevant RS Expert Advice content,

For assistance identifying, procuring, deploying, and maintaining mechanical power reliability solutions, contact your local RS representative at 1.866.433.5722 or reach out to the RS technical support team.