A Western Australian mining contractor depended on a polyurethane wear liner from an overseas supplier that stopped responding. Reverse engineering cut lead time from 26 weeks to 6, cost by 32% and, by thickening the wear zones, extended service life from 11 to 16 weeks.
Key numbers
A Western Australian mining contractor relied on a polyurethane wear liner from an overseas supplier. The liners wore out every few months and had to be replaced to keep equipment running. Then the supplier stopped responding to orders. There were no drawings, no material specification and only a few liners left in stock. Without a solution, critical equipment would stand idle.
The situation
The original supplier's lead time had been 26 weeks even when it was responding. Each liner cost around $1,380 and lasted about 11 weeks in service. The contractor needed a reliable local source quickly, and ideally a better part.
What changed
The part was recreated through reverse engineering:
- Worn and unused samples were 3D scanned and measured, with critical features checked by hand against mating components.
- The material was identified as a cast polyurethane, using hardness testing and laboratory analysis, and an equivalent formulation was specified with a local supplier.
- CAD and drawings were rebuilt with design intent restored: dimensions rounded to their intended values, fits confirmed with the mating parts and wear allowances understood.
- Wear areas were thickened, based on measurements of worn samples that showed exactly where material was lost in service. This was a chance to improve the original, not just copy it.
The approach also reflected the case for local supply made in designing for local manufacture and the resilience lessons in keeping production running through supply disruption.
What the data showed
Every stage of supply was shorter with the new local supplier: quotation, tooling and set-up, production and especially shipping. Total lead time fell from 26 weeks to six.
Results
A local supplier now produces the liner in six weeks at $940 per part, 32% less than before. The thicker wear zones extended service life from 11 to 16 weeks, so fewer liners are needed each year. Combined, the saving in parts and downtime is far greater than the 32% price difference suggests.
Lessons for your operation
- Identify single-source spares with long lead times before the supplier fails.
- Reverse engineering is a chance to fix known weaknesses, not just copy the original.
- Worn samples are valuable data: they show where the part really fails.
- Local supply shortens lead times and makes improvement easier.
- Document everything, so the next supplier change is simple.
