Zurich Resilience Solutions helps surgery center prevent costly equipment failure with AI technology

Few challenges disrupt an organization’s operations more than unplanned equipment failure. It cripples productivity, inflates costs and, in critical sectors like healthcare, can even put lives in jeopardy. With critical surgical procedures and patient health on the line, Zurich Resilience Solutions worked alongside a leading surgery center customer to evaluate essential equipment and bring in innovative technology to monitor and prevent critical equipment failure, preventing an estimated $30,000 per hour in lost revenue.

The High Stakes of Downtime: A Healthcare Imperative

For a leading surgery center customer whose surgical operations are essential daily practices, the air in operating rooms must be clean and filtered, with any impurity representing a potential hazard. Maintaining such well-controlled air flow relies on a complex network of chillers and motors, sustaining optimal conditions for patients and staff. Any failure in these critical assets can cause canceled surgeries, result in substantial financial losses from lost revenue and, most importantly, put patient safety at risk.

An unfortunate reality is that electrical and mechanical equipment will eventually deteriorate and fail in time. No matter how well the equipment is designed or manufactured, its components are subject to processes—friction, corrosion, fatigue or electrical degradation—that gradually reduce their effectiveness and reliability.

The challenge for this healthcare facility: How could they maintain a stable, controlled environment for surgical procedures, reduce or avoid the risk of mechanical failure and shift to a proactive, predictable operational model? The answer -- embracing advanced technology designed to support predictive maintenance, detect early signs of equipment degradation and enable corrective action before disruptions occur.

The AI Solution

To address the customer’s vulnerability, Zurich brought in MOVUS FitMachine, a sophisticated sensor-based solution that continuously monitors the health of industrial assets once installed within the system. FitMachine sensors track key indicators such as vibration, temperature and noise, feeding real-time data into the MOVUS MachineCloud Dashboard. Artificial Intelligence, combined with human engagement, analyzes the data and provides meaningful, actionable insights into equipment conditions and health.

Risk engineers from Zurich played an integral role, assisting with the installation of FitMachine on the facility’s essential chillers and motors, and actively enabling a solution that would mitigate the risks and improve overall reliability.

Averted Crises and $30,000 Per Hour Saved

The value of this proactive approach became vividly clear soon after implementation. FitMachine sensors detected an abnormal vibration pattern in a motor responsible for supplying conditioned air to an operating room. The system immediately flagged the anomaly, signaling an impending failure that would have likely gone undetected until a catastrophic breakdown.

Armed with this critical early warning, the maintenance team scheduled the replacement for the failing motor to occur overnight, outside of operating hours. This pivotal intervention prevented what could have been a major catastrophe. Had the motor failed during peak hours, scheduled surgeries would have been delayed or canceled, affecting patient care and the center’s financial performance. And if the malfunction were to occur during a surgery, it could complicate the healthcare workers’ ability to effectively perform their jobs and potentially compromise the safety of the patient.

The impact of replacing the failing equipment was immediate and quantifiable: by avoiding this unplanned failure, the facility prevented an estimated $30,000 per hour in lost revenue from canceled surgeries, based on its internal operating costs. Research indicates that downtime for healthcare organizations can cost approximately $1.9 million per day, or more than $79,000 per hour¹. Subsequent investigation and repair corroborated the FitMachine’s findings, validating both the system’s accuracy and the foresight of early intervention.

A Blueprint for Proactive Risk Management

This case is a powerful illustration of the broader benefits of predictive maintenance and proactive risk management:

• Improved Patient Care & Safety: By maintaining optimal conditions in operating rooms, the facility upheld its commitment to patient safety and high-quality outcomes.
• Reduced Downtime: Operations continued seamlessly, avoiding disruption to surgeries and ensuring critical services remained uninterrupted.
• Significant Cost Savings: The center sidestepped substantial revenue losses and the high costs associated with emergency repairs.
• Enhanced Asset Reliability: Real-time condition data allowed for maintenance planning, extending the lifespan of critical assets and reducing the risk of unexpected failures.

The partnership between MOVUS and Zurich Resilience Solutions is more than just a technology deployment; it’s a shift in how businesses approach organizational risk. It empowers organizations to move from a reactive to a preventative posture. By leveraging AI-driven insights and continuous system monitoring, organizations can achieve greater efficiency, reduce costs and safeguard their most critical assets and services.

While traditional equipment maintenance often means waiting for failures to occur before making corrections, Zurich takes a different approach, evaluating equipment and taking action to prevent disruption. Proactive risk management driven by cutting-edge technology is transforming how organizations protect their people, assets and reputation. Innovations like MOVUS’ FitMachine offer a compelling blueprint for organizations looking to build operational strength and resilience.