Like valves, pumps tend to be taken for granted until one fails. And when a pump does fail, taking down a line, the questions are: What will it take to get the pump and the line back up and running? Can the pump be repaired in place? If it has to be removed and replaced, is there a spare immediately on hand? How long will it take to get the line back up? Who will do the work?

While many types of pumps haven’t seen sweeping changes in terms of architecture, new materials choices can extend uptimes and contribute to food safety, and electronic technology is coming online to predict failures and help the maintenance staff schedule preventative maintenance.
In addition, pump suppliers are making maintenance easier by simplifying disassembly/reassembly, providing step-by-step procedures in PDFs and/or video formats including training classes for maintenance technicians, setting up quick parts delivery services or even providing third-party maintenance organizations that can respond quickly to problems.