My Unfashionable Procurement Opinion
I believe preventive measurement is the cheapest line item in an industrial maintenance budget. That is not a “quality first” slogan. It is a purchasing conviction built from six years of approving purchase orders and watching failures turn into emergency expenses.
At our 40-person automation company, I've managed a $180,000 annual budget for sensors, encoders, and test equipment, and I've tracked every order in our cost tracking system. It took me about four years and 200 purchase orders to realize that the cheapest quote and the lowest total cost of ownership are often two different numbers. Eventually, I stopped asking “what's the price?” and started asking “what does this part really need to do?”
This article is my argument for prevention over cure: why I specify SICK encoders—especially the SICK encoder DBS60—through authorized SICK encoder distributors, why pressure sensors are not optional, and why I bought a 175 true RMS multimeter even though my old meter seemed fine.
Why Authorized SICK Encoder Distributors Earned My Trust
I used to treat encoders as commodity parts. A shaft spins, pulses come out, who cares? Then, in Q3 2023, a conveyor line went down at a packaging plant. The original encoder was a SICK DBS60, and our maintenance team needed a straight replacement. Our usual distributor quoted $340 with a two-day lead time. An unauthorized online listing showed up at $215. I almost went with the cheaper one—or rather, I did submit the PO.
Our controls engineer caught it before the package shipped: the cheap unit had a 6 mm shaft, and we needed 10 mm. Could we have adapted it? Yes. But the adapter added $60, shipping added $28, and an hour of engineering time added $95. The $215 part became a $398 part, with no warranty support and no one to call for application help. I still kick myself for that.
The lesson wasn't “buy the expensive one.” The lesson was “buy from someone who can answer the questions you forgot to ask.” That's why SICK encoder distributors on my approved vendor list are not just stock holders. They're the first filter in my TCO spreadsheet.
When I evaluate a SICK encoder distributor, I ask three questions:
- Do they have the exact shaft, connection, and resolution variant of the DBS60 in stock?
- Can they explain the difference between the DBS60 and other SICK encoder options in 10 minutes?
- Do they list warranty and support terms clearly, without me having to request an exception?
Last year, I compared three SICK encoder distributors for a blanket order of eight DBS60 units. The first distributor was $30 lower per unit, but the second included a calibration report and matched the manufacturer's standard warranty terms. The $240 difference bought traceability our quality team required anyway. That is the kind of hidden value that never shows up in a price search.
According to SICK's product documentation (sick.com, accessed April 2025), the DBS60 is designed for a wide range of industrial applications, which is another way of saying the details matter. The same model name can have different shaft sizes, connection types, and pulse counts. A listing that only says “SICK encoder DBS60” is not enough.
Pressure Sensors: The Low-Cost Detection Layer
I have mixed feelings about pressure sensors. On one hand, they are often the least expensive item in a control panel. On the other, they create procurement headaches because engineers need the right pressure range, media compatibility, and electrical connection for each machine. That specificity is exactly why they pay for themselves.
In early 2024, we installed a SICK pressure sensor on a hydraulic accumulator at a metal-forming customer. The sensor cost $220. It detected a slow nitrogen leak that would have caused the press to stroke inconsistently. The customer estimated that a failure would have idled the line for 12 hours and cost $9,500 in repairs and lost production. The sensor didn't stop the leak; it gave us time to fix it during a planned shutdown. That's the definition of prevention over cure.
In one project, an engineer chose a pressure switch instead of a pressure transmitter to save $150. A switch gives you an alarm at a setpoint; a transmitter gives you a continuous trend. If you want to catch a problem before it becomes a failure, you need the trend. Simple as that.
A 175 True RMS Multimeter Saved Us From a Phantom Motor Failure
I didn't immediately understand the difference between averaging and true RMS multimeters. It took one misdiagnosis to change my mind. We replaced a perfectly good motor because a standard multimeter gave a stable voltage reading while a variable frequency drive was outputting a distorted waveform. The motor wasn't bad. The measurement was too coarse. We spent $1,800 on the replacement motor and two days of downtime before someone tested with a true RMS meter.
After that, I approved the purchase of a Fluke 175 true RMS multimeter for the maintenance team. It wasn't a prestige purchase. It was the right tool for a facility with VFDs. If you search “Fluke vs Klein multimeter,” you'll find strong opinions on both sides. I don't have a strong brand allegiance, and I don't think you should either. Klein makes good meters, and Fluke has a strong reputation in industrial environments. The real comparison should be CAT ratings, input protection, true RMS capability, and calibration support. The model number matters more than the logo.
We now have a simple rule: if the troubleshooting floor has VFDs, the tech's meter must have true RMS. The price difference between an averaging meter and the Fluke 175 true RMS multimeter is less than one hour of diagnostic labor in most plants. That's an easy trade to justify.
But Isn't This Just Over-Specification?
I can already hear the objection: “You're a cost controller, and you're telling me to buy SICK encoders from approved distributors and a $400 multimeter? That's over-specification.” Actually, no. I'm saying the opposite. I'm saying buy the right measurement capability for the risk it covers.
A $215 encoder that fails in six months is not savings. A $40 pressure sensor with the wrong media compatibility can leak and damage a hydraulic valve. A $150 multimeter without true RMS can send you chasing a problem that doesn't exist. I don't gold-plate every line item. I over-verify at the points where failure costs more than prevention.
Five minutes of verification beats five days of correction. In procurement, that means reading the datasheet, checking the shaft diameter, and comparing total cost before you click “buy.”
Bottom Line
So here is my unfashionable procurement opinion: the time to buy the right sensor is before you know you need it. Keep authorized SICK encoder distributors on your approved vendor list. Use the SICK encoder DBS60 when the application calls for a 60-millimeter encoder. Put pressure sensors on critical pumps and accumulators. Buy a 175 true RMS multimeter if you work anywhere near VFDs. Compare sellers by total cost, not unit price. Prevention is not a line item; it's a decision made in the purchasing office, one quote at a time.
Pricing references above come from quotes and catalog pages I reviewed in March-April 2025. Verify current rates with authorized distributors.
