GE Energy

Product Life Cycle Support Notice

Bently Nevada* Asset Condition Monitoring

3300 Monitoring System transitioning to Phase 4

30 July 2010

Our Product Life Cycle Management Program is intended to help you proactively plan
the ongoing operation and maintenance of your Bently Nevada products by providing
information on the availability of parts and support. Notices such as this are issued at
life cycle milestones to inform you of changes and to provide recommendations on
how to move forward.

Contents Status Details

Section
Status Details
Affected Parts List
Product Support
Specific Recommendations
General Recommendations
Life Cycle Program Overview
Page This notice is to inform you that the 3300 series monitoring system will be transitioning
1 to life cycle Phase 4 as of 30 January 2011. Previous communications were showing
2 estimates of July 2010. We are pleased to extend that date based on the availability of
2 some additional components.
2
2 Due to component availability issues, it has been necessary to individually transition
3 selected 3300 modules to Phase 4 over the last several years, and affected customers
have been notified as appropriate. However, we are now moving the any remaining
3300 series monitors to Phase 4 as of January 2011. Note that the I/O’s will not
transition to Phase 4 unless they are already in that phase for a reason outside of this
notice.

Phase 4 in our life cycle program means no monitors will be available for sale (including
spares). Full technical support and factory repair capabilities will continue to be
available.

Customers that have not already done so will be advised to develop an appropriate
migration plan to our newer monitoring technology. Please consult “Specific
Recommendations” on page 2 of this notice for additional information on the timing
and duration of Phases 3 and 4 as well as the various fully engineered migration options
from 3300 to newer technology.

Product Life Cycle Support Notice

Part Number 123456-01
Rev NC (05/09)

Page 1 of 4
Affected Parts List Accordingly, our focus has transitioned from the ability to sell
new 3300 systems indefinitely, to the ability to adequately
All versions and modules of GE’s Bently Nevada 3300 series
support the large installed base of 3300 systems worldwide while
monitors (Excluding I/O’s). The following is a list of the current
providing adequate lead-time for customers to develop
phases of each monitor. This notice affects those listed in P3
appropriate migration strategies.
Status.
3300/00 P3 3300/36 P3
3300/02 P3 3300/39 P3 After careful assessment, we have formalized the following
3300/03 P3 3300/40 P4
3300/04 P3 3300/45 P3 support plan:
3300/05 P3 3300/46 P3
3300/06 P3 3300/47 P3 • We will support the 3300 monitors in Phase 4 as long as
3300/07 P3 3300/48 P3
3300/11 P4 3300/50 P3 possible given limited availability of components. We are
3300/12 P3 3300/52 P3
3300/13 P4 3300/53 P4 committed to holding this Phase until all monitors are out of
3300/14 P3 3300/54 P3 factory warranty (3 years). Current estimates are that we
3300/15 P3 3300/55 P3
3300/16 P3 3300/61 P4 can continue in Phase 4 until January 2014, at which time
3300/17 P3 3300/65 P3
3300/18 P4 3300/70 P3 we will move to Phase 5. In Phase 5, we can no longer
3300/19 P3 3300/75 P3
support the monitors.
3300/20 P3 3300/80 P5
3300/21 P4 3300/81 P3
3300/25 P3 3300/85 P4 • As always, we will honor our industry-leading 3-year
3300/26 P3 3300/90 P4
warranty. We are committed to holding Phase 4 of
3300/30 P3 3300/95 P3
3300/35 P3 obsolescence until all spare 3300 monitors purchased
during Phase 3 are beyond the warranty period.
Note: 3300 series proximity transducers are not affected by this notice.

• Field verification and troubleshooting services will continue

Product Support
For support information, contact our Bently Nevada technical
support team by e-mailing bntechsupport@ge.com, by calling
+1 775-215-1818 or by logging into www.bntechsupport.com.
You may also visit us at www.ge-energy.com/bently and
navigate to Technical Support for a list of technical support
phone numbers specific to your global location.
to be available for 3300 monitor systems for several years
after the transition to Phase 4. While we are committed to
provide field service as long as practical, we cannot
guarantee that problems encountered by the field service
engineers can be corrected due to the inability to produce
spare parts.
• 3300 I/O’s will remain in the status they are currently in. This
notice does not affect the 3300 I/O’s.

Specific Recommendations GE recommends that all 3300 monitoring system customers

Since its introduction in 1988, the Bently Nevada 3300 series
monitoring system has served with distinction as a highly reliable
solution for machinery protection and monitoring needs.
However, as technology has advanced, it has become
increasingly more difficult to find suppliers that manufacture the
components on which the 3300 system relies.
consult with their local sales professional specializing in Bently
Nevada Asset Condition Monitoring to develop an appropriate
migration strategy. This strategy should take into account the
timelines for Phases 4 and 5 outlined above, the planned outage
schedules for affected machines, and other relevant details.
We are acutely aware that migration to a newer platform must
address the cost-benefit considerations of advanced
functionality versus the disruption that system replacement
represents. Some customers will place primary emphasis on
Product Life Cycle Support Notice
Part Number 123456-01
Rev NC (05/09)

Page 2 of 4
advanced functionality, with less concern for installation
convenience. Others will place primary emphasis on minimal
disruption, preferring a “drop in” replacement that preserves field
wiring terminations, panel cutouts, and other installation details.
Our various 3300 migration options will reflect these differing
needs, allowing customers multiple choices.
Several migration options exist today, including the world leading
3500 series Monitoring System. Others will be introduced in the
next 3 months. The appropriateness of a particular option will
vary on a case-by-case basis for each customer depending on
their existing 3300 installation, current and future functionality
requirements, anticipated service life of the machine being
monitored and other details. Your GE sales professional can
assist you in understanding these options and evaluating their
suitability for your specific situation.
General Recommendations
GE recommends that as new technologies become available, our
customers take the opportunity to improve their machinery
protection and condition monitoring systems. This allows them to
keep pace with continually increasing competitive and regulatory
demands for physical asset management, machinery protection,
and equipment reliability/availability. Systems approaching
obsolescence cannot provide the same level of data access,
analysis, and monitoring capabilities that are available from
newer product offerings in our Bently Nevada portfolio. Given the
multi-year window provided between Phases 3 and 5 in our life
cycle management program, customers are encouraged to
evaluate the costs of maintaining their current systems against
the benefits of migrating to newer platforms.
As GE introduces new Bently Nevada Asset Condition Monitoring
products, they are often designed with backward compatibility in
mind, allowing the transition from older systems to newer
systems with a minimum of disruption and inconvenience. For
more information, please contact your nearest GE sales
professional specializing in Bently Nevada Asset Condition
Monitoring products, or visit us at www.ge-energy.com/bently.
Life Cycle Program Overview
Bently Nevada Asset Condition Monitoring hardware utilizes a
life cycle management program consisting of five basic phases:
• Phase 1: Product Release
Hardware is released for sale with full support including
ongoing enhancements, custom modifications, new spare
parts, and full repair capabilities.
• Phase 2: Mature Product
Same as Phase 1 except that no new enhancements are
planned. Custom modifications are still available, but
discouraged. A notification of last time to buy new systems
is typically issued several months1 before transitioning to
Phase 3.
• Phase 3: Spares Only
Product is no longer available for new installations and no
new custom modifications are available. New spare parts
(including those for existing custom modifications) are still
available, and repair and support are provided as in Phases
1 and 2. A notification of last time to buy spare parts is
typically issued several months1 before transitioning to
Phase 4.
• Phase 4: No Spares, Limited Support
New spare parts are no longer available and support is
limited to repair, exchange, or remanufacture (subject to
component availability). Notice of last date to repair is
typically issued several months1 before transitioning to
Phase 5.
• Phase 5: Obsolete
The product has no or limited support2 and is not
recommended for continued use in a machinery protection
application. Customers are advised to migrate to an
appropriate replacement product with the assistance of
their GE sales professional specializing in Bently Nevada
Asset Condition Monitoring.
Product Life Cycle Support Notice
Part Number 123456-01
Rev NC (05/09)
Page 3 of 4
Notes
1 While reasonable efforts are made to provide timely notices,
GE cannot guarantee minimum timeframes for advance
notification.

2 Continued support availability in this Phase is subject to

change without notice.

*Denotes trademarks and/or registered trademarks in the United States

and other countries of Bently Nevada, LLC, a General Electric company.

© 2009 General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

Product Life Cycle Support Notice

Part Number 123456-01
Rev NC (05/09)

Page 4 of 4