Solve. Achieve. Sustain.
The Plant Hexcellence™ Model
An Asset Management Model that Drives Operational Excellence
Many strive to achieve Operational Excellence (OpEx) but never quite reach their goals. You have to ask yourself why? There are many reasons, and that alone could be a whole series of articles, but most prominent is that they do not have a vision or model of Operational Excellence that meets their business needs or is “Fit for Purpose”. Most really don’t understand operational excellence and what it truly means. They attach themselves to one specific component like LEAN or Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) and […]
9 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Next Maintenance Conference
How to Ensure Your Attendance at A Conference Delivers An ROI
As the kids go back to school, maintenance, reliability, and asset management professional resume their professional learning. This learning usually takes place at one of the numerous world-class conferences available across North America and internationally. These conferences allow professionals to observe and connect with the latest tools, technology, and techniques in our amazing professional.
Sometimes it is difficult for the maintenance, reliability, and asset management professionals to get […]
Ensuring Equipment Doesn’t Grow Out of Alignment
Understanding & Compensating for Thermal Growth
A major asset is being installed, and the asset is vital to the success of a brand new, high-profit product being introduced to the site. This product is enough to keep the site operational for many years to come. The installation of the asset is critical, and there is extensive prep work to eliminate soft foot, ensuring the base is flat (using geometric measurement) and that the asset is aligned properly.
Shortly after the installation is […]
Understanding Soft Foot and How to Correct It
Ensure Your Precision Alignment Program Is On The Right Foot.
Imagine (or maybe you don’t have to) that you take out your brand new Easy-Laser system, and proceed to perform a shaft alignment. However, it seems that no matter what you do, you can’t get a great alignment. What is going on? The foundation looks good, new shims were used, the asset is clean, and there is no pipe strain. After some discussion with others, they mention a term in which you are […]
The 7 Steps to Proper Machinery Alignment
How to Ensure Your Assets are Installed to Prevent Premature Failure
How many times has an asset been installed or commissioned, only to have it fail in a few days or months when it should have lasted even longer? If you look at the study by Nowlan & Heap, they have found that only 11% of failures are age related, so when is happening with these assets? The answer… comes down to poor installation practices.
There have been a […]
Taking Lubrication to The Next Level with Acoustic Lubrication
Using Acoustic Lubrication Techniques to Provide the Right Amount of Grease at The Right Time
Every Thursday a mechanic grabs the grease gun and proceeds perform a lube route. Throughout the route, the mechanic pushes the grease gun onto the zerk and pumps grease into the bearing housing. Below the housing, there is a trail of grease leading to a small pile of old grease. The mechanic proceeds to the next machine and attempts to lubricate a bearing. However, no matter how hard […]
Utilizing Ultrasound in Condition Monitoring
Understanding the various applications of ultrasound
When a maintenance person hears the word ultrasound, they immediately think of air leaks. While ultrasound is good at finding leaks involving compressed gases (air, steam, nitrogen, CO2, etc.), it can do much more. If you look at a typical P-F curve, you will that ultrasound enables organizations to find defects further up the curve, even more so than vibration analysis. How many maintenance staff knows that? Combine the ease of use, cost effective and the early detection ability […]
Listening to Assets: Understanding Ultrasound
What Is Ultrasound And How Can It Help With Your Condition Monitoring Program
Imagine being able to listen to assets. I don’t mean the old trick of holding a screwdriver to a bearing housing, but actually being able to hear the rolling elements of a bearing. What about being able to record the audio sample, analyze and trend the information? All of this is now possible with the Ultrasound technology currently available.
Most of us have heard of using Ultrasound to find […]
Taking Reliability Block Diagrams to the Next Level
Using RBDs to model different systems and circumstances
In the previous post, the basics of a Reliability Block Diagram were covered using simple Series or Parallel paths. In real life, most systems or processes are not that simple and require a different level or type of models, often used in combination with other types.
So in our continued exploration of RBDs, let’s explore a few different models that may be used.
K OUT OF N MODELS
K out of N Models is […]
Understanding Reliability Block Diagrams
How To Evaluate The Reliability Of A System Or Process
60% of failures and safety issues can be prevented by ensuring there is a robust equipment design and that Maintenance & Reliability is taken into account during the design phase. Equipment should be designed with the following in mind;
- Designed for Fault Tolerance
- Designed to Fail Safely
- Designed with early warning of the failure to the user
- Designed with a built-in diagnostic system to identify fault location
- Designed to […]