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Articles: Reliability-Centered Maintenance

Achieve World-Class Production Through Reliability

Alumax of South Carolina is an aluminum smelter that produces in excess of 180,000 MT of primary aluminum each year.  It began operation in 1980 after a 2-year construction phase.  The plant is the last greenfield aluminum smelter constructed in the U.S.  Alumax of SC is a part of Alumax, Inc., which has headquarters in Norcross, Georgia; a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.  Alumax, Inc. is the third largest producer of primary aluminum in the U.S. and the fourth largest in North America.

An Introduction to RCM

1 The Changing World of Maintenance

 Over the last twenty years, maintenance has changed, perhaps more so than any other management discipline. The changes are due to a huge increase in the number and variety of physical assets (plant, equipment and buildings) that must be maintained throughout the world, more complex designs, new maintenance techniques and changing views on maintenance organisation and responsibilities.

 

Assessing the Cost of Unreliability

It is best to begin a reliability assessment with an evaluation of the overall cost of unreliability. In this context, I am using the term "cost of unreliability" to mean the overall cost resulting from all situations caused by reliability-related failures. This cost will include both the direct and indirect costs associated with all reliability issues that could have been prevented by adherence to good reliability practices.

Beyond “No Scheduled Maintenance”

by: Douglas J. Plucknette of AlliedReliability

When I first began using Reliability Centered Maintenance as a tool to develop a complete maintenance strategy for a process or piece of equipment, I was bothered by the phrase "No scheduled maintenance". I wasn't that the phrase didn't just come out and say what it means, "Run to failure", it was that RCM as program leaves one with impression that nothing more can be done. It all stops here. Run it to failure. Fix it when it's broke. Now, I understand the thought process Nowlan and Heap were using, if a components failure cannot be predicted through the use of on-condition maintenance, prevented by using a preventive maintenance task, or eliminated through redesign, the remaining strategy would be "no scheduled maintenance". Fact is, if you're an RCM analyst, you work should not end here.

Blast Off to Reliability

The RCM Process at United Space Alliance

by Catherine C. Kammerer

United Space Alliance, LLC (USA) is the Space Processing Operations Contractor (SPOC) for NASA at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Johnson Space Center (JSC).   In that role, United Space Alliance uses Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) to optimize maintenance practices for the upkeep of tens of thousands of pieces of critical ground support, launch, and flight control equipment.  USA has an institutionalized RCM process with a company policy, functional organization procedures, periodic review of performance, and metrics to track the performance.

Bridging the Gap Between Reliability & Six Sigma

In today's fast paced business world, companies are constantly looking for ways to improve. Two improvement initiatives that have come to the forefront are Reliability and Six-Sigma. It has been thought by some that the two initiatives are in competition with each other. That because both initiatives require an investment in funds and resources, that they cannot coexist. While competition may exist, both are vital to achieving continuous improvement. This paper will discuss the two improvement methodologies, show the similarities & differences, and illustrate how both initiatives are vital to continuous improvement.

Condition Based Maintenance Gap Analysis

Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) has become an Army Aviation Priority. The objective of CBM is not just the insertion of prognostics on an airframe, it is also to maximize the time on wing for all components and optimize maintenance practices, as well as Operational Readiness. The current maintenance strategy involves managing components by fleet based on statistical methods and safety factors. This strategy dictates intensive scheduled maintenance, unpredictable maintenance (failures), and scheduled removals. Successful CBM implementation requires a change to this maintenance strategy.

Detective Maintenance

When we think about maintenance strategies, the words predictive, preventive, corrective, and breakdown spring to mind. There is however an important class of tasks that we do to ensure that our equipment and Plant remains safe and productive. These tasks are based on a Detective Maintenance strategy. They help us win our licence-to-operate and ensure long term viability. With machinery and Plants becoming increasingly more complex, the proportion of such tasks in the total maintenance program is growing.

Managing a business efficiently means that we have to manage risks well. In turn, this requires that our safety devices and systems work on demand. It is possible to arrive logically at the required availability of the items in question and find suitable detective maintenance strategies. While analysis is relatively easy, there are several hurdles in implementing their results. These challenges can be met by a range of solutions. They are not universal and need to be tailored to each situation.

The word pro-active is very popular, especially in the maintenance context. Detective Maintenance strategies are pro-active. More importantly, they are essential to long term success.

 

Developing and Implementing RCM for a Limited Staffed Facility

by Tim Jackson, Generation Asset Engineer, Florida Municipal Power Agency and Todd A. Cooper, Senior Consultant, Cohesive Information Solutions, Inc.

Background

FMPA is a wholesale power agency owned by municipal electric utilities. FMPA’s membership today includes 30 municipal electric utilities serving approximately 1.8 million Floridians. Fifteen members purchase all their power requirements from the Agency. Five municipals purchase some of their power requirements. In all, FMPA supplies nearly 50% of its members’ total power needs and has ownership interests in 12 operating power plants.

The Treasure Coast Energy Center was constructed by FMPA and went commercial in May of 2008. This 300 MWe Combined Cycle generating plant has been designed to be operated and maintained by a small maintenance and operations staff.

Facility’s Weakest Link

What's your facility's weakest link? Do you even know? My career centers on failures and the reasons why. Here are a couple of extreme examples of the weakest links and the results they can have on your business.

Focusing RCM To Maximize Return on Investment

Developing a Classic Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) strategy is time consuming and diverts personnel from their primary function; often resulting in a "hard sell" with both production and management personnel. Judicious application of Classic RCM analysis based on objective evidence of need eases the initial approval process while building the foundation for continued RCM efforts through demonstrated Return On Investment (ROI).

Heavy Duty RCM - Lockheed Martin’s Classical RCM on a 30-Ton Overhead Crane

When you have a satellite worth 300 million dollars hanging from your crane hook, there is a very real incentive for safe, reliable, problem free material handling. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC) has more than one hundred cranes lifting extremely high value, critical flight hardware loads.

How Portland General Electric is Using RCM to Change Their Maintenance Culture

By Cheryl Bryant, Portland General Electric, Portland, OR, Paul Lennon, Portland General Electric, Portland, OR, and Jason Ballentine, ARMS Reliability Engineers, LLC, Austin, TX

Portland General Electric has recently completed a number of Reliability Centered Maintenance studies at their Boardman generating facility. Although the predicted results are impressive Portland General Electric is simply using Reliability Centered Maintenance as the tool to initiate a change in their maintenance culture.

How the RCM Scorecard Morphed into The RCM Project Manager’s Guide

This paper describes the background, content, and use of a newly created document derived from the "Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Scorecard." The RCM Scorecard document is organized around a set of metrics developed by Anthony M (Mac) Smith (author of the Reliability Centered Maintenance^[1] text and co-author (with Glenn Hinchcliffe) of RCM: Gateway to World Class Maintenance^[2]). The latter text addresses analysis during RCM projects and provides examples of metrics from many real (fully identified) clients.

Incorporating Reliability Centered Maintenance Principles in Front End Engineering and Design

Incorporating Reliability Centered Maintenance Principles in Front End Engineering and Design of Deep Water Capital Projects

Front End Engineering and Design comprises a logical progression from capital project selection through capital asset commissioning and operation. Project owners contract with engineering firms to provide capital project assessment, design, equipment selection, procurement and start-up. During each phase of Front End Engineering Design, (FEED) sound engineering judgment and industry "best practices" are applied to improve Capital Expenditures (CAPEX) and Operating Expense, (OPEX).

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