Articles

The New Era of Predictive Maintenance: Affordable and Accessible

Modern Predictive Maintenance (PdM) has come a long way in recent years, with ease of use and installation both having increased significantly, while cost has similarly decreased. Conventional PdM was an expensive and time consuming technology and, because of this, it was reserved for only the most critical facilities. The problem with this is that less costly equipment, though seemingly peripheral, can be just as essential to continuing operations, and it is instead relegated to a preventive maintenance (PM) schedule.

Leadership for Reliability

Deciphering the Myths: Some Observations on Improvement Tools and Strategy

It’s not easy trying to convince people to use a more comprehensive approach to achieve reliability and operational excellence objectives. Managers need to focus less on maintenance and more on operations, design and procurement. Eliminating the defects in these areas will naturally result in fewer failures, lower costs, higher production and, not surprisingly, a far more efficient and effective maintenance organization. If you focus mainly on maintenance, you will only do work that you shouldn’t be doing in the first place more efficiently. But if you focus on the other areas, working as a team aligned to a common purpose while giving an appropriate level of attention to maintenance, you will be far more successful in having a reliable plant. This article attempts to convince people to apply this comprehensive approach by addressing certain myths.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

The Impossible Is Possible: 30,000 Assets in 90 Days - A PMO Success Story

In the 21st century, companies that focus on just design and operations will be left behind. Intelligent, efficient and optimized systems must keep evolving and need to be integrated into the ethos of how people work and think. This same thinking must be supported by management and designed to evolve based on proven intelligence, changing market demands and with the adoption of new equipment and technology. To achieve this, companies must initiate a proper asset performance management (APM) program to assess the operational performance and define a path to success.

To develop a sustainable APM program requires a level of understanding and expertise. This article explores a case study that uses elements of the strategy management domain from one MSAT provider’s APM sustainability model to show the importance of preventive maintenance (PM) optimization in the development of a successful APM program. This company, Nexus Global, supports the Uptime Elements Framework to map the key areas of improvement within their five APM domains: leadership, work management, strategy management, investigation management and data management.

Leadership for Reliability

The True Value of Reliability

In the current economic climate, only the strongest businesses are likely to survive. That means companies who perform reliably with a healthy cost level and, therefore, are able to build a competitive advantage over weaker performers. This also allows them to maintain a positive margin even in a depressed market, while others fall into red figures.

Work Execution Management

Without Accurate Failure Data All You Have Is a Work Order Ticket System

More specifically, without failure modes all you have is a bunch of codes. This may be the most overlooked data element as most computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) products do NOT capture the failure mode. This critical data element allows one to: (1) derive the ideal maintenance tactic, (2) quickly compare work order (WO) failure modes with RCM analysis failure modes, and (3) support drill-down on asset worst offenders for basic failure analysis. Failure data and failure analysis provide a holistic process in search of continuous improvement – using the CMMS. And, within the entire CMMS product, this may be the one feature’s greatest potential, return on investment.

Leadership for Reliability

Does Your Company Need a Maintenance Culture Intervention?

Let’s face it, most companies need a culture intervention – something like a 12-step program. This article will explore behavioral issues that are often at the core of a culture of neglect and mediocracy. It borrows much from management science, leadership principles and conversations with individuals working in the field of maintenance reliability.

Asset Condition Management

Oil Analysis “House Calls” Help Reduce Offshore Equipment Failures

It’s hard to think of another environment where an equipment failure could have an immense negative impact on employee safety and lost production than an offshore oil and gas production platform. Yet, offshore platforms are among the world’s most difficult locations to operate and maintain equipment. In most cases, skilled people and supplies can only reach the platform by ship or helicopter, so the cost of bringing technical specialists, replacement equipment, spare parts and tools to the platform is very high. On nearly every offshore platform, oil analysis plays a critical role in alerting the maintenance team to problems that have the potential to damage a vital system and providing information that makes it possible to efficiently allocate scarce resources by planning maintenance based on actual need as opposed to simple intervals of time.

Asset Management

How the Industrial Internet of Things Is Shaping Manufacturing

With all the technology out there, all talking to each other, the world is increasingly becoming more and more connected – indeed, flat. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) seems like a nebulous concept that encompasses everything from machine learning and robotics to drone delivery systems and intelligent point-of-use vending. There is more information available than ever before, but making sense of all this data can be daunting. This article will help bring clarity to how the IIoT can enhance all aspects of manufacturing.

Asset Condition Management

M2M Strategies for Machine Tool Maintenance

Spindles are one of the most expensive and sophisticated rotating components on the planet. They rotate at super high speeds with fits and tolerances 10 to 20 times what is required on other rotating devices, such as pumps or motors. If there ever were machines that needed to communicate their health and activity it would be spindles.

Asset Condition Management

Operational Analytics Help Lower Maintenance and Energy Costs

For some time, supermarkets have accepted that the costs for high customer volume, regulatory compliance and increasing energy rates were part of the business model. But the Danfoss Group, a Danish global producer of products and services used within infrastructure, food, energy and climate, has been providing a smart store solution for the past 10 years to help its customers across 5,000 stores worldwide optimize food safety and maximize energy efficiency. This solution also allows its customers to view their operations at a presentation level, create reports on alarms and performance, compare performance between stores, and reduce energy costs.

Articles

The New Era of Predictive Maintenance: Affordable and Accessible

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Deciphering the Myths: Some Observations on Improvement Tools and Strategy

The Impossible Is Possible: 30,000 Assets in 90 Days - A PMO Success Story

Infographic: 9 Items to Consider When Choosing a Venue for Your Training Program

The True Value of Reliability

Without Accurate Failure Data All You Have Is a Work Order Ticket System

Does Your Company Need a Maintenance Culture Intervention?

Oil Analysis “House Calls” Help Reduce Offshore Equipment Failures

How the Industrial Internet of Things Is Shaping Manufacturing

M2M Strategies for Machine Tool Maintenance

Operational Analytics Help Lower Maintenance and Energy Costs