Articles

Safety in the CMMS Cloud

by Dr. Jeffrey Dutschke and Jason Kong

One of the most frequently used methods for electronically storing maintenance data is a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). CMMS systems hosted on the Internet (the Cloud) are becoming more and more common. But is your maintenance data safe when it is hosted on the Cloud and how does this compare to maintenance data stored on a local computer? In this article, some of the techniques used by cloud-based CMMS companies to ensure your data is secure are described and compared with the security of a local installation. While the security of local installations varies wildly, in most cases, the data on a cloud-based CMMS is more secure than on a locally hosted CMMS.

Work Execution Management

The Plant Maintenance Program

It's a team effort

by Paul Tomlingson

What is the plant maintenance program? The plant maintenance program depicts the interaction of the total plant population as they request or identify work; classify it to determine the best reaction; plan, schedule, assign, control and measure the resulting work; and assess overall accomplishments against goals, such as performance standards and budgets.

Rid Yourself of Routine Oil Changes

by: Richard Bierman

It is well-known that the most important properties concerning a lubricant’s role are its viscosity and purity. Several turns can be made to ensure that clean, dry oil of the correct viscosity is put into machinery. However, the moment the lubricant is placed into the machine, it becomes contaminated, especially in cases of an equipment rebuild. Managing the oil’s condition once it is put into service can be, and should be, a very comprehensive task. Preventive maintenance (PM) schedules, condition monitoring, filter and desiccant breather changing, level checking, leak detection, etc., can utilize a tremendous amount of man-hours. Switching a facility’s program to a periodic, partial drain and fill method can make managing the service life of a lubricant much easier and more effective than traditional PM programs.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Pump Technology Balancing Tradition & Innovation

by: Heinz P. Bloch

Process pump reliability logically involves a combination of fluid-related performance and design decisions that focus on engineering materials and the configuration of mechanical components. Recent case studies have pointed out improvement opportunities in the relative design conservatism found in certain process pump models. Combined with deficiencies in the training of personnel, it can be argued that pump reliability has not made as much progress as it perhaps could.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Updated! 2015 RCM Benchmarking Report

A Note from Terrence O'Hanlon, CEO and Publisher Reliabilityweb.com and Uptime Magazine:

"Reliabilityweb.com is excited about bringing its 2005 study on reliability centered maintenance (RCM) up to date in 2015 to track the advances that had been achieved in the ten years since the original study.

In my own work with Uptime Elements – A Reliability Framework for Asset Performance, I noticed fewer and fewer organizations with whom I was in contact applying reliability centered maintenance in order to develop maintenance strategies. I was hearing oft-cited excuses of excessive cost, exorbitant time, massive resource requirements and low management support as reasons why RCM had not been applied.

With release and publication of ISO 55001:2014 Asset management -- Management systems – Requirements, asset owners are being asked to ensure that they have policies, strategies and plans that ensure they fully understand how to create value from assets while balancing risk at a level that is acceptable to the organization."

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Reliability through Optimized Setup and Changeovers Part 1

by Dan Miller

When Shigeo Shingo began his work in reducing changeover times for Toyota in the 1960s, the motivation was to reduce inventory in a densely populated Japan. If Toyota could change their production lines over from one model to another very quickly, they could better respond to market demands. Through careful planning and innovative engineering, Shingo was able to reduce changeover times from 30 hours to less than 10 minutes.

Asset Management

Asset Management Culture: The “Missing Link?”

by Stuart Grant

With the advances that science, technology and regulation have brought, many companies today have excellent engineering capabilities, a fantastic technical framework and good governance. In theory, these companies should function reliably and also achieve great value. But often, that is not the case. What is going wrong? DuPont took a cultural journey to find the “missing link.”

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Preparing for a Root Cause Analysis

by: Michael W. Blanchard

The effectiveness of a root cause investigation is predicated on several elements, but the time spent preparing for the subsequent analysis is the most important. Performing a thorough preliminary investigation, identifying the right team members and anticipating problems at the analysis meeting could mean the difference between a highly reliable asset and recurring failures.

Articles

Safety in the CMMS Cloud

The Plant Maintenance Program

Safety Devices Which 33% Are You?

Rid Yourself of Routine Oil Changes

Pump Technology Balancing Tradition & Innovation

The Grasshopper’s Lesson on Asset Management

Updated! 2015 RCM Benchmarking Report

Reliability through Optimized Setup and Changeovers Part 1

Q&A with Scott Morris on ISO55000 Standards

Asset Management Culture: The “Missing Link?”

Preparing for a Root Cause Analysis

Alarm Management of Permanent Vibration Monitoring on a Slow Speed Gearbox