Articles

ERP and EAM: Partners, Not Competitors

The debate over which software platform is best suited to manage physical assets continues. There are two main contenders: enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems offering a consolidated approach to tracking the organization’s activities and enterprise asset management (EAM) systems offering best-in-class functionality.

by Tracy Smith

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

The Quest of the Two Questions: Part II - What Are We Doing to the Equipment?

by Peter Chalich

This is Part 2 of a two-part article. In the February/March 2014 issue, the How Is the Equipment Failing? article answered the question with a discussion on the value and methods of understanding how our equipment is failing. In Part 2, What Are We Doing to the Equipment?, we address the value and methods for understanding the services that we may or may not be providing our equipment.

Machinery Health Monitoring

by Wayne Tustin

THIS IS PART 4 of a five-part series entitled, Machinery Health Monitoring Depends on Accelerometers. Part 1 addressed the mechanical aspects of selecting and using accelerometers, while Part 2 examined the electronic aspects of dealing with those small signals. Part 3 focused on calibrating accelerometers to determine their sensitivity. Parts 4 and 5 will conclude with views of accelerometers attached to various machines so they can report on machinery health.

Vendor Selection and Performance Evaluation: Building Successful Reliability Partnerships

by Ward Bond

In the mind of an average layperson, reliability is most likely a concept comprised of the predictable, continuous function of a system or repeatable action. When I joined my company’s reliability team, I learned that the reliability of an asset can impact our company’s overall operations. Our Greenfield, Indiana, site is made up of multiple business units, occupying approximately one million square feet. Each business unit has a group of functions and a unique list of support requirements that are critical to its continuous operation. Our reliability team supports the function of these critical systems by working with our shops and craftspeople to facilitate those needs. As a layperson myself, it is because I am part of that group that I have really begun to understand what reliability truly is. I have also learned that the reliability of critical systems can be very different in scope, yet have the same expectation of reliable performance. It is with this concept in mind that we developed a process for managing the reliability of contracted services.

Asset Management

2013 Uptime Award Winner: If Reducing Unplanned Downtime Is Your Goal, What Is Your Game Plan?

by Dragan Trivanovic & John Yolton

IS BETTER THAN 50 PERCENT accuracy an objective or goal for a condition monitoring program? Do you measure accuracy of recommendations as an output of your program? It is not unusual for paper mills with mature condition monitoring programs staffed by competent, skilled and experienced technicians to achieve over 95 percent accuracy in the prediction of a failure, and somewhat less accuracy, due to lack of knowledge and data, of the recommended corrective action, which for some, is still a whole lot better than flipping a coin. But how about a goal of zero unpredicted failures?

The Perfect Pair: Shock Pulse and Vibration Monitoring Combo Pays Off at Boliden Mine

by Tim Sundström

IN THE MINING INDUSTRY – one of the most capital-intensive industries in the world – preventive maintenance makes good business sense. In a process involving high costs and specialized equipment, the grinding mill is not only the most energy-consuming processing unit, it is also a highly critical application. It stands to reason that optimizing this bottleneck is of pivotal interest to the industry. Swedish mining company Boliden successfully combines a shock pulse measurement technique and vibration analysis to do just that.

Leadership for Reliability

Ethics in Business…and What Do I Get?

In a society where the scale of values emphasizes individual issues first, then the person’s own family and ultimately society, I purposely begin this article with the provocation of the question above.

I believe we are all at a certain point on the scale, from one to 10, according to our moral development and the education we received. Frequently, we recognize the lack of ethics in others, but hardly recognize (sometimes even realize) our own lack of ethics. So, let’s start this article by answering the question.

by Luiz Alberto Verri

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Myths of RCM Implementation - PART 1 of 2

by Carlos Mario Perez Jaramillo

Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) focuses on identifying what should be done to assure the functions of a system or asset in a safe, cost-effective and reliable way. RCM analysis is carried out by a group of experts, called the analysis team, for the equipment, asset, or object of the study. It is their responsibility to answer seven questions (above) about the asset being analyzed.

7 questions to ask when analyzing your assets:

What are the functions and performance associated with the asset’s standards in its current operating context?
In what ways does it not perform its functions?
What is the cause stopping it from performing its function?
What happens when each failure occurs?
What is the impact of each failure?
What can be done to predict or prevent every failure?
What should be done if adequate work could not be performed before the failure?

Monitoring Plain Bearings With Ultrasound

by Gus Velasquez

Friction: friend or foe? The answer all depends on your particular situation. When driving your car aggressively over wet or icy roads, friction, as well as a good set of tires, is your friend and will save you from some stressful moments. If you’re in the reliability game and are tasked with extending the life of your bearings, then friction is the enemy. While zero friction is neither practical nor even possible, you search for the best ways to minimize these forces between the elements of your bearings.