TRC-2018 Learning Zone 38:59

by Jim Carrel, Reliability Management Strategies and Lee McKinley, SGL Composites

The SGL Composites Maintenance Department was formed in 2013, but began its journey to Reliability after Lee McKinley was positioned as the Head of the Maintenance Department in late 2014 and started discussions with Jim Carrel, CRL (Reliability Coach, Reliability Management Strategies) in the Spring of 2015. After coaching Lee to a better understanding of Reliability, Jim invited Lee to join him at IMC 2015 and be immersed in the reliability discussions. Lee returned to the plant after the conference filled with hopes and expectations. He began the long process of organizational and cultural change and invited his peers, the Head of Production and the Head of Excellence, to join him at The Reliability Conference in the spring of 2016. Together, the three of them chartered the course to be followed over the next few years. Since the initial days of their journey to reliability, the plant has experienced improvement in the ratio of planned to unplanned maintenance, rising from 19% planned, to a current 53% in just 2 years. They’ve seen a 61% reduction in maintenance costs in less than 6 months in the Winders Sections. Over the past two years they have trained and certified personnel, and implemented specific Uptime Elements. The most important metric is, of course, production; and SGL has seen a significant increase in the percentile of Total Metered Length Spools (their corporate production KPI) from the low-70’s to mid-80’s. (Current KPI is 85% TMLS with 0 Defects) This presentation will detail the planning, actions, challenges, and results-to-date SGL is experiencing. This is not a finished story, but a mid-journey glimpse into their challenges and successes. It is our hope that this story can encourage those who are contemplating the journey to see the benefit to making the commitment to begin.