Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site
A listing in reverse chronological order of these article series:
Excluding primary practices that still prevail in most industrial companies, the evolution of MRO Materials Management Technology can be summarized in three technological waves, as shown below.
There are many grave technological limitations. However, in view of room limitation, I will mention just two of the most relevant and easy to understand limitations. [Read more…]
Steam is often used for heating liquids. Heat is provided to a liquid either through a heat exchanger or by direct injection of raw steam. The injection of steam directly into the process is known as steam sparging. The sparge design and location affect the efficiency of the process.
Keywords: boiling, heating water, temperature increase, injector, lance, boiler pressure, properties of steam. [Read more…]
While working in the field of Asset Management formerly known as Maintenance and Reliability for over 30 years I have worked with my share of Managers and Leaders. Those who have known me for years know that I started in the field as a Pipefitter Apprentice, worked as a Journeyman and Team Leader for a number of years, did a stint as a Maintenance Supervisor, went to night school to become a Reliability Engineer and then as a business owner working with customers around the world. [Read more…]
In search of excellence in MRO Materials Management (indirect materials / spare parts), I have noticed two curious facts.
First, even in developed countries, industrial companies and providers of ERPs (enterprise management systems) are technologically very backward in this specialty.
Second, those very little companies or experts who developed differentiated technology keep it safe guarded as a trade secret.
This exposure results in considerable accumulation of knowledge and expertise, and a unique set of observations and conclusions which certainly could not fail to be shared with the concerned community. [Read more…]
Coordinating all of the maintenance activities within a site can be overwhelming. A schedule is supposed to help reduce the sense of being overwhelmed. But why is it that when trying to pull together a schedule for the next shift, day or week, it always seems to be a mad dash?
Often times the maintenance scheduling process is not well defined or thought out, and this leads to being overwhelmed. It also projects an image to our operational partners that we do not have our house in order. This image may or may not play a role in having our Maintenance windows moved or cancelled, further our scheduling issues. [Read more…]
The differential pressure transmitter (PT) is used to detect a head of pressure.
The sensing element is connected to the process by pipework and flexes in proportion to the pressure. The resulting distortion produces an electric signal that is amplified and converted to a value on a read-out.
Keywords: pressure sensor, strain gauge, tank level, process pressure, pressure difference. [Read more…]
Something to think about in a day and age when most companies post their mission, vision, and goals on the company web page.
Do we really stand behind these statements and demonstrate the behaviors that clearly show we are willing to do what it takes to create a safe workplace?
If you have ever questioned this, consider two questions I ask RCM Teams as we analyze failure modes that impact health, safety, and environment: [Read more…]
Most of us would agree that there is a new global economy being forged right now in the manufacturing sector.
Inevitably, this translates to a renewed focus on transferring more business value to the customer. Central to this will be linking RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) facilitation with effective maintenance program implementations.
In short, the difference between what we, as RCM Facilitators, have been doing in the past and what we will be doing from now on is: a strong emphasis on what tactics are required in order to achieve the failure management strategies an RCM Team defines.
That is, we will conduct the decisions phase of the analysis somewhat differently. (i.e. The 3rd pass through when walking-the-dog in an RCM analysis) [Read more…]
This is exactly what some operations staff think of when we tell them to submit a work request.
It means that they do not think that the work will be completed, or it will after it no longer matters to them.
What if you called the cable company and reported an issue? You would expect prompt service, and would expect that you would not have to chase them down to do the work correct? Maintenance is a service organization that enables the successful operation of the business.
The business shouldn’t have to chase us down or wonder if we will repair the equipment. [Read more…]
The first words a maintainer will read when they pick up a work order is the job description. The job description must tell him enough information about the work so he can understand what to do.
Keywords: CMMS, computerized maintenance management system, planning, breakdown repair, corrective. [Read more…]
A word that has several meanings- most think of an upcoming wedding, a young couple excited about the idea of getting married, starting a home and a family together and all the exciting things that come with being in love.
But this isn’t the kind of engagement I want to talk about today. [Read more…]
When it comes to information, entertainment, finding your way around and communications these days, we more or less literally have it all at our fingertips and available to us just about anywhere.
We can even order and pay for coffee to pick up on our way from the commuter train to the office – no lineups for delays. We can book hotels, airlines and rental cars at the touch of our fingers with apps that show us the cheapest options.
We live in a world where instant gratification is a reality in many aspects of our private lives.
Consumer electronics has transformed a great deal of business – basically, anything where there is a service or goods that a consumer might buy on their own, we can get it easily and immediately.
We’ve grown used to instant gratification in much [Read more…]
Maintenance planning = doing things right. Identifying and addressing any possible issues ahead of time enables our craft to complete work quickly and correctly.
Maintenance planning identifies the what, why and the how. These three items allow the planner to identify most potential issues and provide the information, and materials to avoid them. [Read more…]
Vertical tank agitator bearings are required to take both radial and thrust loads.
To protect the gearbox it is common practice to install intermediate bearings on the shaft. If these bearings are exposed to the process vapors then special care is needed to protect them from contamination and ensure adequate lubrication.
Keywords: thrust bearing, bearing stool, roller bearing. [Read more…]
Having visited hundreds of manufacturing plants in the last 15 years, someone recently asked me if there were any traits the most reliable plants all had in common.
I have listed below the top 5 signs of a reliable plant.
The plants that are top performers are clean all of the time, clutter is unacceptable, and the tasks required to keep the plant clean are routine business. [Read more…]