January 19, 2006
Reliability Center Training for 2006
Reliability Center, Inc. will be offering the following workshops in 2006 at their training complex in Hopewell, VA. These courses are also available on-site at your facility.
Root Cause Analysis Methods
Feb. 14-15
Apr. 4-5
Jun. 6-7
Aug. 8-9
Oct. 10-11
Dec. 12-13
Root Cause Analysis Justification Tools & Techniques
Feb. 16
Apr. 6
Jun. 8
Aug. 10
Oct. 12
Dec. 14
Basic Failure Analysis Train-the-Trainer
Feb. 20-24
Apr. 24-28
Jun. 12-16
Aug. 14-18
Oct. 16-20
Failure Scene Investigation Techniques – Mechanical
Oct. 31 – Nov. 2
Ask about RCI’s New Lead Investigator’s Series of Workshops - 804-458-0645
Online registration is available and for more information visit http://www.reliability.com
January 19, 2006
Alignment Tip
When performing a plumbness check on a vertical shaft machine with a laser-based alignment system, use a familiar reference point to label as 0° or 12:00 o’clock, such as a bolt hole or split line. This will make the rest of the point markings easier and also help keep a more consistent history of the plumbness checks. Also try to have your cardinal positions line up with any installed jackscrews as this will make effecting corrective moves later much easier.
Tip provided by LUDECA, INC.
ALIGNMENT * VIBRATION * BALANCING
http://www.ludeca.com
Tel: 305-591-8935
January 19, 2006
HotShot Thermal Cameras
The award winning HotShot Thermal Cameras are the World’s easiest to use cameras with unique features like a rotating infrared camera designed to make it easier to inspect objects at various heights and in camera data logger that automatically downloads field inspection notes into reports.
HotShot has a great assortment of low cost options including a 3X telephoto lens, a wide-angle lens, a heads-up display for imaging in bright outdoor conditions and a WiFi card for wireless communication between your computer and the HotShot.
HotShot is made in the USA, is very lightweight, runs for 4 hours on a single battery and can generate a 30-page report automatically in less than 3 minutes.
January 19, 2006
Ultrasound Tip
Extend Your Distance and Your Efficiency
How can overhead piping and air lines that are hard to reach be included in a compressed air leak survey without continuously going up and down scissor lifts and ladders? The use of Extended Distance Sensors and Parabolic Dishes has grown in popularity to improve efficiency and safety of any ultrasonic inspection. Instead of climbing ladders all day, which introduces fatigue and safety concerns, draw out a map of your overhead system and find the leaks from the floor.
Extended Distance Sensors (EDS) have tapers calculated specifically to receive and focus low energy ultrasound pressure waves created by compressed air leaks. These sensors are low cost and easy to use while extending normal leak detection beyond 50’. Parabolic sensors that are designed for receiving ultrasound signals are quite small; as small as 10’ diameter. Because ultrasound waves can be as small as 3/8” there is no need to use huge dishes. The parabolic shape captures more signals which are focused onto a super sensitive piezo-electric transducer. Laser sights project a small red dot when a leak is found.
This tip supplied by SDT North America
http://www.sdtnorthamerica.com
Tel: 905-377-1313
January 19, 2006
Maintenance-Tips Challenge Grand Prize for RCM-2006
Ten Key Steps to Improve Operational Reliability & Maintenance
Our plant and the equipment we have in it has been designed and built to provide a desired level of reliability. This is called the Intrinsic Reliability. In practice, this ideal level of reliability is not always reached, due to a number of reasons. The resulting lower level is designated as Operational Reliability. The gap between the Intrinsic and Operational Reliability gives us scope and focus for our improvement efforts. Maintenance and Reliability Managers should make the elimination of this gap one their primary objectives.
Improving Operational Reliability can appear difficult. How can this be approached methodically? Following these ten key steps, generally in the order listed, will improve Operational Reliability. Some of the steps will run concurrently, but ensure that resources are available to complete the earlier steps before embarking on new ones. Sustained improvement is possible if each step is completed and closed out, not left half-done!
1. Get basics right; keep machinery free of dirt and moisture, and keep them properly lubricated.
2. Ensure that the Operating Philosophy is correct. The Operating Philosophy defines how equipment will be started, stopped, loaded and run, and identifies how installed standby equipment will be operated. This also means Operators and Maintainers working closely together as a team.
3. Map the maintenance process and ensure there is a common understanding. Use this to define the right Key Performance Indicators and use these KPls to improve performance. Define work priorities clearly, using a risk matrix to identify criticality.
4. Invest in a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) that matches your maintenance process and produces the KPls you need.
5. Plan and schedule work using the Predefined Priority System.
6. Ensure a High Compliance Level (>90%) of scheduled work. Encourage pride in work by providing suitable feedback and recognition.
7. Identify the correct Maintenance Strategies to match the Operating Philosophy and Design Capability. If required, invest in RBI (Risk Based Inspection), RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) and similar Risk-Based Techniques. Incorporate the revisions to the work content in the CMMS as soon as they become available.
8. Identify Skills and Knowledge shortfalls and invest in Training to reach the required standards.
9. Implement changes keeping people’s fears in mind. Many programs fall by the wayside due to Poor Change Management.
10. Review these steps after 3-5 years and delete/revise those that are outdated.
The order in which these steps appear may be altered to suit individual requirements, but consider using the above as a default option.
Congratulation to Mr. Kenneth Lees, Maintenance 2000, Dundee, Scotland. The Maintenance-Tips Grand Prize includes a 3 day RCM-2006 Conference Pass with 3 nights Hotel at the Orleans.
Learn more about RCM-2006 - The Reliability Centered Maintenance Managers’ Forum
January 19, 2006
Maintenance-Tips Challenge Grand Prize for EAM-2006
COMMUNICATION FORUMS FACILITATE MAINTENANCE PLANNING/SCHEDULING
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Wastewater Planning Section’s primary responsibility is to achieve effective asset management through the efficient use of resources. To this end, Planning now meets with “customer representatives” on a regular basis in the following communication forums:
1. Daily morning meetings – This forum allows Maintenance supervisors and schedulers to find out what happened, operationally, during the previous day and night (Maintenance staff generally work during the day-shift only). Operations representatives are asked to prioritize work orders submitted during the previous 24-hour period. The main objective of this forum is to focus limited Maintenance efforts that day on Operations’ most critical issues. This process also helps to clarify/control Operations’ expectations. It also provides an opportunity to raise and/or identify additional issues not previously reported through the work order system.
2. Weekly meetings – This forum allows Department personnel, especially Operations and Engineering representatives not normally involved in daily morning meetings, to learn what the major maintenance issues during the previous week were. This process also provides an opportunity to report status on longer term maintenance projects for which daily reports are unnecessary.
3. CMMS – ‘Planning’ utilizes this computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to report, track, and archive work. Specifically, the Work Order Module provides a consistent format in which to report problems or areas needing attention. In addition to corrective maintenance, Dept. is also starting to utilize CMMS to track preventive maintenance (PM) activities.
4. CMMS Best Practices and User Group Meetings – Conducted quarterly or monthly, this forum allows users to discuss what works and what doesn’t work with respect to the CMMS. Information Technology Services (ITS) representatives facilitate this meeting to gain insight into the needs and wants of the City’s CMMS users (including other City departments). Examples of user needs include custom reports and modification of data entry screens.
5. CMMS Custom Reports – With assistance from dedicated data entry personnel, detailed information regarding work performed, problem identified, repair method, and time expended are recorded in the CMMS. Informative reports such as budget information by month, work backlog, and completed and missed PMs are generated on a regular basis.
6. Face-to-Face Follow-Up – To follow-up on the various meetings involved with the aforementioned communication forums, the Chief of Planning drops in twice a week (usually Mondays and Fridays) at Operations’ Central Control Room to gauge how responsive Maintenance personnel were or were not perceived to be that day or in recent day.
Congratulation to Mr. John Powell, Maintenance Manager at the San Francisco Water Department. The Maintenance-Tips Grand Prize includes a 3 day EAM-2006 Conference Pass with 3 nights Hotel at the Orleans in Las Vegas.
Learn more about EAM-2006 - The Enterprise Asset Management Summit
January 12, 2006
Weibull Analysis, Asset Management, Life Cycle Cost, and Accelerated Testing
Weibull Analysis, Asset Management, Life Cycle Cost, and Accelerated Testing will be the subject of five workshops March 6-10, Houston. Led, respectively, by world-class experts Dr. Robert Abernethy and Wes Fulton, John Mitchell, Paul Barringer, and Dr. Wayne Nelson.
Call Clarion at (713) 521-5929
January 12, 2006
MaintenanceForums.com Posts About Lubrication and Oil Analysis
Please join 3000+ maintenance and reliability professionals who are discussing:
• Oil was replaced with grease in a Gearbox
• Question about Gearbox Oil
• Oil Analysis
• Mixing Greases
• Destroyed 350 hp motors
• Lube software
• Synthetic Oil vs. Mineral
• Lube Audit Pricing
• TBN & TAN in Engine
• Food Grade Lubricants
Commercial Free - Privacy Assured - Reliability Focused!
January 12, 2006
The Bearing Expert Toolkit
You won’t believe one toolkit can do all this! The Bearing Expert (TBE) includes over 1 million bearings and seals in our interchange and over 250,000 base bearing frequencies used in Vibration Analysis.
The data represents part numbers from manufacturers around the world. The Bearing Expert is distributed worldwide used by Fortune 500 companies, small electric motor shops, Government agencies, bearing manufacturers and bearing distributors alike.
New web based Bearing Expert from ISI - Try it free today!
January 12, 2006
EAM-2006 - The Enterprise Asset Management Summit - Las Vegas
Please join us for EAM-2006 - The Enterprise Asset Management Summit, March 8-10, 2006 in exciting Las Vegas Nevada.
EAM-2006 is the only event dedicated to Enterprise Asset Management and Computerized Maintenance Information Management including Maintenance Inventory, Maintenance Planning & Scheduling and Maintenance Work Management.
You will take away new solutions for maintenance information management that you can put to immediate use as peers and industry experts share knowledge and experience in a non-commercial environment.
There will be several real world “how we did it” EAM Case studies, 4 different 90 minute short courses each day and four excellent full-day workshops. There are plenty of opportunities to network with people who have to solve the same issues you face on a daily basis.
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Get Certified at EAM-2006
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The Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) will also offer the CMRP Certification Exam at EAM-2006 to enhance your professional development. EAM-2006 provides a certificate for credit toward re-certification for those who already are Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professionals.
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RCM-2006 The Reliability Centered Maintenance Managers’ Forum ============================================
2 Events for 1 Price!
EAM-2006 Attendees can attend RCM-2006 sessions
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Register before January 31 to get:
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4 Star Hotel and Casino just $60 per night!
$200 Early Bird Savings
RCM/EAM-2006 event attendance is limited to 500 – Please Register Today!
Call toll free 888-575-1245 (USA) or 305-735-3746
Learn more and register for EAM-2006 today
