June 19, 2008
Maintenance Planning and Scheduling Workshop
Maintenance Planning and Scheduling Workshop
July 15 – 17, 2008
Doc Palmer joins Jeff Shiver as People and Processes, Inc. presents highly interactive, comprehensive training.
Find out more about the Maintenance Planning and Scheduling Workshop
June 19, 2008
Vibration Tip
Using alarms to optimize analysis time
If the analyst can create alarms for the specific bands of frequencies which can be expected to indicate the likely failure modes, he or she can spend much less time analyzing “good machines” and use the time instead for tweaking alarms, cleaning up databases, improving report templates, collecting advanced data such as negative averaged bump tests, mounting remote sensors and so on. Alarms that can be trusted and relied on will free up the analyst’s time so that he/she can continue to improve their reliability program. In addition, when included as a part of metrics, it can give program managers some relatively objective indicators of the positive impact of a vibration program.
Tip provided by LUDECA, INC.
ALIGNMENT * VIBRATION * BALANCING
http://www.ludeca.com
305-591-8935
June 19, 2008
Pneumatic Tip
Many times I have found pneumatic equipment running incorrectly because someone has improperly adjusted a flow control.
You can easily avoid future mis-adjustment by installing a smaller size hose and eliminating the flow control.
If you can teach this trick to the machine designer, you can reduce to cost of the next machine also.
Reader tip provided by Scott Buker, CMRP
Maintenance Manager
DENSO
Maryville Tennessee
Thanks Scott - your Maintenance-Tips hat is on the way!
Get your own cap or coffee much - send a Maintenance-Tip today
June 19, 2008
Trico on Demand Lubrication Library for 30 days
FREE ONE MONTH SUBSCRIPTION
Trico on Demand Lubrication Library is a valuable tool for any personnel involved with lubrication management. It provides a central point of reference on lubricant specifications and technical information from major lubricant suppliers.
June 19, 2008
Maintenance Tip
How to Calm Down Maintenance Department Chaos?
Ever felt like you were not sure who was supposed to do what and when? Ever ask yourself who was in charge knowing you are the maintenance manager or supervisor? Ever seen a maintenance down day go down hill all the way and an eight hour shutdown turn into a sixteen or twenty four hour shutdown.
Well you could call someone like Albert Einstein but I don’t think you need a genius to resolve this problem.
My recommendation is quite simple. How about identifying who is the person accountable for a project or a shutdown (you must provide this person the authority if you make them accountable). Next identify the “doers” or the people who are responsible to the accountable person. Then you may want to think about yourself being the one who needs to be consulted along with your reliability engineer if a decision may delay the project. It also may be important to you to identify who you may want to keep informed if the project is going to last longer than expected.
A maintenance supervisor can now be clear about who he/she holds accountable for this project to be on time and completed properly. He/she must feel better knowing that communication is clear as to who is suppose to do what and who is responsible for what. If a problem arises the accountable person knows who to consult (consult means two way communication) and who to inform (one way communication). I wish I would have thought of this when I was in maintenance management. This process is called the “RACI Process” “RACI Charting”. It will change your life as you know it today.
• R – Responsible = this is the “doer”
• A – Accountable = the “buck” stops here
• C – Consulted = who needs to be consulted before an something happens (no option)
• I – Informed = Keep this person informed (no option)
Tip provided by By Ricky Smith, CMRP
Allied Reliability
Cell: 843-725-8378
June 19, 2008
Leadership Tip
Forget the Blame, Create Partnerships
I recently read a blog post from Keith Mobley on AMP (http://www.maintenance.org) questioning how some maintenance groups are considered the “bad actor” by corporate America.
From my experience, I find that most maintenance organizations do not have good partnerships with those who influence site reliability which in turn creates distrust and the “blame” game.
I can almost hear the conversation as it dominos up the ladder to the corporate CEO. The site Operations Manager can’t meet the production schedule due to reliability issues, order fulfillment can’t occur, sales people have to short the customer, and no need to market what you can’t make. CEO rattles his saber and it all rolls back down the hill with all fingers pointing toward Maintenance with the Site Manager micro-managing.
Never mind that Operations incorrectly operated the equipment, wouldn’t allow maintenance downtime for PM, or sales requesting packing configurations not previously done because Wal-Mart wanted a new bulk pack, or purchasing who controls the stockroom ordering different style replacement parts so save $5 per item.
A first step in getting around all of this is to build partnerships with these groups. Remember, reliability is not a just a Maintenance thing. Pull together managers from these different groups and have at least semi-weekly meetings to discuss how you are going to run the site and work together. We are not talking about the strategic focus of the site leadership team but the tactical day to day management of the site and its resources.
Maintenance and Operations are generally two-thirds to three-quarters of the site population. Use these opportunities to educate your partners on the business processes surrounding Maintenance.
Help them understand backlog, priorities, and the need to plan and schedule work. Make them aware of the impact of breaking the schedule as examples.
True partnership means that you also understand the issues of the other groups. Understand the constraints of Purchasing, and Accounting. I bet you will even come to understand that the term Reliability means something different to Operations as opposed to Maintenance.
Do you have true partnerships in place in your organization?
What are the barriers?
Tip provided by Jeff Shiver, CMRP, CPMM
June 12, 2008
WALGREENS seeks Maintenance Managers & Maintenance Technicians in 14 locations
Walgreens currently seeks qualified MAINTENANCE MANAGERS and MAINTENANCE TECHNICIANS for 14 locations in our state-of-the-art Distribution Centers across the country. Walgreens Distribution Centers have developed a reputation for finding the newest, most efficient and innovative ways to move merchandise.
June 12, 2008
Leadership Tip
Keep Your Commitments
Dependable. Reliable. Trustworthy. Do those words describe you? If asked, would your team members say that your word is “good as gold”? The answer to each of those questions needs to be a resounding “yes” if you are going to be the kind of leader that others will follow.
All successful leaders place a premium on keeping their promises and commitments. If they say they’ll do something – whether “important” or seemingly insignificant – they remember it…and they DO it. They count on the fact that people can count on them. And they understand that statements like…
I was gonna,
I meant to,
I haven’t forgotten,
I’ll get to it soon…
all translate the same way: I JUST DIDN’T DO IT!
Those are excuses. They’re close to meaningless. Each time they’re uttered, they chip away the trust and confidence employees have for their management. And when those two factors are gone, so is your ability to lead.
The good news: With few exceptions, all leaders really do intend to keep “their word” and their promises. The bad news: Good intentions alone won’t take you very far. You get no “points” for them. Points come only when you deliver.
So don’t make promises lightly…don’t make ones you can’t (or really don’t intend) to keep…don’t mislead the people that ultimately will determine your success. And when you do make commitments, write them down, check them frequently, do whatever it takes to make good on them. Earn the right to expect others to keep their word by keeping yours.
Tip excerpted from Start RIGHT, Stay RIGHT...LEAD RIGHT: Every leader’s straight talk guide to success on the job by Steve Ventura
June 12, 2008
Liquid Air-Separation Compressor Testing Case Study
Nelson Baxter, a consultant with AZIMA Corp., Woburn, Mass., was recently requested to measure the startup operation of a four-stage, 5.0 k-hp liquid-air separation compressor. The purpose of the test was to evaluate the unit’s condition and detect any root problems that previously might have caused an excessive vibration transient in the first stage that resulted in a subsequent trip event. Baxter initially recorded some sub-synchronous instability, but for five succeeding days, no unusual vibration transients appeared.
June 12, 2008
Valve Maintenance Tip
Periodic maintenance of valves is essential.
Valves that remain in one position for a long period could end up being inoperable when you need them.
Maintenance of valves is not difficult, but sometimes it seems like a daunting task, when you consider how many valves are in a large building like a hospital. A good way to get a handle on this task is to create a valve schedule. The schedule can just be a simple spreadsheet and should contain information like valve tag numbers, purpose of the valve, location of the valve, size and type of valve, and a reference to a drawing. The schedule will be a useful aid for mechanics to locate the valves and could also help to speed finding the right valves to operate in an emergency. It takes a little time to gather the information the first time, but it will be well worth the effort.
A good valve maintenance program will extend the life of the valves, identify problems with the valves so they can be corrected, and ensure the valves operate when they are needed.
Reader tip provided by Jeff Siniscalchi
Maintenance Supervisor
Bassett Army Community Hospital
Fairbanks Alaska
Thanks Jeff - your stainless steel, diamond plate, Reliabilityweb.com coffee mug is on the way!
Send in your own tip and get a stainless steel, diamond plate, Reliabilityweb.com coffee mug
