Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1080534
www . machinerylubrication.com | January - February 2019 | 13 to consolidate down to one lubricant. This consolidation saved the company more than $11,000 in 2018 alone. The consolida- tion of the hydraulic s y stem lubr ic a nt a l so re su lted i n additional benefits. Pre viou sly, inter- val-based oil changes were performed every six months in accordance to the equipment manufacturer's recommendations. Most manu- facturers specify three options for oil changes: condition-based, calendar-based and according to the operating hours. However, some equipment manufacturers exclude oil analysis/condition-based oil changes from their recommendations because they cannot influence which maintenance practices are followed and do not wish to receive negative feedback about their equipment's reliability from customers. erefore, condition-based oil changes are omitted from the manu- facturer's recommendations. is restricts end users to a preventive maintenance strategy. At Yanbu Cement, all hydraulic systems of the autoloader were joined to the oil analysis program after receiving approval from the equipment manufacturer. e results are shown in the tables on page 12. Lubrication Management Lubrication tasks throughout most of the Yanbu Cement organiza- tion had previously been managed via a spreadsheet. Most departments used a conditional formatting feature to highlight the next tasks due, but the spreadsheet could not determine if there was a shutdown or if all tasks needed to be shifted until after the shutdown was over. Top-ups, which normally were unscheduled tasks, also could not be updated in the spreadsheet. ese issues, along with other drawbacks of the spreadsheet, led to an investment in lubri- cation management software. This new software has helped YCC manage tasks through lube routes and track pending tasks. The software can even provide KPI reports as well as a shutdown task report. The new lubri- cation management software now generates a weekly lube task schedule. e mainte- nance manager monitors the key performance indicators. ese KPIs evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of ad-hoc lubrication task planning, scheduling and execution. A number of metrics are measured including planned versus unplanned lubrication tasks, lube tasks completed and overdue lubrication tasks. Yanbu Cement's approach for developing a lubrication program was simple to apply and can be accomplished by any organization interested in achieving lubrication excellence. e key is giving the reins to a trained lubrication team and promoting them as champions. ML The new dispensing station is equipped with valves, lubricant identification labels and a dispensing table which includes a drain valve for draining oil spillage. The new transfer containers are sealed and dedicated to a specific oil. Each type of used oil has a different color-coded lid and its own label shape. Before and after oil-filling practices