Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1123345
www . machinerylubrication.com | May - June 2019 | 13 even millions of individual tasks over the course of a year. So, maybe it doesn't sound so simple after all. But let's say you're still not convinced. Perhaps you're in the camp that says, "Lube tasks are lube tasks," so what could possibly go wrong? Plenty. e wrong lubricant could be specifi ed or applied at the wrong interval, or maybe the lube tech simply uses too much, too little or the wrong lubricant. Let's not forget contamination, blown seals, etc. e list of what could go wrong is endless. It only takes one step in the task to miss the mark for the entire system to come crashing down. en there's the skill level of lube personnel. e best lube techs are rapidly aging out, and their replacements may not have the same level of knowledge or experience. How well do today's lube techs really know their jobs? More to the point, how well is management supporting them? Do they have access to the right knowledge and tools? According to a survey by the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML), only 12 percent of lubrication personnel from all industrial sectors are professionally certifi ed. Myth #2: Minimal consequences and bene- fi ts are associated with routinely lubricating industrial equipment. Fact #2: Lubrication has proven to have a signifi cant impact on achieving operational excellence. is misunderstanding claims that the role lubrication plays in industrial facilities is relatively minor; therefore, it doesn't warrant special attention. But what does research tell us? We know that the average maintenance budget allocates only 1-3 percent on lubrication depending on the industry. Studies suggest that while only a small amount is spent on lubricants and lubrication, this has a much greater eff ect on a plant's overall performance. Dr. Ernest Rabinowicz, professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, estimated that repairing the eff ects of friction and mechanical wear on industrial equipment costs the equivalent of 6 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). Applying this calculation to last year's GDP results in losses of more than $1 trillion. Researchers and manufacturers agree that the primary cause of friction and mechanical wear is poor lubrication. In fact, according to the manufacturers of machine components, improper lubrication leads to 43 percent of mechanical failures, 54 percent of bearing failures, 50 percent of roller bearing damage and 70 percent of equipment failures. Inadequate lubrication is not only a common problem but also a severe one. Whatever the total losses may be worldwide, the more immediate concern is how much improper lubrication is costing your organization. Among the factors to consider are your annual spending on bearings, how many replacement bearings are needed in a given year, the cost to replace just one bearing, and the costs involved in replacing your motors and gearboxes. You should also determine expenses from unplanned downtime, repetitive cycles of time-intensive reactive maintenance, lost production, safety issues, environmental impacts and higher energy costs. Added together, these costs are more than likely out of control. Myth #3: Lubrication is an unnecessary cost to the organization. Fact #3: A quality lubrication program can provide a substantial fi nancial opportunity. Maintenance budgets remain on the chopping block. Everyone is trying to do more with less. Staffi ng levels are way down. Skilled positions are being lost to attrition. Instead, wouldn't it be great if you could just do more with what you already have? at's precisely the opportunity that a properly developed and managed lubrication program provides. With lubrication best practices and appropriate management tools, industrial facilities can reduce unplanned downtime and reactive maintenance, eliminate the primary cause of equipment failure at its source, achieve higher productivity from existing equipment assets and personnel, and minimize oil waste and environmental costs. All of these "costs" should be seen as an investment opportunity in moving your lubrication program toward a world-class level. Remark- able ROI has been generated in many of the world's most successful programs, often eclipsing the 1,000 percent mark and realized within the fi rst six months. You can reap these same rewards by arming yourself with simple awareness of the truth about lubrication and by developing a strategic game plan. ML ML