Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1123345
www . machinerylubrication.com | May - June 2019 | 39 opportunity to provide recommendations to improve the specifi c tasks or the overall route design. If justifi ed, the appropriate adjust- ments should follow. Finally, route compliance tracking is a fundamental measure for performance. is type of metric should be routinely reviewed to validate the micro and macro effi ciencies for each machine, task type, route, technician or any other variable in question. Managing and Optimizing Task Routes For most industrial plants, lubrication task routes are best managed through a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) with the oversight of a lubri- cation excellence champion. Not all systems are created equal, and many are not designed with lubrication best practices in mind. If you are in the process of selecting a CMMS for general planning and scheduling of all routes and work orders, consider the fundamental elements discussed in this article for lubrica- tion. Otherwise, a complementary software that can handle the lubrication requirements should be considered. With many outdated or defi cient management systems still in use, the latter option is often the preferred choice. At this point, it may be diffi cult to believe that highly optimized lubrication task routes are possible and that there will be enough manpower to perform the work. W hile periodic resource limitations, unexpected machine failures and other unknown variables always seem to create barriers, this is where the lubrication champion and route manage- ment personnel can step in. At times, the scheduled routes can be redistributed based on the varying levels of prioritization. Routes may also be modifi ed to ensure completion of the most critical tasks on the most critical equipment. ese periodic adjustments are necessary to meet short-term demands. e lubrication champion should have a weekly meeting to discuss these updates and deviations. However, in the end, these adjustments should not be considered the status quo. Lubrication task routes must strive to achieve completion as long as it is in the best interest of the machine's overall reliability objectives. e key is that lubrication maintains its importance. e systems in place to plan, schedule, act, improve, manage and measure the lubrication task routes are long-term invest- ments to promote this cause. ML About the Author Bennett Fitch is the director of product development and Lubrication Program Develop- ment (LPD) services for Noria Corporation. He is a mechanical engineer who holds a Machine Lubricant Analyst (MLA) Level III certifi cation and a Machine Lubrication Technician (MLT) Level II certifi cation through the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML). Contact Bennett at bfi tch@noria.com to learn how Noria can help you develop and manage your lubrication task routes. ML