As the leading supplier of thermo-
plastic olefi ns (TPOs) and polypropylene
compounds to the North American auto-
motive industry, Advanced Composites
in Sidney, Ohio, operates 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Its product line consists
of proprietary formulations designed to meet
specifi c original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) applications, ranging from super-duc-
tile materials required for interior-trim,
side-air-bag (SAB) applications and highly
engineered TPO compounds needed for
scratch-resistant, mold-in-color instrument
panels to compounds designed for exterior
bumper-fascia and body-side moldings.
At a facility that runs 24
hours a day, scheduling and
completing proactive mainte-
nance can be challenging. Work
orders may be created to take a line
down for oil fi ltering, but scheduling in most
cases makes it diffi cult for this to happen in
a timely manner.
Thankfully, Advanced Composites is
an organization that fosters development
and improvement. This has enabled the
preventive maintenance (PM) program to be
transformed into a proactive maintenance
program. rough this shift, the company
was able to increase savings and reduce its
carbon footprint. is article will
describe how the necessary changes
were implemented to its maintenance
and lubrication program, as well as
provide a glance into where the program
is heading in the future.
A BRIEF HISTORY
Before the current maintenance PM
coordinator started working for Advanced
Composites, the original maintenance
and lubrication program consisted of only
two semi-annual oil changes. e PM task
team would change out the oil on their vital
equipment during the July and December
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September - October 2019
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www
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machinerylubrication.com
