Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1433576
www.machinerylubrication.com | November - December 2021 | 29 ML ML ML sheer quantity of tasks can be overwhelming for a lubrication team that is understaffed or made up of maintenance personnel whose primary job is not lubrication. Sometimes this is tracked as a compliance metric as well. Lubricant Consumption Goals is is a very important goal; it is how the cost of a lubrication program is partially justified. Tracking consumption allows for a more precise volume of lubricants to be stored, which means less lubricant is getting ordered and wasted due to sitting on the shelf for too long. Often, we see a lube room full of old oil drums — they are usually way in the back, and the date on the label is typically several years old. e goal of lubrication is precision, and it starts with inventory and utilizing the "First In First Out" method. Stock rotation rewards can be shared with warehouse staff, encouraging them to become stakeholders in the lubrication program. Safety Goals Pretty self-explanatory, this refers to the number of days without a lubrication-related safety incident. Every program leader wants their technicians to be safe on the job. As leaders, we want to see each team member go home to their family every night in one piece. Safety doesn't necessarily have to be incentiv- ized, but if it is, then lube tasks are more likely to be safely completed. What I am trying to say is: sometimes the "easy way" is much less safe than the correct way. e safest way to lubricate is the correct way to lubricate. Rewards Some technicians do the job right and do the job well. Conversely, some technicians get the job done, but it's not exactly up to stan- dards. Understand that the men and women of industrial maintenance and reliability are the sole reason the plant machinery actually runs as it should. e fault, whether it is due to lubrication or lack thereof, is typically laid at the feet of the technician. But what if the machinery is running smoothly and flawlessly? We go to different facilities all over the world and are met with a vast array of different personality types, attitudes, thought processes, etc. e most common trait that we see across the board is overtasking and under incentivizing. A large portion of this problem is simply due to understaffing. What we can suggest is that each facility produces a "Goals and Rewards Program" for the lubrication program. Now, a paycheck and company benefits are incentives to come to work and perform your job properly and to the best of your ability, but what follows are a few ways to encourage and motivate your lubrication team members to go the extra mile and strive to achieve the world-class status that is so heavily sought after. Monetary is is not necessarily a large pay raise, although that is always nice. Monetary rewards can come in a few different varieties. Gift cards are common and are often viewed as more significant than their monetary value. ree months without a safety incident? Each team member receives a restaurant gift card to take their families out to a nice dinner. If you want the team to do extra, then the leadership has to follow suit. If a team member is truly going above and beyond their job title and description, reward them. Some of us have been there: we always try our best to do the right thing and go the extra mile but end up being unsatisfied at the job because we are doing all of this extra work and not reaping any benefit from it. On the other hand, the team members doing the bare minimum get paid the same amount and get rewarded with the team as a whole, even though the member didn't contribute as much as others. Incentiv- izing the extra mile could motivate the bare minimum members to go that extra mile. Time is is huge. When it comes to most indus- trial facilities, time off is very hard to come by, even though the team members and their fami- lies deserve it. Technicians often work to mental and physical exhaustion: turnarounds, startups, shutdowns, etc. At refineries, it isn't uncommon to see men and women working twelve-hour shifts (or more) for weeks on end without a break. at can wear on your mind, your body and even your relationships outside of work. Our families are why many of us work in the first place; family is what it all boils down to. Hard work and long hours are what it takes to meet and exceed facility goals. When these goals are met through sweat and time, then the return should be just as swiftly met. Time to decompress and destress can help alle- viate tensions in the workplace and motivate workers. It shows that the facility and leader- ship actually care about the team members and not just about the dollar sign at the end of each year's financial report. Advancement As stated in the "Training and Certification Goals" section, some facilities incentivize certifi- cation with advancement. You get certified, you move up on the pay scale. It shows that there is a ladder to climb, and there is positional growth potential, which encourages ambition and inner competition in the team and creates leaders. When every team member knows when to take the lead and when to follow, it creates a storm of potential within the team. We're all just junk- yard dogs trying to get to the top. Incentivize that hunger for knowledge and advancement. Incentivize dependability. is will not only benefit the team members, it will ultimately benefit the lubrication program. Goals and rewards are often mistakenly viewed as being synonymous. Each facility has a specific set of goals, but what happens when the team smashes those goals? ey get rewarded, and then the facility sets higher goals. is creates a pattern and routine of success. is is a large step down the path to lubrication excellence. is is how your facility achieves World-Class Lubrication. ML About the Author Paul Farless is an industrial service technician for Noria Corporation. His duties include collecting data and preparing reports for the engineering team. Prior to joining Noria, Paul worked as an automotive maintenance technician for an auto-repair service company. He also served four years in the U.S. Navy as a gunner's mate third-class petty officer and as a seaman deckhand, where he was responsible for the troubleshooting and maintenance of electromechanical and hydraulic systems. A detail-oriented team player, Paul works well in fast-paced environments and uses his military background to excel and maximize efficiency.