Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1449093
18 | January - February 2022 | www . machinerylubrication.com LUBRICANT RECEPTION & STORAGE Factor: R1P Learn More: noria.com/ascend/ Factor: R1P— Quality Control Process Level: Platform (P) Stage: Lubricant Reception And Storage About: The quality control process for new lubri- cants should be formed in collaboration with the lubricant suppliers and should establish a methodology with which lubricant characteristics can be inspected and evaluated. More about this ASCEND ™ Factor When manufacturing plants receive raw materia ls on their dock, there is usually a rigorous quality control process in place to check these materials before they are sent to the production lines. Companies pay good money for these materials, and they expect them to be in good condition in order to ensure there are no manu- facturing flaws in the end product. Do lubricants at your site receive the same amount of attention when they are received? With the price of lubricants being so high and the expectation for them to perform (often under extreme circumstances), shouldn't they have a quality control process of their own? Just like faulty raw materials create flawed products, less than ideal lubricants can increase the chance of machine failure. Creating a Quality Control Process e first step when starting a Quality Control Process is to list out the goals of the program: what are you trying to accomplish, and what tests are you going to use to verify success? Is the program going to go as far as performing in-depth oil anal- ysis on incoming lubricants, or are you just going to physically inspect the deliveries? Typical steps in a Quality Control Process Receiving Times — Make sure all lubric a nt s a re received in the a g r e e d - u p o n amount of time. is step doesn't check the quality of the lubricants themselves but instead shows the quality of the supplier. If a single delivery is a bit late, it can probably be excused; but if deliveries are consistently late, you might think about switching suppliers. A c c o m p a n y i n g Docu ment s — When setting up an original agree- ment with the lubricant supplier, some companies request that a Quality Certificate or Certificate of Analysis be brought when lubricants are delivered. This document includes details such as when a sample How to Work with Your Lubrication Supplier to Establish a Quality Control Process Travis Richardson | Noria Corporation