Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/190260
ML INDUSTRY FOCUS CERTIFICATION NEWS Is Your COMPANY a GOOD CANDIDATE for the Gill or Battle AWARD? By Suzy Jamieson, ICML As part of its mission to dignify the careers of lubrication and oil analysis professionals, the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML) has developed an awards program dedicated to recognizing excellence in the application of machinery lubrication and oil analysis. The Augustus H. Gill Award is focused on oil analysis programs, while the John R. Battle Award concentrates on machinery lubrication programs. The general intent of these awards is to give recognition to the team at each recipient plant, elevating its profile within the company and at a global level. But how do you know if your company is a good candidate for one of the ICML awards? This question can be answered by reviewing the awards criteria and examining the previous winners to see which attributes their programs have in common. Following are five of the most important characteristics of past recipients. ICML Awards Criteria • • • • • • • • • • • Condition monitoring Commitment to education and skills competencies Maintenance culture and management support Preventive, predictive and proactive program design and effectiveness Technology integration Use of information technology Use of standardized procedures Contamination control Performance metrics and reporting Continuous improvement Lubrication management Commitment to Education Whether utilizing in-house training programs, professional training providers, oil laboratories or lubricant suppliers, the most common trait of ICML-award-winning programs is that their training is extensive. It also is not restricted to technicians and often even includes operators. Maintenance Culture and Management Support Another important factor is the maintenance culture in which these programs operate. World-class programs tend to exist where management has demonstrated buy-in and sees excellence as a competitive advantage. These organizations understand that this is a long-term journey requiring a culture change and that a culture change does not happen overnight. Management at these types of facilities also stays with their programs through good and bad times. Utilizing Metrics These photos showcase the lube room at Invista's plant in Victoria, Texas, which won the John R. Battle Award in 2009. 50 | September - October 2013 | www.machinerylubrication.com ICML award winners tend to be "metric maniacs," trending key performance indicators (KPIs) such as the percentage of lubricant used vs. the percentage of lubricant disposed of, cleanliness targets achieved and meantime between failures. These metrics can speak