Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/229047
ML GET TO KNOW Suncoke's Lisch Developing World-Class Lubrication Program Throughout his career, Brandon Lisch has held a number of positions, such as industrial cleaner, scaffold erector/inspector, maintenance mechanic and lead lubrication technician. Now as a predictive maintenance (PdM) technician for Suncoke Energy, he is developing a world-class lubrication program. Lisch's facility in Middletown, Ohio, has been making strides in changing its culture in terms of lubrication best practices. This includes building a lubricant storage facility, training, 5-S principles, equipment modifications, a color-coding system and standard operating procedures. Suncoke is also exploring options for an in-house oil laboratory to complement its lubrication program. Name: Brandon Lisch Age: 28 Title: Predictive Maintenance Technician Years of Service: 2 years Company: Suncoke Energy Location: Middletown, Ohio Q: What types of training have you taken to get to your current position? A: I have had training in precision maintenance, PdM technology, lubrication best practices, root-cause analysis, troubleshooting and precision alignment. Q: What professional certifications have you attained? A: In terms of lubrication, I currently hold the following certifications from the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML): Machine Lubrication Technician (MLT) Level I and Machine Lubricant Analyst (MLA) Level I, II and III. I also hold multiple certifications in different predictive maintenance technologies. Q: Are you planning to obtain additional training or achieve higher certifications? A: I plan to increase my knowledge in every predictive maintenance technology to the maximum certification level allotted in each field. I feel that doing so will benefit both me and my 40 | November - December 2013 | www.machinerylubrication.com company, since each technology complements the other in relevance to the P-F curve. Faults or early discrepancies within machinery can be identified, monitored and flagged with better accuracy. Q: What's a normal work day like for you? A: My average work day first consists of performing preventive and predictive maintenance tasks. Once those tasks are finished, I continue to develop the predictive maintenance programs and projects to help increase the reliability of the facility. From time to time, I troubleshoot issues in the field and perform root-cause analysis. Q: What is the amount and range of equipment that you help service through lubrication/oil analysis tasks? A: I service all of our facility's equipment, ranging from our oven machinery to our belt conveyors. I also handle all lubrication tasks that are of a precision nature, including pulling oil samples. We conduct condition-based oil changes, so proper sampling practices must be followed accurately to evaluate the health of our machinery and lubricants. I also perform the lubrication on all of our electric motors and high-speed bearings using airborne ultrasonic technology to apply lubricant with precision. Q: What have been some of the biggest project successes in which you've played a part?