Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/431954
6 | November - December 2014 | www.machinerylubrication.com FROM THE FIELD Jerem y Wrigh t | Nori a Corpor at ioN n my travels over the last decade designing lubrication programs, I've seen a shift in the profile of lubrica- tion experts. I can remember walking into plants where lubrication was viewed as a menial task that could be delegated to the lowest skilled employees with little to no training. Visits to these types of facilities are few and far between these days. There has been a massive change in most companies' approach to mainte- nance, reliability and lubrication. Perhaps it was spurred by the economic challenges of the last few years, or maybe it was just time for a change. Regardless, organiza- tions are having to do more with less and are finding that being proactive with main- tenance and reducing their upfront operational costs can have a huge effect on the bottom line. Today, there are many different lubrica- tion roles. A simple search on a job-posting site will reveal a number of companies looking to fill the void in their programs which has resulted from years of under- trained, undervalued and underutilized people as well as a culture that fostered the decay of the position. Thankfully, this is now a thing of the past, as organizations are waking up to the reality that having the right person for the job could potentially save millions of dollars in lost production, machinery downtime, safety, etc. This is great news for those who are well-versed in lubrication and oil analysis. You are now a wanted, needed commodity with a limited quantity, and in business that means money in your pocket. Let's take a closer look at these voids in the lubrication field, including some of the current positions that are available at major manufacturing facilities. Lubrication Technicians The frontline defense against machinery wear and failure, lubrication technicians know the best practices and perform them routinely. They are not oilers. This position makes the oiler extinct. A lube tech is a thinking worker who has mastered the skills needed to perform at an extremely high level. The benefits of having a techni- cian who is "in tune" with the equipment and knows what it should look, sound, feel and even smell like are enormous. If these individuals can also troubleshoot issues while they are still in the proactive domain of the failure curve, they are worth their weight in gold. Lubricant Analysts A lubricant analyst is a condition-mon- itoring professional. This person is literate in the language of oil analysis and knows L u b r i c a t i o n P r o g r a m s The CHANGING Roles of LUBRICATION EXPERTS i 17% of lubrication professionals have the title of lubrication technician, according to a recent survey at MachineryLubrication.com " In less than 10 years, the lubrication field has gone from oilers to professional careers focused on the intricacies of lubrication and oil analysis."