Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/490438
hold more than 300 gallons. Some of these gearboxes are very critical. If they fail, they can shut down the whole opera- tion. We take every effort to make sure oil levels are within limits and that the right grease is applied at the right rate. We have installed lube bombs as well as other automated lubrication equipment, but that does not mean that you can just walk away. Weekly and sometimes daily equip- ment inspections are conducted by the operator as well as my lube techs. Q: on what lubrication-related projects are you currently working? A: We just finished installing equipment tags and oil sample ports on more than 1,000 pieces of equipment, and last month we made sure that sight glasses were installed on all gearboxes. This allows us to verify that the proper oil levels are maintained. One of the next projects is to install color-coordinated Zerk covers as well as color-coordinated grease guns to ensure the proper grease is being applied to the right equipment. We have also started to use more auto- mated grease-injection units. In some cases, we have installed up to 25 grease lines to one automated grease unit. Now instead of climbing over, under and into the equipment, we can fill the unit with grease in a safe area. This has eliminated a lot of hazards and is just one more step in reaching our zero-harm goal. Q: What have been some of the biggest project successes in which you've played a part? A: One of the biggest successes was the new lube building, which includes bulk oil storage in a dry climate, a tempera- ture-controlled area, filtration of all incoming and outgoing oil, and color-co- ordinated oil containers. We held a two-week open house where everyone from operations, engineering and mainte- nance was invited to attend a one-hour meeting to show off the new building and equipment as well as watch a Noria training video on contamination and why it is important to make every effort to eliminate cross-contamination. This event was very well-received, and there were a lot of discussions about what each group could do to help our equipment last longer and have fewer breakdowns. Q: How does your company view machinery lubrication in terms of importance and overall business strategy? A: Compass Minerals has proven that it supports fixing all lubrication issues and being among the world-class companies when it comes to dealing with lubrication efforts. We have spent a lot of money on the new lube building and equipment. Training is now beginning to take place, and every project involving oil and greasing issues has been approved. Of course, you can't do everything at once, but improvements over the past couple of years have been funded, and management is now beginning to ask what's next. It is great to be a part of this and witness all of the improvements. Q: What do you see as some of the more important trends taking place in the lubrication and oil analysis field? A: Education and training are a big part of it, but seeing all of the new products avail- able for spills, cross-contamination, greasing automation, oil analysis and safety, I feel that most companies are now taking lubrication to a higher level and that there are a lot of resources that can help you make that journey. Q: What has made your company decide to put more emphasis on machinery lubrication? A: The journey was already well on its way when I got here almost a year ago. Down- time and the money spent each year on oil changes and just keeping up with oil leaks had come to management's attention. They knew that something had to be done. A plan was put together, but it still took some time to get buy-in. Once they bought into the goal of improving lubrication practices, including oil sampling and condition-based monitoring, it was full steam ahead. A lot has happened in a short period of time, and we just keep making improve- ments every month. We learned not to try to make the jump from where you are today to where you want to be all at once. Start by setting goals and determining where you want to be at the end of the process. Then, break down those goals into smaller, reach- able goals and go after them one at a time. Before you know it, things will start to improve, and money will be saved. When that happens, you will get funding to make even bigger improvements. www.machinerylubrication.com | March - April 2015 | 51