Machinery Lubrication

Machinery Lubrication May-June 2017

Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation

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• Acquire lubrication-specific tools your staff may be lacking. • Improve lubrication logistics and control. Lubrication Case Study The increased accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency of a best-practice lube program can improve uptime, reduce costs and lift the bottom line. For example, one plant that took the needed steps pocketed $680,000 in savings. In this case, lubrication best prac- tices were first studied, and a plan designed. Buy-in was then obtained from management down to the lube tech. Key certifications were attained in lubrication maintenance, and not just for lube techs but for supervi- sors and managers as well. The plant also conducted a lubrication survey in which every lube point was identi- fied. This provided a critical baseline on which to build the program. Then the lube room was organized. Lubricants would now be filtered as they were received from suppliers and again before application to the equipment. Next, an investment was made in color- coded containers to eliminate mistakes. Sealed oil containers were acquired to keep lubricants clean. Clear grease guns, sight glasses, breathers, filtration and contami- nation control were also incorporated. Finally, lubrication software was added to help establish efficient routes, schedules, responsibilities and accountability. While the plant had only 1,350 lube points, it managed to save $200,000 the first year and more than $160,000 per year during the next three years for a total of $680,000. If you were to extract this $200,000 savings over 1,350 lube points, it would equal a savings of $148 per lube point. Depending on the size of the plant, the savings would add up as follows: $740,000 for 5,000 lube points, $1.48 million for 10,000 lube points, and $2.2 million for 15,000 lube points. Looking Ahead Advanced CMMS, predictive mainte- nance and condition monitoring solutions are essential to modern plant health and efficiency, but when it comes to making significant inroads in eliminating equipment downtime and failure, they leave much to be desired. Moreover, CMMS tools lack the control needed for the complexities of effective lubrication management. The rise of advanced preventive maintenance tools and best practices is a response to a chal- lenging problem decades in the making. Sometimes the best way forward is to reach back. Today's proactive preventive measures combine the wisdom of a back- to-basics approach with breakthrough technologies. Organizations that incorpo- rate them into their maintenance programs stand to make substantial gains in equip- ment uptime, productivity and cumulative cost savings across the board. OA_201704_Let_it_flow_AZ_123,8x196,85_Machinery_Lubrication_en_RZ_ZW.indd 1 11.04.17 15:25

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