ubrication-related equipment fail-
ure is a problem that plagues
industrial facilities of all sizes and
stripes. By some estimates, it
causes as much as $1 trillion a year
in reactive maintenance, unplanned down-
time and lost productivity across the United
States. These failure rates associated with
lubrication also haven't budged in the past
two decades. This is especially troubling for
industrial operators who have sunk billions of
dollars into sophisticated maintenance
management systems and predictive mainte-
nance tools designed specifically to reduce
downtime. Still, the problem is not getting
better. How can that be?
A small but growing number of reliability
engineers think they have found an answer.
They are rediscovering the value of returning
to the basics and are applying innovative tech-
nology to old-school preventive maintenance.
Yes, you read that right. It turns out that the
newest weapon in the fight against machine
failure isn't new at all, but it works. It is also
generating substantial savings along the way.
Lessons from the Medical Field
Benjamin Franklin had it right more than
two centuries ago with his adage, "An ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure." While
this wisdom is indisputable, it's astonishing
how often it is ignored. For instance, take the
L
By Bill Correll,
Generation Systems
6
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May - June 2017
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www.machinerylubrication.com