Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/847153
www.machinerylubrication.com | July - August 2017 | 35 A New Style of Preventive Maintenance At this stage in the program, Nissan's team had already tackled several of its biggest problems and had seen significant improvement in both uptime and employee morale. Moving on to address other important issues, the team evaluated the plant's preventive maintenance (PM) and decided to introduce a new style of PM that would offer clear direction as to what was to be inspected, which lubricant to use and how much, as well as pictures for easy iden- tification. The key was to engage all the technicians to assist in the process. Now when PMs are generated and distributed, the technicians gather the necessary information from the equipment and write it on the PM. They also add any additional information about the equip- ment that may not be listed and mark off anything that does not apply. Calculations are then made to ensure that not only is the lubricant correct but also the quantities and application frequencies. This data along with the related pictures are put into the new format and released the next time the PM is performed. The PM-optimizing process has been a great opportunity for all personnel in the facility to strive for the best results with their lubrication practices. Onsite Analysis Another crucial component of Nissan's lubrication program is its onsite laboratory, which has proven its effectiveness in predicting failures and monitoring current equipment conditions. The lab has analyzed and optimized existing routes, and estab- lished a schedule for them to be performed on a monthly basis. If a problem is discov- ered or a trend changes, the lab can adjust the equipment testing accordingly. This method has been successful in identifying problems and allowing the maintenance groups to plan repairs. With this process, the lab has freed up additional time, which is now used to evaluate new equipment that can be added to the routes, such as drop lifters and overhead conveyor drives. Management Support Having the support of technicians and management has been critical in Nissan's success. Although the program is still very young, with strong roots in education, unquestionable management support for sustainability, standardization of proce- dures based on best practices, trending of critical metrics, use of information tech- nology and a commitment to continuous improvement, the plant is definitely moving in the right direction. ML April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March 2014 6,354 5,901 5,787 6,057 4,512 6,741 4,864 5,934 3,290 4,128 4,684 7,253 2015 4,808 5,171 5,445 4,487 5,510 6,027 6,455 5,530 4,644 4,526 5,204 4,211 2016 5,315 3,913 4,946 3,639 3,787 2,858 3,074 3,163 1,735 2,744 125 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 Maintenance Oil Usage 2014-2016 2014 2015 2016 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Hydraulics Downtime by Year (in Minutes) Good lubrication practices have led to reduced oil consumption. The Nissan plant has seen an overall reduction in downtime of more than 60 percent.