Asset reliability has a significant effect on most organizations. If you are in a manufacturing type environment, then poor asset reliability can mean delayed customer orders, poor quality product – ultimately lost market share. If you are in a services organization, then poor asset availability could mean delayed revenues, or even service level penalties.

So… what confidence do you have that you have the right asset management strategy?

Find out in less than 15 minutes:

Learn more about optimizing your maintenance strategy in this iPresentation tutorial from Lawson

There are four basic factors behind the decisions to define and choose preventive maintenance actions:

1) Prevent (or mitigate) failure occurrence.
2) Detect onset of failure.
3) Discover a hidden failure.
4) Do nothing, because of valid limitations.

Tip provided by Anthony “Mac” Smith, Author, RCM - Gateway to World Class Maintenance, Butterworth-Heinemann, ISBN-10: 075067461X

Check out Mac Smith’s RCM Workshop on DVD

You’ll get a much better return on your inventory investment when you apply the sound storeroom operations principles that you will learn in this five-day class.

LCE’s materials management gurus will help you create a materials management master plan that includes key elements like kitting best practices, KPIs for storerooms and purchasing, ABC analysis and effective work control processes.

If it’s time for you to find some new ideas, learn new skills that will get better results and exchange ideas with other professional in your field, then check the Life Cycle Institute’s Fall schedule.

Register today by calling 800-556-9589 or email

Find Out More About Life Cycle Institute’s Fall Schedule

SOFT FOOT

Measuring machinery misalignment with today’s tools, particularly computerized laser alignment systems and well-designed bracketing, is no longer as difficult a task as it once was, when all you had were a straight edge, feeler gauges and maybe a set of dial indicators with some make-shift hardware.

Why then, is it that aligning the machinery to given target values is so often still so cumbersome and time-consuming? There may be several reasons, among them unnecessarily tight tolerances specified by the machinery vendor, or problems with worn-out bearings, or inadequate bases, lack of jackscrews, etc. But by far the greatest obstacle to expeditiously reaching your alignment goal is soft foot. ‘Soft foot’, or machine frame distortion can be measured by various means, and indeed it must be measured and corrected before proceeding with the alignment.

Why? Simply because an uncorrected soft foot condition will make alignment a trial-and-error procedure where indicated corrective shimming and lateral moves no longer bring you to the expected results. Severe soft foot may also be quite harmful to the machinery itself.

Correcting soft foot may not be easy, but it is worth every minute you spend on it, because once done, the alignment of the machines becomes a much easier task.

Many alignment systems available today have soft foot measuring programs, and the most advanced system even features a soft foot ‘wizard’ which analyzes the type of soft foot measured (there are a number of different soft foot conditions) and suggests how to correct it.

Conclusion: If you want to make aligning your machinery easier, quicker and more accurate, start by correcting soft foot.

Tip provided by LUDECA, INC.
ALIGNMENT * VIBRATION * BALANCING
http://www.ludeca.com
Tel: 305-591-8935

More resources on the Alignment, Balancing and Vibration Forum

Just got done reading your tip on PC Maintenance.

It was a great tip, and to go one step farther, your keyboard is a collection area for debris. Take your keyboard and turn it upside down and shake, you will see what I mean.

If you do not have a newer sealed keyboard you can purchase key board covers from a variety of locations. These will permit you to use the keyboard with out removing the waterproof cover. A good cleaning with a can of compressed air will remove the buildup And really we NEVER spill or eat over our keyboards! right?

Reader tip provided by Martin Tauber
PdM Tech
Barber Foods
Portland Maine

Thanks Martin - Your Stainless Steel Diamond Plate Reliabilityweb.com coffee mug is on the way!

Send in a tip and get your own coffee mug or hat

According to new research, automating enterprise asset management capabilities and integrating technology are key success factors for optimizing asset performance.

The Asset Management Report “Benchmarking Enterprise Asset Management in Manufacturing” is based on an Aberdeen Group survey of 190 manufacturing enterprises and compares different asset management techniques. The report analyses the success of these management methods and provides recommendations and steps to success.

Request your report “Benchmarking Enterprise Asset Management in Manufacturing"

Five Sequential Rules for Creative Thinking

1. Seek information.

2. Ask: What do I understand personally and directly?

3. Ask: Am I going to take this problem seriously or not?

4. Have confidence that something can be done and there is a way through.

5. Understand that emptiness is necessary to allow arising of a spontaneous element that is outside of our own control. (Vacuity of the mind but clarity of the goal)

Summarized from “Creative Thinking” by J. G. Bennett, Bennett Books 1964

Tip provided by our friends at the Manufacturing Game
Tel. (281) 812-4148

Find Out More About The Manufacturing Game

The Role of Pareto Analysis in Changing from Reactive to Proactive Maintenance

What do we do with data collected, from our CMMS. Often we see lots of reports and statistics, but in a busy maintenance day, time is not available to take all the actions we would like.

The Pareto principle recognizes that 80% of the benefits are often realized from addressing 20% of the problems.

So, if a regular overview report points us to the vital few failures, that we can action, then our system will gradually have less problems and more time will be available for working “potential” problems.

Tip provided by ARMS Reliability Engineers

Learn how to select important equipment for optimization studies