The basic principle in being a good technician is not only doing your job it’s being able to convince your peers that you trust your tools and their outcome.

All of us in the reliability world understand there are a lot of tools out there that can predict problems. But the hardest part is convincing our peers the predictability is worth the time to investigate.

I enjoy using our Infrared camera and pocket bearing detector on the back shift. They assist me in helping the mechanics determine that either the equipment needs taken down now or that a problem is on the way.

Painting a picture with the Infrared camera for morning meetings is as good as a vibration analysis graph and it’s easy for others to understand.

Not to say we don’t have equipment that still fails with all the analyzers in place for warning signs. Like they say, they’re Predictive Maintenance tools, we have to find out what the root cause is making it fail so often.

I hope this helps..remember we have to be able to sell what we believe in.

Dane A. Snowden
Team Ldr/Maintenance Dept.
M&M Mars Snackfood Division
Snowden’s Electrical Maintenance
Ooltewah TN

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Join us for a Web Workshop on April 4

Advancing Reliability Workshop #3: Beating the Odds in Reliability & Maintenance – Becoming a Procedures Based Organization

In this 3rd of 11 web workshops Jack Nicholas Jr. discusses the elements for a sustainable reliability based maintenance program such as:

* Written procedures
* Checklists
* Training on leading practices
* Policies that encourage willing compliance
* Process analysis and continuous improvement

There are several polls conducted throughout the Web Workshop that provide a real time snap shot of attendees practices. Results will be discussed to highlight workshop lessons.

The presented material will last 50-55 minutes minutes with extra time set aside for questions and answers. Please allow extra time to attend if you are interested in participating in the question and answer sessions.

Reserve your Web Workshop seat now

A firefighting maintenance culture leads to skilled craftspeople that become incapable of identifying the Failure Modes of your components. The end result is a crew of component changers who now look to increase the speed at which they replace the failed component. Reliability Centered Maintenance builds the skills of craftspeople and operators by instructing them how to identify the specific causes of failure. In understanding the specific causes of failure we can now look to detect, reduce, eliminate, or reduce the consequences of each failure.

Tip provided by Doug Plucknette
RCM Discipline Leader
Allied Reliability, Inc.
Toll Free: 888-414-5760

Find out more about RCM Blitz - Fast Reliability Centered Maintenance

Walgreens currently seeks qualified MAINTENANCE MANAGERS and MAINTENANCE TECHNICIANS for 14 locations in our state-of-the-art Distribution Centers across the country. Walgreens Distribution Centers have developed a reputation for finding the newest, most efficient and innovative ways to move merchandise. For more information,

Find out more about Walgreens opportunities

Interchanging sensors between manufacturers

Automated, production, and material handling systems typically contain multiple photoelectric and/or proximity sensors. When these fail, you can be left scrambling for a suitable replacement that is readily available to help eliminate the associated downtime. This can be of special concern on equipment brought in from off-shores. Whether you interchange between manufactures yourself or look to your MRO product supplier, it is important to have available the operating conditions as well as the model number (m/n) or part number (p/n).

It is a common practice to pull the existing sensor specifications from off the manufacturers website (when available) and to look for a replacement containing the same listed features. This can be a very time consuming and frustrating experience.

To ease the interchange, identify the actual process and wiring requirements. You may not need to match all of the features contained in the model, only those that are application specific.

Naturally you will need to maintain the critical features such as ac or dc power and voltage as well as a similar method of control output, but not all existing features may be required. For example, consider reviewing the required mounting arrangement. Can the sensor shape or barrel size change? Can you use either a quick connect or a connected cable sensor? What is the required sensing distance? There is no need to search for a sensor with an excessively long sensing distance when not required by the application.

What is the method of detection? With photoelectrics, there is no need to search for a sensor that provides multiple detection means, such as retro reflective, diffuse reflective, or background suppression when only through-beam detection is required.

Taking a little time to understand the process requirements can save you a considerable amount of time in research and assist you in finding a cost competitive solution.

Reader tip provided by Robert Horton
Electrical Product Specialist
Kaman Industrial Technologies
Rochester NY

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As simple as a Ziploc bag

Condition monitoring tasks are becoming a significant part of the daily efforts of operations and maintenance staff in successful organizations. The utilization of these specialized handheld data collectors has raised the question of how to protect the units from the wet, dirty, and harsh environments of industry. The solution may be as close as your local grocery store. A gallon size resealable (Ziploc) bag is a cost effective way to protect your investment in technology. Just slip you handheld device in the clear bag and zip it closed. The bag allows viewing of the screen and the thin wall of the bag does not hinder the use of the touch screen. When you are ready to cradle the unit to download the data just open the bag and the unit is clean and dry.

Tip provided by Trico Corp.
Pewaukee, WI
Tel: 262.691.9336

Trico Technical Bulletins

A benchmark study by the Aberdeen Group supports the findings of prior benchmarking indicating: “Best-In-Class Performers will have 45-55% of their total labor hours driven by Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) inspections and the elimination of defects identified through CBM activities”.

Without a thorough understanding of the defects present in a facility, it is virtually impossible to effectively plan and a schedule work.

The professionals at Allied Reliability can show you how Return on Asset Reliability (ROAR™) can measure the success of investments in plant reliability. For more information on Condition Based Monitoring and other Allied Reliability offerings, please call toll free: 888-414-5760.

Find our more about Condition Based Monitoring and other Allied Reliability offerings

You can’t manage effectively without data.

“Should I authorize overtime next week?” “Should I extend the overhaul frequency on the XYZ machine?” “Is my PM program working the way it should?” “Where am I using the most labor and material resources?” These are all typical questions that face Maintenance Managers every day. Poor managers answer them with “gut feel”; good managers answer them with data. Where does this data come from? Obviously, much of it is provided by a properly functioning work order system (see number 2 above). Other sources are the production and quality control systems.

Data also provides an opportunity to create a set of performance indicators that tell you how you’re doing against your goals and where your improvement opportunities lie. Performance indicators will drive behavior; the right set of indicators will drive the right behaviors. As such, they should be linked to business objectives to avoid the danger of “sub-optimizing” the maintenance function at the expense of the overall facility.

It is always easier to sell an improvement idea to senior management if the justification uses objective data. Very few managers in senior positions have a deep understanding of the maintenance function; the merits of an idea may not be as obvious to them as it is to the folks on the shop floor. Ideas presented along with factual data, such as “upgrading this machine will result in the reduction of X lost tons at a value of Y dollars”, will stand a much better chance of success.

Tip provided by Management Resources Group, Inc.
203.264.0500 x136
http://www.mrginc.net

iPresentation Invitation: Master Records Are Not Optional! Get the Detail Work Behind You