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 Eliminating
defects
Improving reliability through lubrication defect elimination
To remain viable in today’s
global marketplace, savvy manufacturers look for ways to increase
reliability while reducing costs. A cost effective way for manufacturers
to significantly improve production reliability is by managing
lubrication on a proactive basis through defect elimination.
The role of lubrication
in production reliability
Lubrication has multiple roles associated with reliability, the most
important being that it covers sliding surfaces and carries away
friction-generated heat, thus eliminating wear and enabling
uninterrupted production. Lubrication relates to reliability not only
through formulation, or how a particular lubricant is designed for use
in specific machinery, but also how it ends up being applied or
misapplied in the field.
Becoming defect-free
A facility can become lubrication defect-free over time by employing
various supplier-partnering techniques with a lubrication provider. By
eliminating defects, or common pitfalls related to lubrication in
several key areas within the manufacturing environment, production can
be much more reliable. The areas of defect elimination include design,
quality control, operations, maintenance materials and workmanship.
Design
The importance of understanding the effects of lubrication on equipment
during the design phase is critical to ensuring continuous worry-free
operations. Whether a plant relies on its Original Equipment
Manufacturer for these calculations or designs its own equipment, it is
vitally important to appreciate the role lubricants play in equipment
reliability.
Many lubrication, machinery
and component companies provide tools to assist end-users in determining
the correct lubricant, be it oil or grease. For example, the Chevron
Grease Selector is an easy-to-use tool that walks customers through a
series of detailed questions to determine the appropriate grease for an
application. The key is to recognize that this analysis is required, and
to be especially thorough in assessing potential operating conditions of
equipment when selecting the appropriate lubricant.
Quality control
There are instances where a lubricant might enter the manufacturing
process as a defect or contaminant, decreasing the manufacturer’s
reliability as it becomes an “ingredient” of the finished product. For
this reason, it is imperative that a strong quality control program be
in place to maintain a clean working environment. Every container and
system used for producing, transporting and packaging product, as well
as the lubricants used within these systems, should be kept as clean as
possible.
Operations
Traditionally, operations departments have been responsible for
production, safe machinery operation, basic machine upkeep and quality
control assurance.
Maintenance departments, by
the very nature of their work, have typically had the most lubrication
knowledge. Operations, which normally decide which machines maintenance
can work on, usually had comparatively little lubrication knowledge. By
increasing an operator’s knowledge of lubrication best practices,
operations can be made more aware of the value of proactive maintenance
and its impact on production reliability. Cooperation and awareness
between operations and maintenance will guarantee increased production
reliability.
Maintenance materials
Maintenance materials are the items maintenance personnel choose, or are
instructed to use, in the repair and upkeep of plant equipment. The
complexities of today’s manufacturing environment can make it difficult
to purchase the optimum equipment lubrication. The two primary reasons
why premium lubricants are not used in a plant are cost pressure and a
lack of benefit understanding.
Although short term budget
issues are met by purchasing inexpensive maintenance materials, in this
case lubricants, maintenance issues are not resolved and reliability
problems get worse.
Maintenance material choices
involving lubrication are critical in all operations, and the value of a
well-informed decision in this area and its effect on productivity
cannot be overstated.
Workmanship and human
reliability
In this case, workmanship refers to how people factor into reliability.
Often when an adverse lubrication event does occur that affects
reliability, it’s due to a lack of knowledge rather than intentional
misapplication. Some common lubrication issues that can be eliminated
with training and attention to detail include:
• Using the correct lubricant viscosity
• Using the right oil for the application
• Using compatible oils for the application
• Properly extracting oil samples
Self-paced, on-line courses,
such as Chevron’s Lubricants University (lubricantsuniversity.com),
and live Web-based sessions, are becoming increasingly popular to
provide no-travel, low cost training options. Historically, major oil
companies have been an adequate resource for lubrication training.
Chevron, for example, has a Knowledge Sales and Training group, whose
sole professional purpose is to increase customer, employee and
distributor lubrication knowledge.
No matter how lubrication
competency is acquired, its value in eliminating reliability defects due
to workmanship can have a significant impact on productivity.
Final thoughts
By understanding the impact of lubrication in the five key areas of
defect elimination — design, quality control, operations, maintenance
materials, and workmanship — manufacturers can develop a plan to ensure
uninterrupted production. A consistent effort to increase a plant’s
lubrication knowledge of best practices is an inexpensive way to improve
reliability, extend uptime and increase profitability.
John Malone is the
Reliability Solutions Manager for Chevron Products Company. If you have
lubrication questions,
contact Coach Malone at: Phone: 713-432-2647;
E-mail: jmva@chevron.com.
This article appeared in the
August/September 2006 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright
2006.
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