Match Culture With Technology

If you’re not doing about 25% predictive/condition- based maintenance, you are not top quartile, which is 23% for North America.

Reducing reactive maintenance by eliminating repeat asset/component errors is best done through a robust continuous-improvement process driven by an engaged workforce performing PdM/CBM (predictive/condition-based maintenance).

Individuals and small teams use root cause analysis (RCA) to investigate the level of roots (going deeper to discover the underlying root cause). The levels of roots are:

Effect: what you see/often experience as the symptom

Machines/equipment/tools/parts: what physically happened

Human factors: anything that interfaces with people, human error

Processes: systematic issues in organizational procedures and standard practices, such as unclear, too much variation

Dysfunctional/hidden issues: culture (“we’ve always done it this way”), deficient accepted practices.

There are many RCA tools and techniques that can be used alone or together. Most plant-floor initiatives start with the basic “Pareto analysis” and “5 Whys.” However, there are many other tools that can be helpful. Some are Fishbone diagrams, brainstorming, process mapping, cause mapping, fault tree diagram, and logic tree diagram. It’s this kind of technology application to identify and eliminate problems that makes a successful PdM/CBM process. This “finding-fixing-finding-fixing” is your continual-improvement engine. If you’re not doing about 25% PdM/CBM (finding only), you are not top quartile, which is 23% for North America.

Predictive-maintenance technologies have evolved to be more efficient, effective, and user friendly, yet more than half of facilities still aren’t satisfied with the state of their PdM program. It’s primarily an issue of implementation (culture and continuous improvement). Similarly, the larger transition from reactive to proactive maintenance suffers from the same cultural dilemma. I just finished a “Strategic Implementation in R&M” training course with 26 company participants. They assessed themselves at an average of 33% reactive maintenance. The North America average is currently at 31%, so they were comparable. They were polled on key cultural roadblocks (top two). Note that the first three items, totaling more than 72%, are culture related.

These factors will prevent your maintenance teams from taking full advantage of available predictive technologies.

You should compile an asset versus applicable technology matrix for your key assets. Each of the main technologies (such as vibration analysis, infrared technology, ultrasound analysis, motion amplification, motor current signature analysis, lubricant oil and fuel analysis, and wear-particle analysis), when done on more assets, all show improvements in cost. In addition to the standard technologies, there are many others to consider. Examples include:

• Insulation resistance testing is an electrical test that measures insulation resistance. The measured resistance indicates the condition of the insulation between two conductive parts. It is used for electrical systems, electric motors, and generators.

• Polarization index testing is an extension of the insulation resistance test to measure factors such as moisture and insulation deterioration and is used for diesel generators, electric motors, and motors.

• Acoustic emission uses acoustic waves that, when emitted by solid materials, are evidence of deformation or damage.

• Bearing temperature analysis: Depending on the application, normal bearing operating temperatures in pumps range from 100 to 180 F, with most running between 140 and 160 F.

• Eddy-current testing is an electromagnetic testing method used in nondestructive testing of conductive materials. It uses electromagnetic induction to detect and categorize flaws (on surface and sub-surface).

Find the technologies that best work for your assets. Organize your matrix with categories of assets such as rotating equipment, material movement, reciprocating, heating & cooling, electrical, stationary equipment (tanks, pipes, valves), and structural (insulation, roofs). These categories are not meant to be all inclusive.

Start or enhance your PdM/CBM process to eliminate repeat asset/component failures. “Find and fix based on data” to improve operational performance. EP

Based in Knoxville, Dr. Klaus M. Blache is director of the Reliability & Maintainability Center at the Univ. of Tennessee, and a research professor in the College of Engineering. Contact him at kblache@utk.edu.