For on the Floor: Hitting the Reliability Target

A s simply as reliability can be defined—in essence, a system’s ability to consistently produce the same results—the efforts to achieve it can be anything but. Not only is every operation different, there are many ways to approach reliability, each of which requires proper alignment of various circumstances at all times. These include leadership, talent, morale, and work environment, to name a few. To use a well-worn cliché, the process can be like herding cats.

Asked about their own efforts toward achieving reliability, Efficient Plant reader panelists, not surprisingly, offer a range of responses. They reflect various paths to hard-earned reliability successes and what has been learned along the way, especially the need to learn from failure and keep working toward this all-important goal. Here’s what our group had to say:

Q: What are some of the major reliability programs you have had experience with at your facility, and which have been successful?

“Currently, we are using tools found within RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance). We have criticality-assessment teams working on rankings that we developed to determine where to attack each process. From those rankings we are reviewing the highest-ranking areas for their failure modes. Based on those failure modes, we are developing an action-items list on what to attack for improvement. We are classifying action items based on which care strategy (run to failure, PM, PdM, design changes, etc.) makes the most sense. This is in progress, but is showing good improvements so far.”

… Senior Supervisor, Maintenance, Midwest

“We researched the SAE JA1011 standard, which allowed us to evaluate the seven questions of the standard and set up an RCM program. We developed cross-functional teams, equipment PM programs, and established guidelines, and set up procedures to follow FMEA (failure mode effects analysis) systems for all failures. The cross-functional teams have been the most successful because they increase communications about problems and solutions.”

… former Chief Maintenance Engineer (now trainer), West

“In the past, we have used the QNPM (quality network planned maintenance) process, but now we mostly use internal problem-solving workshops. I feel the workshops have worked best because you have people from all departments working together using different methods.”

… PM Leader, Midwest

“TPM (total productive maintenance) not only helps increase reliability, it brings in a new culture of cooperation and inclusiveness from areas other than maintenance. Its basic components—5S, autonomous maintenance, one-point lessons, and the work-order system—create a new interaction that benefits everyone. Also, CBM (condition-based maintenance) improves utilization of resources and reduces the cost of the original versions of preventive maintenance, optimizing this activity.”

… Consultant, Midwest

“Our Predictive and Preventative Maintenance Program, which includes vibration, lubrication, ultrasonic, thermography, electrical-system integrity, and instrumentation integrity; a precision-maintenance program, which consists of continuous training of maintenance personal in precision-maintenance techniques and standards; a reliability-excellence program, which focuses on asset hierarchy development and criticality, bill of materials, and spare-parts stocking, management of change, asset-control strategy, asset-care plans, Pd/PM optimization, and loss elimination; and a root-cause-analysis program, which includes a decision tree that will drive the formal root-cause-analysis process. Also, everyone at our facility is trained in root-cause analysis to assist in everyday problem solving. Of these, the Pd/PM and precision-maintenance programs have been the most successful because of their positive impact on reliability, O&M budget, asset MTBF, and reducing wasted resources.”

… Mechanical Maint. Supervisor, Midwest 

Models, such as this reliability-optimization pyramid, can aid reliability efforts by showing how to prioritize key lagging and leading operational indicators. (See Efficient Plant, Feb. 2014, to learn how it helped a Middle East gas producer.)

Q: What experience have you had with reliability programs that started well, but failed? What were these programs and why did they fail?

“Years ago, we were using TPM. It worked well when used as originally intended, but over the years it morphed into something different. The reason was, as people moved around, the focus was lost because it was implemented as a culture, but driven by the individuals in the leadership roles.”

… Senior Supervisor, Maintenance, Midwest

“Many programs have been started as flavor-of-the-month systems. They soon died because management changed and everyone seemed to have new programs. Emphasis on the programs was never maintained.”

… former Chief Maintenance Engineer, (now trainer), West

“I’m not sure if you classify a kaizen event and its followup as a reliability program, but I feel that, while these are a good idea, they don’t have longevity. Once an event has been planned, kicked off, ideas brought up and implemented, that’s where the ball is dropped. Most companies seem to have the attention span of a four-year-old, and move on to the next issue without fully resolving the first issue.”

… Maintenance Manager, South

“I have been involved in several programs, and the biggest reason programs didn’t succeed was because the programs were not fully implemented, or as we like to put it, the ‘flavor-of-the-month club’ was not followed through.”

… PM leader, Midwest

“Ours have failed for [three] reasons: Lack of understanding of how the system involved functions and items it depends on for proper operation; lack of buy-in by stakeholders; and lack of clarity of the reliability program and how it works.”

… Maintenance Coordinator, Mid-Atlantic

“Most implementations—about 80% on average—fail in the first 24 months because of poor management support.”

… Consultant, Midwest

“Our root-cause failure-analysis program started with great success in the ’90s but, because of a lack of problems, was not used. Now we lack knowledge of the process.”

… Mechanical Maint. Supervisor, Midwest

“I have seen vibration analysis and infrared programs fail due to lack of training, which leads to management believing that these do not work.”

… Reliability Engineer, South

Q: What new reliability programs, if any, do you plan to implement soon, and how were they chosen?

“Based on our criticality assessments, we will be looking to implement action items that will drive us to more predictive methodologies using IR, ultrasound, and vibration analysis, along with data analysis.”

… Senior Supervisor, Maintenance, Midwest

“In the next few months we will be designing new training programs for all employees. We are losing many top maintenance people because they are retiring. We want to train within, and will be using the assets of many local community colleges to certify our employees.”

… former Chief Maintenance Engineer (now trainer), West

“We are implementing a CMMS system for our entire manufacturing group, which involves three plants. We currently have nothing like it in place, and I believe this will help us track our time, schedule PMs and PdMs more efficiently, make better use of our resources, and provide a tool to help us track MTBF, MTTF, and monitor other key indicators to help us track how our equipment is running.”

… Maintenance Manager, South

Q: What advice do you have for operations looking to improve operational reliability?

“The key is to have a goal or mission statement on what you want the future to look like. You need to get management buy-in on that mission, and pull a cross-functional team together to work with. Our teams are derived from a core within maintenance, engineering, and operations. In delivering the message, it is important to emphasize that this is not a quick process. It is a culture shift in how to think about managing the equipment.”

… Senior Supervisor, Maintenance, Midwest

“Develop a business plan for the reliability concepts and have everyone commit to the success of the program.”

… former Chief Maintenance Engineer
(now trainer), West

“Read and learn as much as you can about maintenance and reliability. There is so much information out there [that] it can be overwhelming, but we should never stop learning.”

… Maintenance Manager, South

“Don’t look for huge gains. Aim for reasonably paced, consistent gains over time. Something I often ask my team is, ‘Are we better than we were this time last week?’ If the answer is yes, we are making headway.”

… Senior Facilities Engineer, South

“Follow through on programs that are started, and listen to what the people who run the machines suggest.”

… PM Leader, Midwest

“Establish a serious accountability system so your initiative has owner and co-owners who will constantly keep an up-to-date state of the plant. Establish a self-auditing system, and have Purchasing empower Maintenance to specify characteristics of materials and parts. Ask them continuously what is the best way for management to support the success of the program so it turns into the new way of doing things.”

… Consultant, Midwest

“If an organization is not doing any Pd/PM, start as soon as possible. There are some technologies for predictive maintenance that are inexpensive, easy to learn, and will give instant return on investment. Having been involved in program development and being a user of all the technologies, I’d select ultrasonics as one of the best.”

… Mechanical Maint. Supervisor, Midwest

“The most important advice I can give is to realize that no single person is going to improve equipment reliability. This is a facility-wide effort. Everyone has to understand what is going to be done, how it will be done, the cost, and what the results should look like. Failure is not a bad thing unless you fail to analyze the failure and understand what needs to be done to prevent it from happening again. Also, improving reliability takes time. It’s like losing weight. You may be able to get the pounds off in a couple of weeks, but unless you change your lifestyle, the weight will come back. Finally, anyone can go out and buy expensive equipment and identify problems. But if the equipment is used solely to detect the onset of failure and not eliminate the causes, you are still living in a reactive environment.”

… Reliability Engineer, South 

About the EP Reader Panel

The Efficient Plant Reader Panel includes approximately 100 working industrial-maintenance practitioners and consultants who have volunteered to answer monthly questions prepared by our editorial staff. Panelist identities are not revealed and their responses are not necessarily projectable. The panel welcomes new members. Have your comments and observations included in this column by joining the EP Reader Panel. To be considered, email your name and contact information to rcarter@efficientplantmag.com with Reader Panel in the subject line. All panelists are automatically included in an annual cash-prize drawing after one year of active participation on the panel.