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 table of contents
October 2013 / Vol. 33, No. 10

specialists
25 / HUMAN CAPITAL
Open Door Policy
Don’t let unimportant issues interrupt your day and your
personal life

27 / ASSET MANAGER
7 Steps to a Planned Environment
How to build an effective work program

31 / TECHNOLOGY TOOLBOX
Materials Get Around
Assembly and conveyance benefit from new innovations

61 / Big Picture
Do We Need 20 MW Gas Engines?
Lubrication plays a major role in Turkey’s energy production

66 / ENERGY EXPERT
From Source to Site
features Do we measure energy efficiency logically?
32 / COVER STORY
Thermo Sapiens columns and departments
Meet the new breed of infrared inspector
7 / FROM THE EDITOR
42 / Performance Management Meet Me at the Summit
Improve Wrench Efficiency American manufacturing is on its way up
Measure time and motion to assess productivity
9 / Strategic Maintenance
50 / Energy Monitoring Opportunities in Energy Costs
Find Industrial Energy Waste Conventional accounting points to high-percentage improvements
Identify problems, quantify solutions, and prove the ROI
13 / Plant Profile
56 / Labor-Hour Analysis Focused Automation and Logistics
Schedule Compliance Texas manufacturer leverages safety and manufacturing synergy
The importance of labor-hour analysis and the use of associated
metrics 15 / Tactics & Practices
Monitor to Keep the Air Predictable
63 / PRODUCT ROUNDUP PdM keeps compressed air systems running efficiently
How to Handle Fluids
Pumps and seals for every application 17 / WHAT WORKS
• New control system implementation reduces response time
without outages
• Ohio manufacturer boosts air quality with fume extraction
PLANT SERVICES (ISSN 0199-8013) is published monthly by Putman Media, Inc., 555 West
Pierce Road, Suite 301, Itasca, IL 60143. Phone (630) 467-1300, Fax (847) 291-4816. measures
Periodicals Postage paid at Itasca, IL and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International
Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40028661. Canadian Mail Distributor
Information: Frontier/BWI,PO Box 1051, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, L2A 5N8. Printed in U.S.A. 59 / IN THE TRENCHES
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PLANT SERVICES, Putman Media, Inc., PO Box 3435,
Northbrook, IL 60065-3435. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Qualified reader subscriptions are accepted Picture This
from PLANT SERVICES managers, supervisors and engineers in manufacturing plants in the U.S.
and Canada. To apply for qualified-reader subscriptions, please go to www.plantservices.com. To
When safety concerns and proprietary information collide
non-qualified subscribers in the U.S., subscriptions are $96 per year. Single copies are $15.
Subscription to Canada and other international are accepted at $200 (Airmail only) © 2013 by
Putman Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in 62 / Management MeasureS
whole or in part without consent of the copyright owner. In an effort to more closely align with our
business partners in a manner that provides the most value to our readers, content published in Energy Management Dashboard
PLANT SERVICES magazine appears on the public domain of PLANT SERVICES’ Website, and may
also appear on Websites that apply to our growing marketplace. Putman Media, Inc. also publishes Budget-based KPIs for cost savings
CHEMICAL PROCESSING, CONTROL, CONTROL DESIGN, FOOD PROCESSING, INDUSTRIAL
NETWORKING, THE JOURNAL, PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING and WELLNESS FOODS.
PLANT SERVICES assumes no responsibility for validity of claims in items published. 64 / CLASSIFIEDS / AD INDEX

www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 5

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IN MEMORY OF
JULIE CAPPELLETTI-LANGE,
FROM THE EDITOR
MIKE BACIDORE, EDITOR IN CHIEF
Vice President 1984-2012

PUTMAN MEDIA, INC.

555 W. Pierce Rd., Suite 301,
Itasca, IL 60143
(630) 467-1300 Fax: (630) 467-1120

MIKE BRENNER
Group Publisher MEET ME AT THE SUMMIT
mbrenner@putman.net
American manufacturing is on its way up
EDITORIAL STAFF
MIKE BACIDORE
Editor in Chief
As U.S. manufacturing employment future of American manufacturing. The
mbacidore@putman.net continues to take two steps forward, second full day’s keynote address will be
followed by two steps back, factory given by Lynn Gambill, chief engineer,
J. STANTON MCGROARTY, CMRP
Senior Technical Editor output has rallied and surged on the manufacturing engineering and global
smcgroarty@putman.net backs of motor vehicle assemblies, ma- services engineering, at Pratt & Whitney,
ALEXIS GAJEWSKI
chinery, consumer goods, and electri- who’ll discuss what “Made in America”
Associate Editor, Digital Media cal equipment. That’s certainly good means in the 21st Century.
agajewski@putman.net news and sets the table for an encour- Additional speakers at this year’s event
STEPHEN C. HERNER aging finish to 2013. include individuals from Subaru, Kenna-
V.P., Creative Services But how do you parlay that into a metal, Nike, Caterpillar, ABInBev, Tyco,
sherner@putman.net
strong run well into 2014 and beyond? Halliburton, Archer Daniels Midland,
DEREK CHAMBERLAIN Last year, I was invited to chair the
Art Director American Manufacturing Strategies
dchamberlain@putman.net PUT ON YOUR CLIMBING
Summit (www.manufacturing-summit.
DAVID BERGER, P.ENG. com) in Chicago. It was one of the better SHOES, AND LET’S MAKE OUR
Contributing Editor
conferences of the year with present- WAY TO THE TOP.
PETER GARFORTH ers from companies such as Lockheed
Contributing Editor Martin, Coca Cola, Dell, Gartner, Eaton,
SHEILA KENNEDY Ford, Kaiser Aluminum, National Husky, Honeywell, Kraft Foods, Royal
Contributing Editor Center for Manufacturing Sciences, SAP, Air Force, and Purdue University.
TOM MORIARTY, P.E., CMRP Harvard Business School, University of A variety of tracks are set up to meet
Contributing Editor Wisconsin, and MillerCoors. the needs of every attendee. From
This year, the conference moves to workforce development, manufacturing
PUBLICATION SERVICES Chicago’s western suburbs at the Renais- leadership, manufacturing strategies,
CARMELA KAPPEL sance Convention Center in Schaum- and operation excellence to innova-
Assistant to the Publisher burg, Illinois, a bit closer to O’Hare tions, maintenance and reliability, and
ckappel@putman.net
Airport. I will once again be chairing the tools, tactics, and technologies, the
JERRY CLARK event, Oct. 21-13, and this year’s lineup is sessions fi ll the needs of every plant and
V.P., Circulation
jclark@putman.net power-packed and ready to roar. manufacturing executive.
Susan Elkington, vice president, So, put on your climbing shoes, and
JACK JONES
Circulation Director
manufacturing, at Toyota, and Ken let’s make our way to the top. This year
jjones@putman.net Dean, vice president, quality systems, at is finishing strong, but next year will
Nestlé Purina, will open up the sessions be here before we know it. Your plans
RITA FITZGERALD
Production Manager during the first day’s afternoon sessions. are most likely in place for 2014, but
rfitzgerald@putman.net Elkington will discuss Toyota’s work there’s a lot to be learned that can still be
CLAUDIA STACHOWIAK
with Project Lead the Way to create a implemented. Make your arrangements
Corporate Account Executive science- and math-literate workforce, now to be at one of my favorite events of
Foster Reprints and Dean will explain Nestlé Purina’s the year. You’ll learn a lot. And be sure to
(866) 879-9144 ext.121
claudias@fosterprinting.com 15-year journey to improve capabilities stop by and say, “Hello,” when you meet
and exceed customer expectations. me at the Summit.
EXECUTIVE STAFF To commence the first full day, Chris-
JOHN M. CAPPELLETTI tine Furstoss, global technology director,
President/CEO manufacturing & materials technolo-
KEITH LARSON
gies, at GE Global Research, will deliver Mike Bacidore, Editor in Chief
V.P., Content the keynote address on inventing the mbacidore@putman.net, (630) 467-1300 x444

WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM OCTOBER 2013 7


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 strategic maintenance
J. Stanton McGroarty, CMRP, CMfgE, Senior Technical Editor
Opportunities in Energy Costs
Conventional accounting points to high-percentage improvements
In many companies, utility cost is an orphan. I
remember one plant tour where the VP of manufacturing
took me aside and said in a conspiratorial tone, “Here is
where we actually make all our profits.” He was referring
to the heat treatment department of the huge transmission
plant he ran. “We run seven days a week here, regardless of
how busy the rest of the plant is. We pull in work from all
over the Detroit metro area and mark it up by several times
our cost. Our total profit in the heat treat is more than the
net profit for the whole plant.”
“That’s amazing,” I said. “Just so I understand — how is
the cost of gas for heat treatment charged?”
“Oh, that doesn’t matter,” he replied. “It’s all in overhead.”
I wish I could relate that his face went white at this point
and he ran to accounting to see how much cost he was
ignoring in his pricing model. But I can’t. He had answered
the question to his own satisfaction. His silo was secure.
Today most manufacturing managers have a better un-
derstanding of cost management than my Detroit friend did,
but it’s not generally because of their accounting systems.
The realization has come to management that energy is
expensive, but limited help is available to answer questions
about exactly how expensive it is and what can be done
about it. In fact, most manufacturing managers don’t really
know how much they spend on energy, despite the availabil-
ity of tools to answer the question easily.
There are two general approaches to energy cost reduc-
tion. One is to engage a consulting or software organization.
These groups have the capability to set up direct monitoring
of energy and, to some extent, other utility usage. And they
can directly control some of it. Most organizations aren’t
ready to sign up for cost saving projects of this magnitude,
though. Others don’t have the need for this level of technol-
ogy. But many companies aren’t sure what they need.
The good news is that most organizations already have
accounting tools to quantify utility spending and attri-
bute it, at least roughly, to key functions where it can be
controlled by management. The first part of the project,
accounting for utilities, is easy.
Energy spending is usually confined to about half a dozen
vendors. Which vendors they are depends on the specific
plant, but the variety is limited. Electric power is usually
supplied by one vendor. Gas, water, heating oil, sewage treat-
ment, and vehicle fuel usually have one vendor each. A re-
port of monthly utility cost by vendor should not take more
than a day or two for most accounting groups to provide.
Monthly values are important because they allow rough
estimates of how much energy is split between seasonal
expenses, usually HVAC, and process utilities, which should
be uniform by month, unless production is seasonal.
The utility cost report will begin to provide a sense of how
great the opportunities for energy cost reduction might be.
The utility cost report will begin to
provide a sense of how great the
opportunities for energy cost
reduction might be.
Most vendors are available to provide some free help, as well.
Electric utilities particularly are on the ropes for capacity
in many areas. They are actually grateful when a customer
comes to them to ask about conservation. The same is true
of gas and water providers in many areas.
Once cost by energy vendor has been identified, the
detective work can be divided up among available techni-
cal talent. In a one-engineer shop, it may only be possible
to study one utility at a time. The new accounting report
will determine which utility it should be. Given the cost
information and the availability of talent to address it, the
project manager can decide how many utilities to pursue
and how to assign the work load.
From this point forward in the investigation, each util-
ity or expense can usually proceed independently. There
may be some exceptions, but, as a rule, the electrical
effort can proceed independently of the gas investigation.
By splitting the efforts, the project manager can assign
different groups to different utilities, thereby limiting
the amount of time required of each participant. Also,
since each utility has its own vendor or set of vendors, the
staff working with each utility can be different without
causing any communication problems. There may even
be an opportunity to institute some friendly competition
between utility groups. To ensure uniformity of reporting
and management’s acceptance of results, it may be that
the project manager will wish to use the same accounting
support across all utilities.
www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 9
strategic maintenance

The next step will be for each utility group to divide the
use of its utility among primary users. Electric power, for in-
stance, may be divided among areas like process heating, air
make-up, HVAC, conveyor drives, pumping, and a few spe-
cific high-usage machines such as air compressors, Banburies,
cold headers, resistance welders, or paint ovens. Each list will
be very industry-specific. When accounting data, electrical
capacity, multiple meter readings, and hours-of-use data are
combined, it becomes surprisingly easy to attribute electrical
power and expense to the places where it is consumed. With
electricity, don’t forget to determine which operations are
disrupting power factor, too. This can be a huge opportunity.
Similar reviews of water, gas, and other utilities can usual-
ly allow technical and accounting teams to determine where
the other utility cost is generated. Once the utility attribu-
tion is done, it should be assembled into a single report and
presented to the project manager and the project manager’s
boss. For most companies, this will be the first time this ma-
jor expense set has been laid out as a list of opportunities for
cost reduction. Usually, the next step will be to identify a few
low-investment, high-return efforts that will put the power
management initiative on a pay-as-you-go basis, using as
much in-house talent as possible. After all, energy manage-
ment is a marathon, not a sprint. Internal learning is the key
to sustainability of the effort.
Most of the opportunities that the organization elects to
pursue will not be huge surprises. Well-known techniques
are available to control power factor, move electrical usage
to low-rate times of day, capture and use waste heat from
equipment, reduce belt slippage, cool and reuse condensate,
reduce compressed air leakage, repair steam traps, and make
other mundane improvements. But when these opportuni-
ties are quantified and placed in a company-wide Pareto list,
they suddenly become newsworthy, important, and urgent
in a way they hadn’t been before. Not incidentally, the same
attributes accrue to the manager who does the work to bring
them into view. The fact that the fixes are well-understood,
far from making them uninteresting, makes the improve-
ments a low-risk shot at success.
J. Stanton McGroarty, CMRP, CMfgE, is senior technical editor of
Plant Services. Contact him at smcgroarty@putman.net.

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Focused Automation and Logistics
Texas manufacturer leverages safety and manufacturing synergy
Duoline Technologies’ 130,000 sq ft facility in
Gilmer, Texas, opened in 2010. Duoline manufactures
fiberglass-epoxy internal linings used for corrosion protec-
tion in oilfield steel tubular goods, called “tubulars” in the
trade. Duoline uses focused automation and superior logis-
tics to produce these oilfield safety and reliability products
in a lean environment and distributes them worldwide. Half
of Duoline’s output currently goes to Dubai, Brazil, and
Canada from the Port of Houston. The Gilmer location also
supports efficient domestic distribution.
The Duoline story provides another example of how the
synergy between safety and manufacturing efficiency can
produce a solid market position for U.S. manufacturing,
with precise operational focus working hand in hand with
safety improvements.
Effectiveness and Efficiency
“In 1964, Duoline Technologies began manufacturing
fiberglass liners in Odessa, Texas,” says David Marshall,
president and COO of Robroy Industries (www.robroy.com),
Duoline’s parent company. “Duoline Technologies’ filament-
wound glass-reinforced epoxy (GRE) liners protect oilfield
tubulars from corrosion. These liners are installed for use on
onshore and offshore oil and natural gas production sites.
Major oil producers have been using GRE liners since the
1960s because these liners have proven to be more robust
than internal plastic coatings. GRE liners are also a lower-
cost alternative to corrosion resistant alloys.”
Duoline Technologies manufactures a niche product line
in the oil and gas marketplace, says Marshall. “As such, the
company has been on a path of long-term growth,” he ex-
plains. “Since the new plant began production three years ago,
Duoline has grown approximately 10% annually. This growth
helped the company to reach a goal of more than 100 million
ft of Duoline successfully installed worldwide. Right now 25
people are employed in Gilmer, divided between shift workers
and administrative staff, including management, engineering,
sales, and marketing. Duoline expects to grow about 20% next
year, creating a long-term need for additional staff.”
Corporate Citizenship
The annual cost of corrosion in the oil and gas production in-
dustry is estimated to be $1.37 billion with approximately $463
million annually just for downhole tubing expenses, according
PLANT PROFILE
to NACE International — The Corrosion Society (www.nace.
org), which also explains that, within the oil and gas industry,
effective management of corrosion will contribute toward
achieving the following benefits:
• statutory or corporate compliance with safety, health,
and environmental policies
• reduction in leaks
• increased plant availability
• reduction in unplanned maintenance
• reduction in deferment costs.
“Major oil companies are looking for better solutions to
reduce the high cost of corrosion caused by carbon dioxide,
hydrogen dioxide, and oxygen found in many downhole and
injector wells,” adds Marshall. “Many manufacturers find it
very challenging to meet the high standards set by most major
oil production companies. These standards are non-negotia-
ble because companies do not want to be liable for environ-
mental accidents; product failure is not accepted. Duoline
Technologies helps our customers to meet this challenge
head-on with its manufacturing process. This unique process
enables the company to produce a high-quality product that
more than meets the demands of major oil producers.”
There we have it again — manufacturing prowess and a
keen sense for safety helping a U.S. manufacturer establish
a solid market.
A lean team in Texas is producing corrosion protec-
tion against downhole failures and the kind of leaks and
blowouts that have kept the news media working overtime
in recent years. Moreover, they are successfully marketing
them domestically and internationally, adding jobs in the
Lone Star State.
www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 13
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Monitor to Keep the Air Predictable
PdM keeps compressed air systems running efficiently
Operating a compressed air system can be costly, if
routine monitoring isn’t done. PdM technologies and strate-
gies can be used to improve efficiency and avoid failures.
Clogged compressed air filters and leaking or failed con-
densate drains can cause contamination problems in down-
stream components and even contaminate the product itself,
if it comes in contact, explains Ron Marshall, member of the
project development committee, Compressed Air Challenge
(www.compressedairchallenge.org). “Pressure differentials
on main filters can be monitored during regular mainte-
nance and changed before they cause problems,” he says.
Equipment monitoring is an effective strategy to improve
compressed air system efficiency and avoid costly downtime,
says Brian Blum, CTS optimization marketing/Department
of Energy - Airmaster+, Atlas Copco Compressors (www.
atlascopco.us). “Compressed air systems can consume up to
40% of the total energy a plant consumes on a yearly basis,”
he explains. “Advanced data monitoring provides plant op-
erators with the tools to recognize and react in real time.”
Compressed air systems can be the source of large hidden
expenses within a facility, warns Trent Phillips, condition
monitoring manager, Ludeca (www.ludeca.com). “A lot of
facilities install additional compressed air systems, because
their existing systems are unable to supply the required
demand,” he explains. “However, no one ever asks why the
additional capacity is required. Have additional processes
been added or other things that require additional air capac-
ity? Or is it simply due to a lack of maintenance?”
Proper maintenance of compressors would include moni-
toring of the bearings, explains Maureen Gribble, director,
UE Systems (www.uesystems.com). “Ultrasound is com-
monly used to monitor bearings and provides early indica-
tors of bearing failures,” she says. “With bearings comes the
need for lubrication, another area where ultrasound is an
extremely effective tool. By utilizing ultrasound as a part of
a reliability-centered lubrication program, you can deter-
mine exactly when your bearing requires lubrication.”
Most leaks are found at pipe, hose, or tube connections,
says Kirk Edwards, application engineer, Exair (www.exair.
com). “Make certain to apply thread sealant correctly and
install the connections per their instructions,” he explains.
“Leaks can also be minimized by making sure to use as low
an air supply pressure as possible; the lower the working
pressure, the less air will escape a leak.”
TACTICS & PRACTICES
Checking the compressors and pumps using vibration
analysis will provide lots of benefit, says Michael D. Howard,
MSc, CMRP, director, reliability solutions, Mobius Institute
(www.mobiusinstitute.com). “An online vibration monitor-
ing system may provide critical analytical data to allow you
to plan and schedule maintenance on your terms, rather
than the machine’s,” he suggests. “At the very least, regular
monitoring using route-based vibration analysis will enable
Equipment monitoring is an
effective strategy to improve
compressed air system efficiency
and avoid costly downtime.
the organization to ensure the asset is running at design ef-
ficiency between scheduled data collection intervals.”
Using an adaptive system master controller helps spread
out maintenance intervals, offers Waheed Chaudhry, engi-
neering manager, Kaeser Compressors (us.kaeser.com). “In
addition to selecting the most energy-efficient combination
of units to meet current demand, they also balance load
hours among multiple units,” he explains.
Pipe thinning is a hidden defect, and it takes place before
a leak develops, says T.J. Garten, subject matter expert —
electrical, Allied Reliability (www.alliedreliability.com).
“Pipe thinning usually occurs in the area of elbows and
where the pipe size changes step up or down; the air turbu-
lence is greater in these areas,” he explains. “By monitoring
and detecting pipe thinning, piping can be scheduled to be
replaced before leaks occur.”
The most common faults with rotating machines are im-
balance, misalignment, looseness, and roller bearing wear,
explains John Bernet, vibration product specialist, Fluke
(www.fluke.com). “Using vibration meters to quickly screen
these machines will give the operators and technicians the
peace of mind they want that the machine will keep run-
ning, or they may need to take a closer look,” he says.
Each PdM technology provides benefits to maintaining
and operating a compressed air system, explains Daniel J.
Hogan, vibration/oil analyst, Azima DLI (www.azimadli.
com). “However, these technologies are best leveraged when
used together in an integrated manner,” he says.
www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 15
 Avoid the hidden cost of “The Priceberg.”
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 what works

Cogeneration Migration
New control system implementation reduces response time without outages

The Ripon Cogeneration Plant (Ripon Cogen) in

Ripon, California, partnered with Maverick Technologies
(www.mavtechglobal.com) to perform a DCS migration
of an existing proprietary Westinghouse WDPF BOP
control system to a non-proprietary control system without
any scheduled outage of the facility. A human-machine
interface (HMI) for systems outside of the BOP was to be
incorporated into the new control system.
The BOP control system is a complex and interdependent
control system that involves all of the related areas within the
overall Ripon Cogen vicinity including HRSG control, gas com-
pressor, ammonia plant, chiller, and water treatment. This was
an entirely brownfield project with all of the inherent problems
and constraints: zero impact to production, limited number of
shutdown opportunities, limited and unreliable documentation,
older and unreliable equipment, physical space limitations, and
internal resources with competing production priorities. DCS power requirements dropped
Performing logic and wiring conversions at the same time by 50% compared to the legacy DCS.
is considered to be an excessive risk. The phased imple-
mentation installed and tested the Rockwell Auomation
PlantPAx system using simulation software. Maverick’s engineers analyzed the existing DCS hardware
system and developed a low-risk hardware replacement plan.
The customer needed a BOP DCS migration for the follow- Westinghouse WDPF redundant processor drops were replaced
ing reasons: with redundant Rockwell Automation ControlLogix L73 pro-
• decreasing availability of hardware cessors using device level ring (DLR) for I/O communications.
• serviceability issues Existing Westinghouse Numa-Logic I/O was replaced with
• proprietary networks 1756 ControlLogix.
• proprietary operating system with no vendor support
• failed historian server The BOP includes the following units:
• no automated report generation • heat recovery steam generator(HRSG)
• downtime issues. • de-aerator and feed water system
• gas compressor system
Maverick’s Westinghouse WDPF engineers analyzed the • compressed air system
existing system and developed a functional specification. After • water treatment plant.
taking a fresh look at plant operations with Ripon Cogenera-
tion’s operation and maintenance staff, Maverick developed a Non-BOP systems migrated into the PlantPAx DCS include
new enhanced functional specification for the BOP DCS. the following units:
PlantPAx process objects were selected for the BOP devel- • turbine control
opment of additional functionality. Once the new applica- • water distiller plant
tions were proven to function as desired, the Westinghouse • ammonia chiller plant.
WPDF control system will be replaced by the PlantPAx dur-
ing the shutdown period. The Wonderware HMC applica- The new DCS system architecture is as follows:
tions for the turbine control, chiller, and distillation are also • Westinghouse WDPF drops 1 and 2 were replaced by a
being migrated into the PlantPAx system. redundant PlantPAx L73 ControlLogix processor.

www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 17

 what works

• Westinghouse WDPF Drop 3 with • 25% I/O chassis expansion capacity are HART protocol enabled for
seven I/O points were eliminated, has been provided. enhanced troubleshooting and
and the I/O moved to new Drop 1 • Communications will be redundant maintenance of plant process
Allen-Bradley PlantPAx L73 Con- Ethernet/IP via DLR for remote I/O. instruments.
trolLogix processor. • A ll analog input and output •F  actoryTalk Historian Site Edition
Summit CentriPump_Layout 1 8/8/2013 3:27 PM Page 1 (SE) is provided for historical log-
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•F  actoryTalk VantagePoint EMI is
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Synthetic Lubricants tion, and four additional customer-
specified reports (total of five
reports will be provided).
New CentriPump Lubricants from Summit • FactoryTalk View SE redundant HMI
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Improve your pump reliability, extend MTBF*, reduce downtime and sualize and control the cogeneration
energy consumption with Summit’s New CentriPump lubricants. These balance of plant.
newly formulated lubricants are resistant to rust, oxidation, corrosion • New control system includes pri-
mary domain controller, engineering
and improve wear protection. CentriPump lubricants have excellent workstation/historical server, FT
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compatible with most process fluids being pumped and commonly HMI server, backup HMI server, and
two operator workstations.
used seal materials. Call Summit today for a distributor near you.
*mean time between failure Metrics that have improved as a result
of this DCS project include:
•P  lantPAx DCS power requirements
dropped 50% compared to the
legacy DCS. It was an unexpected
positive.
• Response to any problem with the
BOP DCS went from weeks to 15
minutes with the PlantPAx DCS.
• Operators are able to respond to
process upsets much more quickly
due to the additional information
provided by the new DCS system.

Ripon Cogen experienced no

unscheduled outages during the
migration process, and the facility
started up on schedule. The facility
ramped to full power on the first day
of operation. There have been fewer

Summit
Industrial Products
outages due to the enhanced control
and speed of the control system.
Future projects with Ripon Cogen
include continued plant automation
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 what works

Welding Made Breathable

Ohio manufacturer boosts air quality with fume extraction measures

As a manufacturer and supplier of OEM and aftermar- — a lot of welding. And with all that welding comes the
ket diesel fuel tanks, Cleveland Tank & Supply (www.cleve- potential for weld fume in the various production areas.
landtank.com) operates a busy shop floor to keep up with “Everything we build gets welded,” notes David Wilson,
customer demands and its “immediate shipment” promise. Cleveland Tank & Supply’s operations manager. “Depending on
About 10 years ago, the company, which occupies a the application and material used, we can easily weld 10 tanks
33,000-sq-ft facility less than five miles east of downtown per day per booth. We obviously generate fume all day long.”
Cleveland, first made its mark as a buyer and seller of tanks The company took a threefold approach to reducing haze
and evolved into niche manufacturing for companies requir- and improving overall air quality on the shop floor. First, it
ing 1,000 tanks a year or less. Even while employing fewer installed a free-standing fume extraction system that reduces
than 50 total workers and running only two shifts, this com- the overall concentration of welding fume on the floor. Both
pany has become a powerhouse in the diesel fuel tank market. Ferris and Wilson say the company initially looked at fume
In any given week, Cleveland Tank extraction systems that have arms ex-
produces tanks to fit various makes of The manufacturing tending to individual welding booths but
vehicles, oil fields, specialty equipment,
process for standard, decided the facility would be best served
and trailers, as well as ones made of steel, with a system that provided comprehen-
aluminum, or stainless steel and designed in-stock products, as sive protection for the entire shop floor.
for specific custom applications. well as tanks custom- They started investigating options by
The company serves a variety of designed to customer talking with about 10 different vendors.
industries, including oil field, medical When they heard about the Circula-
specifications, involves
and fire/rescue, safety, mining, hydrau- tor from Lincoln Electric, they were
lic fracturing, recycling and refuse, plasma cutting and intrigued, says Ferris. This stand-alone
construction, forestry, and school welding on every tank. system uses continuous filtration and
transportation. The largest tanks the airflow to extract and filter welding
company manufactures are 200 gallons for side-mount ap- fume released during the most common welding fabrication
plications and 300 gallons for non-side-mount. processes. It supplements natural, draft ventilation or forced
Besides its long-established goal to provide immediate ventilation through the roof and wall fans, if necessary.
shipment of in-stock tanks to its customers, the company For Wilson and Ferris, this system made the most sense
also prides itself on the fact that all of its tanks — in-stock for Cleveland Tank’s needs.
and custom orders — are “Made in the USA,” fabricated in “There used to be a haze overhead throughout the whole
the heartland out of the U.S.-produced materials. facility, and, to mitigate that, we would have to run exhaust
“All of our products are made only from domestic alumi- fans all year, even in the winter. This made it pretty cold in
num, steel, and stainless steel,” notes Rich Ferris, the com- the work areas,” says Wilson. “Now, using the Circulator, we
pany’s vice president and general manager. “All of our tanks rarely, if ever, need to turn on those fans.”
are stamped with ‘Made in the USA,’ and we mean it.” Next, they focused on the high-definition plasma table.
The manufacturing process for standard, in-stock prod- Plasma cutting is an application that inherently generates
ucts, as well as tanks custom-designed to customer specifi- dust, fumes, and potentially hazardous sparks. At this par-
cations, involves plasma cutting and welding on every tank. ticular table, workers run between 200 and 300 aluminum
Cleveland Tank’s shop floor, which encompasses nearly and stainless steel sheets per day, ranging in size from 36 x
17,500 ft of space, features a high-definition plasma-cutting 96 in. to 72 x 120 in.
station; approximately 10 MIG and TIG welding booths for Cleveland Tank wanted to eradicate the fume and partic-
steel and aluminum products, roughly 250 to 300 tanks per ulate matter in this work zone, in light of the high produc-
week; and a stainless steel welding booth. The company also tion and the materials used. It also sought a fume extraction
is in the process of installing a robotic MIG welding system. solution that could stop sparks created during the cutting
This heavy, constant production boils down to one thing process from entering the extraction system’s filter.

www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 21

WHAT WORKS

“We wanted to be assured that the system would suck up
everything that burns on the table and pose no fi lter fire
risk,” says Ferris.
The answer was Spark Guardian, part of Lincoln Electric’s
Guardian fire safety solution for fume control systems. This
system, working in tandem with the Circulator, now pre-
vents sparks from passing through and on to the extraction
fi lter’s system. It also serves as an in-line, pre-separator that
reduces dust load in the connected system.
“It has exceeded our expectations,” says Ferris. “Because
we can use it with our comprehensive fume extraction
system, we have been able to cut stainless steel on the table.
That’s something that would be unheard of if we hadn’t put
these fume extraction measures into place.”
As Cleveland Tank officials were formulating their
air-quality-improvement measures, they also knew
from the start of this process that they also wanted to
install extraction measures in the shop’s stainless steel
welding booth. Welders in this booth fabricate up to
five stainless steel tanks per week, as well as stainless
steel straps and brackets.
“While developing our specification plan for this particu-
lar area, we discovered that our levels of hexavalent chro-
mium were 1.5 times over the allowed limit,” explains Ferris.
“This discovery gave us even greater incentive to select the
best system and get it up and running.”
The company ultimately specified Lincoln Electric’s
Downflex Downdraft table, a dual-purpose workbench and
extraction unit designed specifically to remove weld fume at
the source — a must for the regulations governing stain-
less steel welding. The addition of this unit made notable
improvements to the booth’s air quality.
“The air is so much cleaner in the booth,” says Mike McA-
voy, welder at the facility. “It’s definitely noticeable.”
And furthermore, the hexavalent chromium levels are
now well below the limit after installing the downdraft table
in the stainless steel booth.
“The remediation has been phenomenal,” notes Ferris,
adding that all three installed fume extraction solutions
have produced significant increases in air quality through-
out the manufacturing facility. “The functionality and versa-
tility of these three units working together is terrific.”

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The Truth About Compressed Air!
If you think compressed air is too expensive and noisy - read this. The facts will surprise you!

Compare These Blowoffs Facts About Blowers

There are a variety of ways to blow the water from the bottles shown in the photo below, Energy conscious plants might
but which method is best? To decide, we ran a comparison test on the same application think a blower to be a better choice
using four different blowoff methods: drilled pipe, flat air nozzles, Super Air Knife due to its slightly lower electrical
(each using compressed air as a power source), and a blower supplied air knife (using consumption compared to a
an electric motor as a power source). Each system consisted of two twelve inch long air compressor. In reality, a blower is
knives. The following comparison proves that the EXAIR Super Air Knife is the best an expensive capital expenditure
choice for your blowoff, cooling or drying application. that requires frequent downtime
The goal for each of the blowoff choices was to use the least amount of air possible to get and costly maintenance of filters,
the job done (lowest energy and noise level). The compressed air pressure required was belts and bearings.
60 PSIG which provided adequate velocity to blow the water off. The blower used had Here are some important facts:
a ten horsepower motor and was a centrifugal type blower at 18,000 RPM. The table at Filters must be replaced every one
the bottom of the page summarizes the overall performance. Since your actual part may to three months.
have an odd configuration, holes or sharp edges, we took sound level measurements in
free air (no impinging surface). Belts must be replaced every three
to six months.

Drilled Pipe Blower Air Knife Typical bearing replacement is

This common blowoff is very inexpen-
sive and easy to make. For this test, we
used (2) drilled pipes, each with (25)
1/16" diameter holes on 1/2" centers.
As shown in the test results below, the
drilled pipe performed poorly. The initial
cost of the drilled pipe is overshadowed
by its high energy use. The holes are
easily blocked and the noise level is
excessive - both of which violate OSHA
requirements. Velocity across the entire
length was very inconsistent with spikes
of air and numerous dead spots.
Flat Air Nozzles
As shown below, this inexpensive air nozzle
was the worst performer. It is available in
plastic, aluminum and stainless steel from
several manufacturers. The flat air nozzle
provides some entrainment, but suffers
from many of the same problems as the
drilled pipe. Operating cost and noise
level are both high. Some manufacturers
offer flat air nozzles where the holes can
be blocked - an OSHA violation. Velocity
was inconsistent with spikes of air.
The blower proved to be an expensive,
noisy option. As noted below, the pur-
chase price is high. Operating cost was
considerably lower than the drilled pipe
and flat air nozzle, but was comparable
to EXAIR’s Super Air Knife. The large
blower with its two 3" (8cm) diameter
hoses requires significant mounting space
compared to the others. Noise level was
high at 90 dBA. There was no option for
cycling it on and off to conserve energy
like the other blowoffs. Costly bearing
and filter maintenance along with
downtime were also negative factors.
EXAIR Super Air Knife
The Super Air Knife did an exceptional
job of removing the moisture on one
pass due to the uniformity of the lam-
inar airflow. The sound level was
extremely low. For this application,
energy use was slightly higher than
the blower but can be less than the
blower if cycling on and off is possible.
Safe operation is not an issue since the
Super Air Knife can not be dead-ended.
Maintenance costs are low since there
are no moving parts to wear out.
at least once a year at a cost near
$1000.
• Blower bearings wear out quickly due
to the high speeds (17-20,000 RPM)
required to generate effective airflows.
• Poorly designed seals that allow dirt and
moisture infiltration and environments above
125°F decrease the one year bearing life.
• Many bearings can not be replaced in the
field, resulting in downtime to send the
assembly back to the manufacturer.
Blowers take up a lot of space and often
produce sound levels that exceed OSHA
noise level exposure requirements. Air
volume and velocity are often difficult to
control since mechanical adjustments are
required.
To discuss an application, contact:
EXAIR Corporation
11510 Goldcoast Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249-1621
(800) 903-9247
Fax: (513) 671-3363
email: techelp@exair.com
www.exair.com/85/423.htm
See the Super Air Knife in action.
www.exair.com/85/akvideo.htm

The Super Air Knife is the low cost way to blowoff, dry, clean and cool.
Blowoff Comparison
Comp. Air Sound Annual
Horsepower Purchase Approx. Annual First Year
Level Electrical
Type of blowoff PSIG BAR SCFM SLPM Required Price Maintenance Cost Cost
dBA Cost*
Drilled Pipes 60 4.1 174 4,924 35 91 $50 $4,508 $920 $5,478
Flat Air Nozzles 60 4.1 257 7,273 51 102 $208 $6,569 $1,450 $8,227
Blower Air Knife 3 0.2 N/A N/A 10 90 $5,500 $1,288 $1,500 $8,288
Super Air Knife 60 4.1 55 1,557 11 69 $534 $1,417 $300 $2,251
*Based on national average electricity cost of 8.3 cents per kWh. Annual cost reflects 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.
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Open Door Policy
Don’t let unimportant issues interrupt your day and your personal life
What does it mean to have an open door policy? Does
it mean you have to drop whatever you’re doing whenever
someone brings any issue to your attention?
One of our clients is about halfway through a major
maintenance management improvement project, including
initiation of a new enterprise software suite, reorganization
of shops, and focus on process discipline. As part of the new
way of doing things there is a weekly meeting for six area
maintenance supervisors facilitated by the maintenance
manager. The meeting is a report out of previous action
items, review of performance measures, new business, and
closing with new action items for the coming week. Dur-
ing the new business discussion the supervisors were being
encouraged to focus on getting their responsibilities done in
a timely manner. One of the supervisors piped up and said,
“We get distracted all day long; it’s hard to get everything
done.” Two of the other five supervisors nodded in agree-
ment. The manager said, “Well, do the best you can.” The
manager was ready to move on to the next business item.
Now it was my turn to pipe up because the manager did
not address the problem.
“Before we move on, can you characterize for me the types
of interruptions we are talking about?”
One of the supervisors said, “Well, I start reviewing com-
pleted work orders, like you guys have been harping on us
about. And every time I start getting some momentum, the
phone rings or one of my guys is at my door with some issue
about a replacement tool or a question about some training a
guy wants to attend or an operations person is causing some
sort of problem. It never stops. There are just not enough
hours in the day.”
I asked the supervisors how many hours they actually
spent at the facility each day. The answer from five of the
six supervisors was between nine and 12 hours. The answer
from the sixth, we’ll call him Able, was eight hours.
I asked the group if Able’s job had a significantly differ-
ent volume of work, if it was less prone to emergency work
or urgent work, or if he was provided with better resources
than the other supervisors. The answer was “no.” In fact
if anything Able was selected to lead that area because of
the difficulties in supporting that area. We reviewed Able’s
shop performance measures; his shop had better perfor-
mance than his peers’.
So the obvious question was: Why did Able get things
HUMAN CAPITAL
Tom Moriarty, P.E., CMRP
done on time and maintain good performance?
I asked Able if he had as many disruptions to his day as
the others were reporting. He said, “Hell, no. I like fishing
and watching my kid’s soccer practice too much.”
So how did he keep the disruptions from sidetracking his
day? Because, he said, his people and the operations people
he supported all knew he had a daily schedule.
Part of that daily schedule was that if there was something
Manage your open door so that
you have time for fishing or
for enjoying time with your
kids at soccer practice.
that was not an emergency that they should only come to
him with the problem during certain times of the day. “For
an emergency, I will drop whatever I am doing and handle
it; but everyone knows it had better be a true emergency.”
One of the supervisors said, “I have an open door policy
with my guys. If they have a problem they can come to me
any time.” I replied that an open door should mean that
you’re open to hear issues. It does not mean people are al-
lowed to disrupt your day whenever they feel like it.
We discussed categorizing issues in two ways: importance
and urgency. There are four combinations — important
and urgent, important and not urgent, not important and
urgent, and not important and not urgent.
• Important issues need to be dealt with, but beware of
people overstating importance.
• Urgent issues should only disrupt your day if they are
important.
• Important and not urgent should be addressed by schedul-
ing times to hear about these issues.
• Not important issues, urgent or not, should be addressed
only when all other responsibilities have been met.
An open door policy does not mean that you have to
drop what you’re doing. Each person gets 24 hours in a day.
Manage your open door so that you have time for fishing
or for enjoying time with your kids at soccer practice.
Tom Moriarty, P.E., CMRP, is president of Alidade MER.
Contact him at tjmpe@alidade-mer.com and (321) 773-3356.
www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 25
is your erp
a pain in
THe asseT?

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7 Steps to a Planned Environment
How to build an effective work program
There are two categories of work done by maintainers,
namely, work that is expected and work that is unexpected
or anomalous. Work that is expected is built into your work
program, complete with work plans for assets regardless of
maintenance policy, including “run to fail.” Your objective
should be to build a work program that balances the cost
and effectiveness of the work program, with the risk that
the unexpected will either happen infrequently or with little
consequence if it does.
This column describes initial steps in moving from a “fire-
fighting” mode to a more planned environment, including
key elements of a work program.
1. Asset hierarchy: The first step in developing a compre-
hensive work program is to establish a logical hierarchy on
the CMMS for all of your assets. This includes parent-child
relationships from the highest level down to individual com-
ponents and even failure modes.
One of the difficulties companies encounter in defining the
asset hierarchy is deciding what level of granularity is required.
Should each floor in a building be an asset? What about each
room? Is a door an asset or part? Determining how many levels
in the hierarchy will depend on several factors:
• Will be there be sufficient history collected for this asset to
warrant the additional administrative effort?
• Could failure modes and cause codes defined at the parent
level provide sufficient clues as to the history of lower-level as-
sets? For example, for the asset “exhaust system,” cause codes
like “corroded muffler” and “corroded exhaust pipe” allow
users to treat mufflers and exhaust pipes as parts not assets.
2. Failure tree: For each asset or asset group, the problem,
cause, and action codes are identified. The more advanced
CMMS packages present these codes as nested and hier-
archical, allowing users to associate a short list of problem
codes to a given asset, a specific list of cause codes only
relevant to each of the short-listed problem codes, and a
selection of action codes tied to each cause code. The failure
tree forms the basis for analytics on the CMMS, such as root
cause analysis (RCA) and Pareto analysis for troubleshoot-
ing and continuous improvement.
3. Asset master: Fundamental to any work program is a
complete record of static information for each asset in the
asset hierarchy. This includes tombstone data such as asset
type, manufacturer, make, model, serial number, and date of
installation. Most CMMS packages also allow user-definable
asset manager
david berger, P.Eng.
templates for asset groups such as pumps, flooring, bridges,
and forklifts. Templates can be used to describe assets using
attributes relevant to a given asset group. The asset master
should also contain any relevant attachments including
drawings, manuals, and videos.
One of the most important fields on the asset master is
“asset criticality.” Some CMMS packages use a sophisti-
cated scoring algorithm to generate criticality, while others
Fundamental to any work program
is a complete record of static
information for each asset in the
asset hierarchy.
use a single-digit, user-definable drop-down, ranging from
low to high criticality. The asset criticality is essential for
prioritization when planning, scheduling, assessing risk,
and determining areas of focus for continuous improve-
ment. For example, when creating a work program, always
start with the most critical assets.
4. Parts master: Once the asset hierarchy and asset master
have been determined, a standard bill of material for each
asset is defined. This includes parts that will be:
• catalogued and kept in inventory with a specific minimum
quantity, reorder point, reorder quantity, preferred sup-
plier, lead time, and cost
• catalogued but not kept in inventory
• not catalogued but referenced on the CMMS — for ex-
ample, link to OEM or an attachment on the asset master.
As with the asset master, all tombstone data for cata-
logued parts are defined, such as part name, description,
and serial number, if relevant, as well as template-based
attributes relevant to each parts group like belts, bear-
ings, and switches.
5. Maintenance policies: There are only three ways mainte-
nance work is triggered as follows:
• use-based maintenance (UBM) — triggered by meter (for
example, every 3,000 miles), time (for example, every three
months), or an event (for example, every snowstorm)
• condition-based maintenance (CBM) — triggered by
condition of the asset assessed through automated, semi-
automated, or visual inspections, (for example, pressure
www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 27
 asset manager
It’s not the brush
sealing the door. It’s
reduced energy costs.
exhibits certain trend characteristics or hits an upper/
Problem solved. lower control limit)
• fail-based maintenance (FBM) — triggered by failure of
the asset (run to fail).
For each asset, perhaps for each failure mode for the more
critical equipment, determine the maintenance policy that
best balances risk in terms of probability and impact of
failure, with asset lifecycle cost, performance, reliability,
availability, and quality of output. Use the CMMS to analyze
equipment history in determining optimal maintenance
policies. Other sources include industry data, consultation
with the equipment manufacturer, and experimentation.
6. Work plans: Drafting meaningful work plans is crucial to
the success of your work program. Work plans set the stan-
dards for how your maintenance policies will be implemented
across the enterprise, including allowable local deviations.
Work plans should be defined on the CMMS and either
auto-populate work orders when maintenance is triggered or
are attached. Work plans for all three maintenance policies
should include:
• standard procedures
SUSTAINABLE • safety procedures
• Long-lasting • standard materials required
• All components are recyclable • special tools and equipment required
• standard skills required
ENERGY-EFFICIENT
• asset downtime requirements
• Seals better than other weather strip products
• standard labor hours
• Prevents up to 98.5% of air infiltration around • quality standards
all types of doors • any attachments such as drawings, tables, detailed descrip-
ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND tions, videos
• Deters pests, reducing the need for pesticides • maintenance frequency for UBM
• Components made of inert materials; no off- • inspection intervals for CBM
• relevant checklists.
gassing or VOCs
7. Budget: The total cost of the work program can be
calculated using advanced CMMS packages by extending
standard labor hours and material requirements from work
plans. Other line items in the work program cost summary
should include:
•n  on-maintenance work based on history and future
expectations
• non-maintenance activities
• cost implications of capacity planning.
However, this is the cost from the asset’s perspective. Sup-
For more than 25 years, Sealeze has provided brush-based pose management expects a 10% decrease in budget next
solutions for weatherseal and pest control.
year. More comprehensive CMMS packages allow simulation
capability to evaluate the change in risk and cost when adjust-
800.446.7325 ments are made to the labor and material standards.
e-mail: weatherseal@sealeze.com
www.sealeze.com
ISO 9001 Certified Email Contributing Editor David Berger, P.Eng, partner, Western
Management Consultants, at david@wmc.on.ca.
reen
sustainable
solutions
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property of their respective owners. AD 4331549D_EN

Materials Get Around
Assembly and conveyance benefit from new innovations
Material handling system innovations are adding speed
and efficiency to existing applications and extending the
value of the systems to complex materials and logistical con-
ditions. Automated storage and retrieval systems perform
more functions and work faster. Large assembly operations
can be conducted in smaller places. New conveyor technolo-
gies provide better control of hard-to-manage materials.
Multi-tasking automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/
RS) provide added efficiencies in material handling. The high-
throughput, mini-load DuoSys AS/RS from Daifuku Webb
can also sort and group items. It has two cranes that function
simultaneously and independently in the same aisle. Up-
time and maintainability is increased because one crane can
remain in operation while service is performed on the other.
Multiple cranes are managed by a single off-board controller,
and multiple systems can be stacked on top of each other.
“What’s unique about DuoSys is both cranes can access
every load, passing each other without interference. This
allows it to sustain a throughput that is unmatched by or-
dinary mini-load systems,” says Daifuku Webb application
engineering manager Melissa Kann.
DuoSys also is designed to save energy as a result of
its lightweight design and the ability to deactivate one or
more cranes during periods of low utilization. Regenerated
electricity created during deceleration is sent to other cranes
through a regenerative converter.
Facilities with tight quarters or that have no cranes have
new options for massive, heavy load, indoor assembly opera-
tions. The In-Plant, Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (IP-
SPMT) from Doerfer’s Wheelift Systems Group supports ap-
plications weighing from 50 tons to more than 400 tons. The
engine-driven transporter leverages the company’s Uniload
fluid equalizing suspension wheel technology, allowing it to
maneuver in tight quarters with precise control of all move-
ment within a fraction of an inch. Small-diameter, solid
urethane wheels allow for low deck heights.
“The omni-directional capabilities incorporated within each
Wheelift Transporter offers near autonomous movement of
high-capacity loads in any tightly populated industrial environ-
ment,” says Tom Phillips, business manager for Wheelift Sys-
tems at Doerfer. “The suspension technology provides each unit
with self-loading capabilities, provides load equalization for
operation on existing floors requiring little to no modifications,
and permits very fine positioning of the load in six axes.”
Technology Toolbox
Sheila Kennedy
In a continuous-motion machine, line jams can occur and
gaps or voids can grow over time. Electronic sensors aid in
the monitoring and control of product movement. The Zero
Gap II Infeed conveyor technology from Standard-Knapp
modulates the transition from an upstream product con-
veyor to the original infeed of a machine. It uses electronic
population sensors to manage conveyor speed, line pressure,
and balance as the product is distributed into multiple lanes
for infeed. It is compatible with low-pressure conveying ap-
New conveyor technologies provide
better control of hard-to-manage
materials.
plications such as tray packers, shrink bundlers, intermittent
motion case packers, and rotary packers.
“The Zero Gap II Infeed conveyor assembly is designed
to minimize line pressure, prevent pressure transfer from
one conveyor to another, and deliver the pack pattern you
need,” says Patrick Nelson, tray/shrink engineering manager
for Standard-Knapp. “It breaks the line pressure twice: just
before the zero gap section during pattern forming and at
the end of zero gap during transfer to the machine’s infeed.”
Flexible screw conveyors, which move bulk material at
virtually any angle, are being incorporated in a widening
array of applications. Flexicon recently custom-engineered a
flexible screw conveyor to meet a packager’s height restric-
tions and special characteristics of the blended material,
which tends to become airborne and cling to solid surfaces
because of static electricity. “The conveyor consists of a
specially designed flexible helix rotating within a flexible 4.5
in. (11.4 cm) O.D. polymer tube, powered by an electric mo-
tor at the discharge end,” says David Boger, vice president of
sales and marketing for Flexicon.
Email Contributing Editor Sheila Kennedy, managing director of
Additive Communications, at sheila@addcomm.com.
Reference Web sites:
www.daifukuwebb.com www.standard-knapp.com
www.wheelift.com www.flexicon.com
www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 31
 THERMOGRAPHY / ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
MEET THE NEW BREED OF INFRARED INSPECTOR
I was recently called to a medium-sized manufacturing
plant to discuss providing infrared services during the con-
struction of a new addition. While there, I asked the plant
manager and his facility engineer about the predictive main-
tenance program for their switchgear and the possibility of
providing thermographic services. The engineer stated they
already had a program in place. The plant had purchased a
small IR imager and used it to find “hot spots.” Thermogra-
phy of electrical switchgear involves imaging the electrical
components while they are in an energized or “live” state.
They employed a two-person team to walk around the plant
looking at switchgear. While both were trained electricians,
neither was a certified thermographer. Whenever they found
a “hot spot,” they fi xed it immediately by tightening any
32 OCTOBER 2013 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM
loose connections. He stated they also could immediately
verify their repairs by using the imager and watching the
temperature of the connection drop to a “normal” operat-
ing range. The engineer was quite happy with this system,
stating it was efficient and no time was wasted by needless
reports or sending another worker to fi x the problem at a
later date. The problem was found and solved on the spot.
What could be the problem with that? The most serious
problem is that such a method is in violation of OSHA stan-
dards and “NFPA 70E: Electrical Safety in the Workplace” and
“NFPA 70B: Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment
Maintenance.” If anything, such as an arc flash, were to happen
during the survey, the plant would be subject to substantial
fines immediately, not to mention damage to equipment, loss of
 By Brad Gilbertson,
Sandhills Thermal Imaging

production, and the serious injuries or loss of life of plant work-
ers. This plant’s procedures were cobbled together in the belief
that these time-saving shortcuts will also save money. The costs
associated with a single accident likely would wipe out all the
savings associated with previous shortcuts.
There were no pre-planned routes for them to follow;
no images of anomalies found that were saved for future
reference; no reports generated, documenting the anoma-
lies found during the survey; and no method of tracking
problem areas or their repairs and the costs associated with
same. And, of course, because they were making repairs
“on the fly,” there were no energized work permits. At least
there was one positive note: the employees on the IR team
performed their tasks in the appropriate PPE.
Safety First
Safety is always a priority. While we all hear a constant stream
of criticism against bureaucracy in general, and OSHA in
particular, we need to remember one thing: every standard,
law, regulation, or guideline is put into place because someone
has been injured or killed by an event the rule is designed to
prevent. When dealing with electrical hazards and worker
safety, OSHA references NFPA 70E and 70B. Informative
Annex J of NFPA 70E describes the process of determining
if an energized work permit is required. No energized work
permit is required for systems of less than 50 V. The next step
is determining if there will be live components exposed. The
answer is “yes” because a thermographic survey requires that
components be energized and exposed for viewing. And next

www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 33

Thermography / Electrical Systems

Every Picture Tells a Story

Figure 1. In the image to the left, the emissivity is placed at a very low setting to show how the imager interprets the input variables. At
right, the same image is shown with the emissivity set to 0.99. Notice the change in temperature. Without all variables being known and
taken into account, the exact temperature will not be known. But the image is still qualitative, and an experienced thermographer can
interpret the image for useful information without the temperature reading. The breaker at “A” is rated for 15 A and is currently loaded at
9.7 A (65% of capacity). The breaker at “B” is rated for 20 A and is currently loaded at 7.6 A (38% of capacity). The infrared condition of
the wire tells the story. No amount of tightening will change the condition of the fuse. The loading on Circuit “A” is above optimum.

is the crucial part. What type of work will be performed?
Any planned physical contact such as making or tightening
connections or removing or replacing components while the
system is energized requires an energized work permit. A
thermographic survey doesn’t require any physical contact
with the exposed energized parts and therefore does not re-
quire an energized work permit. Any problems found during
the thermographic survey will need an energized work permit
if the repairs are to be made while the system is live.
While an energized work permit isn’t needed for a ther-
mographic survey, repairs aren’t performed while the ther-
mographic survey is taking place. An energized work permit
is issued for each individual item that needs repairs or
other work. In other words, it is not a “blanket” permit. For
example, “All distribution panels in Maintenance Corridor
A” is not a proper listing. The request gives a description and
location of the circuit or equipment, along with what work
is being done and a justification about why the work is being
conducted while the system is energized. The individuals
doing the actual work must describe the procedures they
will use and the safe work practices to be employed. Filling
out the permit leads the personnel through shock-hazard
and arc-flash analysis. It forces them to determine the vari-
ous safety boundaries and plan methods of restricting the
access of unqualified personnel from the work area.
There must be documented evidence of a job briefing,
which includes a discussion of any job-related hazards and
how they will be mitigated. The approval for the work permit
comes from the plant’s general manager and is also signed
by the safety manager, the maintenance manager, and the
person doing the work. While this might seem tedious to
some, it helps to ensure not only worker safety and manage-
ment awareness and support of the work being performed.
This factor can also address a morale issue. In most cases, the
maintenance department and its workers are invisible to plant
operations until something important breaks. If nothing
seems to break, the tendency is not to credit proper and con-
tinuous maintenance, but rather to believe “that’s how things
are supposed to be.” The requests for work permits allow
management to see that well-planned and safely executed on-
going maintenance is responsible for the efficient operations
of the plant. In this case, visibility is the key to a well-run and
properly funded predictive maintenance program.
Certified
I never use the word “camera” when referring to an infrared
imager. A “camera” is a consumer item that can be bought at
any bigbox store. Cameras employ “point-and-shoot” technol-
ogy and are simple and easy to use. While modern imagers
come in a form factor very similar to cameras, that is where
the similarities end. It may be true that almost anyone can
pick up an imager and record an image, will it be a useful im-
age? A common misconception with thermography is that in-
frared imagers measure the temperature of an object. They do
not. Every object in nature emits varying amounts of infrared
radiation. The amount of radiation emitted will be influenced
by object temperature, surface condition, target shape, and
viewing angle. This is called emissivity. Human skin emits
infrared radiation at a very high level, while shiny metals
such as copper emit very little. An object can also reflect the

34 October 2013 www.PLANTSERVICES.com

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 THERMOGRAPHY / ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
infrared energy from its surroundings.
Introducing This is called reflectivity. Emissivity
the Fluke and reflectivity are linked. Objects with
high emissivity have low reflectivity,
Energy and vice versa. The thermographer
must enter the correct emittance of an
Efficiency object into the imager in order to get an
accurate temperature.
Resource Other variables that must be consid-
ered include ambient air temperature,
Center humidity, and distance to the target.
Therefore, the imager can be used to
show qualitative thermal differences in
Everything you an object. In other words, the trained
thermographer can detect thermal pat-
need to know terns in an object and determine when
about identifying an anomaly exists. Remember reflec-
tivity? A lot of electrical equipment
energy waste and is metal and is highly reflective of infra-
saving money. red radiation. The component being
imaged can even reflect the thermogra-
• Case studies pher’s own body heat and an inexperi-
enced or untrained thermographer can
• Success stories mistake that reading as the temperature
of the component. And detecting a hot
• Interactive spot isn’t the only issue. Is the increased
illustrations heat due to a loose connection? Or is
the circuit overloaded? These separate
• Check lists anomalies have their own character-
• Videos and istics, and a trained thermographer
can tell the difference without first
more sticking a screwdriver into an energized
panel to check for connection tightness
(Figure 1). And some types of breakers
are designed to operate at a particular
temperature, which may be elevated
compared to the other types of breakers
in the same panel.
Paragraph 11.17.1 of NFPA 70B
states, “Infrared inspections of electri-
cal systems are beneficial to reduce
the number of costly and catastrophic
www.Fluke.com/ equipment failures and unscheduled
SaveEnergy plant shutdowns.” The use of thermog-
raphy to perform surveys of electrical
equipment is not only validated by
NFPA 70B, but is recommended. It is
also recommended that the personnel
conducting thermographic surveys be
“qualified and trained personnel who
have an understanding of infrared
technology.” Engaging a trained and
certified thermographer can prevent
©2013 Fluke Corporation
AD 6000834A_EN
possible errors and mistakes during
imaging and interpreting data (Figure
2). It is highly recommended that a
level-III certified thermographer take
part in the design, implementation, and
oversight of the plant’s IR predictive
maintenance program. Level II should
be considered the minimum level of
certification for an individual imaging
electrical equipment. A level-II certified
thermographer is qualified to interpret
and evaluate the results of imaging
with respect to applicable codes, pro-
cedures, and specifications, as well as
properly calibrate imaging equipment.
Many applications of IR thermography
are qualitative in nature, and level-I
thermographers are able to perform
those tasks. However, the imaging of
electrical equipment involves the more
advanced knowledge and experience
of a level-II thermographer to record
accurate quantitative data. Utilizing
properly trained personnel reduces
liability while increasing the credibility
of the program.
MEASURE TO MANAGE
The key to any successful program is
proper documentation. Documentation
isn’t done for its own sake. With a prop-
erly implemented program, the docu-
mentation serves a higher purpose and
helps to justify the funding of the pro-
gram. The documentation is the basis
for all of the metrics that allow manage-
ment to make the important decisions
about the plant. If maintenance is simply
wandering around tightening loose con-
nections without recording or docu-
menting anything, what does manage-
ment know or learn about the condition
of the plant? They may only know the
cost of paying the maintenance worker
and the monthly amount spent on basic
repair parts. Without documentation or
a report of some kind, how will anyone
see a trend or know if there is a bigger
problem that needs to be solved? Are
the same connections loose each time?
Let’s say that, over the course of a year,
the plant replaces five breakers a month
on average. Those repairs may go un-
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AD 4315317B_EN
Thermography / Electrical Systems
noticed if not documented and tied to
other maintenance reports. The repairs
could mean nothing if each replacement
was for a different piece of equipment.
But what if each replacement was for the
same piece of equipment? Now we know
the problem is much bigger than a bad
breaker. And remember, thermography
allows the maintenance team to see the
early signs of developing problems. The
problems then can be fixed before they
halt production and cause unscheduled
shutdowns; or they can be monitored
until the next scheduled shutdown.
The information gathered by the
thermographers is documented in a re-
port. The reports are given to manage-
ment with an analysis of the equipment
imaged during the survey. The report
will list which equipment was imaged
and which equipment had anoma-
lies, along with a classification of the
anomaly. In the reports, it’s useful to
include not only the numbers, but also
a pie chart displaying the criticality of
the various anomalies found. It displays
system health at a glance. The report
is also used to generate work tickets
for the maintenance department. The
individual work tickets also are used
to request energized work permits, if
repairs are to be made to an energized
system. The maintenance department
then makes the repairs and documents
that work. The repair is verified and
documented in either a follow-up or the
next regularly scheduled thermograph-
ic survey. With the proper documenta-
tion feeding a database, management
can track the overall health of the
system at any given time. The system
can be as low-tech as manually created
spreadsheets, or you can use CMMS/
EAM software. The point is that it al-
lows managers to see trends or patterns
in the plant’s equipment through the
maintenance program. They are also
better able to calculate costs for mainte-
nance and see the value of the program.
Ideal IR/Thermography
The ideal method is to have a dedicated
predictive maintenance team. The team
may perform thermographic surveys
as their full-time jobs, or they may
only perform them monthly. Having
dedicated personnel, or at least using the
same personnel each time, allows them
to gain familiarity and expertise with
the task and each other. This familiar-
ity and experience build competency
and increase efficiency. The team might
be as small as two personnel. One will
open and close electrical panels, while
the other images the equipment once
it is exposed. Whoever is using the
imager needs to be a trained and certi-
fied thermographer. While the use of
electricians is not required, all members
of the team must be qualified personnel.
A qualified person is defined by NFPA
70B as someone “who has the skills and
knowledge related to the construction
and operation of the electrical equip-
ment and installations and has received
safety training on the hazards involved.”
Working around energized systems
comes with inherent dangers, and
possible emergencies and responses
must be addressed. OSHA requires that
capabilities for both CPR and first aid
be provided for in some fashion when
performing work on electrical systems
over 50 V, as stated in OSHA General
Industry Standards (29 CFR, Part 1910,
subpart R). There is no further guidance
on the matter, and having trained EMS
personnel on standby at the plant would
satisfy the requirement. However, that
is not a practical solution. If an accident
occurs, every second matters, and im-
mediate help is necessary to save lives.
From a practical standpoint all members
of the team should be trained in first
aid and certified in both CPR and the
use of automated external defibrilla-
tors (AEDs), along with training in the
proper release of individuals caught in a
live circuit. While it would be easier to
simply have one of the team members
trained as a first responder, what hap-
pens if that individual is the one who is
incapacitated in an accident?
Greater efficiency can be achieved
using a team of four. In such a configu-
ration, the first person is opening cabi-
Thermography / Electrical Systems
Trained and Certified
Figure 2. Engaging a trained and certified thermographer can prevent possible mistakes during imaging and data interpretation.
(Source: Stockton Infrared)
nets, the second is imaging the switchgear, and the third is re-
cording anomalies and taking notes, while the final member
is closing the cabinets which have already been imaged. While
performing the thermographic survey, the team’s sole job is
conducting the survey along a predetermined route. They im-
age the switchgear along the route and record their findings,
which are later documented in their report. The team does not
attempt to fix any of the problems they find along their route
— remember, they don’t have energized work permits.
Survey routes are determined by the program manager
and are dependent on the size of the plant and the systems
involved. A small plant might have only one route and can be
imaged in a day. Large plants or plants with several com-
plex systems may have multiple routes. A basic route may
only need to be surveyed once a year, while others may need
quarterly surveys. In some cases it may be a good idea to have
the critical components of the plant’s operation on one route,
with other sections of the plant broken up into other routes.
That critical route then can be surveyed as needed to provide
a snapshot of system health to management. That critical
route may get walked monthly or as otherwise directed, while
the other routes get surveyed on separate schedules. The im-
portant part is having the preplanned route. Doing so allows
for repeatable surveys, which allow for easy system compari-
sons between multiple surveys of the same route.
40 October 2013 www.PLANTSERVICES.com
Conclusion
Without an electrical preventive maintenance program,
management takes on a greater risk of serious electri-
cal failure, and the resulting consequences. A well-run
program will minimize costly breakdowns and unsched-
uled shutdowns, as well as reduce accidents, potentially
saving lives. The program can identify problems at an
early stage before they become major problems that will
require costly and more time-consuming solutions. Any
predictive maintenance program requires the support of
top management. The programs require investments in
equipment, proper training for the personnel involved,
and the extra resources needed for proper administra-
tion. Adding thermographic surveys to a maintenance
program can bring significant cost savings to the plant’s
operation. But there is more to it than simply purchasing
an imager. The program must be well-planned, admin-
istered, and in compliance just like every other aspect of
the plant’s operation. Properly executed, the program will
save money while saving lives.
Brad Gilbertson is a certified level III infrared
thermographer at Sandhills Thermal Imaging
in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Contact him at
brad@sandhillsthermalimaging.com.
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RELIABILITY / PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Measure time and motion to assess productivity

By Phil Beelendorf, Roquette America

Reliability professionals who master the art of managing their

time efficiently stand a greater chance of producing the asset improve-
ment and cost reduction results that transform an organization into
an industry leader. Stephen Covey in his book “The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People” discussed the importance of living in Quad-
rant II, focusing on what is important and not urgent, rather than what
is unimportant and urgent. But how are you supposed to do this, when
the phone never stops ringing, the emails just keep coming, and there’s
an endless line of people knocking on the door who just need five min-
utes of your time? While most companies with reliability programs
measure craft “wrench” efficiency, how many reliability professionals
measure their own wrench efficiency? Recognizing my own desire to
improve both efficiency and effectiveness, I developed and used a time
management tool to identify how I might improve my productivity.
Identifying and eliminating Quadrant III (urgent and unimport-
ant) activities allowed me to focus time and energy on Quadrant
II activities; the structured and disciplined approached helped to
increase my efficiency. As a byproduct, I was able to reduce my
work hours and gain control of my personal and professional life,
bringing it back into balance.
A journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step. And the first
step down the road to improved wrench efficiency is a thorough
understanding of how one’s time is spent. This understanding can’t
be gained without first measuring the amount of time spent on the
various activities that comprise the work week. To accomplish this
task, I developed an Excel spreadsheet in calendar form, listing the
various objectives I was responsible for completing, along with my
other activities. The list included core activities such as the pro-
grams I managed, noncore activities such as mandatory training,
answering emails, and other administrative tasks, and the key
objectives listed on my performance management plan. The objec-
tives on the performance management plan were treated as projects,
whether they were strategic, managerial, or developmental in nature.
During the initial three-month time-motion study, estimates on the
amount of time spent on core and noncore activities were experiential
guesses. The remaining hours were allocated to the various tasks that
needed to be completed that month to meet the due dates listed on

42 OCTOBER 2013 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

 Sunday Monday Tuesday
Executable Training & Executable Training & Executable Training &
Total Meetings Meetings Meetings
work development work development work development
Week 30
Program #1 1
Program #2 5.75
Program #3 5.25 3.25
Strategic rollout #1 2 1
Supervisor (Dave)
3.5 .50 0.5
requests
Cost saving initiatives/
.5
opportunities
Peer requests 4.5 2.75 1.75
Develop and Manage MT
19.75 4.5 2
Group
Email folder and file
cleanup. Misc 5 min 4.25 0.25
requests. Other Admin.
B-direction setting .25 0.25
G-direction setting 1.75
Unaccounted for hrs. 1 1
Total Hrs 49.5

DATA ENTRY TAB

Figure 1. In the data entry tab, the individual activity hours are recorded.

my performance management plan objectives. The desired
goal of the initial time-motion study was twofold: to gain
a better understanding of where my time was being spent
and to develop the discipline necessary to work in a planned
environment the majority of my time. I was embarking on
a journey; I was heading down the road in search of the an-
swer to the following question: Was I in control of my time
and work activities, or were they in control of me?
It’s often beneficial to list an action plan for any activity
or project, so clear improvement goals can be set from the
observations made. The following action plan was developed
for the three-month time-motion study.
• Estimate the amount of time spent on daily core and non-
core activities. Record actual time spent on these activities
to improve the accuracy of future estimates.
• Establish an hours-worked goal for the typical work week.
For this study, 50 hours/week was used. Determine num-
ber of work days available in the month. After subtracting
the estimated hours spent on core and noncore activi-
ties, develop a list of planned task objectives you commit
to working on, based on completion date and priority.
Estimate tasks associated with each objective and provide a
time estimate to complete all of the tasks planned for each
objective that month. If there are too many hours sched-
uled, push low-priority tasks into the future; if you are
under-scheduled, add additional tasks. For this study, the
submitted plans started out 125-130% loaded; core, non-
core, and planned activities equaled 125-130% of available
hours. A target of 110% loading was established.
• Submit a plan to senior management at the beginning of
each month outlining the planned objectives scheduled
for the month in question. Record the time spent on each
planned objective. Measure planned activity efficiency and
wrench efficiency.
• Gain an understanding of the habits and practices that
may limit efficiency. Develop the ability to work the major-
ity of the day on planned activities. Know exactly which
planned activities are scheduled each day before the work
day starts.
• Identify hours spent on Quadrant III activities and record
observations of ways to improve overall efficiency.
• Based on the observation made, develop an improvement
plan to increase planned activity and wrench efficiencies.
For our purposes, planned activity efficiency is defined as
“number of executed (actual) hours spent on project (planned)
activities divided by total planned project hours.”
And wrench efficiency is defined as “number of scheduled
core activity hours + number of executed (actual) hours spent
on project (planned) activities divided by total available hours.”
The time-motion study can be created to suit any position
or work situation. It can be used by people whose primary
responsibilities are managing people or by people who spend

WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM OCTOBER 2013 43

Reliability / Performance Management

Objective Monthly Monthly

Priority Task Description Task Due Date Comments Actual
Description Objective Calculation
High Program #2 XXXXXXXXXXXX July 7/22/2013 XXXXXXXXX 2 5.75
Medium Program #3 XXXXXXXXXXXXX July 7/31/2013 XXXXXXXXX 2 2
Medium Program #3 XXXXXXXXXXXXX July 7/31/2013 XXXXXXXXX 2 3.25
High Strategic rollout #1 XXXXXXXXXXXXX July 7/31/2013 XXXXXXXXX 2 2
Develop and Manage
High XXXXXXXXXXXXX July 8/3/2013 XXXXXXXXX 16 19.75
MT Group
High Peer requests XXXXXXXXXXXXX July 7/26/2013 XXXXXXXXX 3 2.25
Medium Peer requests XXXXXXXXXXXXX July 8/1/2013 XXXXXXXXX 2 2.25

Monthly Priorities Tab

Figure 2. In the monthly priorities tab, the monthly plan is developed.

the majority of their time managing

tasks or projects. Each person should 3 Month Time-Motion Study
consider setting up the individual time Hrs. Worked per Week
categories to best describe the work 6%
30%
week. The key is to accurately identify
15%
the work categories, accurately record
the time spent on each category, and
then identify those activities which
waste time and those which produce
the greatest return on time invested. 7% 18%
Once you understand how you spend 1%
your time and learn to recognize 1%
6%
what the important (Quadrant II) and 4% 6% 2% 4%
unimportant (Quadrant III) activi-
■ Program Management ■ Peer Requests
ties are, action plans can be developed
and implemented to improve overall ■ Strategic Initiatives ■ Training and Development- Personal
efficiency. Use these ground rules to
improve the results of your study: ■ Management Tasks ■ Mandatory Compliance Training/Meetings
• The time-motion spreadsheet has
■ Cost Savings Opportunities ■ Vacation/Holidays/Absences
two main tabs. The first is the data
entry tab, in which the individual ■ Supervisor Requests ■ E mail Folder and File Cleanup.
activity hours are recorded (Figure Misc 5 MinRequests. Other Admin
1). The second is the monthly priori- ■ Executive Requests
ties tab, in which the monthly plan is (other than supervisor) ■ Unaccounted for Hrs
developed (Figure 2).
• Individual tasks on the monthly First Three Months
priorities tab (task descriptions) are Figure 3. Breakdown of the first three months of the time-motion study.
categorized under the various activities
and objectives shown on the data entry Last Three Months April-June 2013
tab. In this way, they can be linked and intervals. Try to avoid rounding up per Week
Hrs. Worked you simultaneously. You might be
rolled up into the time-motion study. and attempt to keep 1% the most accu- surprised how often this occurs early
• As you think of tasks that need to be 11%
rate records as possible. in the study. You
26% very well might lose
completed in a future month, insert • Develop a category called “unac- track of time for 30 to 45 minutes
a line on the monthly priorities tab 5% for time” as a catch-all for
counted quite easily when you become dis-
along with time estimates and notes any2%activities that take less than 15 tracted or when things come at you
so planning the next month’s objec- minutes or for blocks of time where from multiple directions.
tives becomes easy. you2%completely lose focus because • Try to come to work each day with
• To make recordkeeping practical, of interruptions,
5% true emergencies, a mental plan of what29%you hope to ac-
record activity blocks in 15-minute 5% activities come at
or when multiple complish that day. As your discipline
7% 3% 4%
44 October 2013 www.PLANTSERVICES.com
■ Program Management ■ Peer Requests
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Reliability / Performance Management
7% 18%
1%
1%
6%
4% 6% 2% 4%
Comparison of Wrench Efficiency: Three Month Baseline Versus April-June 2013 Period
■ Program
3 month baseline Management
April-13 May-13 ■ Peer Requests
June-13 April-June Ave. % Improvement
Total avaiable hrs 190 220 220 200 213
■ Strategic Initiatives ■ Training and Development- Personal
Scheduled hrs (core activities) 49.3 52.5 56.4 37.7 49
Scheduled hrs (non-core activities) 58.6 ■ Management
51.9 Tasks 52.1 ■ Mandatory Compliance
49.6 51 Training/Meetings
-12.6%
Planned project hours 113 136 141.5 137 138 22.3%
■ Cost Savings Opportunities ■ Vacation/Holidays/Absences
Over/under -30.9 -24.3 -30.6 -24.3 -26 -14.6%
Executed project hrs 47 ■ Supervisor
100.25 Requests
119.25 ■ E mail Folder 112
115 and File Cleanup.137.2%
Misc 5 MinRequests. Other Admin
Planned activity efficiency 41.6% 73.7%
■ Executive Requests84.3% 83.9% 81% 93.9%
Wrench efficiency 50.7% (other69.4%
than supervisor)
79.8% ■ Unaccounted 75%
76.4% for Hrs 48.4%

Wrench Efficiency
Table 1. The greatest improvement was seen in the number of executed project hours, which more than doubled.

improves, you will find this gets

easier and easier. Realize some days
will bring emergencies and your best
laid plans will go in the tank. Don’t
get discouraged. Shake it off and
come to work the next day with the
attitude that things will be better.
• It only takes about 10 minutes each
day to keep track of time. Keep a piece
of paper sitting on the corner of your
desk and record time blocks as you
move from task to task. At the end of
the day, record the information into
the time-motion spreadsheet.
After three months of recordkeeping,
I developed a clearer understanding of
where my time was going. The results of
the time-motion study, combining sev-
eral objectives and activity categories
into broader ones for graphical clarity,
are shown in Figure 3.
Several interesting observations
made during the study presented the
cold hard facts, painting a revealing if
not disturbing picture of inefficiencies
I had subconsciously developed over
time in my work habits.
• I was working on average 56.8 hours
a week.
• 21% of my time was either unac-
counted for, spent answering emails,
or on other administrative tasks.
• I became too easily distracted. I
noticed I had the habit of reading
emails which popped up on my
computer screen instead of staying
focused on the task at hand.
• I didn’t always know what I planned
Last Three Months April-June 2013
Hrs. Worked per Week
1%
11% 26%
5%
2%
2%
5% 29%
5%
7% 3% 4%
■ Program Management ■ Peer Requests
■ Strategic Initiatives ■ Training and Development- Personal
■ Management Tasks ■ Mandatory Compliance Training/Meetings
■ Cost Savings Opportunities ■ Vacation/Holidays/Absences
■ Supervisor Requests ■ E mail Folder and File Cleanup.
Misc 5 MinRequests. Other Admin
■ Executive Requests
(other than supervisor) ■ Unaccounted for Hrs
Most Recent Three Months
Figure 4. Breakdown of the most recent three months of the time-motion study
(April-June 2013).
to accomplish on any given day. I times, I randomly moved from task
had planned activities and meetings to task on the day I became aware of
scheduled, but, often, I didn’t have a it. I did this quite often with the daily
blueprint for the entire day clearly laid tasks associated with program man-
out in my mind before I went to work. agement. An email came in; I looked
• I didn’t always organize my work in at it and took care of it.
large enough blocks of time to cre- • About 16% of my time was spent
ate synergistic efficiency. Instead, at addressing supervisor, other senior

46 October 2013 www.PLANTSERVICES.com

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RELIABILITY / PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

manager and executive, and peer requests, most of which
weren’t made with a time horizon that allowed me to
schedule and plan them. Most of these requests had a short
time horizon and weren’t planned for at the beginning of
the month. If the requestor felt it needed to be done sooner
than later, I was forced into deviating from my plan.
• I spent far too little time on personal development and
growth. Even though I scheduled time each week for this
activity, it was always the first thing to go when I needed to
meet an approaching deadline. While this produced short-
term results, it hindered long-term growth.
• Many times, I made a commitment without knowing
whether I had given a realistic completion date. This forced
me into working longer hours, delaying work on less criti-
cal projects to meet the deadline, or missing the deadline.
• I didn’t always know which activities produced the greatest
return on time investment. I could measure payback, but
since I didn’t keep track of time spent, I did not know the
return on my investment. This hurt my ability to focus my
attention on the top priorities.
You’ve heard the idiom that necessity is the mother of all
invention. Well, in my case, discovery was the mother of mine.
I committed myself to reinvent the way I approached work in
hopes of improving my efficiency. Out of the observations listed
above and additional self discoveries made along the way, I em-
barked down the wrench efficiency road to self-improvement. I
put together and executed the following action plan:
• I set a goal for myself to work 50 hours/week or less. I was
committed to having more time and energy for the other
important activities in my life.
• I identified the Quadrant III activities, which made up 21%
of the time I spent at work, and resolved to reduce these
wasted activities. Other than important emails, which I
was expecting, I stopped reading my emails throughout
the day, devoting time at the beginning and end of the day
and over lunch to read and answer them.
• Emails responding to action items associated with the
various programs I managed weren’t answered the day
they were received. Instead, they were moved to a folder on
Outlook. They were read and answered in scheduled time
blocks to create synergistic efficiencies.
• I got better and better at anticipating peer and executive
requests. The monthly objectives I sent to the senior manag-
Commit to the 50 Hour
Work Week
WORK
PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT SPIRITUALITY
NUTRITION HEALTH
FAMILY,
FRIENDS,
COMMUNITY
WHAT’S IMPORTANT
Figure 5. Nothing motivates like a constant reminder of what is
truly important in life.
ers included the commitments they needed to make for me to
complete the stated objectives. In a way, I was asking them to
share the responsibility for improving my wrench efficiency.
• Unless it was a true emergency, I reviewed existing planned
workload before making commitments to new requests. I
also asked for realistic “when do you need it” dates. When it
didn’t seem possible to meet the date, I prioritized existing
work and communicated to senior management and the
original requestors which objectives I would need to defer
to complete the new request. Reaching agreement and com-
municating the inability to meet a deadline as soon as it is
recognized helps credibility and does less damage to your
reputation as someone who is reliable and honors commit-
ments than if you wait until the last moment to let someone
know you will not meet your commitment.
A commitment to the above stated goals, a little bit of
hard work, and a disciplined approach combined to produce

SMRP CONFERENCE

Phil Beelendorf, CMRP, methods program coordinator at Roquette America, will present “Reliability Pro-
fessionals — Improve Your Wrench Efficiency!” at the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Profession-
als Annual Conference in Indianapolis on Oct. 15 at 4 PM. The presentation will explain how to use this
powerful tool to discover where you waste time. This knowledge and disciplined approach can help you
to increase efficiency, keep commitments, and stay focused on the important tasks. Increasing
productivity may also help to gain the healthy work/life balance we all strive for.

48 OCTOBER 2013 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

the results I desired. The time-motion study in Figure 4,
with the same category combining for graphical clarity, il-
FIND YOUR TOOLS
lustrates improved performance in several key areas.
Planned activity and wrench efficiencies improved
THE FIRST TIME
dramatically. Additionally, reductions in hours spent on
non-core activities allowed an additional number of planned
hours to be scheduled each month. The greatest improve-
ment was seen in the number of executed project hours,
which more than doubled (Table 1).
Two of the most significant benefits realized from complet-
ing this exercise might, at first, appear intangible. But having
a better understanding of the time it takes to complete tasks
allows the reliability professional to better prioritize opportu-
nities and set realistic completion dates for requests. As you
get better at managing your workload and meeting deadlines,
you will instill confidence and build trust among peers, senior
management, and executive management. You, the reliability
professional, will create the perception that you are reliable.
A side benefit was a reduction in hours worked, dipping from
the aforementioned 56.8 hours/week down to 51.9. Not quite
my 50 hour/week goal, but I’ll take it. Throughout the process, I C

kept this goal at the forefront of my thinking. I tend to be a con-

M
ceptual thinker, so I find it helpful to create visual reminders to
help me stay focused on my goals. The graph shown in Figure Y

5 hangs on the wall of my work and home offices as a constant CM

reminder of what is truly important in my life. MY

Be careful not to confuse efficiency with effectiveness. As a

CY
Type A personality, I can get very passionate and zealous about
squeezing the most out of every minute of the day. Remember CMY

the comment about reading my emails when I eat lunch. Re- K

lational effectiveness is important to success in any profession

or activity. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to learn this.
Care should be taken to retain the ability to change focus from
tasks to people whenever interruptions occur during the work-
day. If you can’t change focus to actively listen to those who
knock on your door asking for “five minutes” of your time, all
the completed projects in the world will not erase the percep-
tion that you do not care about or have time for people.
The time-motion exercise and tools have helped me to
understand how to work efficiently, stay focused on the task
at hand, and prioritize work more effectively. A personal
development coach I know has a favorite saying: Where you
look is where you will go. Treat this activity like a roadmap
between two points; the time-motion study reveals where
you are at, the goals you set for yourself are your final desti-
nation, and the action plan you commit to completing is the
highway which will ultimately get you there. In conclusion,
consider this question: If you don’t know where you’re at,
how can you possibly get to where you want to go?
CribMaster, the company who delivers complete
Phil Beelendorf is methods program coordinator at Roquette tool kits and solutions that people count on when it
America. Contact him at phil.beelendorf@roquette.com really matters www.cribmaster.com/kitmaster
or (319) 526-3358.
or call us at 1.888.419.1399 for more details

Identify problems, quantify solutions, and prove the ROI
With energy savings, there’s intent and then there’s plan.
Industrial facilities in the United States show a sustained
interest in energy management. That’s the intent: Reduce
overall energy usage or sustain usage but increase the amount
produced per kW used. The plan? Sometimes that’s a problem.
In manufacturing, a plan will only stick if it has both
the wisdom of experience guiding the vision and the ROI
numbers to back up the reason. But in energy, there just
isn’t the body of research out there for an industrial plant
manager to use, to set baselines for what “reasonable” ener-
gy usage looks like in a manufacturing facility. So, how do
you assess what portion of current energy usage is reason-
able and what is wasteful, or of that wasteful portion, what
provides high enough ROI to address?
The ROI under discussion here is the cost/kWh as charged
by the utility. Those units carry a different rate depend-
ing on time of day and year. Reducing that expense is the
savings. The investment is the materials and labor required
to change energy consumption. The return is the period of
time it takes for the reduced utility bill to pay for the invest-
ment. The gravy comes after the expense is paid off.
Returning to the issue of the plan, how then do you draw
up an ROI estimate when there is no industry standard for
reasonable energy usage?
Profiling industrial energy usage
Industrial energy usage varies based on mulitple variables:
• plant age
• load type and size
• operational schedule, both hours/week and intensity of
loading
• number of workers
• climate
• maintenance philosophy.
50 October 2013 www.PLANTSERVICES.com
By Leah Friberg, Fluke
The answer is: Don’t try to manage every kW consumed
by your facility. This is the “wisdom of experience” part of
the equation. Divide the facility into the electrical infra-
structure and then key systems.
Energy savings start with two basic tactics: a general
inspection of key systems and targeted data gathering, in-
cluding logging energy usage at the main service entrances
and at those key loads. Identify how much a system is
specified to consume, determine how much it is currently
consuming, and identify wasteful practices, either in the
hours and type of operation, or in the equipment/system
itself. To achieve the savings, the facility must address the
waste, either by changes in operation, in maintenance, or
in equipment/controls.
Complex
Power (S)
Imaginary
Reactive
Power (Q)
Real
Real
Power (P)
Energy Definition and Measurement
Figure 1. Energy is expressed in real, reactive,
and apparent power.
 Production / Energy Monitoring

110.00

Weds 7th Jan

100.00

Thurs 5th Feb

90.00 Sun 25th Jan

Weds 10th Jun

80.00
kWh

Sun 17th May

Fri 31st Jul

70.00

Sat 25th Jul

60.00 Sat 20th Jun

50.00
0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
.0
.0

.0

.0

.0

.0
.0

.0

.0
.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0

.0
.0

.0

.0
00
01

02

03

04

05
06

07

08
09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20
21

22

23
Energy Consumption
Figure 2. Set up energy logging equipment to measure overall level and quality of consumption and then trace when energy is consumed.

Energy components
Before we explain how to trace energy consumption, let’s
revisit how we define and measure energy.
Energy is expressed in real, reactive, and apparent power
(Figure 1).
Energy flow is described by:
• real (P) or active power in Watts (W)
• reactive power (Q) in Volt Ampere reactive (VAR)
• complex power (S) in Volt Ampere (VA)
• apparent power, the magnitude of complex power (VA).
The mathematical relationship of real, reactive, and appar-
ent power can be represented by vectors or expressed using
complex numbers, S = P + jQ (where j is the imaginary unit).
Reactive power does not transfer energy — it does not pro-
duce work — so it is represented as the imaginary axis of the
vector diagram. Real power moves energy, so it is the real axis.
The rate of energy flow in a system is dependent on the
load — is it resistive, reactive, or both?
With a purely resistive load, voltage and current reverse
polarity at the same time, at every instant the product of
voltage and current is positive, and only real power is trans-
ferred. Therefore, work is produced.
If the load is purely reactive, the voltage and current are
out of phase, and the product of voltage and current can be
positive or negative, indicating some portion of the energy is
transferred to the load and some portion flows back. The net
transfer of energy to the load is zero: no work is produced.
In reality, all loads have a combination of resistance,
inductance, and capacitance, creating both real and reactive
power in a system. For that reason, electrical systems are
designed to tolerate a certain amount of reactive power. The
problem comes when too much reactive power is generated.
Not only is there insufficient real power to produce the re-
quired work, but the overall work-generation capacity of the
system is compromised. That’s why utilities penalize their
customers if their loads produce too much reactive power:
It’s waste power that costs money to generate, but can’t be
used. Most utility bills track VARs (reactive power), and
many calculate power factor, where power factor is a rating
of how far below 100% real power a system has fallen. Most
utilities require their customers to stay above .95 PF.
Tracing energy consumption
The understanding of basic energy components enables an
electrician to set up energy logging equipment to measure
overall level and quality of consumption and then trace
when energy is consumed by what (Figure 2).
Log power at the main and secondary panels and at major
loads. Record kW, kWh, and power factor over a representa-
tive period of time.

www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 51

PRODUCTION / ENERGY MONITORING

TEST THEM ALL

Figure 3. How do we really know which systems hold the most potential energy ROI? This provides a very accurate pic-
ture of the real power consumption on
three-phase circuits and loads.
The biggest power savings come from
determining when power usage peaks,
evaluating power factor and overall
power consumption compared to util-
ity invoices, and possibly rebalancing
loads. Even just a couple minutes of
peak usage can increase the utility rate
for a couple hours, days, or weeks.
Rescheduling loads may allow a
company to take advantage of times
of day when power is cheaper. Check
how far below “1” the power factor is,
and check the utility invoices to see if
there’s a penalty for poor power factor.
If there is, the power logger can help
to trace the sources. Then, after you’ve
made energy upgrades, reconnect the
logger to prove out the benefit of your
efficiency improvements.

UNDERSTANDING ENERGY
WASTE POINTS
Every system and operation has the
potential to be a point of waste that
can be mitigated or remedied. Electri-
cal subsystems, compressed air, steam,
and specific electromechanical sys-
tems are a good place to start, but each Identify and quantify: dards and identify maintenance
operation has its own potential waste • Thermal scan the drive panel and solutions such as rebalancing.
points that should be measured. mechanical load for overheating • Thermally scan couplings/shaft/belts,
The goal is to map the energy use of indicative of electrical inefficiency. bearings, and fan.
specific equipment and processes to • Log power over time; check total • Check current and voltage levels.
look at where energy is being wasted kWh, power factor, peak demand, • Thermally scan termination/junc-
to quantify the waste and prioritize unbalance, and harmonics. tion box and windings, and conduct
improvements or replacements, based • Test vibration levels against stan- insulation resistance testing.
on life of the equipment and which
modifications can deliver the best
return on investment.
Energy mapping also provides a
baseline from which to measure the
effectiveness of energy saving projects How to Avoid being One
to justify the cost.
of the Companies Exposed
Common wastes in the electrical
subsystems: to OSHA Fines:
• Loads commonly left on after hours
or unnecessarily run at peak rate
time of day. Let Us help You with
• No controls on motor might mean
more output created than required. a Complete Electrical
• Over-voltage/current conditions
cause excessive power consumption Systems assessment.
to compensate.
• Phase unbalance causes the load to
consume power without being able
to use it.

Identify and quantify:

• Thermal scan the electrical panel and
mechanical load for overheating.
• Log power over time: How much
power is consumed at what time of
day and with what amount of waste?

Common wastes and inspection

points in electromechanical systems:
• Excess friction from alignment,
bearings, imbalance, and looseness
overworks the motor, consuming Every year OSHA issues multi-million dollar fines and penalties.
excessive power. Being prepared doesn’t require a fixation on OSHA standards.
• Uncontrolled loads left on after OSHA inspects for “recognized hazards” which also include
hours, run at peak rate times, create hazards identified in industry consensus standards like
more output than required, or suffer NFPA 70E and the National Electrical Code.
from over-voltage/current conditions
AVO Training Institute, with its 50 years of experience
and phase unbalance. has provided safety program development for all types
• Aging mechanical devices consume of industries worldwide. We offer your organization a total
so much more power than new high- Business Solution that works for your individual needs. Call today,
efficiency models that early replace- we can help keep your people safe and your company compliant.
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 PRODUCTION / ENERGY MONITORING

Common wastes and inspection points in compressed air

systems:
• Excessive leaks in compressed air lines lead to excess op-
eration to maintain supply.
• Compressors left on outside of time of usage waste energy.

Identify and quantify:

• Power log at compressor to baseline consumption.
• Measure pressure at compressor and point of use to deter-
mine amount of drop.
• Ultrasound scan lines to identify leaks.

Common wastes and inspection points in steam systems:

• Failed steam traps and insufficient insulation waste steam,
causing over-production to maintain necessary supply.

Identify and quantify:

• Power log at boiler to baseline consumption.
• Thermally scan pipes and traps to identify insulation gaps
and blockages.

PROVE THE ROI

With the aforementioned lack of industry standards, how
do we really know which systems hold the most potential
energy ROI (Figure 3)? Our best material right now is case
examples that embody common situations. Here are several
examples for common industrial systems.

Electro-mechanical inspection
Facility type: steel recycling plant in Germany
Equipment type: belt-driven fan, for process cooling
Measurements taken: vibration testing
Problems noted: moderate unbalance, along with misalign-
ment and bearing wear
Savings: Rebalancing was required. A 350 kW motor was run-
ning at 80% of nominal power; measured power was about 280
kW. After rebalancing, power consumption was reduced by 3%.

SUPER AIR WIPE TM At a cost of 0.11 euro/kWh, annual savings tallied 8,094 euros.

Compressed air inspection

» Split design - no 360° air stream that is ideal for blowoff, Facility type: manufacturing
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» Compact, installs in cable, extruded shapes, hose and more. Measurements taken: ultrasound inspection of compressed air
minutes
The split design offers easy clamping system (recommended complete data logging of compressor)
» Quiet! - under 75 dBA! around the surface of the material Problems noted: amount of compressed air produced in
comparison to the actual demand
» Many sizes available moving through it. Savings: Multiple savings opportunities were found. Total
annual savings of $50,600. Shutting down compressor on
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@exair To learn more go to: savings as a result of the fi lters: $6,000.
www.exair.com/85/425.htm
 Document1.qxd 1/5/2006 7:44 AM Page 2

Clean, Dry Compressed Air Starts

with The Extractor/Dryer ®
Manufactured by
Change operations to take advantage of: LA-MAN Corporation
• lower cost energy times of day • Point of Use Compressed Air Filter to
• times when machinery can be turned off Improve and Extend Equipment Life

• sensors and controls that could enable systems • Removes Moisture and
Contaminates to a 5-Micron Rating;
to be turned off when not needed. Lower Micron Ratings are Available

• Models with Flow Ranges of 15

Set up infrastructure equipment startup/shutdown SCFM to 2000 SCFM Rated Up To
250psi are Standard
schedules for occupied vs. unoccupied modes.
• Differential Pressure Gauge
Built In to Indicate Required
For startup, stage equipment with large electrical Maintenance

power consumption at least 15 minutes apart to • Mounting Hardware

Included for Easy Installation
avoid peak demand charges.
• Weep Drain is Standard;
Float Drain or Electronic
Install variable-frequency drives (VFDs) for large Drain Valves Optional
motors and replace existing bad motors with
high-efficiency models.

Steam trap inspection

Facility type: manufacturing
Equipment type: boilers and steam lines
Measurements taken: thermal inspection of steam line
Problems noted: six steam traps not operating properly;
leaking coils in the plating tanks; steam leaks at plating
lines; opportunities to recover condensate
Savings: Six failed traps were replaced at a cost of $500 per trap.
Savings achieved: $3,200 per trap using known cost to generate
Test Hazardous
steam and heat loss calculations. Total savings: $16,200. Cargo Rail
Next step: Energy log at boiler supply panel before and after Loading Facilities
addressing leaks and condensate issues.

Increased productivity or reduced overhead?

The next question is a an important one: Once you identify
FAST!
a path to reduced energy consumption, do you funnel that
savings into increasing the plant yield (same kWh consump- Our Model 344 Short Finder Rail Bonds & Rail
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strategies (profit margins, price realization)? spur grounded and safe. A reading
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power logging each major system and mapping those costs
an easy-to-read digital bar graph. Wires
against utility bills to quantify where and when consump- The 344 is a 2-wire, low resistance, Track Grounding
tion is occurring, companies can often realize savings by AC ohmmeter and is used Wire Connections
simple operational and schedule changes. By identifying extensively by railroads across
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Leah Friberg is education and public affairs 7225 Duvan Dr. • Tinley Park, IL 60477
manager at Fluke. Contact her at (708) 444-4908 • Fax (708) 444-4962
Email: info@sandcco.com
leah.friberg@fluke.com.
www.sandcco.com Reliable Tools for the Long Haul
Maintenance / Labor-Hour Analysis
By Fortunatus Udegbue,
CMRP, PMP, FOGAEC
Electrophysics Technologies
The importance of labor-hour analysis and the use of associated metrics
About one-third of every dollar of maintenance costs is
wasted as a result of unnecessary or improperly carried-out
maintenance, according to R. Keith Mobley, principal, sub-
ject matter expert, Life Cycle Engineering (www.lce.com).
Since more than $200 billion is spent annually on plant and
facility maintenance, says Mobley, poor maintenance man-
agement is something like a $66 billion problem.
Conservatively, 42% of total maintenance cost is mainte-
nance labor cost, according to Dr. Alan Wilson, author of
“Asset Maintenance Management.” Moreover, direction of
maintenance labor has a huge impact on the cost of main-
tenance material. This means that optimization of main-
tenance labor has the potential to significantly reduce the
waste in total maintenance cost. It is certainly a valid place
to attack maintenance waste.
56 October 2013 www.PLANTSERVICES.com
A brief look at the maintenance labor management situa-
tion in most industries helps us understand this opportunity
better. Most managers would agree that they can’t control and
improve things they can’t measure, and most industrial man-
agers have not invested in the tools to measure and manage
maintenance labor. This is partly because the data process-
ing to do the job hasn’t been available very long and because
maintenance cost is typically about 10% of a company’s oper-
ating cost. Most managers probably felt they had bigger fish
to fry. For maintenance and reliability professionals, though,
the realization that we have the opportunity to conquer a $66
billion opportunity is exciting. Below are some observations
on where we can begin attacking this issue.
Maintenance labor analysis often fails to yield desired
results because of several key factors, two of which are:
• lack of management focus on labor utilization analysis and
effective stewardship
• lack of documentation of maintenance labor reporting
guidance.
Employees give attention to whatever management has
clearly defined as very important.
In most computer maintenance management system
(CMMS) software, where the work order system is used to
record maintenance history, recording of the man hours
used to complete the work is weakly emphasized, if it is
emphasized at all. The alternative way to determine main-
tenance labor hours is the use of work studies, which is very
expensive compared to continuously reporting, audit-
ing, and analyzing labor hours through the CMMS. Also,
organizations rarely carry out work studies, so maintenance
labor forecasting is mostly based on guesswork without any
effectively validated data.
In cases where utilized maintenance labor is reported,
the reporting is usually not uniform because there is no
company-wide guidance on what is the organization’s ac-
ceptable standard. Some report wrench time, while others
report the entire labor time.
For example, a technician who starts off his day by 7 AM
spends one hour to obtain a work permit, takes two hours to
gather tools and materials, waits one hour for isolation and
access of equipment to be worked on, travels one hour to
and from equipment location, performs actual maintenance
work on equipment for three hours, uses one hour for house-
keeping, and then spends 30 minutes on the maintenance
history update in the CMMS.
With respect to the example above, one technician in a
plant could report the labor time as “three hours” — the
actual time spent on maintenance work; another technician
in the same plant could report “six hours” — the sum of
time to gather tools and materials, time to isolate and access
equipment, and the actual time spent on maintenance work;
and another technician could even decide to report the
entire nine hours and 30 minutes — from 7 AM to when the
work was reported in the CMMS.
The challenge from this example is that analysis of the
labor reported in the CMMS becomes impossible because
the maintenance analyst doesn’t know exactly what time
is being reported. Benchmarking of maintenance labor ef-
fectiveness and efficiency will be impossible as the analyst
can’t make an apples-to-apples comparison to leverage
good practices or eliminate bad actors. Documented guid-
ance for reporting maintenance labor, if it’s properly rolled
out and entrenched in the maintenance organization, will
solve the problem and standardize maintenance labor data
that’s reported, making it easier to analyze.
Maintenance Labor Benchmark
If we must improve maintenance labor utilization, then we
must determine a benchmark for it. For this to happen we
must establish a guidance document for reporting labor
utilization and ensure everyone is trained to use it and the
organization is periodically audited to ensure total compli-
ance. The guidance document should include:
• a separate column for reporting actual time-on-tool
(wrench time)
• time spent on travel to and from equipment location
• number of maintenance executioners
• skill level of maintenance executioners
• time spent on work permit
• time spent on isolation and access of equipment
• time spent on post-work execution housekeeping
• time spent on post-work execution documentation.
The content of the guidance document should be
designed into the work order system in the CMMS for
reporting during the work completion documentation. An
audit process should be continuously carried out to ensure
compliance. The categorization of labor time from work
execution reporting will easily enable the analyst to find
out the category that is the bad actor or best practice to
leverage improvement efforts. Without this categorization
the bad actors and best practices are masked, and we lose
the opportunity for improvement.

SMRP Conference

Fortunatus Udegbue, CMRP, PMP, CEO of FOGAEC Electrophysics Technologies, and Ricky Smith, CMRT, CMRP,
principal reliability advisor at Allied Reliability Group, will present “7 Deadly Sins of Data Centric Maintenance
Management” at the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals Annual Conference in
Indianapolis on Oct. 15 at 2:45 PM. The presentation will focus on seven major issues that can drive
the wrong organizational behavior for managing the maintenance function in any organization. The
presentation will show the cost/benefit analysis of maintenance data management, the data that is
required for effective maintenance management of any assets, and what data is optional and
why. In addition, remediation concepts will be introduced that would put an organization on
the right path toward achieving effective and efficient maintenance management using a
data-centric maintenance management approach.

www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 57

Maintenance / Labor-Hour Analysis
Hypothetical Reporting
Example 1: A technician who starts his day by 7 AM spends
one hour to obtain the work permit, two hours to gather tools
and materials, one hour waiting for isolation and access of
equipment to be worked on, one hour traveling to and from
the equipment location, three hours on actual maintenance
work on equipment, one hour for housekeeping, and 30 min-
utes on maintenance history update in the CMMS.
Example 2: A technician who starts off his day by 7 AM
spends 10 minutes to obtain the work permit, 10 minutes to
gather tools and materials, no time waiting for isolation and
access of equipment to be worked on, 30 minutes traveling to
and from the equipment location, six hours on actual mainte-
nance work on equipment, 10 minutes for housekeeping, and
30 minutes on maintenance history update in the CMMS.
The total labor for Example 1 was reported as nine hours,
30 minutes; and the total labor for Example 2 was seven
hours, 30 minutes. The assumption then is that both have
the same number of labor hours. While this is true on the
surface, we would have lost the following opportunities
because the labor reporting was not categorized:
• Learn from Example 1 the strategy they applied to achieve
low time-on-tool (three hours) and apply it to improve the
extremely high time-on-tool (six hours) for Example 2.
• Learn from Example 2 the strategy they applied to achieve
low time on tasks other than the actual maintenance work
(one hour, 30 minutes, total) and apply them to improve
the extremely high time on the actual maintenance work.
Work Order Schedule Compliance
Most organizations calculate this metric as the ratio of complet-
ed work orders to total scheduled work orders. The drawback is,
since the dimension of this metric is work order count, and not
labor hours, we aren’t being effective. When we speak of sched-
ule, our primary focus should be time. Schedule compliance
should be used to measure how well work-order labor hours
adhere to the plan, thus ensuring efficient use of labor hours.
For efficient labor resource deployment, actual execu-
tion labor hours must not be significantly different from the
planned labor hours, or else there will be underloading or
overloading of the labor resources. The target is a balanced
loading of labor resources. This can be determined from
actual labor-hour data, which is correctly reported in the
CMMS and continuously being analyzed with the forecasted
plan until there is a consistent indication of no significant
difference between actual execution labor hours and the
planned labor hours. Another advantage is the labor-hour
58 October 2013 www.PLANTSERVICES.com
forecast will be done with a very high level of confidence,
thus making long lead planning realistic. The case below
demonstrates a typical analysis of the effect of using work-
order count for schedule compliance and analyzing actual
labor hours and planned labor hours to determine the exis-
tence of significant differences between them.
Plant A has 10 work orders as follows: work orders 0001
to 0006 contain 8 hours of work each, work orders 0007 and
0008 contain 16 hours of work each, and work orders 0009
and 0010 contain 32 hours of work each. If we schedule all
10 work orders in a week, and only work orders 0001–0006
are completed, following the traditional work order sched-
ule compliance , we will be 60% compliant, while in terms
of actual execution work hours, we are 33% compliant (48
hours/144 hours). The schedule-compliant calculation in
terms of actual execution work hours assumes there is no
significant difference between planned work hours and actual
work hours and should be the goal of maintenance organiza-
tions. The work hour planned into the system must be driven
by a generally agreed-upon definition of what the organiza-
tion means to be a work hour before we can get any meaning-
ful improvement by using the schedule-compliance metric.
The planned work hour must not be significantly different
from the actual execution work hour, or else our work order
schedule compliance won’t be considered effective, thus becom-
ing a waste of resources. If the basis for determining the planned
work hour is different from those for determining actual work
hours, schedule compliance will be insignificant since you can’t
get any quotient from two oranges divided by two mangoes. If
the number of planned man hours is not significantly the same
as the number of actual man hours, then the use of planned
man hours to determine capacity leveling will be useless.
Experience has shown that most maintenance execution-
ers when reporting actual execution labor-hours simply rep-
licate the planned labor-hours in the actual execution labor-
hour record in the work order system. You need to watch out
for this bad practice when you are analyzing data. If the data
is too good to be true, ask questions. It is almost impossible
for you to plan eight hours for a job and the actual execution
time also becomes eight hours. When you see this, it’s a sign
there’s foul play and you need to engage your maintenance
executioners so as to eliminate reccurrence. Training and
one-on-one mentoring is good approach.
Fortunatus Udegbue is CEO at FOGAEC Electrophysics Technolo-
gies, a Nigerian asset-management consulting company. Contact
him at f.udegbue@fogaecelectrophysics.com.

Picture This
When safety concerns and proprietary information collide
Scotty Skittish worked in a key area of the Acme
plant, where state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment
was housed. Acme prided itself on staying one step ahead
of its competitors with its technology, and the company
implemented several measures to keep corporate snoops
away from the plant and to prevent espionage from within.
For example, Acme’s employee handbook discussed the
importance of protecting company information and ex-
plicitly banned all recording devices in the workplace.
Scotty worked on a patented device that sprayed an epoxy
paint thinned with xylene on the surface of industrial cylin-
ders. He had concerns about air quality near the equipment,
though, and he was vocal about them. He insisted that the
air ventilation system in the plant was insufficient. Although
he was provided with a rubber air purifying respirator with
replaceable filters, he asked for better filters because he said
the paint spray was seeping through his mask. He wanted
additional protective gear to cope with the paint fumes and
took it upon himself to ask Acme’s purchasing manager
to procure a ventilation fan with a hose and cartridges for
his respirators that had “something with a chemical on it”
to better filter the epoxy-xylene paint. He also wanted new
gloves. However, the purchasing manager consulted Acme’s
director of safety about Scotty’s requests and was met with
an eye roll. Scotty’s requests were denied.
in the trenches
Convinced that he was going to have to take matters into
his own hands, Scotty took photographs of his worksite
with his cell phone, including the spraying device, in an
effort to document what he felt were dangerous conditions.
He told his coworkers that he was contemplating a call to
OSHA. He never did call the federal or state agency, but he
did show the photos to an employee of one of Acme’s sup-
pliers, who was on-site delivering materials.
When senior management learned that Scotty had taken
the photos and showed them to someone outside Acme, he
was fired on the spot. He filed a wrongful discharge suit,
claiming he was terminated because of his whistleblowing
activities. He also filed an unfair labor practice complaint
with the National Labor Relations Board.
To make matters worse, Scotty threatened to post the pho-
tos on Instagram and send them to Plant Services magazine
in hopes that a meaty exposé on the safety hazards at Acme
would be imminent.
How could Acme have averted the unwanted exposure? What
can it do now?
A labor and employment analyst’s response:
Most states have certain exceptions to the standard no-
tion of “at-will” employment — “public policy” reasons
for which employers are not permitted to terminate
employees. One common exception: firing whistleblow-
ers is generally frowned upon. However, depending on
the jurisdiction, Acme likely will escape Scotty’s wrong-
ful discharge suit because Acme can point to a legitimate
reason for firing him: violating company policy prohib-
iting photographs of the worksite. Also, Scotty never
actually “blew the whistle,” so he won’t be able to prove
that whistleblowing was the reason for his termination.
Moreover, most states require an employee to state a
very clear public policy that would be undermined if an
employer were allowed to terminate an employee under
the circumstances. Here, for example, Scotty probably
would have to cite a specific safety law or regulation
and demonstrate that he had an “objectively reasonable
belief ” that Acme was breaking it.
On the other hand, Acme likely will be liable for vio-
lating the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), based
on the labor board’s current careful scrutiny of employer
www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 59
in the trenches

policies and handbook provisions. The board has taken
issue with policies that employees might interpret as
interfering with their ability “to engage in concerted,
protected activity” with coworkers. Acme’s blanket
no-photos policy would likely fall under this banner. A
complete ban on taking photos could have a “chilling”
effect on employees’ efforts to band together to resolve
workplace problems. Scotty’s conduct is a good example.
He talked to his coworkers about going to OSHA; he may
have intended to show his photos to his coworkers or
even to a union organizer. Safety concerns, incidentally,
are a common impetus.
If the no-photographs policy is unlawful under the
NLRA, then discharging Scotty for violating the policy will
be considered a separate breach of the labor law. And the
fact that Acme’s plant isn’t unionized doesn’t matter. The
NLRA applies to both union and nonunion worksites.
Acme also should have addressed Scotty’s fears before
he ever started taking photos. While it seems at first glance
that his concerns are unfounded, Acme has a duty to inves-
tigate his concerns. Doing so would have likely gone a long
way in assuaging his fears. Also, Acme’s employee hand-
book should include a clear policy outlining what steps
employees should take if they have concerns about safety
hazards in the workplace. If an employee’s direct supervi-
sor is unresponsive, the safety manager, not the purchasing
manager, is the appropriate contact person.
Finally, instead of a no-photos policy, Acme could protect
its interests by asking plant employees to sign a confiden-
tiality policy, ensuring that proprietary information is not
shared with outside parties and outlining the consequences
of a breach. Even the NLRB has acknowledged that em-
ployers have the right to protect their trade secrets and
other valuable information. Scotty would be in breach of
the agreement if he went public with the photos and could
be held legally accountable. Failing that, Acme could have
bought Scotty’s silence with a severance, conditioned on his
confidentiality, along with a waiver of his right to sue.
Lisa Milam-Perez, J.D., labor and employment analyst
Wolters Kluwer Law and Business, (773) 866-3908,
lisa.milam-perez@wolterskluwer.com

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Do We Need 20 MW Gas Engines?
Lubrication plays a major role in Turkey’s energy production
Finnish engine manufacturer Wärtsilä (www.wartsila.
com) is a pioneer of gas-engine technology and has sold
more gas engines than any other original equipment manu-
facturer (OEM). Worldwide, it has more than 700 experts
working on research and development programs that are
designed to maintain its competitive edge. Wärtsilä has an
extremely strong presence in Turkey, with its generating ca-
pacity in the country exceeding 3 GW. Approximately 85%
of these plants run on natural gas.
In 2005 at a global gathering of all Wärtsilä operating
companies, Mehmet Ufuk Berk , managing director of
Wärtsilä Turkey, urged the company’s research and develop-
ment teams to develop a substantially larger gas engine. He
knew there were technical challenges to be overcome and
it would require a great deal of innovation, but he insisted
there was an emerging market need for gas engines of about
20 MW. At the time, the largest gas engine on the market
was the 9-MW-rated Wärtsilä 20V34SG.
Just five years later, Wärtsilä launched the 18.3-MW-rated
18V50SG, the biggest gas engine in the world. The first units
to be installed were in Turkey for a power plant on the north
coast. A few months later in the southeast of the country,
independent power plant operator Odaş Elektrik purchased
three units; an order for four more soon followed. In less
than two years, Wärtsilä Turkey had sold 18 of these units.
With an output of some 18.3 MW, the Wärtsilä 18V50SG
spark-ignition gas engine is the largest gas combustion
engine generating set in the world. The natural-gas-fueled
engine operates at more than 48% efficiency and is based on
the technology of Wärtsilä’s smaller, established engines,
such as the 20V34SG, but incorporates improvements that
maximize the power potential of the engine.
Wärtsilä’s role extends beyond the supply of the engines.
The company has also an agreement with Odaş Elektrik un-
der which it provides scheduled maintenance services. Odaş
Elektrik does not, therefore, have to consider its maintenance
requirements or employ a maintenance team. Instead, it can
focus exclusively on its core business of energy production.
The Odaş Elektrik power plant supplies the electrical grid
during periods of peak demand, and so gas-fired recipro-
cating engine technology was a perfect fit because it can be
fired up rapidly. The plant often has to be on standby waiting
for the order to run. Gas engines offer the ability to answer
with an immediate response.
THE BIG PICTURE
Hakan Yildiz and Murat Gezgin, Wärtsilä Turkey
Murat Gezgin, general manager, services, and Hakan
Yildiz, contract manager, Wärtsilä Turkey, are convinced of
the important role that lubrication plays in the operation of
their engines. See more at www.plantservices.com/wartsila.
PS: How important is the quality of the lubricant to the
performance of a gas engine?
HY: It is vital. The Wärtsilä 18V50SG engine
that Odaş Elektrik is using has a power output
of 18.3 MW. That means the engine produces
1 MW per cylinder, and that is a big chal-
lenge. The engine is operating under extreme
conditions. The technology is performing at very high peak
pressures, and it is vital that the lubricant can cope with this
challenge and support our engine in these conditions. The
quality of a lubricating oil is one of the most crucial points for
the operation of an engine. If you don’t have a proper oil, you
will have a lot of problems on the machine parts, and you will
have a lot of downtime, which causes a lot of trouble.
PS: What steps can be taken to ensure research and
development remains vitally relevant to OEMs and
power plant operators?
MG: The big issues for gas-engine opera-
tors include maintenance, as the cost of
operating engines can be a key parameter,
efficiency, and power output. Work closely
with external companies, both OEMs and
customers. We learn from them. We gain insights into how
the equipment and the lubricant operate in real-world situa-
tions and about the problems they face.
PS: What trends are occurring in the gas engine market?
HY: The use of gas engines has been growing rapidly since
2000. As the availability of gas has continued to increase,
so have gas engine sales. We saw a significant change in
2004. That’s when we started to sell more gas engines than
heavy-fuel engines. Moreover, the growth of renewable
energy increases the need for flexible power plants such
as those using gas-engine technology. The future for gas
engines is extremely favorable.
www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 61
management measures
Energy Management Dashboard
Budget-based KPIs for cost savings
The use of standard accounting tools to identify the
places where utility cost is incurred in a plant was discussed
in this issue’s Strategic Maintenance column on opportuni-
ties in energy costs (p. 9). The utility usage data will show
how to manage utility cost. As a rule, these practical projects
will drive measurable mechanical, electrical, or operational
results before they create significant changes in the organi-
zation’s financial results. Identifying and recording physical
results as improvements are made will allow the organiza-
tion to see that the planned operational changes are in place
Utility usage data will show how to
manage utility cost.
and will allow management to predict the financial impact
in a timely fashion. Done accurately, it will improve the
energy management project’s chances of getting the credit
that will be due for reducing energy cost.
Derivation and significance: The exact nature of the
measurements to be made will depend upon what operational
changes have been ordered. Here are some typical KPIs, drawn
from the change examples in the Strategic Maintenance article:
Power factor improvement — Most power companies
compute power factor and use it to drive penalties that can
be read in the power bill. The power factor numbers by area,
and the resulting financial impact can be read and reported
as they are delivered by the power company. Any unex-
pected changes can be reviewed and diagnosed immediately.
This uses backward-looking values as forward-looking KPIs,
that equip the organization to improve future results.
Electrical load planning — If electrical load has been moved
to more economical times of day, results should be available on
a monthly basis. A KPI can be developed showing the percent-
age of off-peak load that is being created. When compared to
the baseline from the start of the utility management project,
this should provide a numerical scorecard to explain financial
impact of the improvement. As with power factor, the results
should be read and made available to the project team.
Waste heat capture and condensate reuse — Once heat
exchangers or other scavenging devices have been installed on
equipment and proper heat exhausting gear has been added for
times when the heat isn’t needed in the plant, use of the new
62 October 2013 www.PLANTSERVICES.com
equipment should be recorded, at least for a while. It is usu-
ally practical to capture days or hours of system use, whether
changeover is automatic or manual. If it is manual, then it is
particularly important to document the activity during the
training period. In some cases it will be practical to capture the
degree days of heat differential that are being offset by the new
equipment. If possible, it is worth documenting that the change
is in place and working. Then, when the effect upon HVAC cost
becomes measurable, it will be possible to assign credit for the
improvements. In the case of condensate reuse, it should be
possible to capture the amount of new coolant — usually water
— purchase avoided. Later, when financial results are reported,
this is easily dollarized and added to the total.
Belt slippage reduction — When a belt-slippage reduction
program is put into place, baseline slippage readings and im-
proved readings should be taken as improvements are made.
To review KPI and financial connections to belt slippage
programs, please read www.plantservices.com/beltslippage.
Reduction of compressed air and steam trap leakage —
Compressed air leakage is usually captured with ultrasound
equipment when the plant is down. It is often possible to
capture the estimated orifice diameters of the leaks as they
are stopped. Or, if compressor use during plant downtime
can be measured before and after the leak plugging effort,
this may provide an estimate of project impact. Either way,
the ultrasonic checks should proceed at least quarterly for
a year to determine the effectiveness of the fixes. Of course
good documentation of leaks found and fixed is essential. The
measurement of leakage and compressor activity will provide
forward-looking KPIs that can be reconciled with utility bills
to assign credit for the changes that have been installed.
Once the physical improvements to plant operations
have been identified and correlated to financial results, they
should become part of the plant’s annual budget. This will
consolidate the gains and help remind managers of their
obligations to keep the improvements in place.
Capturing and perpetuating these benefits will help to
establish maintenance and reliability’s strategic position
in plant management. It will also demonstrate that simple,
real-world fixes you can apply today will pay for themselves
and make the plant more sustainable.
J. Stanton McGroarty, CMRP, CMfgE, is senior technical editor of
Plant Services. Contact him at smcgroarty@putman.net.
 product roundup

How to Handle Fluids

Pumps and seals for every application

Priming-Assisted Pump Thermica Gasket

The Prime Aire Plus line of priming-assisted
pumps offers increased head and flow.
The Prime Aire Plus line is available in
sizes up to 8 in. and provides flows up
to 4,950 gpm and heads to 475
ft. These pumps are suitable for
both clear liquids and liquids
containing large solids and
have the ability to fit other
pumping installations.
Gorman-Rupp
www.grpumps.com
Thermoseal has introduced a gasket material produced
with nitrile rubber (NBR), mica, and synthetic fibers for
use in high-temperature applications. Klinger thermica is
a universal gasket material that can be used when tempera-
tures exceed the limits of traditional Klingersil compressed
fiber gasket materials. The primary reinforcement of Klinger
thermica is mica. This layered, plate-like mineral and the
proprietary manufacturing process provide improved flex-
ibility and handling, premium load-bearing characteristics,
load retention, and sealability.
Thermoseal
www.thermosealinc.com

Low-Speed Seal Pump monitoring

The OFS Type-2 model is a suitable choice in many sealing The Pump Health
applications for low- to moderate-speed equipment. The Monitoring solution
OFS Type-2 uses full contact, soft face is designed to detect
mechanical shaft sealing technol- and predict problems,
ogy, sized for OEM and custom including cavitation,
in-house process equipment. excessive temperature,
The OFS Type-2 seal model is vibration, process leak-
used on horizontal, inclined, age, seal pot level, and
and top entering shafts for differential pressure
split and unsplit installations. imbalance. The instruments are engineered to monitor
The OFS Type-2 seal model continuously. An asset management interface gives main-
does not require compressed air. tenance technicians, operators, and managers a view of all
Meco Shaft Seals conditions, with alerts for situations requiring attention.
www.woodex-meco.com Emerson Process Management
(800) 999-9307 / www.emersonprocess.com
Cavity Pump
Progressive Cavity Pumps are designed for valveless flow Smart Control
control and offer better flow stability than centrifugal Designed to be applied to any manufacturer’s centrifugal or
pumps with control valves. These pumps offer precision positive displacement pump, PumpSmart is engineered to
handling with virtually no pulsation and can be made in a deliver insight into pump performance through these sensor-
range of materials to accommodate all types of fluids, thick less functions: determining flow measurement within 5%
or thin, with or without of the pump’s rated flow using only four pieces of standard
solids, abrasive or cor- price book performance curve data; defining how much fluid
rosive. The stator is split can be moved per unit of energy; and shielding pumps from
axially into two halves, process upset conditions such as dry-run, dead-head, shut-off,
which are compression- minimum flow, and run-out. The MultiPump Control is built
fit together using four to enable coordination of two to four pumps, automatically
retaining segments. staging and destaging pumps as the load changes.
Seepex ITT Goulds Pumps
www.seepex.com www.gouldspumps.com

www.PLANTSERVICES.com October 2013 63

CLASSIFIEDS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

ADVERTISER INDEX
Allied Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Atlas Copco Compressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
AutomationDirect.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Avo Training-Div of Megger . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Azima . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
IDC-USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
IFS North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Kaeser Compressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
SALES OFFICES
Kaman Industrial Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . 16
La-Man Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 MIKE BRENNER,

Baldor Electric Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Leviton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 GROUP PUBLISHER

Banner Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Clayton Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Cushman Commercial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Diamond Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Emerson Process Mgt - AMS . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Endress + Hauser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Exair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,54
FabEnCo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Flir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,47
Fluke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30,36,37
Gorman-Rupp Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Graybar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
AR, AZ, Northern CA, CO, ID, IL, MN, MT,
Lubriplate Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, UT, WA,
Ludeca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
WI, WY
Marcus Evans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Phone: (630) 467-1300, ext. 487
N.E. Caterpillar Dealers* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Fax: (630) 467-1120
Royal Purple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 e-mail: mbrenner@putman.net
S&C Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 JERRY BURNS,
Sealeze, a unit of Jason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 DISTRICT MANAGER
SPX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 AL, Southern CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, LA, ME,
Stanley Black & Decker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 MD, MA, MS, NH, NJ, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC,
TX, VT, VA, DC, WV
Summit Industrial Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Phone: (630) 467-1300, ext.427
Xcel Energy* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Fax: (630) 467-1120
*Regional Ad
e-mail: jburns@putman.net

MICHAEL CONNAUGHTON,
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
IA, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, OH, TN, Canada,
Literature Reviews, Inside Print and Digital
Sales

Custom REPRINts Phone: (513) 543-6432

Fax: (630) 467-1120
e-mail: mconnaughton@putman.net

POLLY DICKSON,
RepRints aRe ideal foR:
INSIDE SALES MANAGER
n New Product Announcements Classifieds

n Sales Aid For Your Field Force Phone: (630) 467-1300, ext.396
Fax: (630) 364-4175
n PR Materials & Media Kits
e-mail: pdickson@putman.net
n Direct Mail Enclosures
n Customer & Prospect SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
Communications/Presentations (888) 644-1803 or (847) 559-7360

n Trade Shows/Promotional Events REPRINTS

n Conferences & Speaking Engagements JILL KALETHA

Reprints Marketing Manager
n Recruitment & Training Packages
Foster Reprints
(866) 879-9144 ext.168

For additional information, please contact jillk@fosterprinting.com

Foster Printing Service, the official reprint PUTMAN MEDIA, INC.

provider for Plant Services.
555 W. Pierce Rd., Ste.301,
Call 866.879.9144 or Itasca, IL 60143
sales@fosterprinting.com Phone: (630) 467-1300,
Fax: (630) 467-1120

64 OCTOBER 2013 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

C: 60
 CLASSIFIEDS
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

fabric structures

Buildings
Solutions
Sustainable Design-Build
available up to
300' wide.
Low in cost per
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Natural daytime
lighting.
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Call one of our ClearSpan specialists at 1.866.643.1010

or visit us at www.ClearSpan.com/ADPS2.
W W W. P L A N T S E RV I C E S . C O M
OIL MIST & SMOKE
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ENClosurEs? CoNtrol
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info@wayneproducts.com FrEE Catalog!
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ADVERTISE IN OILY WATER?
PLANT SERVICES Mini & MAXI-SkimmersTM
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Contact Polly Dickson SCREENGUARD™ Reach from 5” to 100 ft. down!
Also use with coolants & parts
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WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM OCTOBER 2013 65

 energy expert
peter garforth
From Source to Site
Do we measure energy efficiency logically?
Typically energy efficiency is seen as the reduction
of metered energy use resulting from energy programs,
while maintaining the same level of comfort, services,
and production. In today’s more complex energy world,
this simplistic definition can lead to decisions that may
not make the most sense in the long term. It seems timely
to take a look at broadening how efficiency is viewed.
Defining efficiency at the site meters ignores energy used to
Measuring efficiency in terms of
both site and source energy gives a
more realistic picture of the
overall impacts.
generate and transport electricity. This is typically twice the
amount of energy as the resulting electricity itself and repre-
sents fuel that has been paid for by the end user. If efficiency
is redefined relative to source energy, or primary fuel, we will
capture the broader impact of our efficiency programs. When
viewing energy in this way, it becomes clear that cutting elec-
tricity use has a much greater impact on source energy than
efficiency programs aimed at reducing natural gas usage.
Measuring efficiency in terms of both site and source
energy gives a more realistic picture of the overall impacts
of efficiency measures. A source energy view is arguably
a stronger basis for estimating future risks since it relates
more directly to fuel prices and choices, along with regional
transmission investments and reliability. It also will high-
light major differences in risk from site to site. If the energy
strategy includes greenhouse gas reduction targets, a source
energy view is essential. If site energy is only considered,
measures like on-site heat and power may appear to add
emissions, despite the fact that overall they may reduce
emissions if source energy measures are used.
Using source energy to assess efficiency is only part of
the story. It works well as long as the grid is broadly fueled
by coal, gas, or uranium. This is rapidly changing around
the world as renewable, mostly hydro, solar, and wind
generation, are being added to the grids. As renewables
become more significant, the value of source energy as
a reference point for efficiency and risk changes. It also
changes the contribution of on-site measures to green-
66 October 2013 www.PLANTSERVICES.com
house reduction. In some cases, measures that historically
would have reduced overall emissions may increase them.
The picture becomes even more muddied as renewables
find their way onto the site itself. As long as efficiency con-
tinues to refer to only the meter, renewable supply within
the perimeter gets counted as efficiency. This is clearly a dis-
tortion since the overall energy use on the site has remained
the same; simply some of the off-site supply is now being
supplied on-site. When referencing efficiency to source
energy, or primary fuel, the on-site renewables have an even
bigger impact on reported efficiency despite the fact that the
end-use efficiency is unchanged.
This introduces the idea of a rigorous end-use defini-
tion of energy efficiency. This measures the actual energy
used in the final manufacturing processes and in the
heating, cooling, and lighting of buildings and in the IT
systems, irrespective of how that energy is supplied. This
is a definition that is often the most challenging to capture
but is arguably the most significant measure of the energy
effectiveness of the company’s processes.
Comprehensive sub-metering is a prerequisite to measure
and manage end-use efficiency and is all too often a major
missing element in energy programs.
In addition to the absence of sub-metering, our own hab-
its and perceptions get in the way of using end-use efficiency
as a primary measure. We tend to think in terms of natural
gas or oil to drive boilers, not heating. We instinctively jump
to electricity to drive air conditioners, not cooling.
To truly think in terms of energy end-use, rather than the
utility that creates them, is a shift in mindset that takes time
and adjustment.
Measuring efficiency in terms of source energy and pri-
mary fuels is a powerful way to evaluate the impact of ef-
ficiency programs on the environment, along with future
cost and reliability risks. Measuring it in terms of energy
end-use independent of supply choices is a powerful way
of measuring the long-term energy competiveness of our
buildings and production lines. Measuring efficiency at
the utility meters is a compromise between these two,
frequently driving energy decisions that lack a sound
strategic basis.
Peter Garforth is principal of Garforth International, Toledo, Ohio.
He can be reached at peter@garforthint.com.
 COMPRESSORS

Visit us
at the
Manufac
turing
Summit
2013

“The buck stops here.”

— Harry S. Truman
kaeser.com

When it comes to service,

Kaeser doesn’t pass the buck.
Everyone appreciates a company that stands behind its
products – no matter what. That’s Kaeser.
We don’t just sell equipment. We help you design your
system, install it, and service it. We can even monitor
it for you. Our goals are the same as yours: efficient
compressed air systems you can rely on.
Innovative technology … ultra-reliable products …
outstanding service. It’s no wonder Kaeser delivers the best
value for the price! Contact us today to learn more about the
powerful benefits of owning a Kaeser compressed air system.

Kaeser Compressors, Inc. • 866-516-6888 • kaeser.com/PS

Built for a lifetime is a trademark of Kaeser Compressors, Inc. ©2013 Kaeser Compressors, Inc. customer.us@kaeser.com