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An Applied Technology Media Publication SEPTEMBER 2016

Safety
Issue
Building Windows Reliably 10
Lubrication by Design 36
Pump Vibration Causes 40

MaintenanceTechnology.com
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MAINTENANCE
TECHNOLOGY
THE SOURCE FOR RELIABILITY SOLUTIONS
CONTENTS
SEPTEMBER 2016 • VOL. 29, NO. 9 • MaintenanceTechnology.com

16
10

26

Severe pump vibration can

be caused by several factors,
including piping- and pumping-
FEATURES
system designs. Learn more
about these issues and how to
solve them on p. 40. 10
Old-School Approach to New-World Technology
Colorado window and door manufacturer creates sophisticated, energy-efficient
products with tried-and-true maintenance and operations best practices.
DEPARTMENTS Michelle Segrest, Contributing Editor
4 Editorial
6 Uptime 16 Art Meets 36 Win the War with
8 On The Floor Reliability Science ‘Lubrication by Design’
Michelle Segrest, Ken Bannister, MEch Eng (UK),
47 Products Contributing Editor CMRP, MLE, Contributing Editor
53 Showcase
54 Ad Index 20 Commit to Safety 45 Potato Waste Becomes
Al Poling, CMRP, RAM Analytics LLC Clean Water, Energy
56 Final Thought
24 Robot-Human
Interaction
Getting Safer CENTER
Jane Alexander, Managing Editor

39 SAP Tips And Tricks

Visit our new,
26 Sanitary, Stainless
updated website;
Conveyors Not 40 Understand Pump
live now!
the Same Vibration
Jane Alexander, Managing Editor
MaintenanceTechnology.com 41 Select the Right Relay
...
For information on September's
29 Reduce Hidden
Web-exclusive content, Process-Safety Costs 42 Bearing Care
see page 2.

31 Pace Your Reliability 44 Clear Up HOA

Program Confusion
David Rosenthal, P.E., CMRP

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 1

 MAINTENANCE
WHAT’S NEW THIS MONTH AT TECHNOLOGY
MaintenanceTechnology.com THE SOURCE FOR RELIABILITY SOLUTIONS

September 2016 • Volume 29, No. 9

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glimpses into current IIoT trends with his new book, The
GARY L. PARR
Outcome Economy, How the Industrial Internet of Things Editorial Director
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2| MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016

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EDITORIAL

Prayer and Safety

M
ost of my adult life I’ve been involved electrical cord placement. As a result, whenever I sit
in one church committee/organization down for a meeting/event in an unfamiliar room, I
or another. For a good number of years find myself conducting my own safety moment by
I was chairman of the congregation. looking for exits, extinguishers, and possible exit
Anyone who has done this type of work knows that, choke points. That's not something I ever did before
Gary L. Parr more than anything, it involves an endless parade encountering the MER people.
Editorial Director of meetings. Actually, more meetings than work. If The brief discussions also made me appreciate
you've been similarly involved, you also know that the value of making safety the first thing that’s
every meeting begins and ends with a prayer. talked about in any plant gathering. Starting meet-
I've conducted so many meetings through the ings with a safety discussion constantly drives home
years that the practice of beginning and ending the message that safety is the top priority, no matter
with a prayer has become so ingrained that I get what people have gathered to discuss.
a strange feeling when any non-church meeting It’s so ingrained in the members of the MER
doesn’t begin with organization that each MER Board of Directors
a bowing of the telephone conference call starts with a safety item.
heads. I get over it, Yes, it’s part of a telephone meeting in which
but there is always everyone is in a different location. It’s usually a
that moment at telling of a positive or negative safety event that
the beginning of a someone has experienced. It only takes a couple of
business meeting minutes, but it’s always there and always first.
in which I feel The most recent story was about a person who
compelled to lead was using a cutting tool and a piece of the blade
a prayer. Of course, broke off and inserted in his safety glasses. If the
any clerical person photo doesn't inject in you a full appreciation for
would applaud this safety glasses, nothing will. In the safety discus-
and say that any sion it also raised the question about whether,
gathering should in these situations, a full face guard isn’t a better
begin and end choice. Regardless, safety glasses will be on my face
with prayer. But it whenever I use power tools at home.
doesn’t work that While I’ve always appreciated the importance
Post this photo on your bulletin board to way in the business of safety in industrial settings, the MER members
remind workers why safety glasses are a world, so I let the have taught me that it’s much more than some set
must. You also might share it with visitors moment pass. of rules everyone follows. To be effective, it has to
when they take a lackadaisical approach to I thought this become second nature to everyone, but first on that
wearing personal-protection equipment. engrained habit list of second-nature things.
was just a weird To do our part, we provide you with four
church/Jesus thing safety-related articles this month, beginning on p.
until I attended my first Maintenance Excellence 20. While reading those articles won’t change your
Roundtable conference a couple of months ago (for safety culture, they’ll likely serve as either a starting
more about MER, turn to page 23). No, they didn’t point or a refresher. The real work is on your end.
start each day with a prayer. But they did start with I would suggest that, if safety isn’t ingrained in
the thing that’s ingrained in their psyches—a safety everything everyone does at your company, it’s not
moment. too tough to start by requiring that a safety moment
It really caught me off guard, but I immediately be first on every meeting agenda. The only excep-
saw the value for us in a conference room as we tion to that policy would be at church where we’re
took a moment to cover obvious things such as going to continue to start with a prayer. MT
exits, fire extinguishers, and potentially dangerous gparr@maintenancetechnology.com

4| MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016

Track your Equipment the SMART way.

Equipment Health Monitor

ACTIVITY TRACKER RUN TIME TRACKER

Track the duration of your Track the number of hours your
run time, workouts and equipment has been operating
other activities. 5 and schedule maintenance.

TRACKING SLEEP TRACKING VIBRATION

Monitor your sleep Monitoring your vibration
through the night and around the clock and
set an alarm. set alarms.

HEART HEALTH MACHINE HEALTH

Monitoring heart rate to Monitor FFT and waveform
determine any problems to determine any problems
during daily activities. during daily operations.

About the size of a fitness tracker, the

i-ALERT®2 Equipment Health Monitor is
a Bluetooth Smart-enabled equipment
health monitor that allows customers
to identify potential problems before the
machines become costly failures. It tracks
vibration, temperature and run-time
hours and wirelessly syncs the data with
a smartphone or tablet through the
i-ALERT2 mobile app. Dashboard Scan for Devices Trending
UPTIME
When Best Practices
Aren’t Enough
C
onsider the following remarks.
“Recently, our top executives announced
that our cost of manufacturing still wasn’t
Bob Williamson what it needed to be, even with all the
Contributing Editor maintenance improvements and lean initiatives over
the past few years. And while our quality and delivery
continue to be topnotch, one of our largest customers
served an ultimatum that they would be taking their
business overseas unless we could improve
our pricing.”
“Despite all the maintenance best practices we’ve
deployed, we (and others) are finding the department
under the cost-cutting knife again. We’ve improved
our spare-parts management significantly in the
past two years, including stock outs, inventory levels,
critical spares, and obsolete parts. Our maintenance
labor hours are 90% proactive. But, new equipment
continues to be added to the mix to reduce operating
labor costs. What should we do?”
Sound familiar?
The opportunity offered by reliable
manufacturing processes can
eclipse cost-cutting initiatives.
The real goal
Cost cutting is not a goal. It’s an action deployed as a
way to achieve a short-term business goal—one that’s
often short lived.
Here’s the challenge: While executives may be
preparing for another round of cost cutting, there
could be a more powerful alternative. It’s going
to take thinking outside the maintenance box,
however, to look at manufacturing process reli-
ability. The real goal here is to show management
how it can reduce manufacturing costs and position
the business for higher earnings growth by tapping
into the plant’s hidden capacity.
I recently discussed this approach with a company’s
top executives and plant-leadership team. They talked
about how strong their business was this year and on
into early next year. Their honest concerns centered
around getting costs under control to improve the
6| MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
company’s earnings in light of the potential loss of a
large customer looking for price cuts. They summa-
rized their strategic performance indicators as three
overarching goals:
■ On time, in full—orders shipped to customers on
time in the quantity and quality requested.
■ Lead time—reduced time between order received
and order shipped.
■ Cost per unit produced—lowest all-in, total cost of
making a product.
These executives were describing their goals for
a reliable manufacturing process, i.e., a process that
performs as intended. Their vision reflects a real
opportunity for the organization—one that eclipses
another cost-cutting initiative.
Thinking beyond maintenance
Let’s explore this opportunity by thinking about
reliable manufacturing processes, i.e., thinking beyond
maintenance. The executives who spoke with me
agreed to form an improvement team of hand-picked
personnel, including the maintenance manager,
production operator, maintenance mechanic/union
president, front-line supervisor, manufacturing vice
president, and the continuous-improvement/quality
director. The team used the following data-mining
process to get started:
1. Identify the strategic key performance indicators
(KPIs), i.e., lagging indicators.
2. Mine company data to determine the leading
indicators and what form they take.
3. Determine how plant performance is inhibited,
according to the current data.
The next step involved a review of top-level indica-
tors that plant leadership was focused on improving,
including:
■ labor efficiency variance as a percentage of standard
■ indirect factory labor as a percentage of revenue
■ operating expense as a percentage of revenue
■ obsolete materials and work in process (WIP).
Team members then began to look for specific
factors that contributed to labor, operating expense,
and materials cost. They also looked for factors that
could interrupt flow through the entire manufacturing
process to the paying customer.
Based on the team’s review of various ad hoc
SEPTEMBER 2016

reports from the company, the improve-
ment team found the most frequently
listed reasons for the plant performance
losses to be:
■ ran out of work in process (WIP) to
meet an order.
■ ran out of raw materials to produce to
plan.
■ inaccurate inventory: WIP and raw
materials.
■ schedule change: materials delayed
upstream.
The improvement team also learned
that material cost was the highest cost
of manufacturing and labor cost was the
lowest.
Asking ‘why’
Drilling down another level into the
most-frequently listed reasons for plant-
performance losses was the improvement
team’s next step: For example, answers to
Why did we run out of WIP to meet an
order? included:
■ no reason
■ system quantity was different than
what actually existed
■ some named items were defective and
could not be used.
■ items needed were on quality control
hold.
Asking Why did we run out of raw
materials to produce to plan at the
upstream production processes? revealed
some similarities:
■ not enough materials on skid, wrong
count.
■ some materials were defective,
damaged.
Team members soon recognized that
they were discovering why production
flow was being interrupted in the plant. In
turn, they began wondering if equipment
issues, i.e., breakdowns, might also be
leading to performance losses. Digging
into machine-downtime-tracking
information, they found documentation
that stated: Machine down for repairs, no
operator, no reason listed.
To learn more about the nature of
repairs in the plant’s critical-constraint
production department, members of
the improvement team began discussing
machine downtime issues with personnel
in the maintenance and operations
SEPTEMBER 2016
Tapping into a plant’s hidden
capacity can help cut manufac-
turing costs and position the
business for higher earnings.
groups. It was learned that the losses were
not so much about equipment break-
downs, but rather:
■ setup problems
■ equipment damage
■ adjustments.
By asking why, the improvement
team discovered that machine problems
interrupted flow and were possibly linked
to inventory and quality issues that had
a direct effect on plant performance and
the top KPIs (key performance indica-
tors). Unfortunately, other than through
maintenance requests, very few machine-
related losses were being reported,
tracked, or systematically analyzed. This
situation had to change if plant reliability
was to improve.
Tracking major equipment losses
What equipment-related losses should
be tracked to improve plant reliability?
The improvement team identified the
types of losses that would most likely
have a strategic impact on the business:
equipment-utilization losses. Here’s how
team members agreed to formally collect
and categorize equipment performance
data for the 17 most critical assets in the
plant:
1. Equipment capacity (designed or
historical best)
2. Planned capacity losses:
a. Planned shutdown: not scheduled/
no demand
b. Planned shutdown: maintenance
UPTIME
c. Planned downtime: not scheduled
(breaks, shift change)
3. Planned utilization: time that machine
was scheduled to produce something
a. Utilization losses (during scheduled
operating time, i.e., the hidden
factory):
■ planned downtime: setup/
changeover
■ unplanned downtime: no or
defective WIP/material
■ unplanned downtime: break-
down
■ unplanned downtime: no
operator
■ unplanned downtime: produc-
tion schedule change and/or
interruption
■ efficiency loss: slow-speed or
throughput rate
■ efficiency loss: minor stops/
startup/adjustment.
b. Yield loss: defects/damaged/scrap
output
c. Yield loss: defects/rework
d. Yield loss: startup/adjustment.
4. Actual asset utilization: the bottom
line; what the equipment actually
delivers).
The reliability mindset
In this case, the improvement team
recognized that improving plant reliability
is not as much about maintenance as
it is about identifying and eliminating
equipment-performance losses and
interruptions to flow. And, to do that, it’s
crucial to have equipment performance
data that are accurate and timely.
The good news so far is that top-level
executives and other plant leaders have
agreed to identify and address the most
significant equipment-utilization losses in
the manufacturing-flow constraints. Stay
tuned for more as this story unfolds. MT
Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM,
and a member of the Institute of Asset
Management, is in his fourth decade of
focusing on the people side of world-class
maintenance and reliability in plants and
facilities across North America. Contact
him at RobertMW2@cs.com.
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 7
ON THE FLOOR
Panelists Describe Payoff
From Predictive Tools
A
Jane Alexander t Maintenance Technology, the topic
Managing Editor of predictive tools is always hot. More
precisely, our staff is always eager to hear
how readers and their staffs (and, in
the case of consultants/suppliers, their clients/
customers) are leveraging these technologies in
plants and facilities. For an update based on our
Reader Panelists’ individual perspectives, we
posed the following questions.
1. What predictive tools/technologies are these
sites using most, and where, why, and how?
2. What’s the return on investment (ROI)?
3. What predictive tools might be on the sites’
wish lists for future use?
Edited for brevity and clarity, here are several
responses.
“Our return on investment is
fewer equipment breakdowns
than in the past.”
Maintenance Engineer,
Process Industry, Midwest. . .
We typically keep an IR (infrared) gun (for
equipment hotspots), ultrasonic ears (for leaks
and precision lubrication), and a vibration pen-
type device (for quick checks and validation of
in-situ devices) on hand. We’ve been relying on
outside expertise for full vibration analysis and
oil analysis programs, but are starting to develop
some in-house competency. No one at our sites
has yet been certified on these technologies.
To date, we haven’t really quantified any
savings, but we do have scattered reports of
early detections leading to planned shutdown
and correction. The numbers may not be tallied,
but theoretically we’ve “saved” by reducing
unplanned outages.
8| MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
An outlet for the views of
today’s maintenance
& reliability professionals
Wireless machine-health technologies (vibe,
temp) are on trial at one of our facilities. If
successful, we may branch them out.
Maintenance & Reliability Specialist,
Engineering Services, South. . .
We utilize numerous vibration routes and have
a level-1, three level-2, and two level-3 vibration
specialists on staff. We also have motor testing
with five craftsmen trained and qualified on the
different devices in use. We have one craftsman
trained as a level-1 for ultrasound testing, and
two IR level-2 technicians.
Our group captures every find and, utilizing
an algorithm approved by both our customer
and our leadership, provides a cost avoidance for
each. This number is showing a very solid ROI,
and our customer is pleased.
Regarding wish lists, we’ve recently begun
adding real-time overall vibration monitoring
to our predictive-maintenance (PdM) toolbox
and expect that to grow to Delta P for filters
and, possibly, real-time oil health. We also have
begun using a rules-based software program
that consolidates data from our vibration routes,
on-line vibration data, and CMMS.
Plant Engineer, Institutional
Facilities, Midwest. . .
Since our budget crisis we’ve been only able to
use our existing trend logs and visual inspec-
tions. We, do, however, have all types of instru-
ments to help us.
Our return on investment [from predictive
technologies] is fewer equipment breakdowns
than in the past. And, the time it takes to
troubleshoot uncommon problems has been cut
by more than half.
Industry Consultant, West. . .
Vibration analysis, ultrasonic testing, oil analysis,
and IR are my clients’ most-used PdM tools. The
technology vendors usually provide the training.
SEPTEMBER 2016

Seldom do techs receive advanced
training, leading to plants feeling
that potential ROI from the tools
was overinflated to make the sale.
(As a side note, I believe the most
underutilized tools are the five senses
of personnel who are in contact with
very expensive equipment every day.)
Personally, it’s difficult to quantify
predictive-technology ROI with my
clients. They don’t track the saves
that these tools generate, and tribal
memory seems skewed in favor of a
higher save rate than I actually see in
their plants.
Most of my clients have wish lists.
Usually, their only reason for not
buying every tool available is lack of
funds. It’s rare for maintenance teams
to compile documentation to establish
the business case for equipment
purchases.
Facility Superintendent,
Scientific Institution, West. . .
Our facility relies on several different
types of PdM technologies: fluid
analysis, IR, ultrasound and ultrasonic
testing. Fluid analysis has become a
staple with our gearboxes and glycol-
cooling systems. We typically take oil
samples bi-annually to ensure proper
viscosity, test for contaminants, and
look for bearing wear. Secondly,
testing our glycol fluids has proven
extremely valuable. It tells us if the
freeze point is correct and gives us
direction for adding inhibitors or
correcting fluid pH. Not all testing
is perfectly accurate, though. We
once received a glycol fluid-analysis
report indicating acceptable foaming
levels when, in fact, they were causing
circulation pumps to cavitate.
IR, a newer tool for our team,
has proven its value. Unfortunately,
training provided by the manu-
facturer wasn’t in depth. Most of
our knowledge has come through
on-the-job usage. We’ve leveraged
this technology to uncover a range of
problems. A routine IR inspection of
our main building transformer room,
for example, found a loose splice
SEPTEMBER 2016
ON THE FLOOR
Lubrication Consultant,
“The time it takes Southwest. . .
I’m referring to a large process opera-
to troubleshoot tion that had a long-standing, trained,
certified, and successful vibration
uncommon group. [Working there], I was
eventually asked to start a lubrication
problems has program for the entire facility and try
to ramp up rotating-equipment reli-
been cut by ability. Becoming the site’s lubrication
specialist/engineer, I attended training
more than half.” and obtained several certifications.
In time, we bought and started
a lubrication laboratory and began
pulling oil samples [from equipment]
on one phase of our electrical main. and testing them and any lubricants
Gone unnoticed, it might have single- delivered to the site. In addition,
phased the building, causing serious we provided training necessary for
downtime or numerous equipment many employees to achieve their own
failures. certifications in the lubrication field.
Ultrasonic testing is our newest Improvements in the rotating equip-
tool. It provides data that benchmarks ment were unbelievable.
and tracks bearing health and makes We also bought and are continuing
our lubrication program more to use thermal imaging at the site.
efficient by reducing man-hours and [Basing this statement on personal
material use. It’s also paid for itself experience], if sites would use these
by locating small compressed air three tools, i.e., vibration analysis,
leaks that would otherwise have gone lubrication analysis, and thermal
undetected. To properly use this tool imaging, they will capture great
and its software, it was imperative rewards in rotating-equipment
[for personnel] to attend a week- reliability and save significant money.
long training class provided by the The key is to buy and keep up with the
manufacturer. most modern equipment available.
We use ultrasound to detect fatigue Technologies change more rapidly
and cracks in large wheel shafts. It than most people think.
allows our technicians to trend log Finally, [plants should] provide
anomalies within the shaft that point much more professional training, for
to fatigue and impending failure. By everyone. Sites will get more for their
trend logging, we can determine when money from training than anything
to schedule shaft replacement and else. Keeping personnel trained and
eliminate breakdowns. certified will always pay off. MT
About the MT Reader Panel
The Maintenance Technology Reader Panel includes approximately 100 working
industrial-maintenance practitioners and consultants who have volunteered to
answer monthly questions prepared by our editorial staff. Panelist identities are
not revealed and their responses are not necessarily projectable. Note that our
panel welcomes new members. To be considered, email your name and contact
information to jalexander@maintenancetechnology.com with “Reader Panel” in
the subject line. All panelists are automatically included in an annual cash-prize
drawing after one year of active participation.
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 9
PLANT PROFILE

Old-School
Approach to
New-World
Technology
Colorado window and door manufacturer creates sophisticated, energy-efficient
products with tried-and-true maintenance and operations best practices.

Michelle Segrest, Contributing Editor

10 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016


Opposite page. All of Alpen’s
fiberglass insulated frames
are custom made in various
shapes, sizes, and with a
variety of operational
moving parts.
Left. Alpen stocks basic
fiberglass raw-material strips
that are cut to fit custom
orders.
EVEN IN AN ULTRAMODERN WORLD where technology
is king, a small window and door manufacturer nestled in a
valley of the majestic Colorado mountains still relies on proven
old-school techniques to keep its machines running.
Field-tech specialist David Herman uses all his senses as he
walks through the 15,000 sq.-ft. Niwot, CO, facility each day. “I
know what’s going on in the plant just from what I can hear, what
I can see, and what I can smell,” said Herman, responsible for
maintenance of all the machines at the Alpen High Performance
Products window manufacturing and assembly facility. “I know
these machines so well, I can tell from across the shop which
machine is running and if something is wrong.”
Herman has been monitoring the performance of Alpen’s
high-tech fiberglass-cutting saws, hand tools, drilling and glazing
machines, ovens, and packaging equipment for nearly four years.
“It’s a matter of being here and listening to what’s going on—it’s
all about knowing the equipment,” he said. “I like to say that
I spend quantity time versus quality time. Some people think
the other way around is best, but I think quantity time is more
important for what I do. I am here and I pay attention all the time,
so I know what doesn’t look or sound right. Of course, when you
spend enough time with the equipment, the end result is quality.”
Alpen relies on this time-tested approach to manufacture
windows and doors that have double, and in some cases, triple
the standard U. S. Department of Energy (Washington) efficiency
ratings. There is nothing old school about the technology of
combining insulated-glass units (which include a blend of
suspended coated film, inert gases, and hermetically sealed
spacers) with long-lasting durable fiberglass frames to create
windows and doors that are proven to be “almost as energy
efficient as walls,” said Alpen president Brad Begin.
“We make a world-class product from a durability standpoint,
from a reliability standpoint, and from a price-competitive stand-
point,” Begin said. “We are almost always more energy efficient
than any competitor, and we have the data to prove it.”
Alpen operates the glass-cutting and film-assembly part of the
operation from a 10,000-sq.-ft. facility in Denver. The insulated-
glass units (IGUs) are carefully shipped 36 miles north to the
SEPTEMBER 2016
PLANT PROFILE
Company history
Princeton- and Stanford-educated engineer
Robert Clark started Alpen High Performance
Products in 1981. As a founding member of
Southwall Technologies, he was instrumental
in the commercialization of suspended
coated-film technology, which was originally
developed by scientists at MIT.
“They were manufacturing just the glass for
various projects,” Maierhofer said. “It was a
unique technology focused on getting more
R value. They recognized that it’s through
the windows and doors where you lose the
most energy in a building. He operated the
company from 1981 to 2007. There was a
short stint where the company tried creating
a window division using vinyl frames in the
1990s, but the focus was more on the glass.”
Brad Begin bought the company in 2007
and immediately began looking at fiberglass
frames to enhance efforts to create the most
energy-efficient insulated windows and doors.
“Our company has been continuously
operating through a series of different legal
entities for almost three decades now,” Begin
noted. “The current structure of the company is
something we have been operating with for 4
1/2 years. The company developed around a
high-performance glass, and has evolved into
windows, doors, and ultra-efficient products in
commercial and residential applications.”
Innovation and maintenance costs are
critical components of buying decisions,
Begin said. Schools have traditionally used
aluminum frames because they are available
and relatively low maintenance. “Fiberglass
has been able to penetrate the market in
schools because it has tremendous longevity,
low maintenance and cost, and high
durability that is very similar to aluminum.”
Fiberglass frames are designed to last
50-plus years. Most glass has a useful life
of 20 to 30 years, according to Begin.
“The difference is the energy performance
and payback, which gives our products an
extraordinary benefit. Our company is growing
fast and the integration of the technologies
continues to improve. We have a spectacular
group of people here. Some have been here
for decades and know the customer-centric
ideas of what people want.”
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 11
PLANT PROFILE

1 2 3

4 1. Field-tech specialist David Herman and operations manager Tom Hassell

coordinate on maintenance projects after daily morning production meetings.

2. An Alpen worker assembles fiberglass frames, adding additional sealant in the

corners and reinforcing the edges.

3. Miter saws cut the fiberglass framing strips. A sophisticated piping system
redirects all of the dust and particles out of the saw room to keep the environment
safe and control the air quality.

4. Denver facilities manager Robert Bush checks on the insulating-glass-unit line.

Niwot facility, located about 10 miles
north of Boulder. In Niwot, the glass
units are baked to stretch/tension the
special film coating, filled with inert
gases, inserted into insulated fiberglass
casings, packed and shrink wrapped,
and then shipped directly to the
customer. Every Alpen order is custom
made. There is no mass manufacturing
and no inventory of any finished
products.
Alpen works with a broad range
of customers on projects large and
small, from single-family houses to
multi-million-dollar estates. Alpen’s
customized work can also be found
in commercial buildings of all kinds,
including McDonalds’ PlayPlaces,
museums, university campuses, and
even the Empire State Building. The
products help designers and planners
successfully meet the requirements
of virtually any high-performance
building-certification program,
including Net Zero Energy, Passive
House, LEED, and Living Building
Challenge.
Old-school
maintenance process
Because of the customized nature
of Alpen’s business, the old-school
approach translates to many of its
processes. “I use the philosophy, ‘Keep it
Simple Stupid,’” Herman said. “Usually,
if you just go to the heart of the problem,
it becomes pretty easy to fix. I am not
afraid to take anything apart. I figure, it’s
already broken. I can’t break it more. But
maybe I can fix it.”
Herman is responsible for everything
from the maintenance of sophisticated
equipment to building cabinets to
driving the truck to make customer
deliveries. He even built the lunchroom
at the Niwot facility.
“My first priority is keeping all the
machines running,” he said. “Downtime
means no money. In my spare time,
I help with field work, maybe I need
to re-wire one of our ovens, or I’ll run
the cut room. I help with anything that
needs to get done.”
This approach makes a difference.
There are only 38 employees at the
Niwot facility and seven at the Denver
plant. Still, the company manages to
produce about 40 completed window
units every day, while an average of 55
to 75 IGUs are delivered daily from the
Denver facility.
Alpen’s preventive-maintenance
program is robust. It includes regular
lubrication of all machines, including
gears and motors; calibration of the
fiberglass-cutting saws; and constant
attention to all equipment.
“Because everything we do here is
custom, everything that goes through
the machines is a different size, so they
are constantly having to be adjusted
and checked,” Herman stated. “Every
window is cut to a different size so the
saw parameters are moving constantly.
Saw blades need to be changed every
six months. The drilling CNC machines
that cut holes for the hardware latches
need constant attention.”
For bigger projects, Herman solicits
help from Robert Bush, the facilities
manager who maintains the equipment
at the Denver facility. That equip-
ment includes glass cutters, bending
machines, an edge-deletion machine,
grinding wheels, washers, presses, and a
polyurethane pump.
Herman and Bush work closely with
operations manager Tom Hassell. Each
day begins with a production meeting.
Issues that need attention are reported
to Herman and Hassell and placed on
a schedule. While Alpen uses an MRP
system, a tried-and-true scheduling
board is used to track each maintenance
project.
“With each issue we address whether

12 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016

PLANT PROFILE
1. Sheets of glass are delivered
to the Denver facility to be cut
to size and sent through the
insulated-glass line.
2. Racks of insulated glass
units are shipped with Mylar
balloons. Because the units
are made at elevation, using
either argon or krypton gases,
the balloons inflate or deflate,
depending on the elevation.
The balloons are left attached
for about 72 hours at the site to
allow the gas to stabilize before
it is cut, crimped, and tucked
beneath the glazing.
3. The glass-line staging area
is part of the production line at
the Denver Alpen facility.
a building structure that needs very
little supplemental heating or cooling
to provide year-round occupant
comfort, dramatically reducing a
home’s annual energy consumption.
■ Living Building Challenge is a group
that is manufacturing building prod-
ucts that do not have any unhealthy
ingredients. They use no off-gasing
and no red-listed items or sealants.
■ Net-Zero Energy tries to build
sustainably and create a building
envelope that uses little or no energy
for a comfortable environment.
“Everything we do is geared toward
super insulation,” Maierhofer said.
“Insulation is measured in terms of R
value. Typical builder-grade windows
have an R value of 2 or 3. Our windows
start at an R value of closer to 6, and top
out at an R value of 10. These products
are well suited for cold-weather condi-
tions. It’s all about keeping the cold out.
Some climates have intense heat, and
we need to keep the cold in and keep
the heat out. When people want super
energy-efficient technology, that’s when
they approach us.”
A focus on safety
Every day, Alpen works with glass and
glass breaks.
“Sometimes this causes a problem,
but it is just part of what we prepare
14 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
1
2
for,” Herman said. “However, it is not as
fragile as you think, and there are tricks
to handling it. I can’t remember the last
time we had a cut injury.”
Alpen created custom-built pallets
to transport the IGUs from Denver to
Niwot. In the packaging process, wood
crates with handles are built for each
unit, corner protectors are added, and
the entire assembly is heavily shrink-
wrapped.
“It’s all about the way you handle it
and an attention to safety,” Maierhofer
said. “We have racks and carts with
padding. We handle with care and
move slowly.”
The flat glass used to manufacture
the IGUs is delivered to the Denver
facility in 72 x 96-in. sheets, where it
is scored and cut to size. Hassell said
the company experiences very little
breakage.
“We keep track of the waste due to
breakage, and it’s extremely minimal,”
Hassell said. “One thing that helps
us minimize that is we have a core
group of people who have been in
this industry for 10-plus years. The
experience and expertise of our people
makes a big difference. Also, we have a
simplified way of cutting glass. Some of
it is predicated on the volume. We have
a glass cutter who cuts the sheets on
a table using a T-cutter. He scores the
3
glass and then breaks the score. It’s then
racked and goes to the line.”
A different kind of cutting takes
place in Niwot, where the long pieces of
fiberglass must be cut to size at various
lengths and angles. This presents
another safety issue that must be
addressed. “We are cutting fiberglass.
It looks like wood, but this is glass,”
Hassell said. “Cutting it creates a lot of
dust and this is not stuff you want to
breathe. We use ventilation masks and
all the saws are connected to a dust-
collection system that channels the dust
and other particles through pipes and
into a storage tank. That room is very
clean, safe, and dust-free because we
mastered the ability to control the dust.”
A safety program was initiated
several years ago that involves a
committee with participants from each
department. According to Hassell, “We
focus on things like keeping the aisles
clean, checking and certifying the fire
extinguishers once a month, ensuring
nothing is in front of the electrical
panels, and other worker-safety issues
are addressed.” MT
Michelle Segrest has been a professional
journalist for 27 years. She specializes in
the industrial processing industries and
has toured manufacturing facilities in 33
cities in six countries on three continents.
SEPTEMBER 2016
SAVE
THE
DATE
VOICE FROM THE FIELD
Art Meets
Reliability Science
Lawrence Gardner uses his artistic background to craft well-designed reliability
and maintenance programs for the Univ. of South Alabama Medical Center.
Michelle Segrest, Contributing Editor
EACH DAY, LAWRENCE GARDNER looks at a blank
canvas and finds new ways to paint a masterpiece. Whether it’s
sketching a plan that creates more space for beds in a trauma
center or designing effective preparedness plans for intense
weather events that can attack the Southeastern Gulf Coast,
Gardner finds a way to make the brush strokes blend together.
Gardner once had aspirations of becoming a civil engineer,
but it didn’t take long into his first calculus class for him to
decide to switch gears. He is artistic and loves to sketch, paint,
and create silk-screen designs and ceramic sculptures, so his
career pursuit took a dramatic turn.
He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Art Educa-
tion degrees and became an art teacher. The career suited him,
but earning enough money to support his wife and four sons
became an impossible task. The solution was to combine his
engineering goals with his artistic talent. Now, after 32 years as
a reliability and maintenance professional at the Univ. of South
Alabama (USA) Medical Center, Mobile, the director of facilities
management flexes his artistic muscles in a different way.
“Every day I am designing, sketching, and drawing plans for
different projects,” the 65-yr.-old said of his job with the center.
“We do many renovations in an organization like this. We are
constantly creating plans to send to a draftsman, who then
creates a CAD file for contractors or for our own staff to use. I
use my art degree every day.”
While the career path was different than most reliability and
maintenance professionals, it has helped Gardner be diverse and
creative in his primary responsibility of daily problem solving for
16 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
the facilities that make up the 525,000-sq.-ft. campus.
“I feel like every step in my career path has been directed
at getting me to a level of competencies and skill sets that are
perfect for this job that I have today,” Gardner said. “Facilities
management is not that far a cry from being an artist or an art
teacher. It depends on what part of your mind you need to use.
When it comes to managing people, I use different types of
motivation to push people to the maximum of their competen-
cies. It’s important to me that every person on my staff has the
opportunity to excel to their greatest potential.”
Life and death management
The USA Medical Center is a Level 1 trauma center for the
southwest-Alabama region, in particular the Mobile Bay
area and southern Mississippi. The next closest Level 1
trauma center is the Univ. of Alabama-Birmingham, located
nearly 300 miles north. The USA facility is also the regional
burn-treatment center, including occupational and physical
therapy.
The medical center was originally built in the 1960s as a
county general hospital. The university purchased it from
Mobile County around 1975. The goal was for the hospital to
integrate its medical school students and have attending physi-
cians who would double as associate professors in the College of
Medicine. The campus also includes a facility formerly known
as Providence Hospital. It covers another 500,000 sq. ft. of
physician offices and clinics.
Gardner is responsible for anything that has to do with the
SEPTEMBER 2016

Opposite page. Gardner was instrumental in securing grant
funding that led to a building-automation system and
replacing the 50-year-old boilers at the USA Medical Center,
Mobile, AL. All images courtesy of USA Health/
Marketing & Communications
Lawrence’s Top 5 Tips
1. Positive customer-service
Lawrence
outcomes are essential for a job
Gardner
well done.
2. Timely preventive maintenance
saves untimely and unexpected system
downtime that can negatively affect
our environment of care.
3. Educating, motivating, and monitoring technical
staff in daily duties and responsibilities is essential
in knowing that your personnel are competent and
providing responses to the organization’s needs.
4. Plan for and train staff and support subcontrac-
tors and vendors for the potential of disasters and
emergency-utilities and/or acts-of-God shutdowns that
require extraordinary responsiveness and coordination
to resolve the issues and support the organization’s
mission.
5. Keep the organization’s administration informed of
risks and recommendations to overcome the ramifica-
tions if those risks are not addressed in a timely and
effective manner.
physical plant, including renovations, new construction,
modernization, and all equipment maintenance. This
involves everything from elevator maintenance to
heating and air-conditioning systems, electrical systems,
generators, and medical equipment.
“If it’s part of the building, it belongs to our depart-
ment,” Gardner said. “From the roofs all the way down
to the basements, we maintain anything and everything.”
Gardner’s team at the main campus includes 18 full-time
employees (technicians, electricians, plumbers), six of whom
are supervisors. Subcontractors are also occasionally used. In
addition to this role, which he has held for seven years, he has
worked at three different hospital systems in his 32-year career.
The medical center has a 130-bed capacity. During a trauma
event, the facility may treat as many as 150 patients. There are
about 1,200 medical professionals in the system and another 600
who work at the clinics and with the physicians.
Prioritization and problem solving
For Gardner’s maintenance team, challenges come in the
form of medical-trauma emergencies and all that results
from maintaining buildings that are almost six decades old.
“First and foremost, we are problem solvers,” he said. “We
SEPTEMBER 2016
VOICE FROM THE FIELD
are a customer-service-driven organization. We are here for
everyone from the nurse managers to the IT guys to the kitchen
dietary folks. We may get a call from the operating room saying
the light over the operating table is out of balance. Or perhaps a
floor drain is stopped up in the kitchen or a radiologist is having
difficulty with his equipment. With such an old facility, we are
dealing with systems that are a living, breathing organism.
We are challenged with a huge variety of needs from
1,800 people.”
For prioritization, Gardner uses a systematic
approach that is part of routine maintenance.
“We have a supervisor who is charged with analyzing
the requests that come in through our preventive-
maintenance program or our maintenance-request
program,” he explained. “He issues the work orders to the
different mechanics. If it is something above or beyond the
requests that would normally be handled by that group, they
run it up the flagpole to another level of supervision to analyze
if it is something we can do internally. If it’s something we need
to review as far as a project that needs an outside contractor or
is a project that is beyond our maintenance staff ’s capabilities, it
is reviewed as a future capital project. This requires submitting
an estimate that goes to an administrator and then goes through
a formal financial-review process to be approved so it can be
budgeted.”
When patients’ lives are at stake, it puts added pressure on
the maintenance team to keep all operations running smoothly.
“Our responsibility is maintaining a continuity of operations
24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” Gardner
stated. “We have patients who are hooked up to life-saving
devices. Some of the operating rooms must maintain a specific
Lawrence’s Credentials
■ Bachelor of Science ■ Construction Management
■ Master of Arts ■ Maintenance Management
■ 32 Years of Experience ■ Facilities Management
■ Operations Management
temperature. There is a level of air quality needed, so we must
carefully maintain the filters throughout all systems. We are
dealing with buildings built 55 years ago. The design at the time
may have been just right, but with new codes and regulations,
we must make adjustments and deal with ongoing problems
all the time. We must find solutions, while providing excellent
service in a building that is showing its age.”
Gardner implements a priority rating system. It includes
bullet points that ask key questions such as:
■ Is this a safety issue?
■ Who is at risk?
■ Is this a regulatory requirement?
There is a point scale and projects are ranked according
to urgency and impact on the organization. Gardner’s team
handles between 7,000 and 8,000 work-order requests each year.
“We have preventive-maintenance programs where we have
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 17
VOICE FROM THE FIELD
The Univ. of South
Alabama Medical
Center in Mobile is the
region’s only Level 1
Trauma Center.
established protocols, processes, and
procedures based on either manufac-
turer’s recommendations or our own
risk analysis on particular pieces of
equipment, utilities, or devices,” Gardner
stated. “We rank based on the potential
timing needs. For instance, filtration of
air in operating rooms has high priority.
Those filters get clogged with all these
dust particles and microns of dirt and
can cut down the supply of air going into
the room and contaminate the air. If the
manufacturer says normally you can
change these every year we might change
ours every nine months so this goes into
our preventive-maintenance scheduling.”
Sometimes special circumstances
require creative outside-the-box
thinking. “For example, we needed to
replace an air-conditioning unit, but
shutting down an intensive-care unit
in a trauma hospital is not an option,”
Gardner said. “The unit was 15 feet wide,
55 feet long, and 10 feet tall, and you
just can’t disassemble it and put another
one in its place the same day. So, we
came up with a solution where we added
another unit on the roof adjacent to the
old one, ran all the chilled-water piping,
hot-water piping, electrical, wiring, duct
work, etc., and tied it all together to the
power and new breaker panel. We did
this in about a six-hour period and made
sure it happened on a cool winter night.
The old unit is still sitting there because it
doesn’t make sense to move it.”
“These are the type of things you have
to do in a healthcare organization to be
able to provide that continuity of services
18 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
so that customer service in the environ-
ment of care is not compromised and
nobody knows that we are even here.”
Disaster preparedness
Hurricanes and tropical storms are
common on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.
Most emergency generators are
powered by diesel engines, Gardner
said. The diesel fuel is provided by a
service vendor who also occasionally
fills the tank. When a hurricane is
approaching, one of the first things
that is checked is the fuel level, and
trauma centers generally get priority.
The team had learned lessons from
Hurricane Katrina in 2005. When
Hurricane Ike barreled through the
Southern Gulf Coast in 2008 it caused
power outages throughout the region.
The fuel-terminal electric motor needed
to pump the diesel into the trucks was
inoperable, with no normal power avail-
able. A tidal surge flooded the area near
the waterfront, and the trucks could not
get to the terminals. With no mechanism
to pump the fuel from the trucks to the
tanks, Gardner and his team had to call
other providers to find a solution.
“Of course we have a disaster plan
in place,” Gardner said. “And we are a
trauma center, so we don’t close. Our
plan includes having roofing contractors,
window contractors, and others in place
to take care of damage. But sometimes
unforeseen things happen, and we have
to solve these problems in a hurry.”
About five years ago, on a blistering
day in August, it was 97 F and humidity
was 98%. One of the facility’s two 1,000-
ton chillers went into alarm. When the
second chiller was turned on, it operated
for about 10 minutes and then shut
down. Normally, each chiller operates
for three months, then rests for three
months, and the two chillers operate on
this cycle.
“On the hottest day of the year, we
had 140 patients, all of our staff, and no
air conditioning,” Gardner said. “Again,
we had to figure out a solution. We
started checking the vendors and found
a 1,000-ton chiller that was a skid mount
in Baton Rouge. We got an emergency
purchase order, they loaded it on a truck
and sent it our way. But you can’t just
take an outside unit on a trailer, plug it in,
push a button, and have it run. You have
to have all the piping for the condensate
water and the chilled water. So we got
our local plumbing and piping contractor
to do hot taps on four 12-inch pipes to
provide chilled water for condensation
supply and return. We also had to figure
out the electrical. The short story for
a long event is that the trailer arrived
11 hours from the original shut down.
The piping contractor finished two
hours later. About five hours after that,
we had the chiller running. Inside, the
building had reached 87 degrees. There
was a thunderstorm a few hours later,
and lightning zapped the 480-V power
breaker. We had obstacle after obstacle. It
took about four days to get the building
back to the normal 72 degrees.”
This scenario is an anomaly outside
of what you would reasonably expect,
SEPTEMBER 2016

Lawrence’s Best Advice
for R&M Professionals
“Anticipate potential failures and be
prepared to develop and provide solu-
tions prior to their actual occurrences.
In the final analysis, you want your
customers to never know you were even
there because they would never miss a
beat. If you are doing your job right, you
should be invisible.”
Gardner added. “We were able to use
our assets, our subcontractors, and our
vendors to pull together a team with
a mission to get something done and
make a major correction. If we had not
been able to do that, they would have
had to send patients in these 140 beds
to other facilities for care. You just use
your experience and common sense of
problem solving to be able to come up
with solutions with the right people at the
right time. You become a conductor who
must conduct an orchestra.”
Another success story
When Gardner arrived at the USA
Medical Center seven years ago, there
was no building-automation system in
place. He took the initiative to apply
for the U.S. Department of Energy’s
(Washington) Energy Efficiency
Conservation Block Grant. Each state
was given a percentage of the block-
grant funding. However, states were the
recipients and governmental agencies
within each state were acceptable
applicants with an exception that state
universities were not included.
“I asked permission from my super-
visor to approach the City of Mobile and
see if they would apply on our behalf,”
Gardner said. “When I approached them,
they said no because they had projects
they wanted to apply for themselves. So,
I went to other cities within Mobile and
Baldwin counties and asked them if they
intended to apply. The majority of them
had no idea what I was talking about. I
found three who were willing to apply on
our behalf.”
The grant maximum for each applicant
was $250,000. Gardner filled out the
applications for three cities, attended
their council meetings, and made the
SEPTEMBER 2016
VOICE FROM THE FIELD
presentation encouraging them to vote
to approve the three awards totaling
$750,000 for the Univ. of South Vibration goes High Definition
Alabama Medical Center. Gardner
hand delivered the applications to the
Alabama Department of Economic
Development. Five months later,
he received letters confirming the
medical center had received the largest
block grant in Alabama. The grant
stipulated that 50% would be spent
for a building-automation system and
50% would go toward a heat-recovery
chiller system to replace 50-year-old
steam boilers.
“It took us two years to get it all done,”
Gardner said. “But the building-automa-
tion system is the backbone system that
covers every building on campus and the
majority of the large air-handling equip-
ment. The chiller plant is also covered,
so we can go in the computer and see in
real time what is going on with these big A new era in vibration monitoring
air handlers. We can pre-program their gives you unprecedented
operations, all their set points, and control pre-warning times
the environment through this computer
system.” SPM - a condition monitoring
The heat-recovery chillers were using solution provider - solves main-
energy to produce the chilled plant water. tenance problems across the
Now, heat that is produced from the hot world in all branches of industry.
chillers is extracted from the condensate
water. “We basically get free hot water
IMVAC is a MUST ATTEND event
because we have already paid for the for vibration analysts, condition
energy to make chilled water,” Gardner monitoring technicians, and main-
explained. tenance/reliability managers. SPM
The savings are averaging $300,000 a is one of the premier sponsors.
year, which he says is easily the biggest
achievement in energy efficiency in the Please come visit us in booth 10.
history of the organization.
Gardner and his team have since
been able to address other low-hanging
fruit. Another energy-efficiency project,
conducted in conjunction with Alabama For more information
www.vibrationconference.com
Power, is saving the system $600,000
annually.
“Projects like this make me proud
because I know that we are really making OCT 31 - NOV 2, 2016
a difference,” he stated. MT Orlando, Florida
Michelle Segrest has been a professional
journalist for 27 years. She has covered the
industrial processing industries for nine
years. If you know of a maintenance and/
or reliability professional who is making a SPM Instrument Inc.
difference at their facility, please drop her Tel. 1-800-505-5636
an email at michelle@navigatecontent.com. spminstrument.us
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 19
SAFETY STRATEGIES

Commit to
SAFETY
An injury-free workplace should be ingrained in all daily
functions and fully supported at all levels of the company.
Al Poling, CMRP, RAM Analytics LLC

MAINTENANCE WORKERS ARE EXPOSED to an example for this responsibility; they don’t delegate it.
countless hazards every day. Historically, injuries were Remember that workers emulate their leaders. Accord-
considered inevitable, a result of risk associated with certain ingly, leaders must be visibly committed to injury-free
types of work. Many believed that injuries were a natural performance. Any weak link, either a salaried or hourly
consequence of the industries in which we chose to work person, will jeopardize the entire effort. Individuals who fail
(in my case, chemicals, petrochemicals, and refining). It to comply must be dealt with swiftly and effectively. More to
wasn’t until I lost a coworker that I not only the point, safety deviations, i.e., behavioral
recognized that injuries could be prevented, non-compliance, aren’t to be tolerated—
but committed myself to the concept of anywhere—in an operation.
injury-free performance. Committing Safety leadership begins with a clearly
As with the overwhelming percentage to injury-free articulated vision: injury-free performance.
of workplace deaths, my coworker had This vision must be communicated, continu-
violated critical safety protocols. While performance calls ally reinforced, and supported by expecta-
there’s no antidote for poor judgment and, tions that align with the desired result.
therefore, no guarantee that injuries will for leadership, Consider the following aspects of a complete
be prevented, adopting the proven main- something that safety program.
tenance-safety best practices outlined here Safety can’t be bought. Resist the
will reduce risk and lower the probability of often seems to be temptation to buy the latest off-the-shelf
such incidents. safety program or methodology. Also avoid
lacking when it the flavor du jour practice of taking different
Importance of leadership comes to safety. trendy approaches to safety and hoping one
Achieving injury-free performance requires or more catches on. Hope is not a strategy.
exploiting every opportunity to reduce Workers will see through these schemes and,
risk and, thereby, avoid injuries. Committing to that type of consequently, won’t take safety seriously.
performance, though, calls for leadership, something that Leaders, however, must be willing to allocate resources,
often seems to be lacking when it comes to safety. i.e., auditors, technicians, and supervisors, to drive safety
To reach world-class levels of safety performance in a improvement. Although all workers can have a profound
plant or facility, there must be a heartfelt belief throughout effect on safety, they must be empowered, as well as encour-
the operation that injuries are preventable. Although some aged, to intervene if they perceive unacceptable risks.
individuals may claim to have no control over it, success—or People must be held accountable. Safety goals and objec-
failure—isn’t a matter of happenstance. Safety really is tives begin at the top and provide a means to hold people
everybody’s responsibility. Leaders, however, personally set accountable. To be effective, objectives must be specific

20 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016

 SAFETY STRATEGIES

and measurable. While they begin with top Tips for Structured, Predefined
management, these objectives must cascade Safety-Training Programs
down through the organization to the shop
floor. Performance evaluations, in turn, The importance of plant and facility safety training can’t be overstated. It’s
should include a review of safety-performance mandatory. Best practices call for safety training to start with site- and unit-
objectives. Individual accountability is impera- specific safety orientations for new hires, as well as contractors. Such orientations
tive if risks are to be mitigated and injuries are to set clear expectations on day one for those involved in regular site operations,
be avoided. capital projects, and turnarounds. New-employee orientation should include
leadership participation to reinforce the importance of injury-free operations.
While management and supervisory personnel
When it comes to the specifics of ongoing maintenance safety training, be
should be rewarded for positive safety perfor-
sure to:
mance, there also must be consequences for failing
■ Train workers on risk recognition and analysis, i.e., show them how
to deliver safe performance. That means every
to interpret safety performance and understand its relative importance.
level of management must be held accountable—
Furthermore, provide them with training on the processes in which they
without exception.
work so they have a fundamental understanding of what's going on inside
Individual workers must be held accountable.
the equipment and any hazards associated with it. Note that process
Positive behaviors should be reinforced through
training of maintenance workers is now a part of OSHA 1910.119 Process
recognition and reward. Conversely, unsafe
Safety Management.
behaviors must have consequences, including
■ Capture and communicate safety performance so all personnel are aware.
termination, if warranted. Ultimately, everyone
■ Make housekeeping everybody’s responsibility. This saves the time and
at a site must be held accountable if injury-free
expense of having laborers clean up after others—the image of which
performance is to be achieved.
simply reinforces the misconception that safety isn’t everybody’s respon-
Policies and procedures are crucial. Policies
sibility. Develop exceptional discipline relative to housekeeping, including
are strategic and set expectations. Procedures are
the use of regular inspections.
tactical and specify actions. Procedures should be
■ Identify resident crane and rigging subject-matter experts (SMEs) who can
written and verified by people with “real world”
review and approve all critical lifts.
experience. Garner input from workers who will
■ Confirm the safety performance of crane companies and operators/
be subject to the respective procedure.
contractors (see contractor safety sidebar). Don’t accept safety programs
Policies and procedures must be audited to
as a substitute for demonstrated safety performance. Establish criteria, i.e.,
ensure they are being followed. Policies must
certifications, for all internal and external crane operators.
clearly state their objective, e.g., isolation of energy
■ Develop, implement, update, and store lifting plans for easy future
sources in a lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedure. A
reference.
policy or procedure should be evaluated based on
■ Make safety meetings mandatory, structured, and interactive. Such meet-
how well it meets its stated objective. Root-cause
ings are a critical component in driving safety performance.
analysis (RCA) can aid in this process. In addition:
■ Provide detailed training on all life-critical subjects, i.e., LOTO, confined
■ Use flowcharts to graphically illustrate proce-
space entry, focusing on areas of greatest risk.
dural process flows or decision trees.
■ Include relevant off-the-job hazards as part of safety training, including
■ Clearly define roles and responsibilities—
areas such hunting, boating, chainsaw operation, weather emergencies,
include safety requirements in job descriptions.
and defensive driving.
■ Use RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted,
■ Avoid stale and ineffective training programs and recognize that computer-
informed) charts, where appropriate, to facili-
based training programs have limitations.
tate understanding of roles and responsibilities.
■ Invite internal and/or external SMEs and other plant personnel to conduct
Reporting must be consistent. Ensure
training.
prompt reporting of incidents and injuries with
■ Use innovation and interaction to keep interest high, i.e., consider role-
consequences for failure to report or to report in a
playing techniques and leverage personal testimony, which can be very
timely manner.
compelling.
Implement an injury-management process
■ Conduct regular toolbox safety talks to engage workers and employ visual
to help avoid the mischaracterization of
aids to enhance and sustain awareness.
injuries by medical professionals. Given the
■ Conduct interdepartmental safety training, e.g., LOTO with operations and
fact that personnel in off-site doctors offices,
maintenance, where responsibilities are shared.
medical-clinics, and hospital emergency rooms
■ Recognize the seasonality of some training, i.e., hot/cold weather hazards.
aren’t always familiar with OSHA regulations and
■ Use giveaways to emphasize themes, such as safety glasses to promote
reporting, a less-severe injury could be inappropri-
eye protection.
ately classified as more severe. This isn’t to suggest Finally, make it a point to constantly garner feedback from safety-training
injured workers should not receive expert medical participants and measure (anonymously) their comprehension. That’s one of the
care: They definitely should! The difference best ways to ensure the effectiveness of these training efforts.
between recommending a prescription medication

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 21

SAFETY STRATEGIES
and an equally effective over-the-
counter medication, though, can be
the difference between a recordable
and a non-recordable injury.
Plant and facility staffs should
include personnel with some
degree of medical background
or training and a strong grasp of
injury-reporting requirements.
These types of individuals should
always accompany injured workers
to off-site clinics, doctor offices,
and/or hospital emergency rooms
to assure prompt and effective
treatment and correct reporting.
Strategic plans must address
safety. Safety should be an inherent
part of strategic plans—corporate,
site, and department. Compliance
with safety procedures must be
mandatory, and failure to follow
or enforce them will result in
non-compliant behavior.
To be sure, safety policies and
procedures must be realistic.
Procedures should address specific
regulations and/or hazards.
Procedure compliance (especially
critical procedures) should be
verified through audits (see below).
Any procedural exceptions need to
be identified up front and formally
approved. Sites, however, should be
judicious in granting any exceptions.
Recognize that willful deviations
in safety procedures increase risk and
liability. Therefore, effective safety
policies, procedures, and programs
must be easily understood. Include the
following:
■ Procedures should be written in
layman’s terms (avoiding legal or
technical jargon). Include helpful
references for those seeking addi-
tional information, such as applicable
OSHA regulations.
■ Make procedures readily available to
anyone who needs them. Key word
search-ability helps workers find
the appropriate procedure for their
application.
■ Review and update safety procedures
through an appropriate frequency
based on criticality, regulatory
changes, and other parameters.
22 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
Contractor Safety Matters
The use of maintenance contractors is inevitable. Thus,
their selection and management is critical to support and
sustain an injury-free workplace. Consider the following
best practices:
■ Select contractors based on safety
performance (OSHA 1910.119).
■ Base contractor selection on actual
safety performance, not the contractor’s
reported safety programs. Establish
contractor safety-selection criteria, e.g.,
better half performers using Bureau of
Labor Statistics data (current chemical industry
TRIR is 2.3 and refining is 1.7).
■ Include a cancellation clause in contracts to the
effect that if poor safety performance warrants, the
contractor can be expelled from the site.
■ Set a high bar for exceptions, such as sole-source
contractors. Require leadership approval for any
exceptions. Make exception mitigation rigorous.
■ Use dedicated contractor supervisors for contractor
management and oversight.
■ Establish a contractor steering team to set policy.
■ Maintain an active contractor safety council with
company and contractor participation.
■ Designate a mentor for each primary contractor
and hold him or her accountable for the perfor-
mance of their respective contractor(s).
Safety audits are essential. This
means conducting announced and
unannounced audits with internal and
external auditors. Sites should also
implement a plant manager’s safety-
inspection program.
The plant manager’s safety-inspection
team should conduct an unannounced
inspection at least once a month.
Members of the inspection team should
be assigned specific safety policies,
procedures, and/or regulations to audit
and re-inspect units or work areas
to ensure that previously identified
deficiencies have been addressed. Note
that this type of team demonstrates
that management is actively and visibly
engaged in safety. Members should be
trained (see safety-training sidebar) and
thoroughly familiar with the policies
and procedures they’re auditing.
The inspection team should use
a corrective-action tracking system
for non-compliance that includes
due dates and overdue
notifications. Although
a simple spreadsheet will
suffice, there are inexpensive
software programs that track
every action item through
completion. They include
an interface to the plant
email system and send
out notices and reminders
of the status of corrective
actions, especially those that
are overdue.
It’s also important for
inspectors to employ a
structured root-cause analysis
process or methodology
that helps them identify
root causes and contributing
factors, along with specific
corrective actions for each
root cause and contributing
factor. Based on that informa-
tion, corrective actions can
be implemented and, where
practical, hazards can be
engineered out.
Internal safety auditors/
inspectors need to stay
informed about pertinent
industry incidents, evaluate
internal application of that information,
and confirm compliance and mitiga-
tion. Doing so involves participating in
near-miss reporting activities, including
investigation, if warranted. They should
also analyze near-miss data to identify
recurring problems and initiate preven-
tive action(s). In doing this work, it may
be helpful for inspection-team members
to leverage advanced statistical methods
with safety data to discern trends that
may not be obvious to the untrained
observer.
Keep in mind that a job safety
analysis (JSA) should be performed
prior to commencing any maintenance
work. Risk assessments should be a part
of the JSA process.
Measuring and monitoring is
key. You can’t manage what you don’t
measure. Accordingly, sites must
measure and monitor safety to manage
and sustain injury-free performance.
That means tracking and reporting such
SEPTEMBER 2016
 SAFETY STRATEGIES

performance, including trending. Among other things:
■ Capture, report, and analyze near misses.
■ Develop, implement, and communicate a site-safety
scorecard in a highly visible way.
■ Employ leading and lagging indicators.
■ Use a robust, corrective-action tracking process, not just for
root-cause items, but for all safety-related issues.
Al Poling has more than 35 years of reliability and maintenance
experience and is a Certified Maintenance and Reliability
Professional (CMRP). His consultancy, RAM Analytics, is located
in Houston. For more information and/or to offer additional
safety tips, contact him at al.poling@ramanalytics.net.
LEARN MORE For additional information, see:

Strengthening commitment “Partnering for Safety”

In summary, injury-free performance begins with a personal maintenancetechnology.com/2008/03/partnering-for-safety/
commitment from those in a position to set expectations. “Basic Safety Considerations”
Individual accountability is a prerequisite, without which maintenancetechnology.com/2012/06/the-fundamen-
improvement efforts will be ineffective. tals-basic-safety-considerations/
A comprehensive safety strategy provides a roadmap “All Maintenance Must Be Intelligence-Based’
and should be supported with realistic goals and objectives. maintenancetechnology.com/2011/04/all-maintenance-
must-be-intelligence-based/
Managing safety policies and procedures and soliciting input
from those to whom they will apply are crucial aspects of “Frequently Cited OSHA Safety Violations...”
maintenancetechnology.com/2014/09/frequently-cited-
robust safety programs and associated training—which should
osha-safety-violations-avoid/
engage employees and contractors alike. Measuring and
“5 Steps to a Safer Manufacturing Facility”
reporting safety performance continuously, and educating
maintenancetechnology.com/2014/12/5-steps-safer-
workers so they know how to recognize and analyze risks and manufacturing-facility-2/
interpret results are key.
“Train, Audit Electrical Workers: It’s Mandatory”
In the process, your operations will be making safety, and,
maintenancetechnology.com/2015/07/train-audit-electrical-
by extension, a commitment to injury-free performance, a workers-its-mandatory/
core value, not a mere slogan. MT

BOARD MEMBER COMPANIES:

LOOK FOR US AT THE

SMRP CONFERENCE
Since its inception in 1990, the Maintenance Excellence Roundtable (MER)
has served as a coalition of plant-engineering practitioners engaged in October 17-20, 2016
advancing asset-management practices. The collaborative approach to MER
provides our members with the opportunity to establish external network
relationships with peer industry experts.

Looking for ways to benchmark your

organization and advance its capabilities?
MER is accepting appplications for two open board-member companies interested in
advancing their knowledge and skills in reliability and maintenance and building their
professional networking and business connections. Areas of collaboration include: FOR MEMBERSHIP
INFORMATION CONTACT:
■ Technical Leadership Development Rebekah Wojak, CMRP
■ Asset-Management Practices 2016 MER Chair
Tel: 812-230-6088
■ Industry Benchmarking Data & Metrics rebekah.wojak-1@dupont.com
■ Organizational Health & Design Jason Vaughan, CMRP
■ Maintenance Management Systems & ERP 2016 MER Co-Chair
Tel: 609-963-6324
■ Recruiting & Technical Capabilities jason.vaughan@fmc.com

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 23

SAFETY STRATEGIES
Robot-Human
Interaction
Getting Safer
Advanced technologies are allowing
people to safely work in close
proximity to and react with robots
in manufacturing settings.
Jane Alexander
Managing Editor
COLLABORATIVE ROBOTIC APPLICATIONS are
fundamentally changing the way people and machines interact
on the plant floor. This collaboration allows manufacturers and
industrial operators to combine the strength, repeatability, and
tirelessness of machines with the flexibility, adaptability, and
intelligence of humans. The result is an unmatched combina-
tion that improves production efficiency and flexibility, while
also reducing the physical burden on humans. Such capabilities
are more important than ever as companies seek new ways to
retain their skilled but aging workers.
According to George Schuster of Milwaukee-based Rockwell
Automation (rockwellautomation.com), a key enabler of
collaborative robotic applications is the safety technology
that allows plant personnel and robots to share the same
workspace with less risk of human injury. Advancements in
this technology are reducing the need for safety cages, freeing
floor space, saving money, and increasing flexibility in the way
robots are used on the plant floor.
As Schuster points out, safety technology is increasingly
embedded in the robot and in the cell controller. Sophisticated
sensors, safety controllers, and communication networks
provide real-time safety data that allow robots to automatically
respond to potential incidents, such as coming into contact
with an operator. Referencing standards provided by the
Robotic Industries Association, Ann Arbor, MI, (robotics.org)
and various safety-standards bodies that offer guidance on
how robots and humans can work together, he provided the
following insight.
Implementing collaborative robotics
A robot is not collaborative by itself. A collaborative robot is
only one part of a collaborative robotic application—and it
doesn’t achieve safety compliance on its own. “The way the
24 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
system is designed,” Schuster noted, “is critical for optimizing
worker safety and enabling compliance.”
According to standards ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 and ISO
10218, the term “collaborative robotics” describes an automati-
cally operated robot system sharing the same workspace with a
human. There are four types of collaborative operations:
■ Safety-rated monitored stop: This method is the most
common and has been used in industrial operations for
many years. Sensors in the safety-control system detect
human presence and immediately stop the robot if a person
gets too close. This is commonly used when people and
robots are working in close proximity or with overlapping
work envelopes. For example, a worker can load parts
directly onto a robot end-effector while it is in a safe-stop
condition. This can help improve productivity because the
machine can keep running independent from the robot.
■ Hand-guiding operation: This less-common method allows
operators to manually control or reposition the robot for its
next task. The operator is in direct contact with the robot
arm and can reposition it with hand controls. This generally
doesn’t work well for tasks that require fast speeds.
■ Speed and separation monitoring: Allows operators and
robots to work in the same space while maintaining suffi-
cient distance from each other. If a human comes too close
to a robot, sensors will trigger the robot to slow down or
stop. New safety-sensor technology is making this capability
more popular in industrial operations.
■ Power and force limiting: If a robot accidentally comes into
contact with a human, it reduces its force or torque so the
human isn’t hurt. This is an emerging method and argu-
ably the least commonly implemented. The robot needs to
actually come into contact with a human before it knows to
stop. Implementing this method requires understanding the
SEPTEMBER 2016

relationship between different levels of
force and pain thresholds on various
parts of the human body. Studies are
being conducted to explore and imple-
ment the power- and force-limiting
method. For example, standard ISO/
TS 15066 outlines findings from
one study on pain tolerance, which
includes a list of maximum force
and pressure levels for each part of
the human body to help determine
power and force limits. The standard
provides some guidance on how to
conduct a risk assessment for each
part of the human body that could
come into contact with a robot.
While most of these methods are
intended to prevent humans from
coming into physical contact with
robots and machinery, Schuster
reminds end users that it’s still crucial
to follow the functional safety lifecycle
when designing collaborative robotic
applications. “The lifecycle, as defined
by ISO 12100 and ANSI B11:0,” he said,
“includes conducting a risk assessment
SEPTEMBER 2016
as the first step, followed by defining
functional specifications, using proper
guarding, and completing verification
and validation testing. Following the
safety lifecycle is increasingly important
as humans and machines work more
closely together.”
Assessing risk
A proper risk assessment evaluates the
way humans, machinery, and robots
interact with each other during all modes
of operation. “This type of assessment,”
Schuster explained, “helps identify all
of the ways a human could potentially
come into contact with a robot, evaluate
the associated level of risk, and mitigate
that risk using appropriate measures.”
ISO/TS 15066 provides guidance for
the design of collaborative workspaces
and how to conduct a risk assessment
for collaborative-robot applications.
It supplements ISO 10218-1 and ISO
10218-2. In addition, RIA TR R15.306
provides a recommended methodology
for conducting task-based risk assess-
SAFETY STRATEGIES
ments to meet the standard.
Collaborative robotics usefulness
spans different sectors and applications,
from taking over repetitive and heavy-lift
tasks, to handling complex assemblies.
However, getting there will involve
adopting new standards, tools, and
risk-analysis methods.
“Organizations that embrace these
changes,” Schuster concluded, “will be
better positioned to realize the many
efficiency and productivity gains afforded
by collaborative robots while optimizing
worker safety and compliance.” MT
George Schuster is the TÜV functional
safety expert (FSExp), business develop-
ment manager at Rockwell Automation,
Milwaukee. Experts from the company
will speak about collaborative robotics and
related technology at the Safety Leader-
ship Conference, Sept. 19 to 21, 2016,
in Pittsburgh. Learn more about these
sessions and the Smart Manufacturing
track, sponsored by Rockwell Automation
at safetyleadershipconference.com.
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 25
SAFETY STRATEGIES

Sanitary, Stainless
Conveyors Not the Same
Understanding crucial design
terminology and distinctions between Jane Alexander
two conveyor types can help save time, Managing Editor
money, and headaches in plants.

MANY FACTORS DRIVE FOOD processors to

In a true sanitary conveyor, every part
can be reached with water, soap, or
other cleaning agents and the design
eliminates any chance of product
collection and bacteria growth.
upgrade their conveyor systems to a more sanitary
platform. These include the Food Safety Moderniza-
tion Act (FSMA), which takes a more proactive
approach toward food safety by adding safeguards
to try and prevent contamination or problems from
occurring within the nation’s food supply in the
first place. Regulatory compliance notwithstanding,
companies simply can’t afford to have a contamina-
tion outbreak traced back to poor sanitary designs
in their equipment. The risks to their reputation and
their customers’ well being are too great.
As operators scrutinize ways to improve their
food-processing practices and stay ahead of the
FSMA, it’s quite common to decide to install new
sanitary conveyors. It’s a sound decision, given that
conveyors often come in direct contact with food,
especially on the processing side. This equipment
clearly needs to be built with strong sanitary
attributes to eliminate any chance of contamination.
Not all “sanitary” conveyors are built the
same, however. John Kuhnz, vice president of the
Engineered Solutions Group at Hartland,
WI-based Dorner Mfg Corp. (dorner.
com), offered some insight on
distinguishing characteristics.

Is stainless steel truly

sanitary?
A common misconception,
according to Kuhnz, is that
Right. Sanitary conveyors incorporate
all stainless-steel conveyors
design features and capabilities that
are sanitary. When the
prevent food and water from accu-
FSMA was announced a few
mulating. Among them, welds replace
years ago, many companies
contamination-harboring fasteners where
purchased stainless-steel
possible, and open-frame designs keep
models thinking they would be
product from being trapped.
achieving high levels of sanitary

26 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016


protection. Their purchases, though,
may not have afforded truly sanitary
solutions. In reality, there’s a big
difference between “stainless steel” and
“sanitary,” when it comes to conveyors.
Stainless steel is certainly the right
material to use in applications that call
for regular washings with light chemical
cleaning agents. While a basic stainless-
steel model can be washed throughout
the day as needed (depending on how
it’s built), that doesn’t necessarily mean
the equipment is sanitized or cleaned.
Sanitizing or cleaning a conveyor
involves an entirely different process
than simply washing it down. Much of
that process depends on the way the
system was initially designed.
What makes a truly sanitary
conveyor?
The goal of sanitary conveyors is to, as
much as possible, eliminate any chance
of contamination. By their very nature,
conveyor systems are an excellent
source of contamination—particularly
on the processing side where raw food
and ingredients are moved. A sanitary
conveyor works to eradicate the areas
where contamination can develop,
starting with the frame design.
A truly sanitary conveyor gives
personnel complete and easy access
to all areas of the system for cleaning.
With the ability to reach every part
of the conveyor with water, soap, or
other cleaning agents, there’s no chance
of product collecting and growing
bacteria.
Such conveyors also remove harbor
points, blind spots, and level surfaces
within the frame structure, and replace
them with rounded cross members
to prevent food and water from
accumulating. This design element is
important because it doesn’t take long
for components within a conveyor,
such as the motor, to begin heating up
collected food particles and speeding
contamination. In addition, the overall
frame openness means that any product
that falls off the belt will land either
in a catch pan below or on the floor;
nothing gets trapped within the frame.
Another common hygienic feature of
SEPTEMBER 2016
SAFETY STRATEGIES
Select the Correct
Sanitary Conveyor
According to John Kuhnz of Dorner Mfg Corp.,
Hartland, WI, well-built sanitary conveyors
incorporate a variety of distinct hygienic design
features and capabilities. To help ensure that an
organization’s expectations are met, he reminds
those researching various sanitary conveyor
systems to consider these key points:
■ Where will the conveyor be located and for
what type of application will it be used, i.e.,
raw food/ingredients or sealed or packaged
food items?
■ How accessible will the conveyor be for
purposes of taking it apart?
■ Will disassembling the conveyor
be easy, i.e., accomplished by
one person with no tools?
■ Would the conveyor’s design
allow effective, required washing
and sanitizing?
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 SAFETY STRATEGIES

In a truly sanitary conveyor, personnel have complete and easy access to all
areas of the system for cleaning.

sanitary conveyors can be contamination. This type of construc-

seen in their non-plate-on-
plate construction. Frame
sections in plate-on-plate
designs are often bolted
together with fasteners—
notorious harbor points for
tion, in turn, prevents users from disas-
sembling the equipment for cleaning.
In a truly sanitary conveyor, fasteners
are removed from the food zone and
replaced with non-harbor-point welds,
where necessary.

Different levels of ‘sanitary’

When researching sanitary-conveyor
VFD-Driven Motors Are at Risk platforms, Kuhnz said, it’s important to
consider where in a plant the equip-
of Bearing Damage! ment is to be located. For example, in
more downstream-oriented processing
applications, i.e., where sealed and
VFDs induce voltages on the shafts of packaged food items are being moved,
the motors they control — voltages a conveyor might not need to be as
that can discharge through bearings,
destroying them in as little as 3 months! hygienic as a system that carries raw
food and ingredients.
Test Motors for Shaft Voltages
Although downstream conveyors
The new AEGIS® Shaft Voltage Tester™ Digital often accumulate corrugated dust from
Oscilloscope is configured to measure shaft the cardboard packaging, washing or
voltages right out of the box. This 100 MHz dual simply wiping them down constitutes
channel oscilloscope comes with everything you
need to take and capture shaft voltage readings adequate cleaning. These systems are
in high-resolution, including a 10:1 probe with still classified as sanitary designs, but
special microfiber tips, a probe holder with a the more robust sanitary platform isn’t
magnetic base, and a compact carrying case. With
the push of just one button, the scope’s screen typically required.
capture feature saves images for
analysis and reporting. The crux of the matter
For more information visit: Keep in mind that just because a
www.est-aegis.com / tester conveyor is built of stainless steel doesn’t
mean that it is engineered with proper
hygienic attributes. This, according to
Kuhnz, is really what is at the crux of
the whole sanitary vs. stainless-steel
comparison.
Protect Motors with the
Most Effective Shaft Grounding His point is that more thought, from
Don’t settle for conventional bearing protection an engineering standpoint, goes into the
products that wear out quickly, require frequent sanitary conveyor to make it a truly a
cleaning or adjustment, or have limited current- hygienic platform. The sanitary aspects
carrying capacity. Proven in more than 2 million
installations worldwide, AEGIS® Shaft Grounding are considered upfront during the
Rings are maintenance-free and last for the L-10 design phase to ensure these conveyors
life of the motor bearings. are more available and productive in
For a FREE copy of our food-processing facilities than systems
Bearing Protection that aren’t truly sanitary. For companies
Handbook, visit: involved in these types of operations,
www.est-aegis.com / understanding the different levels of
handbook “sanitary” in today’s conveyors will go
a long way toward providing peace of
mind. MT

1-866-738-1857 | sales @ est-aegis.com For more information, email john.

kuhnz@dorner.com, or visit dorner.com.

28 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016

16-181 Test-Protect Motors Ad (Maintenance Technology).indd 1 5/26/16 3:44 PM

Reduce Hidden
Process-Safety Costs
Today’s technology means end users no longer must accept every
cost associated with validation, verification, and documentation
of process-safety equipment and shutdown systems.
Special to Maintenance Technology
THE PROCESS OF validating and
verifying the good function of installed
process-safety systems and equipment is
driven as a mandatory effort governed
by end users and regulatory stipulations
across industry. At stake is the protection
of people; the environment, property,
and equipment; and the economics of
preventing unscheduled downtime and
lost production. The importance of this
validation verification is to ensure that if
and when equipment goes to a safe state,
good function is established.
An expensive problem for end users,
according to a white paper, written by
Phil Millette, P.Eng, MEI, and principal
industry consultant for Honeywell Process
Solutions, Houston, has been the hidden
Real-World Success
Application: Offshore field operator, on
one of the largest North Sea platforms.
Challenges/needs:
■ Establish stringent process-safety regulations.
■ Closely look at Safety Instrumented Function
(SIF) demand rate and test intervals for
initiators and final elements.
■ Ensure condition of Safety Instrumented
Systems (SIS) and Final Safety Elements.
■ Record all safety operations and validate they
occurred as expected.
■ Minimize planned shutdown for validation,
and unplanned shutdowns for unscheduled
testing/maintenance.
■ Automate tracking and validation of safety
operations, for implementing an exception-
SEPTEMBER 2016
costs associated with many practices for
confirming and documenting the fact
that safety instrumented systems (SIS) are
installed and functioning as advertised.
Such costs include the actual time to
do the work using manual processes
and disconnected information sources,
not to mention longer planned, and
more-frequent unplanned, shutdowns
that reduce the operation’s revenue
opportunity.
A key reason for these hidden costs
is that, until recently, there were no
automated mechanisms to support this
critical activity—or formalized approach
in industry to conducting it. In his white
paper, Millette outlines principles and
approaches of a recently introduced
based safety inspection.
■ Maximize personnel effectiveness and
efficiency to ensure process safety.
■ Perform hundreds of daily safety operations
that would make manual validation too
onerous to achieve and prone to error.
Solution
■ Process Safety Suite, including Process Safety
Analyzer (PSA)
Documented benefits
(among others):
■ Full shutdown validation and reporting
achieved in few hours, minimizing deferred
production, fewer personnel on site, lower
travel costs, and reduced risk exposure.
■ Full track and validation of partial stroke test,
SAFETY STRATEGIES
capability to perform this function in
an automated way—one that results
in structured information and shared
knowledge, a provable safety state, and
benefits from lower costs and greater
revenue opportunity.
Structuring and automating
As the author explains, while the require-
ments for timeliness and documentation
of the completed validation and verifica-
tion effort are generally expected, the
actual mechanisms aren’t stipulated—and
authorities aren’t especially clear on how
to perform the task. Thus, with the prolif-
eration of different systems and different
generations of technology installed at
sites, there’s been widespread adoption
minimizing deferred production.
■ Ability to use unplanned successful safety
operations and shutdowns to extend the
interval of planned revisions/maintenance,
minimizing deferred production.
■ Current and historical view of control over-
rides and their impact on safety operations.
■ Automation of work that previously required
approximately 10 people to semi-manually
keep track and validate thousands of safety
instrumented features to comply with IEC
61508 and IEC 61511, which requires
detailed follow up of all safety-instrumented
functions on the facility.
For more information,
visit honeywellprocess.com.
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 29
SAFETY STRATEGIES
of homegrown tools that involve time- of observing long lists of events from
consuming manual inspection of results logs, Sequence of Event Recorders,
from manpower-intensive tests. In the Safety Historian functionality of SIS/ESD
process, regular cycles of validation and systems or even of consolidated process
verification and labor-intensive manual and safety-event journals,” Millette writes,
work, whether needed or not, have helped “the task of such review has often been
generate the previously referenced handed to more junior engineers. This
hidden costs. may result in a less experienced or critical
For example, in the case of process- eye taken to manual review of event
safety equipment that has been observed journals.”
to function well on actual process A structured approach to this task, he
demand, the test-interval timer can be continues, can provide significant savings
reset, leading to available discount on by better targeting a site’s validation and
the otherwise fixed-test interval. Yet, verification efforts. For example, where
this benefit can’t be captured without the verification is an immediate pre-startup,
necessary structured documentation of critical-path activity in planned shut-
proven good function. downs, it's possible to shorten the dura-
The general result from “own-built” tion of such events. Reduced downtime,
approaches, Millette laments, has been expressed as less deferred or lost produc-
the emergence of countless tools that are tion, can be a significant benefit as well.
used with little consistency throughout When an unplanned shutdown of
industry. Consider variations, from part or all of a process area occurs,
one person to the next, in the manual the urgent action is to understand the
review of results, which can then lead to cause and quickly see if the cause can
variability in the quality of the analysis reoccur. If, for example, it is momentary
itself. Even worse, “Due to the drudgery (high or low value to process variation
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30 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
reaching a critical point) or a latched
failure (equipment-repair needed),
engineers need determine the prospects
or the timing of a restart—immediately
following confirmation through observa-
tion and engineering conclusions, or after
additional time due to other process-area
effects and verifying a safe-starting point.
The question, according to Millette, then
becomes, “Can we check the actual cause;
did everything happen as it should with
the expected effects and with expected
timing?”
Manually checking the Sequence of
Events or other related event logs might
then be conducted. But that checking may
not flag what is not in the log as “missing
events” unless the engineer has expert
knowledge of the specific sequences.
Moreover, related causes, logical relation-
ships to other effects, or sub-shutdown
levels, may not show up in a manual
analysis—or, at least, they’ll take consider-
able time to discover and may require
expert eyes.
The ability to receive an automated
analysis of how the shutdown occurred
and whether all resultant elements
performed as expected can provide some
critical time saving and relief to detailed
searches across multiple systems. Millette
references a number of ways this type of
automated validation, verification, and
documentation directly supports the
process-safety management function.
Among them:
■ A stored reference cause and effect,
with all relevant event signatures,
timings, and relationships, acts as the
documented, “as-expected” base.
■ Events captured from Level 2 control or
safety system event journals form the
basis of the as-is case to be validated.
■ The automated analysis then carries
out the needed, sequential comparison
between the set of logical relationships
stored, the event signatures with those
observed from the captured event
journals. MT
Phil Millette, P.Eng, MEI, is principal
industry consultant for Honeywell
Advanced Solutions, Houston, part of
Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS). For
more information on referenced capabilities
of the company’s Process Safety Analyzer
(PSA), visit honeywellprocess.com.
SEPTEMBER 2016
 RELIABILITY STRATEGIES

Patience is truly a
virtue when it comes
to fully realizing and
sustaining desired
improvements.
David Rosenthal, P.E., CMRP

Pace Your
Reliability Strategy and
Implementation Consultancy LLC

Reliability Program
PLANT PERSONNEL ARE OFTEN driven to improve balance sheet also pressures these initiatives. Sometimes
productivity and reduce operating costs to maintain promises not supported by industry experience are
margins. Some managers turn to reliability-improvement made. Careers can be based on the results, generating
programs to meet those goals. To be successful, though, additional pressure. More likely, survival of the business
such efforts must be well planned and paced to manage hinges on the success of this and other efforts.
expectations and produce early quick wins. Before ■ Managers start too late to promote reliability-improve-
discussing what’s involved in this type of pacing, let’s ment programs that have already been complicated by
consider why it’s necessary. business-survival issues, influx of aggressive competi-
tion, ignored on-going conditions, and
Reality rules lack of knowledge regarding the causes
Impatience and a desire by manage- Reliability- of low productivity and high operating
ment to see the results of improved costs. Those who advise management
reliability on their operations seem improvement efforts frequently aren’t experts in “truthfully”
to go hand in hand. Pressures surface must be well planned describing what a program entails.
through the inevitable questions of, Reliability-improvement initiatives
“When can I see results?” and, “What and paced to aren’t quick fixes. Moreover, many
results can I see this year?” Too often, technical people can’t translate reli-
a consultant has to ratchet down manage expectations ability opportunity into terms that are
expectations (while speaking from an and produce early important to business. Consequently,
exit door) and carefully lay out what managers develop justifications based
can reasonably be anticipated in, say, quick wins. on their own interpretations of the
two years. After all, during the first situations described to them.
year, the site is just learning what to do and understanding ■ The major problem in such operations is not overseeing
the needed behaviors for being proactive. the technical challenge but, rather, the cultural aspect.
Why the large gap between the reality of how long it Culture change is the true reason results take so long
takes to actually see change and early expectations of to become apparent. All levels of an organization must
business results? There are three primary reasons: change to accept more proactive behaviors, i.e., detect
■ The effort to gain support, including approval from failure early, act on early signs of failure, build in reli-
senior leaders and required funds, is so long and ability through design, and grow the competency of staff
onerous that managers want to see results as soon as and management in the principles of applied reliability.
possible. Today’s quarter-to-quarter management of the Although there can be other reasons for a gap

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 31

 RELIABILITY STRATEGIES

between expectations and reality, including process- metrics, among other things, can wait. While those types of
reliability controls and human-resource issues (hiring), the endeavors are of great importance, they depend on analysis,
three detailed here dominate the landscape. technical knowledge, and behavioral change—and require
Subsequently, after cold water is poured on expecta- a great deal of time, effort, and patience to roll out. Their
tions for a quick turnaround, managers will rephrase their results don’t show up quickly, which can frustrate imple-
questions along the lines of, What pace should I expect from menters and management.
my reliability-improvement initiative and how long until I Other examples of quick-win projects include:
see glimpses of a turnaround? And, What should I tell my ■ changing equipment operation (stop deadheading
senior leadership about what to expect? The answers focus pumps, swapping spares)
on development of a quick-win strategy and longer-term ■ remediating issues found during operator monitoring
strategies that build sustainability from changes in cultural, rounds
capital-design, and equipment-care approaches. But it all ■ putting needed parts in stores and locations close to a
starts with a good plan. unit
■ creating a “Do It Now” (DIN) crew to deal with reactive
First: Strategic work
planning ■ ensuring all maintenance work is prioritized
Once all approvals are ■ revising instructions to improve technician ability to stay
in place for a reli- within operating windows.
ability-improvement To help pace a reliability effort, quick wins should come
initiative, and buy-in out of the gate early. Keep in mind that these wins underpin
from all levels of future strategies and tactics in your plan. In addition to
senior leadership is demonstrating that reliability improvement is possible, they
covered, it’s time to can quell the impatience of a plant manager, senior leaders,
finalize a strategic plan. and finance people. Just as important, they support early
The document addresses adopters who place their careers on the line through the
all of the components needed initiative. Never underestimate the power of quick wins for
to direct the pace, i.e., vision, your plan.
mission, strategies, tactics, goals, and responsibilities.
It’s essential to build into this plan an approach based on Third: Longer-term
successful industry experience, principles of machine strategies
failure, and effective asset-care strategies. Table I reflects a At some point, most
typical example. low-hanging fruit will
have been picked. The
Second: Quick-win projects program’s attention
The strategies listed under the category “Eliminate Failure” must then turn to
in the accompanying sample strategic plan (Table I) are building sustain-
quick-win approaches. Quick wins are vital for several ability.
reasons. First, they hold off the naysayers and support the When people
early adopters, as well as show management what can be move from jobs,
done in the short term. Second, evidence of improvements practices, and behaviors
diffuses attempts by senior leaders to question the rationale that support long-term reli-
for a project and, possibly, cancel it. ability, improvement must be in place. To be sustainable,
Quick wins are early efforts asset-care strategies, work systems, competencies, and
that result in accomplish- other reliability-program elements must be established.
ments such as turning Each element should have an associated strategy detailed in
bad-acting equipment the strategic plan. Although these elements take longer to
into good actors, i.e., develop, they move the organization to be more proactive,
low-hanging fruit that eliminate defects, and detect early failures, all of which are
immediately affects needed to increase productivity and reduce operating costs.
productivity and costs. Pacing on longer-term strategies is key since no one has
Conversely, setting up the resources, i.e., time, people, and money, to do every-
lubrication programs, thing at once. Prioritization, based on industry experience
designing work systems, and fundamental reliability principles, should dictate the
and creating dashboards of order of implementation as detailed here:

32 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016


Table I. Strategic Plan for a Typical Reliability-Improvement Initiative
Strategy Objectives
■ Establish a reliability
Change the function at the site.
organization
(Short/long term) ■ Deliver higher levels of
proactive asset care.
Eliminate failure
■ Remediate site’s top three bad actors.
(Short term)
Ensure execution
■ Complete higher levels of proactive
of proactive work
work on the schedule.
(Long term)
Develop operator ■ Implement operator-driven
reliability (ODR) program.
ownership
(Short/long term) ■ Revise operating instructions.
Reduce transition ■ Apply lean manufacturing principles to
times (Long term) reduce transition times.
Improve production- ■ Develop a long-term capital-
line performance improvement program for the site.
(Long term) ■ Dedicate lines to high volume products.
This table lays out a reliability-improvement plan that should produce tangible results in two years.
1. Ensuring that all critical assets
have the appropriate care should
be high on the priority list. This
can be accomplished as defects
arise and through tools such as
Pareto and root-cause analyses.
There’s no sense in revising care
for equipment that hasn’t shown a
long history of failure. Evaluating
work history and having a trigger
system to identify what to work
on is crucial.
2. Maintenance and reliability
work processes must then be
modified or built and “tied”
together. This means that work-
history analysis and planning
and scheduling should be a focus.
Those steps are how these two
work processes come together.
Remember that reliability designs
asset care and is strategic in
nature while maintenance is
tactical and executes care. Work
history provides information to
the reliability process to revise
care to prevent future failure.
Planning and scheduling ensures
that the care tasks designed by the
SEPTEMBER 2016
RELIABILITY STRATEGIES
Plan Goals Yr. 1 Goals Yr. 2
■ Hire a reliability engineer.
25% critical 50% critical
■ Establish asset care for critical equipment. assets with assets with
care plans care plans
■ Dedicate mechanics to preventive and predictive care.
■ Identify top causes of failure. Top 3 to 5 Top 3
■ Identify actions to eliminate. identified eliminated
■ Revise the maintenance work process.
25% standard 50% standard
■ Create standards for planning and scheduling.
work work
■ Create more standard work.
■ Train operators on equipment care.
Operator rounds Operators
■ Begin to implement total productive maintenance (TPM).
started performing PMs
■ Convert some PMs for operators.
■ Analyze product transitions. Transitions
Transitions
reduced
■ Lean the process and remove barriers. reduced by 50%
by 75%
■ Evaluate asset condition and performance. ■ Capital plan
New high-
■ Justify automation and asset replacement in place
speed line
for higher-speed processing. ■ Realigned
in place
■ Align product-line volumes with line capacities. product lines
reliability function actually are vendors. A long-term goal for
executed by maintenance. certification is also a way to create
a “pull” for knowledge for the staff
and provide incentives for career
Impatience development.
4. Finally, programs for lubrica-
and a desire by tion, predictive analysis,
stocking critical parts, precision
management work, and stores manage-
to see the results ment (to name a few) can be
implemented over the long
of improved term. Appropriate sectors of each
organization, i.e., operations,
reliability seem to procurement, engineering, and
go hand in hand. maintenance, should take respon-
sibility for selected elements.
Lubrication should always top
3. Competencies must be evaluated the list. Without good lubrication
for the existing workforce and practices, the remaining reliability
new hires. Competency descrip- elements cannot be effective.
tions for maintenance, reliability, Note that these details represent
and operators, and any new job just one way to pace a reliability
descriptions need to be created. program. Many variations exist,
New hires should be evaluated depending on the strengths and
against these requirements. Staff weaknesses of an organization.
training should be obtained Whether your site relies on in-house
through sources such as plant staff or work with a consultant, never
trainers, community colleges, jump into a plan without some form
third-party consultants, and of conditional assessment. Since
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 33
 Test Products International, Inc. RELIABILITY STRATEGIES
Affordable CBM from TPI
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resources are usually difficult to obtain, and impatience is
TPI 9034 & 9038 always present, few operations can afford a start that doesn’t
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channels. 24 VDC (relay Case studies have shown that changing key metrics for most
drive) switched ouput and
reliability-improvement initiatives can take two to three years.
4 to 20mA output for each
channel. Temperature Certain leading metrics, however, will show improvement
Input. Tacho Input. sooner, while lagging metrics will require two years to show
improvement. For instance, at a large site with several hundred
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TPI 9070 percentage of emergency work and preventive maintenance
Smart Vibration Meter that’s completed will improve upon implementation of bad-
Analyze, Interpret & Save! actor control, precision work compliance, criticality analysis,
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Lagging metrics such as uptime, meantime between failure,
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bearings. Vibration values displayed than when it comes to waiting for reliability-improvement
with color-coded alarm levels for initiatives to bear fruit. The gap between expectations and the
ISO values and bearing damage (BDU). reality of technical and cultural change must be managed at
800-line spectrum with zoom & cursor. every level in the organization during such efforts. No matter
9071 with BNC/Cable/Accelerometer what management believes, a 2- to 3-year timeframe is needed
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meantime between failure, operating cost, a reduction in
TPI 9080 operational costs, higher availability, and lower environmental,
Smart Trend Meter: health, and safety impact. This should not discourage any site
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Identify & Diagnose
$
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Unbalance, Misalignment, Looseness A reliability consultant with more than 35 years of experience,
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a BNC/Acceleromter/Magnet. VibTrend and Implementation Consultancy LLC (Houston). Rosenthal
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TPI 9041: Ultra II Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP). Rosenthal
Vibration Analyzer, holds a B.S. and M.S. in chemical engineering from Drexel
Balancing & Asset Inspector Univ. Philadelphia, and the Univ. of Texas, Austin, respectively.
Detect Bearing
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• Analyzes and displays ISO vibration

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LEARN MORE To learn more, see:
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• Single & two plane balancing software plants-hidden-potential/
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maintenancetechnology.com/2015/07/drive-strategy-
• Balances to user defined grades using
with-performance-metrics/
easy-to-use balancing wizard.
“Make Operations Your Partner in Reliability”
maintenancetechnology.com/2013/06/make-
www.testproductsintl.com operations-your-partner-in-reliability/

34 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016

Not enough hours in a day?
Missing production targets
Replacing retiring employees
Finding a work/life balance
Safeguarding against security breaches
Operating efficiently and at peak levels

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Register today for the Automation Fair® event!
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Looking for even more? Attend the Process Solution Users Group.
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Copyright © 2016 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. AD2016-64
LUBRICATION STRATEGIES

Win the War with Ken Bannister

MEch Eng (UK)

‘Lubrication by Design’ CMRP, MLE

Contributing Editor

Use aviation-style checklists to eliminate ambiguity and errors in your

lubrication-maintenance procedures.

ARGUABLY, THE MOST USED and abused instruction in

the field of practical lubrication is “lubricate as necessary.”
The origin of that advice is often attributed to the OEM’s
(original equipment manufacturer’s) machine operation and
maintenance manual.
OEMs typically prefer to use subjective language when
outlining a maintenance approach in their manuals. As
a consequence, they rarely provide accurate lubrication
instructions based on the ambient condition factors found
in the end-user’s working environment. This is especially
true when the OEM sells its equipment globally through
third-party agencies and retains little control—or under-
standing—of how and where that equipment is used. The
level of subjectivity is further amplified when an unsus-
pecting and/or unenlightened maintenance-department
person follows, without question, the unaltered written
instructions.
A key component in reliability and performance
improvement—with regard to maintenance personnel and
machines—is consistency of effort. This type of consistency
is afforded through an understanding in two major areas:
S the impact that a current operating environment has on
machinery requirements
S who, exactly, performs lubrication tasks.
The highest level of reliability possible with any machine
is primarily achieved as a result of the simplest of main-
tenance observations and tasks, based on the equipment’s
weakest links. A machine’s weak links typically present
themselves in two formats: consumables and adjustables.
Often thought of as “nuisance” or “pain” points, weak links
are instantly identifiable systems or components of an equip-
ment system that require regular or constant replacement or
modification. Lubrication falls into both of these categories.
Recognizing your work environment
Lubricants are considered consumables because of their
propensity to leak out of a closed environment or deteriorate
in service, thus requiring replenishment or full replacement.
A machine’s working environment can dictate how quickly
the lubricant will deteriorate. For example, a bearing oper-
ating in an extreme wet, damp, hot, or dirty environment,
The Sample Gearbox-Lubrication Checklist in the
table on p. 37 points to Hi-Lo fill indicators that help
personnel make simple, yet correct, Go/No-Go decisions
when checking lubricant reservoirs. Image courtesy of
EngTech Industries.
similar to that in a foundry, mining operation, or steel-
making operation, will call for a more intensified approach
to lubrication management than bearings that are operating
in “white-room” HEPA-filtered environments such as those
found in pharmaceutical-manufacturing operations.
Lubrication-delivery systems also require monitoring
to determine application requirements and schedule
adjustments based on changing needs. For example, using
a manual greasing approach in bearing lubrication will
require a change in PM (preventive maintenance) frequency
when moving from a single-shift to double-shift operation.
Similarly, in changing to an automated lubricant-delivery
system, note that the lubricant reservoir will likely require
replenishment at twice the previous (manual) rate and
necessitate an adjustment of the lubricant-fill cycle.
Recognition of your working environment, and tailoring
your lubrication approach accordingly, is the first step
to implementing a “lubrication by design” method and,
ultimately, achieving true lubrication effectiveness.

36 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016

 LUBRICATION STRATEGIES

Sample Gearbox-Lubrication Checklist

Task Sequence Lubrication Instruction due to a simple oversight by the most
Lubricate red grease points numbered 1, 3, and 7 each with 2 cc (2 full
experienced pilot in the U.S. Army at
1 the time, this flight led to the aviation
grease gun shots) of ABC EP1 grease in the red-sleeved grease gun.
industry pioneering operational and
Lubricate red grease points numbered 2 and 4 each with 4 cc (4 full
2 maintenance checklists.
grease gun shots) of ABC EP1 grease in the red-sleeved grease gun.
Designed to overcome human
Lubricate blue grease points numbered 5 and 6 each with 2 cc (2 full ineptitude, attitude, and ignorance, the
3
grease gun shots) of XYZ 505 grease in the blue-sleeved grease gun. aviation checklist, written in simple
Check: and exact language familiar to the
Is gearbox #12 reservoir oil level between the Hi and Lo level marker? If profession, was instituted to ensure that
Yes, move on to next task. If below the Lo marker level, fill reservoir to Hi each and every pilot, from that point
4 on, followed a consistent, set procedure
marker level with ABC ISO 220 gear oil. If above Hi marker level, note on
work order and report condition to supervisor. prior to takeoff and landing. As head
of the World Health Organization’s
Designed correctly and written in a concise manner, similar to those used in the “Safe Surgery Saves Lives” program,
aviation and medical fields, lubrication checklists can overcome ignorance and Dr. Gawande successfully adapted that
ineptitude and promote low risk through a high degree of consistency. checklist into a simple, innovative tool
for the medical field—and subsequently
credited its use for a dramatic reduc-
Quick Tips for Successful Checklists tion in hospital and surgical deaths,
regardless of hospital conditions.
As I wrote in a March 2013 “Don’t Procrastinate, Innovate” column for Maintenance There’s a significant takeaway from
Technology, Dr. Atul Gawande’s 2009 book The Checklist Manifesto–How to Get Things this story for those of us who have an
Right, was, and still is, an intriguing read. It offers some invaluable insight for those in interest in the health and well being of
the reliability and maintenance field. industrial equipment and processes.
In his book, Gawande details how he pioneered the “Safe Surgical Checklist,” Lubrication checklists that don’t
based on a model that the aviation industry adopted following the infamous World challenge or insult maintainers or
War II Boeing 299 crash. That checklist has certainly stood the test of time. operators (but are designed correctly
According to Daniel Boorman of Boeing (Seattle)—the person charged with
and written in a concise manner
developing aviation checklist manuals for all of the company's planes for 20+
similar to those used in the aviation
years—the secret of a good one is how it’s written, starting with using simple and
precise language familiar to users in the profession. Among Boorman’s other tips: and medical fields) can overcome
■ A checklist doesn’t have to be too comprehensive to be effective (usually ignorance and ineptitude and promote
between five and nine items). low risk through a high degree of
■ Well-designed checklists fit the flow of the specific work, encourage users to consistency.
read each point out loud, and help them detect potential failures before they Take, for example, the sample check-
occur. list in the table at the top of this page.
■ A successful checklist ideally fits on one page, is free of unnecessary color and Written in objective language, it points
clutter, and uses upper and lower case in a sans-serif font such as Helvetica. to minor, required steps for making
modifications to the lubrication-system
components of a gearbox. It specifi-
cally references Hi-Lo-fill indicators
Objective instruction high-risk behavior that can easily result on the lubricant-reservoir sight gauge
and interaction in premature, yet preventable, machine that help personnel make simple, yet
Instructing an operator to “lubricate failure and downtime. They don’t have accurate, Go/No-Go decisions when
as necessary” will only guarantee to be a problem in your plant. checking the reservoir, and a number
a subjective decision about which In Dr. Atul Gawande’s 2009 best- and color identification of the grease
lubricant is to be used, as well as how selling book, The Checklist Manifesto: nipple and grease gun that’s used to
much and how often. Subjectivity, in How to Get Things Right (Metropolitan visually identify the correct lubricant
turn, invokes inconsistent behavior Books, New York), he described the amount and type for each bearing.
leading to lubricant cross contamina- first military test flight, more than Color, though, is just one aspect
tion, over or under filling reservoirs, 75 years earlier, of the Boeing B17 of identification called out on the
bearing-seal breaching, or starving bomber that had been introduced checklist. It also references the exact
bearings. These situations all reflect in the late 1930s. Ending in a crash grease point and reservoir number, the

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 37

LUBRICATION STRATEGIES
specific grease that is to be used,
and the amount of the grease
to be deployed in displacement
and grease-gun shot action. To
correctly perform the procedures
in this sample checklist, a grease-gun
consolidation program—wherein all
current grease guns are surrendered
and replaced with one grease-gun
style—must be implemented. This
allows the maintenance group to
determine the exact displacement by
volume and gun “shot” action for all
grease deployed in the plant. Different
greases are assigned specific grease-
gun and grease-point colors.
Bottom line
This “lubrication by design” approach
requires almost no capital outlay. With
some minor organizational effort up
front, it can be rolled out systemati-
cally, machine by machine. In these
times of diminishing technical skills
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38 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
The checklist on p. 37 points to number-
and color-identification of grease nipples
and grease guns as a way to quickly and
accurately determine the correct lubricant
amount and type for each bearing in the
referenced gearbox. The solution shown here
is from OilSafe (oilsafe.com), Rockwall, TX.
and experience across industry, the an asset management-consulting firm
alternative really isn’t much of an specializing in the implementation
option. MT of certifiable ISO 55001 lubrication-
management programs and asset
Ken Bannister is managing partner management systems. For further
and principal consultant for EngTech details, phone 519-469-9173, or email
Industries Inc., (Innerkip, Ontario), kbannister@engtechindustries.com.
LEARN MORE To learn more, see:
“Power from Making Lists and Checking Them Twice”
maintenancetechnology.com/2013/03/dont-procrastinateinnovate-637/
“Safe Surgical Checklist” on the World Health Organization website
who.int/patientsafety/safesurgery/en/
Featuring Case Studies From Leading Hydro Maintenance & Reliability Experts:
David “Chip” Troy Robert Klein
Plant Manager Maintenance Superintendent
Tennessee Valley Authority, Guntersville LADWP
Jeff Townsend André Tétreault
Operations & Maintenance Superintendent Director—Tests & Diagnostics
Formerly with Duke Energy Corporation VibroSystM
Micah Goo Conrad St. Pierre, PE.
Generation Manager Director of Hydro North America
Centralia City Light Enel Green Power
Tony Billiard Chris Weyell, M.Eng., P.Eng.
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Idaho Power Company BC Hydro
Chad Plant Brandon Haney, P. Eng., M. Eng.
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Ontario Power Generation Columbia Power Corporation
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GDACS Project Manager Yuma County Water User’s Association
US Bureau of Reclamation
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T: 1 312 894 6327 E: rachels@marcusevansch.com
SEPTEMBER 2016
 SAP TIPS AND TRICKS

Improve Your Planning Efficiency

Kristina Gordon, DuPont
ACCOMPLISHING DAILY WORK in a reliability
and maintenance operation involves performing several
critical functions, among them planning, scheduling,
identification of equipment criticalities, and work history.
In many cases, it seems to take forever to complete even
the smallest task in SAP. That does not need to be the
case. What follows are SAP solutions for four of the most
common maintenance-planning questions.
Q How can I tell if my material will be available and ready
on the day I plan my job?
A In transaction IW32, after adding your components to the work
order, click the (material availability, overall) icon in the tool
bar at the top of the page. The material-availability icon compares
the basic start date of the work order with the material delivery time
to verify whether the part will be on site when needed. SAP will
display a message to indicate that all requested materials are available.
Otherwise, it will display the material numbers that have conflicting
delivery dates.

Q What is the most efficient way to extract a list of

proposed job plans (work orders)?
Q If I am planning a job months in advance but want my
materials received as soon as possible for kitting or job
readiness, how can I request my material delivery time be

A In transaction IW38, create a variant. A variant saves

the selection of values that you use to run a report
changed?

or transaction the same way every time. You can create as

many variants in one transaction as you need, depending
A Under the compo-
nents tab of your
on the data that you are interested in seeing. Variants can be work order, highlight the
global, meaning everyone in your organization can see and material for which you
choose to run, or you can make the variant user specific. would like to have the
This hides your variant and only allows you as the creator delivery date moved.
The Gen. Data tab displays your component-
to use it. Then click on the Gen.
data tab at the bot- detail screen.
Selection criteria may include your maintenance plant/
planning plant, orders outstanding and in progress, and tom. This brings up
orders that have no date limitations. You may also want to your component-detail In the offset field, enter the number of days
exclude work orders that have been released or TECO’d. screen. The requirements materials are needed in advance, using a
Use other filters as appropriate, such as plant section and date will be displayed
negative sign.
work center. Once you complete the selection process, click and it should match the
the save button and the variant screen will pop up allowing work-order start date.
you to save the selection you have entered. When creating In the offset field,
a user-specific variant you will always name the variant enter the number of
U_(user name given to you to log days the materials are
into SAP). Now that you have a needed in advance with
This example a negative sign, then
standard selection criteria, you
illustrates the enter the unit of measure
will be pulling your work orders
up the same way every time. process of extracting for days. Click the enter button and you will be asked if this date can
a list of proposed be met. Click the enter button again and the requirements date for the
materials will move to the new requested date.
job plans.
This feature is for stock and non-stock items. It works with MRP to
create your purchasing documents and updates the reservations list
for onsite materials.

Q If I have created a task list and need to move it to my

work order, how can I do this without copying and
pasting every line?

A In the tool bar at the top of the page in IW32, click on

Extra>Task List Selection>Direct Entry. In the pop-up box you
will be asked to click the radio button next to functional location task
list, equipment task list, or general task list. Enter the group and group
counter of the task list you would like to import. Click the check mark

Kristina Gordon is SAP Program Consultant at the DuPont, Sabine River Works plant in West Orange, TX. If you have SAP
questions, send them to editors@maintenancetechnology.com and we’ll forward them to Kristina.

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 39

 PROCESS EQUIPMENT
Understand
Design-Induced
Pump Vibration
Ron Eshleman, Vibration Institute
IT’S NO SECRET that many process
pumps absorb massive amounts of
vibration. Sooner or later, bearings,
packing, or adjacent piping will fail
and/or impellers will be damaged.
The five main causes of severe
pump vibration include:
■ mass imbalance
■ resonance
■ piping design and installation
■ system design
■ pump design.
It should be noted that all but mass
imbalance involve either facility or
pump design issues. Typically, either
the external-piping arrangement is
inappropriate or the size of the pump
doesn’t reflect the needs of the applica-
tion. The following tips focus on these
two issues with regard to centrifugal
pumps.
Piping design
There are situations where a pump
must fit into an awkward space,
leading to an inlet condition that
creates chaotic flow at the suction.
Disturbances occurring at the
inlet can change the direction and
velocity of the flow due to piping
enlargements, bends, branches, and
tees. This type of situation gets the
flow started through the pump at
an angle that doesn’t interface well
with the impeller. Such conditions
produce separation-trailing vortices
and turbulence, which extract energy
from the flow that manifests as
Ron Eshleman is technical director of the Vibration Institute, Oak Brook, IL. For more information,
contact Dr. Eshleman at reshleman@vi-institute.org, or visit vi-institute.org.
40 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
The system design is one cause of pump-vibration problems.
noise and vibration. This condition
requires re-designing the inlet piping
or implementing some form of flow
straightening. To ensure laminar inlet
flow, it’s recommended that 10 pipe
diameters of straight pipe precede the
pump inlet.
Pump-system design
Centrifugal pumps are designed to
operate efficiently in a rather narrow
flow range—recommended by the
Hydraulic Institute (HI), Parsippany,
NJ, as 70% to 120% of the equip-
ment’s best efficiency point (BEP), as
defined by its pump curve. Operating
outside these parameters, a pump will
not only be inefficient, it will excite
damaging vibration. Thus, the system
designer must be cognizant of the
pumping requirements and make
provisions if variable-flow conditions
are expected. (Note: Designers must
also remember that if multiple pumps
will be operating in parallel, the curve
and BEP will change.)
If low flow occurs due to high
discharge pressure, the pumped fluid
will recirculate at the suction and
cause excessive vibrations. It’s not
uncommon for plants to have different
flow requirements during different
times of the day, or to purchase
oversized pumps in anticipation of
future needs. Both situations fuel
vibration problems.
Recirculation causes a large amount
of random vibration that, in turn,
may cause failures in the bearings and
packing, even the impeller. Similarly,
if a pump operates in the high-flow
area of its curve due to low suction
pressure, cavitation will occur. As
cavitation bubbles pass through the
pump, they explode, resulting in noise
(sometimes above hearing pitch)
and vibration that lead to inefficient
pumping and internal pump damage.
The most practical solution for
suction recirculation is to relieve the
discharge pressure by rerouting some
of the flow through a controlled recir-
culation line to the inlet. Although
the pump will operate quietly, it will
be doing more work than necessary—
lowering its efficiency. This, however,
is a reasonable approach in variable-
flow applications.
An alternative, given the fact that
cavitation indicates excessive flow in a
pump, involves lowering the flow rate.
A good way to do this is to increase
the suction pressure well above the
vapor pressure so that the net positive
suction head (NPSHA) has a margin
of 30% above the suction pressure
required to avoid cavitation.
Keep in mind
Dealing with these issues may
require serious redesign of systems or
modification of operational modes.
Remember, though, that such actions
can help prevent serious damage to
equipment and processes caused by
vibration. MT
SEPTEMBER 2016
 AUTOMATION

SSR or EMR?
Select the Right Relay
Use SSRs in applications
that require:
■ Repetitive operation cycles.
Such applications include lights
and electric heaters. SSRs have no
mechanical components to wear out
and no failure mode related to the
number of operation cycles.
■ Minimal electrical noise. SSRs
greatly minimize electrical noise
because they turn on and off when
voltage is zero in the AC cycle.
Conversely, most EMRs turn on
and off at any point in the AC cycle,
which means they can generate
significant voltage spikes, causing
electrical noise that can affect other
Solid-state and electromechanical relays are not necessarily interchangeable. Evaluate your applica- devices in the area.
■ High-speed timing. SSR turn-on
tion before deciding which to use.
times are highly predictable, while
times for a mechanical relay vary
SOLID-STATE RELAYS (SSRS) are replacing electromechanical relays (EMRs) based on the nature of the device
in many applications across industry. There are several reasons why, including and the environment.
their long life, low noise, compact size, lack of moving parts, and total absence of
arcing. These advantages make SSRs a popular choice for applications involving Consider EMRs in
repetitive operations or fast turn-on/turn-off times, or in areas that require applications that require:
minimal electrical noise. ■ High starting loads. Such applica-
So, what types of SSR or EMR relays are right for the various applications in tions include motors and trans-
formers. SSRs are more sensitive
your plant? Automation professionals at Opto 22 (opto22.com), in Temecula,
to voltage transients than EMRs.
CA, provide some selection guidelines. If a relay gets hit hard enough a
sufficient number of times, even
SSRs with good transient protection
Special SSR Concerns will degrade or fail. This makes SSRs
less ideal for driving highly inductive
According to Opto 22’s (Temecula, CA) automation experts, in the use of solid-state relays electromechanical loads, such as
(SSRs), two factors inherent to semiconductor-based relays require special attention: some solenoids and motors.
■ Leakage current. When in the “off” state, an SSR will exhibit a small amount of ■ Operation in high-temperature
leakage current, typically a few mA. It’s slight, but this current can keep some environments. SSRs become less
loads from turning off, especially in high-impedance applications such as small efficient as the relay temperature
rises. The current rating for an SSR
solenoids or neon lamps, that have relatively small “hold in” currents. When SSRs
is de-rated, or reduced, based on the
that switch high voltages are electrically open, leakage current can still cause their ambient temperature. EMRs are not
circuits to produce potentially troublesome voltages on the outputs. These issues can affected in the same way.
usually be addressed by placing a power resistor, sized for 8 to 10 times the rated ■ Zero leakage current. In the “off ”
maximum leakage current for the SSR, in parallel with the load. state, an SSR will exhibit a small
amount of leakage current—typi-
■ Operational-temperature limits. Semiconductor-based relays become less efficient
cally a few mA. Because EMRs
as their temperature increases. Thus, the current rating for an SSR is de-rated, or are mechanical, they do not leak
reduced, based on the ambient temperature. Since SSRs also generate heat in the current. MT
“on” position, heat management is vital. —Jane Alexander, Managing Editor

For more information on various automation-related topics and technologies that link electrical, mechanical,
and electronic devices to networks and computers, visit opto22.com.

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 41

 POWER SYSTEMS
Handle
Bearings
With Care
Handling practices are an important factor in a bearing’s ability to live up
to its full potential.
MODERN ROLLING CONTACT bearings, when installed
and lubricated properly, can outlast the machines in which
they function. In practice, though, less than 10% of all
rolling-element bearings reach their full design life. As for
the others, 30% of premature failures can be attributed to
incorrect installation or damage done during (or prior to)
installation.
Jason Tranter, founder and managing director of Mobius
Institute, has been involved with machine-vibration analysis,
condition monitoring, and reliability improvement since
1984. He offers these important reminders for anyone who
handles bearings.
Mobius Institute (Melbourne, Australia, and Bainbridge
Island, WA) is a worldwide provider of a variety
of reliability-improvement, vibration-analysis, and
precision-maintenance training and certification services. For
more information on the company and its upcoming Interna-
tional Machine Vibration Analysis Conference (IMVAC), in
Orlando, visit mobiusinstitute.com.
42 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
Handling and installation damage
Use care when handling and assembling bearings so their rolling
elements, race surfaces, and edges aren’t damaged. Gouges in the
raceway or battered and distorted rolling elements will raise metal
around the damaged area. This condition causes localized spalling
as rolling elements pass over these areas.
Damaged bearing cages or retainers
Careless handling and use of incorrect tools during installation
may damage cages or retainers (typically constructed of mild
steel, brass, or bronze) and shorten the bearing’s life.
High spots and fitting practices
Carelessness or damage when driving outer races out of housings
can cause burrs or high spots in the outer-race seats. If a tool
damages the housing-seat surface, it can leave raised areas that
transfer through the outer-race rolling surface, causing stress and
shorter operating life.
Excessive preload or overload
Excessive preload can generate heat and cause damage similar to
inadequate lubrication.
Excessive end-play
This situation results in a very small load zone and excessive
looseness between the rollers and races outside the load zone.
In turn, the rollers become unseated and skid and skew as they
move in and out of the load zone. The problem is common with
non-drive-end bearings, especially on vertical machines, and
even more so with cylindrical roller bearings.
Misalignment and inaccurate seat, shoulder
machining
The seats and shoulders supporting the bearing must be
within specified limits set by the bearing manufacturer. When
misaligned, the load on the bearing won’t be distributed along the
rolling elements and races as intended, but concentrated on only
a portion of the rollers or balls and races.
Improper fit in housings or shafts
The bearing race where the rotating load exists should be applied
with a press fit. The stationary race would normally be applied
with a light or loose fit. Where the shaft rotates, the inner race
should normally be applied with a press fit and the outer race may
be applied with a split fit or even a loose fit.
Impact and high static-load damage
Improper mounting practices and/or extremely high operational
impact or static loads may lead to brinelling. When mounting a
bearing on a shaft with a tight inner race fit, pushing the outer
race will exert an excessive thrust load and bring the rolling
elements into sharp contact with the race, causing brinell.
Electric current arcing
Arcing inside a bearing happens when an electric current passes
through the component between the races and rolling elements.
Each time the current is broken while passing between the ball
or roller and race, a pit is produced on both surfaces. Eventually
fluting develops.
According to Tranter, since premature bearing failure can
result from issues other than improper handling, it’s important to
always consult your bearing OEM and/or supplier for product-
specific best practices. MT
—Jane Alexander, Managing Editor
SEPTEMBER 2016
 WORKFORCE ISSUES
Clear Up Your HOA Confusion
FOR PLANTFLOOR personnel,
the HOA (Hand-Off-Auto)
switch represents one of
the most misunderstood
components of an
industrial-control system.
The problem is exacer-
bated by the fact that a site
often employs multiple
switches in different areas
of the plant to control a
single field device. According
to Josh Niemi, P.E., of Normal,
IL-based SCADAware Inc.
(scadaware.com), this is a recipe
for confusion: If one switch is in
the Hand position and the other
is in the Auto position, how is the
device going to be controlled?
The problem increases, he wrote
in a Feb. 2016 blog post, when a
PLC or SCADA system is involved.
Does Auto translate as “controlled
by the SCADA system?” If so,
what term should be used if the
SCADA system allows personnel
to manually set a fixed PLC output
to control the field device rather
than allowing the PLC itself to
automatically set the output?
Niemi believes this lingering
confusion may stem from use of
the single term HOA. Using the
terms Location of Control and
Mode of Control, he suggested,
could help clear it up.
The inherent problem with
Josh Z. Niemi, P.E., is a senior
engineer with SCADAware Inc.,
Normal, IL. For more informa-
tion about industrial-control topics,
contact him at niemi@scadaware.com
or visit scadaware.com.
44 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
Is your approach to
Hand-Off-Auto switch use
confusing workers?
Location of Control
refers to the place from which
a motor or other field device
is being operated. Location
nomenclature includes:
■ Hand: Device is operated
directly at the starter.
■ Local: Device is operated by
Start/Stop contacts near the
motor.
■ Remote: Device is operated
by a PLC or other device at a
distance away from the process.
■ Off: No location control is
allowed.
Mode of Control
refers to the control strategy
used to operate a device. Mode
nomenclature includes:
■ Auto: Device is controlled
based on a set of process
conditions.
■ Manual: Device is controlled
by fixed operator input.
■ Off: Device is still energized
but control is currently
disabled.
the term HOA, according to Niemi, is that
it combines Location of Control (the
designation for hand/manual operation)
with Mode of Control (the designation
for automated operation) on the same
switch. In older DCS (Distributed
Control System) technology, this
may not have been much of a
problem because here may have only
been a single device switch (there
weren’t multiple ways to control it)
and the term Hand meant Location of
Control and Mode of Control. With the
larger, more complex systems in use today,
however, this old-school approach doesn’t
work.
Distinguishing between Location of
Control and Mode of Control, Niemi noted,
leads to control switches that can accommo-
date a wide range of systems. For example,
if a control switch is being used to select
between controlling directly at a device or
by a remote PLC or SCADA system, an LOR
switch (Local-Off-Remote) or HOR switch
(Hand-Off-Remote) would probably be best.
But if the control switch toggles between an
operator-adjustable output and a variable
output based on a process condition, an
MOA switch (Manual-Off-Auto) would be
the better fit.
Regardless of a plant’s chosen control
system(s), the most important thing to
avoid is multiple switches with redundant
labeling (multiple HOR switches, or mixing
Location and Mode terminology on the
same switch, such as a Manual-Off-Remote
or Local-Off-Auto switch). Unless a very
specific application demands redundant
switches or mixed-terminology switches,
Niemi emphasizes that it’s better to avoid
them altogether.
Find Niemi’s complete blog post with
detailed examples on understanding HOAs
at scadaware.com/blog. MT
—Jane Alexander, Managing Editor
SEPTEMBER 2016

Potato Waste
Becomes Clean
Water, Energy
Engineered wastewater-effluent-treatment systems are generating 45,000
liters of potable water per hour and 3.2 MW of green energy.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROCESSING involves a
significant amount of wastewater, most commonly treated in
a typical anaerobic–aerobic wastewater-treatment plant. The
effluent produced from this conventional type of treatment
is an ideal source for further refining into perfectly hygienic,
potable drinking water, and clean energy—something that
can help plants save on water intake and energy costs.
While biological effluent use is a popular way to improve
plant efficiency, it’s not as easy as it seems. In the food and
beverage industry, three conditions must be met:
■ All production must allow the reuse of biological effluent.
■ The available effluent must be of an acceptable quality,
allowing successful tertiary treatment.
■ The generated concentrate should still be disposable.
Waterleau (Leuven, Belgium, and Victor, NY) is a global
provider of environmental technology and a pioneer in
water and wastewater treatment that offers a variety of solu-
tions for processing wastewater in the food and beverage
sector. The company works with individual plants to design
and build solutions based on their respective projects and
treatment conditions. An example of this is Farm Frites,
headquartered in Molendjik, The Netherlands.
Reducing water footprint
With a global capacity of 1.3-million tons of processed pota-
toes annually and 1,500 employees, Farm Frites (farmfrites.
SEPTEMBER 2016
SOLUTION FOCUS
com) is one of the largest operations of its kind in the world.
Over the years, though, this successful company has faced
groundwater scarcity, limited groundwater-permit avail-
ability, increased costs of sourcing tap water, and stringent
wastewater-discharge regulations.
To deal with these challenges, Farm Frites partnered
with its drinking-water supplier, De Watergroep (Brus-
sels). Together, the organizations developed a sustainable,
tailor-made solution that met the potato-processor’s water
demand and complied with the governing water agency’s
strict regulatory framework.
De Watergroep, in turn, partnered with Waterleau for
the design and construction of the wastewater-effluent-
treatment solution. Waterleau’s Boomerang water-reuse
technology consists of a successive ultrafiltration (UF)
and reverse osmosis (RO) treatment process that converts
wastewater into potable water that can then be reused in
the plant.
Ultrafiltration membranes provide a physical barrier to
remove bacteria, suspended solids, and harmful pathogens.
This technology has been proven in many water reuse
installations worldwide.
The resulting water quality is characterized by a low
turbidity and SDI (silt density index) value. It is fed
directly to the downstream RO installation, extending RO
lifetime and reducing its associated operating costs. During
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 45
SOLUTION FOCUS
ultrafiltration, backwashing is typically performed at fixed
intervals, during which the flow direction in the membranes
is reversed for a short period of time. This removes most of
the suspended-solids layer that has built up on the feed side
of the UF membrane. To improve backwash efficiency, it is
recommended to follow with a forward flush to remove the
suspended solids.
Reverse osmosis is a cross-flow filtration using high-
pressure, spiral-wound fouling-resistant membranes. Water
passes through the membrane, primarily by diffusing from
one bonding site to another. For safe effluent reuse in the food
industry, reverse osmosis is absolutely necessary to remove
salts and potential viruses. To allow the reverse osmosis to
operate in a stable manner, all suspended solids, colloidal
material, and bacteria, must be removed upstream through
ultrafiltration.
In the Farm Frites plant, backwash and concentrates from
the membrane are recycled in the wastewater-treatment
process, making the design even more unique. The process
allows the recovery of 45,000 liters of safe drinking water
each hour. De Watergroep, which is responsible for operation
and maintenance of the plant for 10 years, provides 24/7
monitoring.
Prior to implementing the Boomerang water-reuse solution,
Farm Frites had been relying on groundwater and drinking
water for its production process. For various reasons, those
sources are no longer practical.
Fortunately for potato processors and others, today’s
methods of wastewater reuse have become broadly accepted
and economically feasible.
In fact, Waterleau leverages its water-reuse technology in
its own Anaerobic Digestion R&D center, the Waterleau New
Energy plant, located near Ypres, Belgium. There, all needed
process water is recovered from digested waste streams by the
company’s Boomerang technology.
With chemical oxygen demand and nitrogen levels close
to zero, the recovered water—as clean as tap water—is used
for cleaning, to feed the cooling tower, or for liquid-polymer
preparation.
46 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
Left. In the Farm Frites effluent-treatment plant,
backwash and concentrates from membrane treatment
are recycled in the wastewater-treatment process,
which allows recovery of 45,000 liters of safe drinking
water each hour.
Below. At full capacity, the potato-waste-fueled
Waterleau New Energy plant near Ypres, Belgium,
produces 3.2 MW of green electricity—equivalent to
the energy needs for a city of 25,000 inhabitants.
Saving energy
Despite today’s lower oil prices and growing demand for
waste products, anaerobic digestion is becoming a strategic
and sustainable solution. While the technology has long
been present in the brewery industry, the potato-processing
industry has only recently begun to catch up.
The Waterleau New Energy plant itself is fueled by potato
waste. Nearly 40% of the organic waste treated in the facility,
i.e., potato peels, gray starch, french fries, and different fats,
originates in the potato-processing industry. At full capacity,
the site produces 3.2 MW of green electricity, which is equiva-
lent to the energy needs for a city of 25,000 inhabitants.
Bottom line
Depending on the plant characteristics, bio-effluent recovery
can be an effective way to reduce water intake and create clean
energy, especially in food and beverage operations. Once the
project characteristics have been assessed and the correct
processing technologies are in place, sites can realize signifi-
cant cost savings and operate more efficiently.
To date, Waterleau has built 30 wastewater and potato-
waste-treatment plants. That’s because wastewater and potato
waste have become major contributors to keeping energy bills
under control. According to the company, as much as 60% of
the power needs of a potato-processing plant can be recovered
from anaerobic treatment of bio-effluent and potato waste. MT
For more information on Waterleau’s water and wastewater
solutions, visit waterleau.com.
SEPTEMBER 2016
 PRODUCTS
FEATURED PRODUCT

Spot Air-Conditioner Catalog

The company’s 20-page product catalog describes its line of
portable spot air conditioners, heat pumps, and accessories.
Customer testimonials are included. Applications include
office, information technology, and industrial uses.
MovinCool
Long Beach, CA
movincool.com
Output Filters
The company’s line of dv/dt filters
includes the FN5060HV model that
protects AC motors to 690/600VAC
from destructive effects of peak
voltages and inrush amps. The filters
reduce high output dv/dt from IGBT
motor drives and eliminate over
voltages caused by line reflections
on motor cables, according to IEC
60034-17/25. A compact, resistor-less
design saves floor-mounting space
and is said to install easily.
Schaffner
Edison, NJ
schaffnerusa.com
Remote Switch
Actuator for
Westinghouse
11-300 MCC Bucket
The RSA-35 allows users to remotely close or
trip the motor control center bucket from a safe
distance of as much as 300 ft. while remaining
outside the arc-flash boundary. The device
uses the company’s magnetic latching system
so installation and operation do not require
any modifications to the existing electrical
equipment. Compatible with the Eaton/
Cutler-Hammer MCCB slide-plate-type handle
mechanism motor control center buckets,
applications include switching and protection
of squirrel-cage, wound-rotor, and
synchronous motors.
CBS ArcSafe
Denton, TX
cbsarcsafe.com

Lithium Battery Pack

The M18 Redlithium High Demand 9.0 battery pack reportedly provides
as much as five times more run time and 35% more power while running
60% cooler than standard lithium-ion batteries in the cordless solutions
from the company’s M18 system. The unit is optimized for high-draw
offerings that require substantial and sustained power and run time for
applications such as drilling, chipping, cutting, and grinding.
Milwaukee Tool
Milwaukee
milwaukeetool.com

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 47

PRODUCTS

Power-Supply Lineup Addition

The company’s Rhino PSB series of DIN-rail power supplies
includes the PSB48-480S single-phase input, 48-VDC output
power supply. The power supply has removable finger-safe
terminal blocks, an output-voltage status LED indicator,
conformal coated circuit boards, and approval for Class 1, Divi-
sion 2 hazardous locations.
AutomationDirect
Cumming, GA
automationdirect.com

Mobile Braking Control

Svendborg Brakes’ (Vejstrup, Denmark) SOBO iQ controls
are accessible from Android and IOS mobile devices. Users
can remotely access and monitor the
controls by downloading an app. The
main menu allows access to all control
functions, including startup, brake
ramps, parking, HPU, and diagnostics.
The unit provides different braking
profiles for different operational
scenarios.
Altra Industrial Motion
South Beloit, IL
altramotion.com

Lithium Grease Water/Wastewater

CorrLube VpCI EP grease
is lithium-complex grease System Monitoring
formulated with premium Sentinel PRO remote monitoring
quality, severely hydro-treated system is said to connect with
base stock. Said to provide any water/wastewater processing
excellent resistance to oxida- equipment that uses a programmable
tion and high temperature logic controller with Modbus sensors.
stability, it is suitable for oper- Operators do not have to be on-site.
ating and lay-up conditions. The system monitors, delivers alarms,
The formula protects against and logs data input/output points
salt water, brine, H2S, HCl, from third-party Modbus sensors,
and other corrosive agents. It transducers, and PLCs. It supports
also incorporates vapor-phase Modbus RTU/485 and Modbus TCP.
corrosion inhibitors for areas not in direct contact with the grease. The grease The system interacts with all existing
remains effective in extreme operating conditions such as high temperature, sensors within a facility and provides
high pressure, and shock loading, and aids in suspending solid additives such operators with on-demand, real-time
as graphite, molybdenum, and disulfide. Thicker film consistency allows it to status and data acquisition from any
operate on worn parts. Internet-connected device.
Cortec Corp. Sensaphone
St. Paul, MN Aston, PA
cortecvci.com sensaphone.com

48 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016

 PRODUCTS

Explosion-Proof
LED Work Light
EPL-PM-50-LED-100 explosion-proof LED
light is Class 1, Division 1 & 2 and Class
2, Division 1& 2 rated. The portable
luminaire is mounted within an
A-frame stand constructed from
non-sparking aluminum, produces a
Chemical-Free flood light pattern, and adjusts up or
Moisture Analysis down 90 deg.
Larson Electronics
The Vapor Pro XL moisture analyzer is a chemical-free,
moisture-specific alternative to Karl Fischer titration. Kemp, TX
An upgraded heater increases the upper limit for testing larsonelectronics.com
temperatures to 300 C. The instrument is compatible
with multiple sizes of sample vials and has stepped
temperature-testing capabilities for enhanced method
development. A touchscreen and intuitive interface are
user friendly.
Arizona Instrument
Chandler, AZ
azic.com

MetalMizer MV2018
The Affordable & Versatile Vertical
Bandsaw that Stands Out
• Convenient overhead
controls
• 45° tilting saw head
• 18" x 20" cutting capacity
• Made in the U.S.A.

Open-Gate Alarm System

EdgeAlert open-gate alarm system signals an
open-gate condition with a flashing light and audible Limited
alarm. The system includes a 120-VAC plug-in Quantity!
power supply and can also be powered by four Available for
D-cell batteries. A single-pole, single-throw, 30-V, Immediate
© 2016 MetalMizer

2-A, 60-W relay output provides connection to other Shipment

alarms or safety controls. The system installs on new
or existing swing, slide, tilt, or scissor gates.
800.522.5097 metalmizer.com
Wildeck Inc.
Waukesha, WI Also depend on the METALFLEX blade to meet
wildeck.com your high-quality metal sawing needs.

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 49

PRODUCTS

Hybrid Drives
U.S. Motors-brand Hybrid Drives are part of
the Accu-Series line of 1- to 10-hp drives. The
off-the-shelf, digital AC drives are said to require
no programming or commissioning, install easily,
and be up and running in 10 min. These drives are
available as IP20, NEMA 1/IP20 & 50, and NEMA
4X/IP65. Custom applications are available.
Nidec Motor Corp. (NMC)
St. Louis
nidec-motor.com
Remote Bulk-Fuel Monitoring
WaveLength connects to bulk-fuel transfer- and storage-
filtration and remotely monitors the health of those systems.
Custom text and email alerts, coupled to a web interface
accessible through any device with an Internet connection,
allow users to know when a filter change is required. The
technology can be fitted to any existing bulk-filtration
system to monitor the pressure drop. Accumulated data can
be used to provide predictive analysis about clean fuel and
filter plugging for future maintenance planning.
Donaldson Co. Inc.
Minneapolis
donaldson.com

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Register using the promo code
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50 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2016

 PRODUCTS

Wedge-Link Belts Facility Traffic Alert

Wedge-link belting uses a polyester/polyure-
thane link narrow-wedge design that allows
belts to be made to any length on-site. Profiles
include 3V, 5V, SPZ, SPA, and SPB. Assembly
consists of reeling off the required lengths
of belting and using the twist-lock design to
complete the new belt.
Fenner Drives
Manheim, PA
fennerdrives.com
Safe-T-Signal intersection warning system alerts workers when traffic
is approaching inside a facility. The ceiling-mounted system uses LED
lights in shapes of red stop signs and amber yield signs and unidirec-
tional microwave sensors to differentiate traffic. A high-intensity blue
signal projects on the floor of the intersection. Certified or indoor use
only, optimal mounting height is 10 to 16 ft., depending on the exact
application. The system operates at temperatures from –40 to 140 F.
Rite-Hite
Milwaukee
ritehite.com

Looking to refocus or revitalize

Flush-Tip Pressure
your maintenance program?
Transmitter Looking to prepare for ISO 55001 certification?
Model 386 pressure transmitter has
a flush-tip, zero-cavity design to Does your program currently:
eliminate the traditional measure- P Lack confidence in its P Lack the time to
ment challenges of port clogging maintenance data? complete all work?
and remove installation torque
P Lack strategic direction? P Lack succession planning?
effects on the output signal. The
unit has a stainless-steel machined P Lack effective P Lack effective work
communication? planning and scheduling?
diaphragm and all-welded sealed
housings. An isolated sensor
reportedly eliminates the need for If you answered YES to any of the above,
adjustments to the pressure trans- call Ken Bannister at ENGTECH Industries Inc—
mitter after installation. Available successfully implementing usable asset management
in 13 standard ranges from 0 to 150 programs for over 27 years—at (519) 469-9173
to 0 to 10k psig or psis, the unit can or email kbannister@engtechindustries.com
withstand as much as 1.5X proof and let’s talk maintenance!
pressure and 5X burst pressure.
Additional ranges and models are
available.
Viatran Corp.
Wheatfield, NY
viatran.com Helping People manage People who Manage Assets!

SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 51

EngtechAd.indd 3 1/8/15 4:12 PM
 PRODUCTS
Compact Torque
Measurement
TorqueTrak 10K-LP telemetry system converts almost any
drive shaft into a rotating torque sensor by mounting the wire-
less torque transmitter, battery, and a torque-sensitive strain
gage to the shaft. Only 0.70-in. tall, the low-profile device
has application in situations with very low radial clearance.
Calibration is done off the shaft. Receiver display and keypad
provide a user-friendly interface.
Binsfeld Engineering Inc.
Maple City, MI
binsfeld.com
“Equipment visuals can reduce training
time by 60 to 70%, eliminate errors,
and improve reliability.”
~Robert Williamson, Lean Equipment specialist
• Problem & Opportunity Tags
• Gauge marking labels
• Colored permanent paint
marking pens
• Colored grease fitting caps
• Lube point labels
• Vibration analysis pickup discs and labels
• Temperature indicating strips, and more…
• “Lean Machines” (a “how-to” Book)
• Lean Equipment- TPM Consulting & Training
Contact us for catalog and samples.
On-line ordering: www.theVisualMachine.com
(864) 862-0446 • PO Box 70 • Columbus, NC 28722
52 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
BW-Ad.indd 1
Life-Cycle-Management
Software
FactoryTalk AssetCentre v7.0 software automates discovery
and tracks the status of devices, network switches, and
software on workstation computers across a facility or
production operation. The software scans a network to
discover hardware, firmware, and software information for
assets active in a facility. The devices are then tracked in
an active-asset inventory. The asset-inventory agent can be
scheduled to scan at regular intervals or run on demand.
New discoveries are compiled for user confirmation before
they are added to the active inventory.
Ongoing tracking of updates provides a history of how
a system has changed and potential hazards. Manual entry
is still available for devices that are not identifiable during
the scan or to fill in missing information or attributes for
discovered devices. A mobile-friendly dashboard provides
information access.
Rockwell Automation
Milwaukee
rockwellautomation.com
Automatic Switchover
For Gas Supply
The 547-series high-pressure automatic switchover is said
to provide an uninterrupted supply of gas in applications
requiring delivery pressures to 3,500 psig and flow rates to
25,000 SCFH with a compact, flexible design. A switch shift
feature maximizes gas cylinder economy by allowing the
user to change cylinder-switching ranges in the field from
high pressure to as low as 150 psig. PCTFE and PEEK seat
material options allow users to meet application-specific
process conditions, while standard check-valve inlets on the
hose glands eliminate contamination and backflow.
Concoa
Virginia Beach, VA
concoa.com
SEPTEMBER 2016
10/24/14 4:00 PM
 For rate information to advertise in Showcase, contact Matt Walsh at 978.315.1015 or e-mail: classified@maintenancetechnology.com SHOWCASE

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SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 53

AD INDEX
MAINTENANCE
TECHNOLOGY
THE SOURCE FOR RELIABILITY SOLUTIONS
SEPTEMBER 2016 • Volume 29, No. 9
535 Plainfield Road, Suite A
Willowbrook, IL 60527
PH 630-325-2497 FX 847-620-2570
INTEGRATED
MEDIA SPECIALISTS
Midwest/West Coast
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54 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
Ad Index
ADVERTISER WEB ADDRESS PAGE
All-Test Pro ...................................................................... alltestpro.com .............................................. 43
AutomationDirect ............................................................ automationdirect.com ................................ BC
Baldor Electric Co. ........................................................... baldor.com ................................................... 3
Electro Static Technology Inc.......................................... est-aegis.com ............................................... 28
EngTech Industries Inc. ................................................... engtechindustries.com................................ 51
Harvard Corp.................................................................... harvardcorp.com ......................................... 27
Helwig Carbon Product Inc............................................. helwigcarbon.com....................................... 53
IMVAC .............................................................................. vibrationconference.com ............................ 50
Inpro/Seal Co.................................................................... inpro-seal.com............................................. 13
ITT Goulds ....................................................................... gouldspumps.com ....................................... 5
Mapcon Technologies Inc................................................ mapcon.com ................................................ 53
Marcus Evans ................................................................... marcusevansch.com.................................... 38, 55
Maintenance Excellence Roundtable..................................................................................................... 23
Miller-Stephenson Chemical Co. .................................... mt.mschem.com ......................................... 30
Mr. Shims.......................................................................... mrshims.com............................................... 53
PdMA Corp....................................................................... pdma.com .................................................... 25
Philadelphia Gear Corp. .................................................. philagear.com .............................................. IFC
Rockwell Automation ...................................................... psug.rockwellautomation.com ................... 35
Royal Products ................................................................. mistcollectors.com ...................................... 53
SMRP................................................................................. smrp.org....................................................... 15
SPM Instrument Inc......................................................... spminstrument.us ....................................... 19
Strategic Work Systems Inc. ............................................ thevisualmachine.com ................................ 52
Superior Signal Co. .......................................................... superiorsignal.com ..................................... 53
Test Products International ............................................. testproductsintl.com ................................... 34
Wood-Mizer ..................................................................... metalmizer.com .......................................... 49
MAINTENANCE
TECHNOLOGY
THE SOURCE FOR RELIABILITY SOLUTIONS
Submissions Policy: Maintenance Technology welcomes editorial submissions. By sending us
your submission, unless otherwise negotiated in writing with our editor(s), you grant Applied Technol-
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Reproduction of Materials: Materials produced by Maintenance Technology may not be re-
produced in any form for any purpose without permission. For reprints, contact Glen Gudino, at
630-325-2480 or ggudino@maintenancetechnology.com.
SEPTEMBER 2016
 16th Annual
Outage Response and Restoration Management
October 25-27, 2016 Current Expert Speakers In Utility Outage Response and Restoration Include:
Astor Crowne Plaza | New Orleans, LA Russ Atkins, Iliana Rentz
Vice President Engineering Emergency Preparedness Program Manager
NiSource Florida Power & Light
Attending This Premier marcus evans
Conference Will Enable You to: Robert Pettenato Patricia Nilsen
• Examine the advantageous possibilities Director Emergency Management Manager - Outreach and Municipal Relations
for mobile command centers given recent Con Edison Avangrid
advancements in technology and emergency
response with ComEd, Florida Power Richard Ohlsen Steve Hayden
and Light, Avangrid, and PG&E Emergency Management Utility Industry Consultant
• Review best practice for training employees Brookhaven National Laboratory GE Grid Solutions
and assistance partners on safety and security
in the event of a natural or human threat Blaine Jarrett Matt Wells
with Southern California Edison Director, Engineering Services Distribution Operations Superintendent
• Reinforce the use of ICS for the utility industry Jamaica Public Service Colorado Springs Utilities
through examples employed during recent
large outages with Pacific Gas & Electric Angie Gibson, FAcEM, MEP Otto L. Jansky, III, PE
• Coordinate off site logistics in advance Manager, Electric Emergency Management Supervisor, Distribution SCADA & Control
to accelerate mobilization and ensure efficient Pacific Gas & Electric Santee Cooper
restoration with Georgia Power Company
• Examine triggers and subsequent actions Dennis Stewart Greg Gfeller
to streamline your restoration plan Meteorologist & Director Director, East Operations
with National Grid of Business Development Avista
WeatherBug

For More Information, Please Contact: Rachel Strug

T: 1 312 894 6327 E: rachels@marcusevansch.com

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your products, equipment, services,
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in Maintenance Technology's Showcase section.

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CALL NOW FOR DETAILS: Matt Walsh
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SEPTEMBER 2016 MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 55

FINAL THOUGHT
Life-Cycle Costing:
Why So Difficult?
L
ife-cycle cost (LCC) represents the total cost
of ownership over the complete life of an
asset. Calculating LCC, a relatively simple
Dr. Klaus M. Blache exercise, can lead to better asset-management
Univ. of Tennessee decisions. This approach has been referred to as
Reliability & cradle-to-grave or inception-to-disposal costing.
Maintainability
Using the stages in the accompanying chart as
Center
a guide, vendors/suppliers should be following
detailed specifications from purchasing depart-
ments to ensure R&M (reliability and maintenance)
requirements are met. This graphic is based on the
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 1993 & 1999
(document M-110 and 110.2), Reliability and Main-
tainability Guideline for Manufacturing Machinery
and Equipment. (It’s noteworthy that both trades and
engineers helped develop this guideline.)
ACQUISITION PHASE UTILIZATION PHASE
Concept & Design & Build & Operation Conversion or
Proposal Development Install & Support Decommissioning
The LCC approach typically considers these major cost
areas in machinery and equipment purchases.
Today there are many computerized LCC models.
The concept is simple. Wouldn’t you be willing to
pay 10% to 15% more in the initial purchase of
machinery and equipment (M&E) if you could save
substantially more over the life of those assets?
Overall, operational and maintenance (O&M)
costs make up 50% to 80% of total life-cycle costs.
By the time the M&E is constructed, however, 95%
or more of that cost has already been determined.
So, it’s either pay a little more up front or pay much
more throughout an asset’s life. The good news
is that incorporating “design for maintainability”
principles in M&E purchasing decisions can generate
substantial O&M cost savings. That means specifica-
tions should reflect design-in considerations such
as accessibility, modularity, and easy assembly and
disassembly. For example, ask:
■ Has the need for accessibility with special tools
been considered?
■ To reach a frequently failing component, would
items that haven’t failed need to be removed?
■ Would some long-life parts be disposed of with
disposable parts?
The objective of LCC is to select the most cost-
56 | MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
effective approach, so that the lowest long-term cost
of ownership is achieved. Unfortunately, ongoing
pressure to save money drives short-term thinking.
This was a challenge 30 years ago, and still is today.
At a recent Univ. of Tennessee Reliability and
Maintainability Center (RMC) meeting in Knoxville,
attendees from 50 member companies were polled
on LCC matters. Questions and responses included:
Do you have an equation/formula that you use to
calculate ROI [return on investment] when making
Life-Cycle Asset Management decisions?
■ 76% responded “No.”
How well does your life-cycle process work?
■ Not at all or don’t have one (56%)
■ Not too well (29%)
■ Adequate (10%
■ Very good (5%)
■ Excellent (0%)
How much are design and purchasing (specifications)
for R&M needed in buying new equipment?
■ Should always be used (66%)
■ Should be used most of the time (30%)
■ Somewhat needed (4%)
■ Don’t need them (0%)
How much are design and purchasing (specifications)
for R&M used in buying new equipment?
■ Somewhat use them (64%)
■ Don’t use them (18%)
■ Regularly use them (9%)
■ Always use them (9%)
These responses indicate a continuing purchasing/
manufacturing disconnect. As long as purchasing
departments focus mainly on reducing initial costs,
this won’t change. Purchasing typically reports to the
top of the organization alongside manufacturing, so
the battle continues.
What’s needed is a machinery & equipment
reliability metric tied to a purchasing department’s
performance, not just its cost-saving abilities. After
all, LCC decision making is a rich opportunity for
organizations. That is if they have the discipline to
implement long-term success strategies. MT
Based in Knoxville, Klaus M. Blache is director of
the Reliability & Maintainability Center at the
Univ. of Tennessee, and a research professor in the
College of Engineering. Contact him at kblache@
utk.edu.
SEPTEMBER 2016
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 SOCIETY FOR MAINTENANCE & RELIABILITY PROFESSIONALS SPECIAL EDITION

BY PRACTITIONERS FOR PRACTITIONERS

10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 1 8/22/16 9:43 AM

 2

GET THE RECOGNITION

YOUR COMPANY DESERVES
Practitioners look for quality education and training. SMRP’s
Approved Provider Education Program provides credible
third-party validation for your company’s offerings.

R OV E
PP

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Join the ranks of more than 4,500 who
have earned the CMRP (ANSI-accredited),
CMRT or CAMA credentials.
SMRP certification programs are the #1 credentialing programs for validating
the knowledge, skills and abilities of M&R and asset management professionals
and technicians.

SOLUTIONS AUGUST 2016

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 3

06
THE RELIABILITY
CENTERED MAINTENANCE
(RCM) BENEFIT TO DATA
CENTER RELIABILITY
AND AVAILABILITY
Paul V. Mihm, P.e.

13
MANAGING HUMAN
ERROR IN MAINTENANCE
Alexander (Sandy) Dunn

18
ULTRASOUND:
CRITICAL COMPONENT
TO RELIABILITY
CENTERED LUBRICATION
Adrian Messer, CMRP

23
HOW SHOULD WE
STRUCTURE
OUR ORGANIZATION?
Ron Moore, CMRP

26
PLANT-WIDE FORMAL
PRIORITIZATION SYSTEM
Mike Palm, CMRP, PMP, CSSBB
Convergent Results, LLC

WWW.SMRP.ORG

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 4

Developing and
Promoting Excellence
in Maintenance,
Reliability and Physical
Asset Management
Join SMRP by October 31,
2016 to receive a discount
by using the code MT2016

SOLUTIONS AUGUST 2016

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Dear Readers,
The Society for Maintenance &
Reliability Professionals (SMRP)
re m a i n s t h e p re m i e r p rov i d e r
of membership, education and
networking for maintenance, reliability
and physical asset management
practitioners. For over 20 years, our
mission has been to develop and
promote excellence in our profession.
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of
seeing our society, profession and
partnerships within various industries
grow during my time as SMRP
Chair. In addition to this bi-monthly
publication, SMRP offers numerous
benefits to practitioners worldwide.
Our membership includes over 5,000
professionals across six continents
at every level of their career, from
students to CEOs of large companies
and small business owners. We
offer a variety of membership levels
to coincide with the needs of our
diverse membership. SMRP offers
student, individual and executive
membership packages that include
many benefits and access to our
world-class educational resources. All
of these benefits and resources are
continually evaluated and updated to
ensure SMRP offers the best value to
our members.
The SMRP Body of Knowledge (BoK) is
an incredible wealth of information for
all practitioners. It focuses on five key
areas, or pillars, that SMRP believes
are the foundations to successful
careers in our profession. The five
pillars of the BoK are: Business and
Management; Manufacturing Process
Reliability; Equipment Reliability;
Organization and Leadership; and
Work Management. These pillars
shape SMRP member benefits, such
as our professional development
webinars, local chapters and shared
interest groups, legislative outreach,
student scholarships, annual
conferences and certifications, to
name a few.
10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 5
5
FROM
THE
CHAIR
SMRP certifications, in particular, set
the organization apart from other
groups. The Certified Maintenance
& Reliability Professional (CMRP)
and Certified Maintenance &
Reliability Technician (CMRT) are
globally-recognized certifications
that provide valuable, real-world
knowledge and skills that help
practitioners advance their careers.
The CMRP is the only certification in
maintenance, reliability and physical
asset management accredited by
the American National Standards
Institute. Even more, managers
increasingly use the certification
to make hiring decisions. Whether
you choose to become an SMRP
member or not, I encourage all of the
practitioners reading this to consider
earning a certification that will set
you apart from others in their field.
For those of you who are not
members or who are unfamiliar with
SMRP, I hope you now understand
the opportunities we provide for
professionals to grow in their careers.
For more information, visit www.smrp.
org. I hope you enjoy this special issue
of Solutions and consider becoming
part of our growing society!
Sincerely,
Bob Kazar, CMRP, PMP
SMRP Chair
WWW.SMRP.ORG
8/22/16 9:43 AM
 6
The Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)
Benefit to Data Center Reliability & Availability:
WHAT’S OLD
IS NEW AGAIN
Paul V. Mihm, P.E.
T
he data center industry continues to face
growing demand for reliability and high
availability on both the IT and support
infrastructure systems (mechanical, electrical &
fi re protection – MEP), a trend that will not go
away in the foreseeable future. Best practice,
continuous process improvement and change
management programs are implemented or
reinvented to meet these demands. Extensive
MOPs, SOPs and ESOPs are crafted to ensure the
‘bad actors’ are reduced or eliminated. Changing
the culture within a data center organization,
to develop attitudes of all stakeholders toward
high availability, remains a priority at the C-Level.
Those C-Level executives and their operations
managers interested in achieving cultural change
may be best served by adopting what the aviation
industry implemented in the 1960s – Reliability
Centered Maintenance (RCM).
Why? Sustained data integrity and availability
of all systems - IT & MEP.
RCM Background
In the 1960’s, United Airlines engaged a number
of their engineers to assess the efficacy of their
preventative maintenance program for their new
fleet of 747s. This group, the Maintenance Steering
Group (MSG), published the MSG-1 Handbook
SOLUTIONS AUGUST 2016
10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 6
establishing RCM on the 747 commercial airliners,
ensuring high availability and safety of the public
using airline travel. In 1978, Stanley Nowlan and
Howard Heap published a report titled “Reliability
Centered Maintenance” after an exhaustive
study of failure modes and effects of airplanes
updating earlier RCM techniques for optimizing
maintenance of complex systems. In 1983, Stanley
Nowlan collaborated with John Moubray, delving
deeper into RCM practices. Their efforts resulted
in the 1991 publication of Moubray’s book titled,
“RCMII – Reliability Centered Maintenance”. RCM2
is defined as a process used to determine what
must be done to ensure that any physical asset
continues to do what its users want it to do in
its present operation context. Moubray began to
develop a suite of training and support services
designed to transfer the technology of RCM to
industrial clients. This led him to found Aladon,
Ltd. in 1986 and Aladon, LLC. in the USA in 1998.
The goal of RCM is consequence mitigation rather
than failure avoidance. The automotive industry
embraced RCM in the late 1980’s; Dr. Klaus Blache’s
reliability and maintenance team at General
Motors was involved with Ford, Chrysler, Boeing,
Caterpillar, Pratt & Whitney, Rockwell International
and many other contributing organizations to
create a reliability and maintainability guideline.
The result was a 1993 publication by the National
8/22/16 9:43 AM
 7

Remember that United Airlines on July 8, 2015,

some 50-years after establishing RCM for their
aircraft, grounded hundreds of flights because
of computer problems on their ground-based
IT network and not because of a failed system/
component on their planes. Computer experts
say the problems could be blamed on the use of
larger and more complicated computer systems
that are not supported with sufficient staffing,
testing or backup systems. A Wall Street
Journal article offered the following regarding
the outage, stating:

“Today’s problems with reliability are more

fundamental, a reflection of the complexity of
contemporary networks, the volume of data, the
pace of change, insufficient organizational and
cultural practices, and a legacy of arcane and
poorly written business software that traditionally
put little emphasis on usability…”

While the author in no way places the safety

of lives in aviation on par with data center
availability, recent operational interruptions, data
breaches, natural and man-made threats/disasters
Center of Manufacturing Sciences, Inc. and the have had significant impact on lives because of
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). It was data loss. Electricity grids, credit cards, social
titled “Reliability and Maintainability Guideline
for Manufacturing Machinery and Equipment”
(publication M-110). In 1999, SAE issued SAE
JA1011, “Evaluation Criteria for RCM Processes” –
establishing criteria for RCM processes (NAVAIR
and Aladon/John Moubray major contributors). In
2002, SAE issued JA1012, “A Guide to the RCM
Standard” – amplifying and clarifying key RCM
concepts and terms from SAE JA1011.

Why RCM for IT Systems?

Applying the RCM methodology to IT systems
is a complement to change management. The
rigorous approach to developing an operating
context, completing an information worksheet
with functions, function failures, failure modes
and failure effect so as to complete a decision
worksheet for reviewing the failure consequences
and finally identifying proposed or default tasks
for reducing or eliminating the consequences of
the failure, all reinforce the foundation of change
management. Moreover, RCM will likely result in
cultural change leading all participants to improved
organizational performance outlined below.

WWW.SMRP.ORG

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 8

“Today’s problems with reliability are

more fundamental, a reflection of the
complexity of contemporary networks,
the volume of data, the pace of
change, insufficient organizational
and cultural practices, and a legacy
of arcane and poorly written
business software that traditionally
put little emphasis on usability…”

media, communication networks and public
transportation all have become indispensable
to everyday modern life. The RCM methodology,
developed for complex systems, particularly
mechanical, is applicable to the complex systems/
processes comprising IT networks for mitigating
the consequences of failure.
Furthermore, many regulatory boards and
standards institutes have developed requirements
and guidelines for data integrity. The following
is a list of regulatory and compliance standards
which set minimum requirements for sustaining
business operations, disaster recovery, business
continuity management (BCM) and information
and communication technology (ICT) continuity:
The list to the right demonstrates there is little
lack of importance for sustained data integrity,
business continuity planning, disaster recovery
and ICT continuity, all of which require a reliably-
designed and maintained IT system and support
infrastructure. Consider a centralized network
where a simple loss of connection between the
server and client is enough to cause a failure, but
in peer-to-peer (P2P) networks the connections
between every node must be lost in order to
cause a data sharing failure. In a centralized
system, the administrators are responsible for all
data recovery and backups, while in P2P systems
each node requires its own backup system. Each
network has its advantages and disadvantages,
along with failure mode and failure consequences.
Leveraging the operating context required in
an RCM analysis allows a team of IT operators,
maintainers and external subject matter experts
to rigorously analyze a network. This helps us list
functions, functional failures, causes of failure
and failure effects. Finally, we utilize a decision
matrix as a focusing tool to review the failure
consequences and determine the proposed
task(s) which are intended to reduce or eliminate
those consequences of failure.
Consider, again, a disk array where the applications
utilizing this hardware (along with statistical
data on disk failure rate) could be analyzed to
determine both the opportunities for failure (and
possible mitigations) as well as the cost of the
associated business applications should there be
a failure. While most disk arrays leverage some
degree of redundancy, the rigorous RCM analysis
for reviewing the operating context, function,
functional failures, failure modes and failure effect
results in identification of default task(s) or if a
new proposed maintenance task for the array is
technically feasible and worth doing.

SOLUTIONS AUGUST 2016

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Implementation
RCM is the leading methodology in many
industries for failure mitigation, the training
techniques, and support services borne from
years of development in the airline industry. The
data center IT and supporting infrastructure
of mechanical, electrical and fire protection
systems are poised to realize significant
benefits from implementation of RCM. If the
RCM process is correctly applied, it makes the
following contributions to the performance of
the organization:
• Greater safety and environmental integrity
• Improved operating performance (uptime,
output, product quality and customer service)
• Greater maintenance cost-effectiveness
• Greater motivation of individuals
• Better teamwork
• A comprehensive database (long term asset
life cycle management & financial savings).
How does RCM benefit a data center’s IT and
MEP infrastructure? A trained and certified
HIPAA - EDI, security & confidentiality in health
care industry.
FDA Part II - Medical industry controls for
processing data.
Gramm-Leach Bliley Act - Provisions to protect
consumer financial information.
OCC–Sound Practices to Strengthen the Resilience
of the US Financial System - Post 911 business
continuity objectives.
Basel II Capital Accord - Banking business continuity
& disaster recovery planning & loss limits.
Health Information Technology for Economic
and Clinical Health Act - HHS standard for IT
protections of health information.
Expedited Funds Availability Act - Business
continuity planning standard for commercial banks.
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
Rule 4370 - Requires firm to create & maintain
business continuity plan.
Business Continuity Institute (BCI) - Established BC
standards worldwide.
ISO 22301 (2012) - Advisory for document
management systems & disruption mitigation.
10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 9
9
RCM facilitator/practitioner leads a team of site-
specific operations and maintenance personnel
and external subject matter experts to assess an
asset’s functions and associated performance
standards. The first requirement of the RCM
process is to establish the operating context for
the system, which should include the business
case for the pilot analysis, the overall mission
statement of the entire organization, and must
include a plant level, machine level and analysis
level outline. The team then identifies functional
failures, failure modes and failure consequences,
and finally is led through a decision process for
identifying proactive tasks or default actions to
reduce or eliminate failure consequences. The
RCM methodology is used to determine the
maintenance requirements of any physical asset,
system or process in its current operating context
to ensure it continues to do whatever its users
want it to do. And, when that operating context
changes, the system is reevaluated to determine
if it can support the new parameters, resulting in
revised operating and maintenance requirements,
hiring/(re)training personnel or results in a
functional/physical design changes.
SSAE16 - Controls for data processing
of client information.
EU Annex 11 - European equivalent to FDA Part II.
PCI DSS - Standard for paymentaccount data security.
EU Data Protection Directive - Standards of data
protection for EU citizens.
Canada’s Personal Information Protection &
Electronic Data Act - Personal information data
protection in commercial business.
Federal Information Security Management Act -
Framework to protect government information.
See NIST 800-34, Rev-1.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - Standard for
recovery planning of utilities.
Securities and Exchange Commission Rules 17a-3
& 17a-4 - Standard for data availability.
ASIS International - Establishes standards for
data protection.
ISO 27031 (2011) - Established principles for
information and communication technology (ICT)
readiness for business continuity.
WWW.SMRP.ORG
8/22/16 9:43 AM
 10

The RCM process entails asking seven questions

about the asset or system under review,
The strength of
as follows:
RCM is the way it
• What are the functions and associated
performance standards of the asset in its provides simple,
present operating context?
• In what ways does it fail to fulfil its functions?
precise and easily
• What causes each functional failure? understood criteria
• What happens when each failure occurs?
• In what way does each failure matter?
for deciding which
• What can be done to predict or prevent (if any) predictive
each failure?
• What should be done if a suitable preventative
and/or preventative
task cannot be found?
tasks are technically
The strength of RCM is the way it provides simple,
precise and easily understood criteria for deciding
feasible in any
which (if any) predictive and/or preventative tasks
are technically feasible in any context and if so
context and if so
for deciding how often they should be done and
who should do them. In addition to a preventative
for deciding how
task’s technical feasibility, whether it is worth
doing is governed by how well it deals with the
often they should
consequences of the failure. If a preventative task
cannot be found that is both technically feasible
be done and who
and worth doing, then a suitable default action
must be taken. The essence of the task selections
should do them.
process is as follows:

• For hidden failures, a predictive and/or

preventative task is worth doing if it reduces
the risk of the multiple failures associated
of time, is less than the cost of the operational
with that function to a tolerably low level. If
consequences plus the cost of repair over the
such a task cannot be found, a scheduled failure-
same period of time. If this is not met, the initial
finding task must be performed. If a suitable
default action is no scheduled maintenance
failure-finding task cannot be found, a secondary
(if this is met and the operational consequences
default decision is reached and will require
are still unacceptable then the secondary default
a redesign.
action is to redesign).
• For failures with safety or environmental
• For failures with non-operational consequences,
consequences, a predictive and/or preventative
a predictive and/or preventative task is only
task is only worth doing if it reduces the risk
worth doing if the total cost of doing it, over
of that failure on its own to a very low level,
a period of time, is less the cost of repair
if it does not eliminate it altogether. If a task
over the same period, otherwise, no schedule
cannot be found that reduces the risk of the
maintenance (if the repair costs are too high the
failure to a tolerably low level, the item must be
secondary default action is to possibly redesign).
redesigned or the process must be changed.
All too often operations and maintenance
• For failures with operational consequences, a
policies lead to practices used for all similar
predictive and/or preventative task is only worth
assets without considering the consequences
doing if the total cost of doing it, over a period
of failure in different operating contexts.
This results in large numbers of maintenance

SOLUTIONS AUGUST 2016

10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 10 8/22/16 9:43 AM


schedules which are wasteful because they
d o n ’ t h ave t h e s a m e e f f e c t . I n fa c t , t h e
maintenance task may cause the failure that the
task was intended to prevent. It also exposes
workers’ health and safety, as well as our
precious environment, to the risk of asset failure
while the unnecessary task is being performed.
The comprehensive database resulting from a
RCM analysis includes the operating context,
RCM information worksheet and RCM decision
worksheet, all of which can be leveraged for
the entire life cycle of the asset. The fact that
the RCM analysis is a living document makes
it possible to adapt to changing circumstances
without having to reconsider all maintenance
policies and demonstrate that maintenance
programs are built on rational foundations,
thereby meeting the audit requirements of
regulators and standards.
M o d e r n d a t a ce n te r s e m p l oy re d u n d a n t
components and systems designed to
maximize a facility’s uptime. Component and
system redundancies are intended to allow for
concurrent maintainability and/or fault tolerance
while sustaining IT processes. Paramount
to successful operation and maintenance is
10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 11
11
understanding the operating context of the
system, particularly those redundancy aspects.
Consideration must be given to what parts of the
redundancy are hot-standby or cold-standby,
and if the system being operated and maintained
maximizes system uptime. If so, have the
operational checks been optimized leveraging
scientific methodologies which are sensible
and defensible?
These redundancies within a data center are an
arrangement of like components, each having
similar control devices. The redundant (protective)
component is configured to support the protected
component. The RCM process analyzes failure
modes and effects to understand the failure
consequences, then asks a group of Subject
Matter Experts (SMEs - who know the asset best)
if the failure is evident to operators under normal
operating conditions and if there is a proactive
task that is technically feasible and worth doing
to reduce or eliminate those consequences. On
redundant systems, in many instances there
are failure modes that are not evident to the
operator under normal operating conditions and
may only become evident under multiple failure
conditions. These are ‘hidden’ failures requiring
the identification of tasks to secure the availability
needed to reduce the probability of a multiple
failure to a tolerable level.
A task that reduces the probability of a ’multiple
failure’ could be an ‘on-condition’ task where
there is a clear potential failure condition which
is manageable.
Ex: “Check unit temperature level” may be too
vague. A possible alternative: “Visually
inspect Thermal Unit 14-a’s temperature
using SOP S327 (f). If above 145°F, schedule
for repair at next available downturn” or
“custom-developed box containing code that
can no longer be modified, update operating
context and identify failure mode, schedule
replacement with coded device that allows
for user interface at earliest downtime”.
Another task could be a scheduled restoration if
there is an age at which there is a rapid increase
in the probability of failure. Perhaps a task could
be a scheduled discard if there is an age at
which there is a rapid increase in the probability
of failure.
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8/22/16 9:43 AM
 12
Finally, the ‘failure-finding’ task may make it
possible to test the item at a practical interval
that reduces the probability of a “multiple failure”
to a tolerable level. This involves a statistically
proven methodology employing reliability data
to establish a practical interval, particularly
for failures involving safety and environmental
consequences. For consequences with operational
a n d n o n - o p e ra t i o n a l c o n s e q u e n c e s , t h e
methodology employs cost criteria for optimizing
the interval. This is particularly instrumental
for informed decision making of intervals for
standby generator systems, redundant cooling
units and associated infrastructure components.
For IT systems, consider analyzing critical path
communication device MTBF (mean time between
failures) and evaluate spare parts or replacement
devices along with fail-over plans.
All too often many systems designed to operate
as standby (cold) redundant are actually operated
as parallel (hot) redundant. Operation in this
manner results in a reduced system reliability
as it introduces excessive wear on redundant
components. The RCM process demonstrates
there can be proactive tasks identified to maximize
system reliability where redundant components
are treated as designed and maximum life-cycle
management is realized. In short, RCM identifies
the ‘safe-minimum’ work necessary to assure
sustainable safe and economical operation of all
data center assets.
SOLUTIONS AUGUST 2016
10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 12
Moreover, in the era of demand for high availability
and lower energy consumption it would benefit
operators to review design drawings, validate
operating context and ensure redundant systems
are optimized regarding operation, testing and
maintenance. These are completed under a RCM
analysis. Failure-finding task interval analysis aids
in eliminating legacy intervals which allows all
stakeholders the opportunity to employ reliability
data for particular equipment and make informed
decisions on proactive maintenance task, as well
as optimizing those tasks for greater maintenance
cost effectiveness.
Conclusion
The time is now for a paradigm shift by senior
managers to engage RCM. It is ideal, if not critical,
given the demand for reliable data centers. The
RCM paradigm is a distinct set of concepts and
methods that constitutes legitimate contributions
to the entire data center environment allowing,
all stakeholders to realize a reliability-based
culture and thought process. The 50+ years
of airline industry implementation of RCM has
demonstrated this method’s rigor and success in
reducing and eliminating failure consequences
of complex systems. RCM is employed by few
operators of MEP system within data centers,
but those who have implemented it benefit
f ro m i m p rove d ava i l a b i l i t y. Th e co m p l ex
structure of IT systems will benefit from the
rigorous analysis process of RCM for enhancing
change management techniques. The support
infrastructure of MEP systems will realize
improved reliability and availability by nature of
optimized maintenance procedures, accurate
spares analysis and a thorough vetting of the
operating context to ensure capabilities. A holistic
engagement of IT and MEP system through
an RCM analysis enhances site-wide reliability
and high availability. The data center industry
has experienced a substantive maturation
process around design and commissioning; RCM
implementation embraces the long term role of
operating and maintaining assets. Finally, the
RCM process will deliver documented operating
and maintenance procedures around a detailed
operating context for the operators of the
asset, and is a transferrable body of knowledge
for future operators, thereby demonstrating a
sustainable business practice.
8/22/16 9:43 AM

Managing Human
Error in Maintenance
Alexander (Sandy) Dunn
Introduction
I
n their ground-breaking work that led to the
establishment of the technique that we now
know as Reliability Centred Maintenance
( R C M ) , N ow l a n a n d H e a p f o u n d , w h e n
analysing the failures of hundreds of mechanical,
structural and electrical aircraft components, that
these failures occurred with six distinct patterns,
as illustrated below.
10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 13
13
The interesting finding, in the context of this paper,
is that more than two-thirds of all components
demonstrated early-life failure. Other studies have
been conducted which confirm these findings:
• Studies performed by the Institute of Nuclear
Power Operations (INPO) in the USA and by
the Central Research Institute for the Electrical
Power Industry (CRIEPI) in Japan found that
more than half of all identified performance
problems were associated with maintenance,
calibration and testing activities. In comparison,
on average only 16% of problems occurred while
these power stations were operating under
normal conditions.
• A Boeing Study indicated that maintenance
activities contributed to at least 80% of all inflight
engine shutdowns (IFSDs) in Boeing aircraft.
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 14
If poor quality maintenance causes so many
incidents in highly regulated and hazardous
industries such as Nuclear Power Generation
and Civil Aviation, what proportion of failures
may be being caused by maintenance within
your organisation? What could maintenance-
induced failures be costing your organisation?
We should do something to reduce the number
of equipment failures that are being caused,
not prevented, by maintenance. This article
suggests that the most appropriate approach is:
• Admit that human error is inevitable (even in
maintenance!) and design our systems and
processes around this inevitability
• Use appropriate tools to ensure that we are
not unnecessarily over-maintaining plant and
equipment (and therefore increasing the risk
associated with the fact that this work may
not be performed correctly), and
• Work to improve the quality with which
maintenance activities are performed –
including error-proofing where possible.
Human Error is Inevitable
Reason and Hobbs identified a number of
physiological and psychological factors which
contribute to the inevitability of human error. As
a result of these contributing factors, the types of
errors that occur most often in maintenance include:
• Recognition failures – these include non-
detection of problem states
• Memory failures
• Skill-based slips
• Rule-based errors including:
° Misapplying a good rule – using a rule in a
situation where it is not appropriate
° Applying a bad rule – this is most common
when people pick up others’ “bad habits”
• Knowledge-based errors
• Violations – deliberate acts which violate
procedures
Think of your own situation – have you ever
committed an error? For most of us, the
consequences of our past errors are relatively
minor – but that was largely due to luck and the
situation that we were in at the time.
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Numerous research studies have
shown that over 50% of all equipment
fails prematurely after maintenance
work has been performed on it. In
the most embarrassing cases, the
maintenance work performed
was intended to prevent the
very failures that occurred. This
article outlines the key things that
maintenance managers can do to
reduce or eliminate the impact of
human error in maintenance.
Avoid Unnecessary “Preventive”
Maintenance
Given the statistics mentioned earlier from
Nowlan and Heap’s work, it is clear that over-
maintaining equipment is not only a waste of time
and money, but also increases the risk of safety
and environmental incidents, as well as potentially
causing expensive and unnecessary failures.
Techniques based on the application of RCM
principles are an extremely effective way of
weeding out this unnecessary maintenance,
and streamlining and optimising equipment
preventative maintenance (PM) programs.
Our analysis of PM programs in place at our clients
has indicated that in almost all organisations
there is a huge amount of unnecessary routine
maintenance being performed. In some situations,
fewer than 10% of the existing PM tasks were
optimal, and it is not unusual for us to identify
that as much as half of the routine maintenance
activities were, at best, a complete waste of
time. In many cases, the performance of some
of these “preventive” maintenance activities
were potentially causing equipment failures,
rather than preventing them – particularly where
these activities involved intrusive, fixed interval
inspections and overhauls. At one major offshore
oil and gas platform in Western Australia, a
comprehensive review of the PM program led
to a 25% reduction in the amount of routine PM
being performed. It also led to a 25% reduction
in the amount of corrective maintenance being
performed. Clearly, in this case, a fair proportion
of the PM that had previously been performed was
actually causing, rather than preventing, failures.
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We would strongly suggest that, if you have not
already done so, a critical review of your PM
program using RCM principles is an essential
first step to managing the impact of human error
in maintenance.
Maintenance Quality Management –
Key Principles
Following Reason and Hobbs , the following are
some of the principles that a Maintenance Quality
Management system must embrace:
• Human error is both universal and inevitable.
Human errors are as much a part of human life
as eating and breathing.
• Errors are not intrinsically bad. Success and
failure spring from the same roots. Errors mark
the boundaries of the path to successful action.
• You cannot change the human condition,
but you can change the conditions in which
humans work. There are two parts to an error –
a mental state and a situation. We have limited
control over people’s mental states, but we
can control the situations in which they have
to work.
• The best people can make the worst mistakes.
No one is immune to error. Indeed, the higher
in an organisation that an error is made, the
more significant the consequences.
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• People cannot easily avoid those actions
they did not intend to commit. Blame and
punishment is not appropriate when peoples’
intentions were good, but their actions did not
go as planned.
• Errors are consequences, rather than causes.
Discovering a human error is the beginning of
the search for causes, not the end.
• Many errors fall into recurrent patterns.
Targeting these recurrent errors is the most
effective way of addressing human error issues.
• Error Management is all about managing the
manageable. Situations are manageable –
human nature, in its broadest sense, is not.
• Maintenance quality management is about
making good people excellent. Maintenance
quality management is not about making a
few error-prone people better – it is a way of
making the larger proportion of well-trained
and motivated people excellent.
• Effective maintenance quality management
aims at continuous reform rather than local
fixes. As errors tend to be systemic in nature,
we should deal with human error systematically
and continuously.
We need a more
holistic approach
for managing
maintenance
error and assuring
maintenance quality.
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There are a number of maintenance quality
management tools that can be applied. The exact
combination of these that is most appropriate for
any organisation varies, but they could include:
PERSON MEASURES
Provide training in error-provoking factors.
Training maintenance personnel in order to
give them an understanding and awareness of
the factors and situations that may lead them
to be more error-prone is a starting point in
successfully addressing human error. They should
understand such factors as the limitations of
human performance, the limitations of short term
memory, the impact of fatigue, the impact of
interruptions, the impact of pressure and stress,
the types of errors that they can make, and the
situations in which these errors are most likely
to arise. Once maintainers are aware of their
own limitations, then they can start to detect the
warning signals that indicate a higher risk of an
error being made, and can take steps to avoid this
from happening.
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Implement measures to reduce the number of
deliberate violations. Traditional approaches
to the avoidance of violations tend to focus on
scaring people into compliance. This may have its
place, but an additional, effective approach is to
create a social environment within the workplace
where deliberate violations bring disapproval
from within peoples’ peer groups.
Encourage mental rehearsal of tasks before they
are performed. There is significant evidence
to suggest that achieving the right degree of
mental readiness for a task before it begins has
a significant positive impact on the quality and
reliability with which this task is performed.
Control distractions. Anticipating the distractions
that are likely to occur, and developing a strategy
for dealing with them before they occur is most
likely to enhance the quality of task performance.
Avo i d p l a ce - l o s i n g e r ro r s . Th ro u g h s u c h
techniques as inserting place-markers at
appropriate points in the procedure.
TEAM MEASURES
Provide teamwork training. Significant accidents
have occurred as a result of poorly functioning
teams. Effective teamwork training will focus on:
• Communication skills
• Crew development and leadership skills
• Workload management, and
• Technical proficiency
WORKPLACE AND TASK MEASURES
Ensure that personnel only perform tasks when
they are properly trained, skilled and qualified. It
goes without saying that quality work practices
can only be put in place when maintenance
personnel have the requisite technical skills and
capabilities required to perform the work that is
allocated to them.
Fatigue Management. Ensure that a well-designed
shift roster is in place which minimises the impact
of fatigue.
Assign tasks appropriately. There is evidence to
suggest that there is a link between the frequency
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with which a task is performed, and the likelihood

that the task will be performed correctly. Both
Ultimately, even
infrequently performed and very frequently
performed tasks tend to be those at greatest risk
putting both
of human error. Intelligent allocation of work to
individuals takes this into account, and can assist
proactive and
in minimising human error.
reactive measures
Ensure that equipment, and tasks, are properly
designed. In order to minimise the likelihood
in place will not
of error in performing maintenance tasks, the
equipment should be designed for maintainability.
guarantee the
Enforce good housekeeping standards. Housekeeping
absence of human
practices are a good indicator of attitudes and
culture relating to quality.
error, but together,
Ensure spare parts and tools are managed well.
these strengthen
Maintenance cannot perform high quality work
if the parts and tools that they need are not
the organisation’s
available when required.
intrinsic resistance
Write and use effective maintenance work
instructions. Omission of necessary steps is the
to human error.
most common form of maintenance error. Some
estimates suggest that omissions account for
more than half of all human factors problems
in maintenance. The development, and use, of
effective maintenance work instructions is an Put in place proactive processes for assessing
important tool in managing these types of errors. the risk of future maintenance errors. Avoiding
the recurrence of past failures is an admirable,
ORGANISATIONAL MEASURES but insufficient, goal for those seeking to achieve
high quality maintenance outcomes. Proactive
Put in place effective processes for analysing, and methods should also be employed to seek out
learning from, past failures. It is vitally important potential opportunities for future maintenance
that any significant failures should be investigated error and eliminate these.
using an effective Root Cause Analysis process.
The most effective solutions to preventing these Ultimately, even putting both proactive and
failures from happening again, will be those that reactive measures in place will not guarantee
deal effectively with the organisational causes the absence of human error, but together, these
of failures. strengthen the organisation’s intrinsic resistance
to human error.
However, in order to effectively analyse those
failures that are occurring as a result of human Conclusion
failures, it is also necessary to engender a
“Reporting Culture” within the organisation – where The impact of human error on maintenance
all failures, no matter how seemingly insignificant, quality and costs, safety and equipment reliability
are reported. This requires the development of a is huge. Yet we are only just starting to develop a
high level of trust between management and those better understanding of how to avoid or minimise
at lower levels in the organisation. People must not the consequences of human error. This article has
feel that reporting human failures is likely to lead attempted to provide you with some ideas that
to adverse personal consequences. you may find useful in addressing maintenance
error within your organisation.

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 18

Ultrasound: Critical
Component to Reliability
Centered Lubrication
Adrian Messer, CMRP

Keeping a handle on lubrication is easy, right? All one

needs to do is make sure the right lubricant is used in
the right amount and at the right time. If only it were
that simple…

I
t’s estimated that 60 to 90 percent of all bearing
failures are lubrication-related. Bearing failures
often lead to unplanned and costly downtime
that impacts production and affects all related
components around the bearing. While the cost
varies by incident and plant, it can add up. Since
the most common cause of bearing failure is
lubrication-related, it’s easy to see lubrication is
serious business. For the longest time, that “serious
business” has been conducted in a way that on
the surface makes perfect sense—but actually
borders on haphazard.
Many technicians rely on “preventive” time-based
lubrication alone. That is, every X number of
months the grease gun comes out and the bearings
are lubricated. After all, under-lubrication can be
detrimental, causing equipment failure, costly
repairs and replacements, significant unplanned
downtime and lost profit. However, by relying
solely on time-based lubrication or a combination of
planned maintenance and temperature readings
to serve as a proxy for lubrication status, one runs
the risk of something just as bad, if not worse:
over-lubrication. Over-lubrication has been
reported both anecdotally and in presentations
at various conferences to be the primary cause of
premature bearing failure.
Relying on time-based periodic lubrication
assumes bearings need to be greased at
defi ned time periods. This often evolves into a
well-intentioned guessing game; adding more
lubrication to a bearing that is already adequately
greased is a real risk.

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By using ultrasound technology (along with
standard practices such as removing old grease
and replacing it with new), technicians can
combine standard time-based maintenance with
condition-based predictive maintenance, gaining
in the process both a clearer picture of what’s
really going on and improved reliability.
How Ultrasound Works
Ultrasonic equipment detects airborne and
structure-borne ultrasounds normally inaudible to
the human ear and electronically “transposes” them
into audible signals that a tech can hear through
headphones and view on a display panel as various
decibel (dB) levels. In some instruments, such as
the Ultraprobe® 15,000, the received sound can
be viewed on a spectral analysis screen. With this
information, a trained technician can interpret the
bearing condition in order to determine what, if any,
corrective action is needed.
Advantages of ultrasound technology include:
• It can be used in virtually any environment.
• It’s relatively easy to learn how to use it.
• The technology is relatively inexpensive.
• Modern ultrasonic equipment makes it easy to
track trends and store historical data.
• Ultrasonic technology has proven itself to be
extremely reliable in predictive maintenance,
saving thousands of dollars and hours of
lost productivity.
A i r b o r n e a n d st r u c t u re - b o r n e u l t ra s o u n d
instruments are an extension of the user’s sense
of hearing. Similarly:
• Vibration feels what you can’t feel.
• Infrared cameras see what you can’t see.
• Ultrasound hears what you can’t hear.
There are sounds taking place in a typical plant and
manufacturing environment (machines running,
production equipment running, etc.) that cause
us to not be able to hear other sounds such as
compressed air leaks or electrical discharges, like
corona, tracking or arcing. Ultrasound instruments
sense and listen for sounds not heard in the audible
range. These high frequency sounds are detected
by the instrument and translated, through a process
called heterodyning, into an audible sound that is
heard in the headset by the inspector.
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Condition Monitoring & Ultrasound
Traditional inspection of electrical components is
performed using an infrared camera. Users of this
technology rely on images showing temperature
changes that may represent electrical anomalies
such as tracking and arcing. For mechanical
inspection, vibration analysis has been the
conventional method of inspection for condition
monitoring of rotating equipment. Vibration
analysis produces a visual spectrum, or time wave
form, that shows any fault harmonics. If the goal is
to have a truly world-class predictive maintenance
program, the use of multiple technologies is
recommended for various inspections. Just
as physicians use multiple tools to take vitals
and diagnostics to determine aches, pains and
abnormalities, maintenance professionals should
take the same approach when it comes to assets
in facilities.
In addition to using infrared and vibration,
ultrasound can be used to complement other
predictive maintenance (PdM) technologies.
Airborne and structure-borne ultrasound imaging
give the user an “image” to analyze and aid in
diagnosing and confirming mechanical and
electrical conditions. Ultrasound technology
and instrumentation have evolved into must-
have technologies for both condition monitoring
and electrical equipment reliability applications.
The concept of ultrasound imaging is to record
ultrasounds heard via the ultrasound instrument
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and then to play back those recorded sounds in
spectrum analysis software. This will provide the
inspector with the audible sound heard in the
field during the inspection and a visual “image”
or spectrum of the recorded ultrasound. This
method helps reduce the subjectivity of relying
only on changes in the decibel level and in the
sound tone or quality “heard” by the inspector.
How Ultrasound Produces Better
Lubrication Practices
Ultrasonic technology helps the lubrication
technician take a large portion of the guesswork
out of lubrication needs. Ultrasound is a localized
signal, meaning when a sensing probe is applied
to a bearing, it will not be affected by “crosstalk”;
thus, it allows the technician to hear and monitor
the condition of each individual bearing, much the
same way medical ultrasound can detect exactly
which artery is clogged or which vein is leaking.
AS AN EXAMPLE OF ULTRASOUND’S EFFICACY,
CONSIDER THE SCENARIO BELOW:
A maintenance manager at a large firm reports
thatsince adopting ultrasound technology and
practicingultrasound-assisted condition-based
monitoring he sees improvement. Rather than
“running to put out the fire,” his planthas gone from
close to 30 rotating equipment failuresper year to
zero in three years. But how doesultrasound work,
exactly, vis-à-vis lubrication?
The first step is establishing a baseline level and a
sound sample. This is ideally done when moving
through a route for the first time by comparing
decibel levels and sound qualities of similar
bearings. Once established, each bearing can
be trended over time for any changes in either
amplitude or sound quality, and anomalies can
easily be identified.
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Ultrasonic technology
helps the lubrication
technician take a
large portion of the
guesswork out of
lubrication needs.
When the amplitude of a bearing exceeds eight
decibels and there is no difference in the sound
quality established at baseline, the bearing needs
to be lubricated. To prevent potentially disastrous
over-lubrication, the technician should apply the
proper lubrication, a little at a time, until the
decibel level drops. Many departments set up
their condition-based lubrication programs by
incorporating a two-stage approach:
1. The reliability inspector uses a relatively
sophisticated ultrasound instrument to
monitor and trend bearings. A report of
bearings in need of lubrication is produced.
2. The lube tech then uses a specialized
ultrasound instrument that alerts the
tech when to stop adding grease. (These
instruments can be affixed to a regular
grease gun or worn in a holster.)
To improve efficiencies, it’s a good practice for
the technician to note when the equipment was
last greased and how much grease was used
to calculate roughly how much lubrication is
used per week. By using ultrasound to lubricate
every time, the technician produces historical
data that can be used as a guide from previous
calculations, helping the department determine
whether the lubrication schedule can be modified
– possibly saving man-hours – and whether the
manufacturer’s suggested lubrication amount is
accurate or if less/more is needed.
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Ultrasound is also reliable in picking up other
potential bearing failure conditions. Using
ultrasound, the technician can hear telltale
grinding sounds and other anomalies, which are
often accompanied by an amplitude increase.
With regards to lubrication, the advantage of
ultrasound is that it’s able to isolate bearings and
determine their individual needs; thus, reducing
the possibility that some bearings are too “dry”
and prevent others from over lubrication.
There are good, better and best scenarios
when it comes to using lubrication practices
in facilities. A good scenario is the utilization
of the manufacturer ’s recommendations to
the frequency, type of lubricant and amount
of lubricant to be applied to a certain piece
of equipment.
A better scenario is to still make use of the timed
interval, but instead of lubricating with just a
grease gun, add an ultrasound instrument to use
while greasing. This lets the technician involved
in lubricating know when they’ve added enough
grease or if too much/too little grease has been
applied. The individual lubricating the equipment
can also listen to the bearing while lubricating.
Listening to the bearing while greasing is
important in that the technician, who now also
serves as an inspector, can hear if other bearing
defects are present and determine if lubrication
is or isn’t the solution. If a bearing on a machine
doesn’t sound normal or has an increased decibel
level noted off of the instrument that is being used
for lubrication, that bearing can be documented
and a complementary test such as vibration or
ultrasound data can be collected to determine the
issue/defect.
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Finally, the best scenario is to use an ultrasound
i n s t r u m e n t w i t h d a t a s t o ra g e a n d d a t a
management software to create routes. Data
(decibel level and sound files) are recorded
periodically. How often the readings are taken
should be based on an asset criticality assessment.
Once a baseline has been established, alarm levels
are set to indicate when a bearing has reached a
lack of lubrication. A high level alarm is also set to
indicate when a bearing has reached the point of
initial failure. At this point, lubrication would not
be a solution to the problem, and a more detailed
test would need to be performed to determine
the specific defect that is taking place such as
inner race or outer race bearing fault. When a
point along the route demonstrates an insufficient
lubrication, an inspector can go to that point and
apply lubricant until the decibel level decreases
to the baseline or normal level.
Why You Should Begin Using
Ultrasound — Today
It’s always a daunting proposition to make a new
investment in technology. Will it pay off? Will my
staff actually have an easy time using it? Is it a
flash in the pan or a truly reliable modality that
will stand the test of time?
While more and more plants are using ultrasound
and adopting a predictive and proactive rather
than reactive mindset, there are still many that
figuratively use crystal balls and outdated
methodologies. The end result is poor reliability,
unnecessary man-hours, downtime, and lost
productivity and profit. While ultrasound can’t
cure all reliability ills, it has proven itself to be
a valuable and powerful diagnostic tool that
technicians must add to their toolkits.
The spectrum analysis of recorded ultrasounds
can enhance diagnostic accuracy. Using this
spectrum analysis reduces the subjectivity
associated with traditional decibel readings
or simply what is heard by the inspector in the
headset. Tremendous energy savings can also be
realized through the use of ultrasound for both
steam trap and compressed air/gas inspections.
These are just two instances where a maintenance
and reliability department can gain positive
exposure and gain buy- in from management and
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 22

The image above is a

time series view of a
recorded ultrasound of
a bearing in the process
of being lubricated.
Notice the before
noise or amplitudes
at the beginning
and then once the
bearing was properly
lubricated at the end.

Another time series

view of a recorded
ultrasound of a bearing
in the process of
being lubricated.

This image shows

what happens when
too much lubricant is
applied. Notice the
increase in amplitude
or the noise level when
lubricant continues
to be applied.

floor personnel. The savings associated with these
efforts can then be reinvested in the program by
means of additional tools, training and certification
courses, or even additional manpower.
When it comes to something as important to
reliability as lubrication, the question really
becomes, “can you afford to not use ultrasound
technology?” Consider the plant that went
from close to 30 bearing failures a year before
using ultrasound to having no bearing failures
for three years once bringing ultrasound into
its maintenance arsenal. It’s no coincidence.
Ultrasound works.

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How Should We Structure
Our Organization?
Ron Moore, CMRP
H
ow should we structure our organization?
It’s an age-old question. There are a number
of organizational structures to apply to a
company or division that will work if people are
willing to work together. There are also structures
that will not work, no matter the structure, if the
people are unwilling to work together. It’s critical
to make it easy for employees to work together,
maximizing their alignment to the company’s
strategy and goals and minimizing the potential
for conflict among elements of the organization.
Structure should follow strategy for manufacturing
businesses:
1. CORPORATE LEVEL: Centralized policies
and a small central staff, along with
decentralized deployment of policies, work
best. There must also be a process to verify
policy implementation, adaptation and
modification to suit local circumstances.
2. PLANT/FACILITY LEVEL: Ce n t ra l i ze d
support functions, decentralized
production, maintenance execution and
area teams work best if your maintenance
processes are relatively mature. Examples
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of mature processes include: a good
work/maintenance management system,
disciplined planning and scheduling
(including adequate planners) and excellent
condition monitoring to better determine
the work to be done, parts needed, etc.
If the maintenance processes are immature
and you decentralize the maintenance
function into area teams, you may be
“putting firefighters closer to the fires
without stopping the cause of fires or
having the ability to efficiently put them
out.” In that case, it’s more likely that
a centralized maintenance function is
needed to focus first on getting these
processes in place. Once these processes
are reasonably mature, creating area teams
for maintenance execution with the support
of centralized functions is likely best.
Examples of centralized support functions
include: maintenance planning and
scheduling (with all planners, regardless of
assignment to specific areas, reporting to
one supervisor), machinery repair, predictive
maintenance, technical support, contractor
management and human resources.
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Now is a good time to look at several critical
issues that must be addressed to make it easier
for people to work together.
At the highest level, the organizational structure
must be aligned to:
1. The business strategy.
2. The production process, or in some cases,
the supply chain.
3. The skills of the staff running each element
in the structure.
Here are several examples of how to align the
organizational structure to the three principles
listed above:
Structure Aligns to Strategy. Cash is critical in
running a business, especially a growing one. A
small company that has very little cash to support
hiring sales staff still needs to expand its business.
Rather than slow down growth, the company could
develop a network of distributors and reps as their
sales force with company regional managers to
manage this network. Cash flow demands would
be less since they don’t pay the distributors until
products are paid for and shipped. Hiring all the
sales force typically results in a much larger drain
on cash.
Structure Aligns to the Production Process.
It’s unwise to organize by functionality with
production supervisors being held accountable
for production in multiple areas. This spreads
supervisors too thin, which can result in each
area’s performance deteriorating due to the
supervisors spending far too much time traveling
between sites and not being able to adequately
train and develop individual employees or to
properly address issues and problems within a
given area. The organizational structure should
be changed so each supervisor is accountable for
one area. This also goes to the issue of having a
single point of accountability for a given process.
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No organizational
structure is perfect,
and compromises
must be made to
optimize the overall
organization.
Structure Aligns to Staff Skills. This is almost
self-evident. As Jim Collins suggests in his book
Good to Great, you get the right people (with
the right skills) on board first then develop your
strategy. To this end, it’s also important to build
the organization around its people to support
the overall strategy. This ensures the set goals
and objectives are attainable since you keep in
mind the capabilities of the team at all times
during planning.
Structure must also consider the following issues:
1. The span of control for a given manager in
a business situation. A reasonable span of
control for effectively supervising people
is on the order of five to seven. Even with
that number of people you’re more likely to
spend most of your time with two to three.
2. Geographical locations of the business units,
management teams and interfaces. Having
people spread across different plants, office
buildings, states or even countries can make
it more difficult to manage and support their
efforts. Travel time and differing time zones
create difficulties in scheduling and planning.
You lose a lot of time traveling and the
processes are different, adding complexity
to the managerial job. If you’re faced with
the task of automating teams across several
different locations, work to uncover the
similarities between them. This may decrease
the complexity of your tasks.
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3. The concept of Single Point of Accountability
(SPA) for a given business requirement. This
is the concept of organizing along functional
lines using a single point of accountability
for various requirements. It ensures all of
the various areas are aligned with the overall
strategy of the organization and attributes
that responsibility to a sole person. It
i n c l u d e s t h e u s e o f c ro ss - f u n c t i o n a l
teams and partnership agreements as
needed, along with superordinate goals,
to ensure SPAs work together to meet
the overall business goals and to avoid a
“silo” mentality. Determine what parties
should be responsible for each group of
areas and move forward from there. For
example, production may be accountable
for output, quality and on-time delivery,
plus for maintenance downtime, repair costs
(since they have direct influence on these)
and maintenance schedule compliance
(the production schedule will include the
maintenance schedule). Edgar Schein
said in his seminal book Organizational
Psychology, “Alignment is critical where
task interdependence makes collaboration
essential for organizational effectiveness.”
For example, there is substantial task
interdependence between production and
maintenance, manufacturing and marketing,
manufacturing and procurement, plus
other functions.
4. As appropriate, an emphasis on team-
based and team-rewarded activities. It’s an
old maxim that people act in their own
self-interest. Incentives and structures must
be set up to align and incentivize their
self-interests with the company’s interests
and the optimization of the business
as a whole. In his book, The Ascendant
Organization, Peter Wickens presents
strong evidence that “rewarding results”
work significantly better than “paying
for performance.” This means we should
structure our organization and reward
people based on the success of the entire
organization, not necessarily on the success
of any one individual. Profit sharing is often
an incentive provided to employees that
encourages good work.
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5. Making the organization as simple as
possible to effectively manage the business.
This will facilitate ease of understanding
o f ro l e s a n d re s p o n s i b i l i t i e s . G re ate r
complexity means greater risk of confusion,
poor teamwork, poor communication and
ultimately, failure.
6. Consideration of short-term and long-term
impacts of any re-organization. A ny
re-organization in a particular area must
have a positive impact for that area and a
positive or neutral impact on the balance of
the organization. If the short-term impact is
so disruptive that it puts the organization
at risk of failure, then it should be reviewed
and modified to minimize that risk. Evolution
i s g e n e ra l l y a b e t te r a p p ro a c h t h a n
revolution. Similarly, it’s essential that any
re-organization in one area have a positive
impact for that area and hopefully a positive
or neutral impact on other areas. It must not
have a negative impact on the balance of
the organization to the overall detriment of
the organization.
Any other issues specific to the organization.
It’s difficult to fully align all of these issues.
No organizational structure is perfect, and
compromises must be made to optimize the overall
organization. Most organizational structures
will work if people are willing to work together
toward a common purpose, but the organizational
structure needs to make it easy for them to do
so. In general, any re-organization should be
evolutionary, not revolutionary, and should be
tempered to minimize the total disruption of the
organization and the impact on the business. To
that end, the fundamental question is: How do
we organize the business to assure its success?
Remember, organizational structure starts at the
strategic level and then moves down through
various levels, whether at corporate or plant and
facility. It is my hope that these points will help
with your thinking and discussion in getting your
organization better organized for its success.
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 26
Plant-Wide Formal
Prioritization System
Mike Palm, CMRP, PMP, CSSBB Convergent Results, LLC
Why a Prioritization System?
B
efore we even get into a discussion of
designing prioritization systems, we should
answer the question of why do it in the first
place: What is to gain? Why is the view worth
the climb?
Prioritization systems can be a bear to “enforce.”
Sometimes, they have grown to over a dozen
confusing priorities, an unruly mixture of urgency,
importance, and work type. In some cases,
requesting organizations just do not comply.
Everyone wants their job done ASAP, and some
people are not the least bit concerned with the
priorities and schedules of other departments.
You can wind up with everything classified as
Priority 1, which really means that there are no
priorities at all. Maintenance is left to sort it all
out. They are forced to pick and choose, with all
the inherent risks to their working relationships, to
establish their schedules.
So if there is such a potential for difficulty, why
should we establish a prioritization system for
maintenance work? The answer can be wrapped
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10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 26
up in a single word: dollars. The prioritization
system establishes a plant-wide framework for
identifying what work must be planned and
what work can be unplanned. The objective is
to achieve a system where 85–90 percent of the
work being done is planned.
In World Class Maintenance Management, author
Terry Wireman discusses case studies showing
that planning reduces job costs by as much as
90 percent. Unplanned work can cost four to ten
times what that same work would cost if planned.
In the Maintenance Planning and Scheduling
Handbook, Richard (Doc) Palmer describes how,
when work is planned, it can result in a 60 percent
increase in crew productivity.
Let’s do the math using Doc Palmer’s more
conservative numbers: Going from a totally
reactive (unplanned) environment to a 90 percent
planned environment means a reduction in labor
cost or an increase in capacity of 33 percent. This
increased capacity can be focused on reliability
improvement with its potential for increasing
revenues and gross margins.
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The Challenge
To reach this appealing goal without getting mired
in the potential difficulties is a challenge, but it is
one that can be managed. The solution is to keep
it simple and get everyone on the same page. A
maintenance only effort—and trying to persuade
requestors to comply once it is designed—is
an exercise in futility. Therefore, a plant-wide
prioritization system has to be developed as a
joint effort between maintenance, operations
and engineering. Credible representatives
from each discipline should be brought in from
the start to buy into the concepts and work
out the applications, all the way through to
implementation.
How to Do It
We need to start by walking the cross-functional
team through the question of “Why should we
have a prioritization system?” Then, we integrate
their additional observations of how things may
work in their specific plant.
Next, we begin with a blank slate. We do this
even where a system is already in use. We need to
ensure that definitions and criteria in the system
are still applicable. Too often we’ve seen where
prioritization systems have morphed over time
into complex systems of categorization, status
and prioritization. So we start with the basics of
prioritization.
We outline the maintenance department’s options
for responding to requests. Regardless of what
the work is, maintenance can only respond to a
request in one of three ways:
1. They can stop what they are doing, close it
up, and come immediately. This must start in
no more than 24 hours.
2. They can make the request the next job.
They finish what they are doing and then
insert the request into their weekly schedule,
impacting Schedule Attainment. This work
must start within two to three days.
3. They can give it to the planner/scheduler
to get everything ready and put it on the
schedule, allowing it to be planned.
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27
Frequently, requestors avoid this third priority
because experience has shown that it may enter
into a “black hole,” never to be seen again.
Therefore, this priority is accompanied with a
commitment as to how long it will take to get
the job started. No job will take longer than
four weeks to start from when equipment and
materials are available. Any job that takes longer
than that increases in priority. This commitment is
critical to the success of the prioritization system.
Prioritization systems begin to come apart when
the requests for routine work sit for weeks and
months before they are started.
We can call these Priority 1, Priority 2, and Priority
3. Keep it simple with “priority” describing
urgency. Remember the cost comparisons:
Priority 1 and 2 are four to ten times as expensive
as Priority 3.
That is what maintenance is able to do. These
three priorities are how they can respond. Now, it
is up to the team to define what conditions justify
a specific response.
In one case, we were working with a
polymerization operations superintendent (a very
powerful position in a plastics plant). His name
was Roger. He was convinced we could never get
it right. He made it clear that if we did not “get it
right,” he would never follow the system. So we
worked with him and walked through each piece
of equipment in his operations, discussing the
potential condition of each one. We had him tell
us what responses he would need for each, given
the piece of equipment and its condition. We
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 28

Consequence Definitions

CONSEQUENCE LEVEL SAFETY ENVIRONMENT PRODUCTION

Permanent or long term damage

Multiple Production
to particular unique, rare or
fatalities stopped; extensive
Massive otherwise valued components
Critical or damage; repair
effect of man-made or natural
permanent required greater
environment, or widespread
injuries that 24 hours
environmental loss or damage

Repairable or short-term
damage to particular unique,
rare or otherwise valued
Production
components of man-made
One stopped; major
Major Major effect or natural environment, or
fatality repair in less than
widespread environmental loss
24 hours
or damage. Short-term health
impact on humans: eye/skin
irritations, hearing impairment

Distress impact on environment

such as high oil in water Reduced
Severe Localized
Moderate concentration discharge, production;
injury effect
chemical discharge or product localized damage
on ground

Lost time Nuisance impact such as black

Minor Minor effect Minor damage
injury exhaust

Negligible No injury No effect No significant impact No damage

Figure 1.

organized his decisions into a matrix and called
them “Roger’s Rules of Prioritization”, much to
Roger’s satisfaction. Thus, everyone on every
shift could set priorities with a consistent set
of guidelines.
A more conventional method is to start the team
with the consequence table underlying a risk
matrix. To do this, begin with any model and
facilitate the team in adapting the categories and
definitions to their specific environments. Figure 1
was developed by a pipeline team.
Once developed, the consequence table provides
easy definitions of Priority 1, 2, and 3, and
the response times required by maintenance.
In the above example, the team agreed that
Critical and Major Jobs required maintenance’s
immediate response. They would go directly to
the maintenance supervisor. The procedure then
would be for maintenance to stop what they
were doing, close it up, and come immediately
(Priority 1). These had to start in less than 24 hours.
Moderate jobs were the (Priority 2), going directly
to the maintenance supervisor. These had to start
within a couple of days. Minor and negligible jobs
would go to the planner/scheduler (Priority 3). This
includes predictive and preventive maintenance.
Additionally, the team works through how
maintenance should handle Priority 1 and 2 jobs.
It must be remembered that maintenance did not
always have to complete all repairs in the defined
time frames. They had to stabilize the situation
(get production going again). Once things
were stabilized, if there were additional repairs
(replacement equipment), that work would be
identified as a new job and as a separate Priority
3. And, if a Priority 3 job aged beyond the four-
week limit, the planner/scheduler had to turn it
over to the maintenance supervisor as a Priority
1 or 2.

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The consequence table also allows the team to
clearly distinguish between the urgency of work,
the importance of work, and the type of work. We
have found that some prioritization systems have
a confusing array of priorities. One of the most
abused is the safety priority, with the inference
that anything marked “safety” takes precedence
over all else. So everyone uses “safety,” attempting
to get their work done ahead of everyone else. The
table helps them understand (and then explain
to others in the plant) why repainting yellow
lines does not automatically trump back-up
pump repairs.
Safety is a category of work with priorities that
fit into the overall prioritization scheme, just as
“shutdown” is a category of work, not a priority.
It is designated as Priority 3 (planned and
scheduled). Requestors may or may not know that
a piece of equipment has to wait for a shutdown.
But the planner/scheduler will find out. It is best
not to burden the requestor.
The Prioritization Tool
The team summarizes their work in a simple
decision table. This provides every requestor in
the plant with a quick reference guide to identify
the priority of their requests. Once developed,
the team tests out the table’s usability by
running numerous scenarios through it before
implementation. These scenarios will also be part
of the implementation training for rolling out the
prioritization system. Figure 2 was developed by
that same pipeline company.
SAFETY ENVIRONMENT
Immediate severe
physical danger
Immediate danger of
permanent damage
Immediate physical
danger
Discharges of product on
ground
Production schedule and running on
Low risk of physical
danger
Discharges of product on
ground
Figure 2
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29
Organize It
A s d e s i g n co n t i n u e s , t h e te a m t u r n s to
organizational roles and responsibilities. Who
should determine the priority on work requests?
Which crews should get what priorities?
The requestor is in the best position to identify the
priority using the decision table. The requestor is
at the location of the problem. If there is an error
in prioritizing, maintenance cannot change the
priority. This has implications for the working
relationship between maintenance and requestors. If
maintenance can just change priorities, particularly
without consulting the requestor, the requestor’s
perception is that maintenance is the only one not
following the rules. This can lead to a breakdown
in the relationship between maintenance and the
requestor, affecting overall performance.
We have found that establishing a maintenance
coordinator in the requesting organization greatly
facilitates the process of setting maintenance
priorities. The coordinator has the knowledge and
credibility to verify priorities, authorize work, and
coordinate any necessary outages before it goes
to maintenance.
Priorities 1 and 2 will still occur in world-class
processes. Maintenance crews will still get
interrupted. Break-ins will still happen. There are
work environments where equipment interruptions
are historically constant, for example, weaving
looms and spinning operations. There are a great
number of identical pieces of equipment, with
minor problems, that can take an individual loom
or spinner down. This is the environment where
shift maintenance works best.
PRODUCTION PRIORITY
Critical production scheduled
but stopped with no backup 1
backup or production slowed 2
Asset failed or failing without
affecting critical production 3
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 30
In cases such as these, it works well to assign shift
maintenance of small, multi-craft crews to specific
banks of equipment. They are the first responders
to these breakdowns. Coming off of break-in logs
kept by the operators, they insulate the balance
of the maintenance resources (the day crew) from
break-in work (Priority 1’s and 2’s). This allows
the other maintenance crews to complete their
Priority 3 schedules without interruption.
The challenge is managing fluctuations in
workload. This is addressed by the supervisor. It is
important to review the break-in logs daily. Open
entries older than eight hours are assigned to the
day crew by generating a work order. Conversely,
where workloads are low, the shift crew should
have ready bench work available when there are
no breakdowns.
Implement and Sustain It
A perfect plant-wide prioritization system will not
work unless it is used by the entire organization—
operations, engineering, maintenance, etc.
Implementation is critical to the success of
this system. If you have used a credible, cross-
functional team to design it, you have a head
start. These team members should be an integral
part of your implementation rollout, training,
and coaching.
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10127-4056 SMRP Solutions SE.indd 30
While the Information Technology (IT) team may
be involved in setting up the system programming
and menus, they should not be the trainers. They
lack the operational knowledge to answer the
what-if questions that inevitably come up during
training. Namely, the IT trainer can’t answer an
operator’s question about the applicability of a
specific backup pump. Your cross-functional team
has that knowledge and the credibility with the
users. They are, in effect, your salespeople for
the system. IT can and should help provide the
training documentation. But in the end, the cross-
functional team provides the classroom delivery
and training exercises. If you need additional
trainers, prepare other operations people to fill
that need.
In the best possible case, the training should
include real examples for generating and
prioritizing work requests. Have trainees bring
real examples of the work they need done to
generate and prioritize requests live in the training
class. Then, the training should be conducted in
computer-equipped training rooms.
The follow-up coaching will monitor compliance
to the system and its guidelines for several weeks
after implementation training. The coaching is
necessary because the classroom cannot cover
every possible scenario. And some people do
not necessarily learn well, or at all, in a classroom
setting. Hands-on experience can be a more
effective teacher. Personal follow-up and coaching
will help. If you do not follow up closely on the
classroom training, bad habits will start and then
spread through the organization.
Coaches should go out into the work areas with
request generators to watch them generate live
requests. We have found that this will remove
barriers to compliance that were not known
before, such as someone’s work area lacking
access to a useable computer. There can be
numerous fixes like that coming out through
coaching in the work areas.
Coaches also monitor the accuracy of
prioritization. Where they find errors, they should
consult with the requestor for clarification.
Interestingly, we have found that some of the
biggest violators are the managers above line
management. Those are the non-compliance
incidents we, as consultants, are asked to handle
because we have no career politics on the line.
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24 TH
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CONFERENCE
HYATT REGENCY JACKSONVILLE RIVERFRONT
What we have found is that requests, sometimes
verbal “wishes,” from those levels get translated
into Priority 1 in the chain of command leading to
a request. I have personally spoken with VPs who
certainly had no intent of breaking priorities, but
their direct reports turned “I wish we could paint
my office walls light yellow” into a Priority 1!
Sustaining the plant-wide prioritization system will
depend on strong implementation and the ability
to make changes where there are errors. A good
change control process will include review and
approval steps along with a comprehensive plan
for communication, retraining, and, potentially,
follow-up coaching. For the future, there should
be a plan in place for new people coming into
the organization to be able to get the necessary
prioritization training.
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A Bit of Serendipity
Done well, a plant-wide prioritization system can
be a tool for the reliability engineers. Bad Actor
systems typically collect costs, failure codes, etc.
for each piece of equipment, reporting monthly.
The prioritization system can be linked to weekly
Key Performance Indicator reporting. Reporting
the percent of maintenance time used for Priority
1’s and 2’s, coupled with the equipment requiring
the response, is a quick marker for problem
spots developing in operations. We’ve had
some reliability engineering groups hard-wired
to Priority 1’s and 2’s on designated equipment.
They were on automatic alert, notified by an auto-
generated email.
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 1100 JOHNSON FERRY ROAD,
SUITE 300
ATLANTA, GA 30342

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