Up Time Magazine- August/September 2008

Figure 3 - Integrated Condition Report in Tango Software Case Study The following case study of a tire manufacturing plant illustrates the effectiveness of a wellplanned and implemented Motor Management & Reliability Program. The plant has a diverse fleet of electric motors ranging from fractional horsepower to 2,500 HP. There are many lowvoltage motors, as well as medium-voltage, DC and AC induction and synchronous motors. Plant management selected 135 motors for the motor management program, which were all deemed to be the most critical to the plant operation. These motors had a history of low reliability and high cost of repairs, ranged in size from 400 HP to 2,500 HP, and were a mix of medium-voltage and DC motors. The following outlines the step-by-step procedure that was followed under the Motor Management & Reliability Program: • Secured management commitment – This step is critical because often during the initial stages of a program such as this, there is resistance from plant personnel. They view it as a negative change and will not support the activities or the end results of the program. • Developed a motor master list and set up a database in the software for motor management activities tracking. • Reviewed, optimized and implemented a Preventive Maintenance Program based on the OEM’s recommendations, experience and operating conditions. The most change introduced involved proper inspection procedures and cleaning. • Developed and implemented a predictive maintenance program – The program inwww.uptimemagazine.com cluded vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermography, RTG testing and trending and PdMA testing. All data was temperature corrected, stored and trended in a database. • Developed and implemented a continuous improvement program and put in place a compressive reporting structure to monitor program performance and equipment performance. The results are provided later in the article. • Introduced precision maintenance – Workers were trained in precision laser alignment and balancing. Installations of new and repaired motors required following a strict, step-by-step procedure. • Developed and implemented motor repair specifications based on the plant and repair shop experience and manufacturer specifications. This, together with closer incoming motor quality inspections and repair shop audits, resulted in consistent and high repairs. There were challenges in the implementation of the program, most of which resulted from the fact that change was required. It wasn’t a technical challenge, it was more of a cultural challenge – the tradition of reactive maintenance was being changed. The program was accepted over time as people began seeing the results, and their proactive actions were rewarded. A short summary of the results: • The number of motors repaired dropped from 28 in the year prior to the program’s introduction to eight in the fourth year. Most significantly, the repairs were proactive and there were no motor failures. 47 http://www.alignmentsupplies.com http://www.uptimemagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Up Time Magazine- August/September 2008

Up Time Magazine- August/September 2008 Contents Upfront Upclose Information Technology Lubrication Infrared Maintenance Management Motor Testing Precision Maintenance Reliability Ultrasound Vibration Upgrade

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