Efficient Plant May 2021 - 18

feature | lubrication solutions

Train and
Empower
Lube Techs
Elevating lubrication technicians to
the level expected of electricians will
significantly improve reliability.
Mark Barnes, PhD, CMRP
Des-Case Corp.

EMPLOYEES OF WORLD-CLASS organizations spend as much
as 10% of their time learning new skills or solidifying existing skills
through " refresher training, " and with good reason. Studies have
shown that, for every dollar spent on training, an average of five to
ten dollars of cost avoidance is realized by applying skills learned in
precision-maintenance courses. Yet, despite this, many companies
still fail to provide the training opportunities required to ensure
skills competence.
The reasons for this are many and varied. At least some of the
hesitancy to provide adequate training can best be summarized by a
recent conversation with a senior leader of a large Fortune 500 company who asked, " What if we train our lube techs and they leave? "
One of his peers responded, " What if we don't train them and they
stay? " Therein lies the conundrum. How do you provide training to
employees and ensure that the skills they acquire benefit the organization and the employee?
The answer lies in an organization's motivation for training.
Many times training is offered either as an exercise in " checking a
box " required by contractual obligations for designated training
hours or in a misguided belief that training someone somehow
guarantees success. In reality, training often has the opposite effect,
creating a sense of " flavor of the month " for any given topic and that
all the training in the world is not going to make any real difference.

EP2105flube.indd 18

| EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

In the lubrication field, this is particularly true. Having taught
lubrication and oil-analysis classes for close to 25 years, I've lost
count of the number of times I've educated technicians on the benefits of precision lubrication, only to be told by class participants that
they have none of the tools or processes in place and highly doubt
leadership would support the required purchases.
This type of short-sightedness can have a profound impact on an
organization. From my experience, most employees want to do a
good job. Very few lube technicians wake up and go to work intent
on adding dirty oil to a machine to induce failure. Yet, we teach
technicians about the importance of clean oil but refuse to invest in
the tools they need to get the job done correctly.
This is just one of many examples in which the lack of building a
system for success hampers the technician's ability to fully implement
the newfound knowledge training provides. As a result, shortly after
training is completed, the organization atrophies back to business as
usual and cynicism takes hold.
The only way to create sustainable success is to focus on two areas
of improvement:
S System Quality to ensure tools, practices, and processes are in
place for success.
S People Quality by employing motivated, trained technicians.
With a strong focus on both, organizations can succeed long term.

MAY 2021

4/26/21 9:28 AM

http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Efficient Plant May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant May 2021