Efficient Plant Sept./Oct. 2019 - 11

feature operating strategies
From a big-picture perspective, purchasing plant equipment and repair items based on lowest cost is, in
itself, a costly, often risky strategy.

costs low, often at the expense of reliability.
Project engineering has historically been
evaluated on budget and schedule, not on the
quality of the end product. More progressive
manufacturers are now requiring the projectengineering organization to remain engaged
and be accountable until the new unit operates
at design rates for a minimum of 30 days. As a
result, there has been wholesale shift in equipment design and selection behaviors.

BUSINESS CASE

statements. For many, it was mere window
dressing. They didn't truly embrace or invest
in reliability. Now, though, reliable operation is
a business imperative. There's no way to effectively compensate for unreliable or less-reliable
design and operation. The question is, why do
many still follow the failed policies and practices of the past?
The answer is simple: MRO buyers have
historically been evaluated on purchase-price
savings. Often, procurement goals and objectives are in conflict with manufacturing and
business goals and objectives. The incompatibility of departmental goals and objectives can
no longer be ignored.
Capital projects represent another area of
incompatibility where engineers and designers
are focused on keeping project estimates and

SEPT/OCT 2019

The current mean time between failure
(MTBF) of common process equipment averages 10 years for centrifugal pumps, 45 years
for electric motors, and 50 years for heat
exchangers. Equipment-selection criteria
should include the demonstrated ability to
meet or exceed these benchmarks. New equipment manufacturers can still be introduced
in your plant, but only through a well-defined
and rigorous vetting process.
Collateral benefits derived through equipment standardization include:
discount pricing based on volume purchases
reduced working capital through fewer
spares and more vendor-owned inventory
reduced storage-facility costs through lower levels of inventory and vendor storage
streamlined equipment-specification
process by eliminating "or equals"
streamlined equipment-procurement costs
with the elimination of competitive bids
fewer, less-onerous equipment-repair
procedures
less-onerous equipment training for operations and maintenance technicians
expanded equipment interchangeability.
There are many specific examples of direct
and indirect benefits associated with equipment standardization. Among them, higher
levels of reliability lead to increased capacity

without the need for costly capital investment.
They also lead to lower maintenance costs
through the reduction and elimination of
catastrophic equipment failures. Repairs, in
turn, are less complicated due to having fewer
equipment manufacturers and, therefore, fewer
repair procedures. Maintenance planning
benefits from being able to maintain a smaller
library of repair plans than in the past. Safety
and environmental performance are improved
through fewer equipment failures. Moreover,
standardization of equipment and materialmaster records increase resource efficiencies.

GETTING STARTED
Equipment-standardization categories should
be based on the results of an analysis of purchase data that reveals the quantity and value
of equipment purchased over a three- to fiveyear period. By focusing the standardization
effort on the most common and the costliest
equipment, the return on investment can be
more quickly realized. Types of plant-equipment systems, components, and other items
suitable for standardization include:
Mechanical equipment
» centrifugal pumps
» positive-displacement pumps
» compressors
» centrifuges
» agitators
» valves, i.e., ball, butterfly, gate
» mechanical seals.
Electrical equipment
» variable-frequency drives
» motors
» breakers
» lighting and lighting fixtures
» motor controls, i.e., relays, contacts
» actuators
» uninterrupted power supplies (UPS).
Instrumentation
» annunciators
EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Efficient Plant Sept./Oct. 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant Sept./Oct. 2019