Maintenance Technology July 2017 - 26

MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES

done by our lubrication technicians.
with identification of your most critical
■ Oil changes are done on a calendarassets and the problems associated
based interval.
with them, establishment of key
■ Oil changes are done on an
performance indicators (KPIs),
as-needed basis, due to a failure, a
and setting goals. If you can docurebuild, or replacement.
ment the benefits of incremental
3. Contamination control:
reliability improvements, this
What is the most common
typically creates all the buy-in
method for excluding contaminecessary to get to the next
nation from sumps and reservoirs
level. "Start with one production
in your facility?
line, building, or area," Gauthier
■ Breather or vent originally installed
advised, "then build momentum
by the OEM on the component.
from there."
■ Normally closed, desiccating, and
Before you can set reasonable goals
particulate-filtering breathers.
and a plan to achieve them, however, you
■ No breathers of any type installed on any
must fully understand your current practices.
equipment.
That's why an honest self-assessment is an
Improved
■ Standard, normally opened, disposable
essential first step. To that end, Gauthier
desiccant breathers.
suggests taking a moment to consider your
equipment
■ Standard particle filters on breather ports.
site's current maintenance strategy. How
lubrication
■ Not sure.
would you characterize it?
4. Sampling technology: What location
1. (Poor) Reactive-running-to-failure and
practices open
best describes where most oil samples are
fixing things when they break down
taken from your oil-lubricated equipment?
2. (Fair) Preventive-preventing breakdowns
a gold mine
■ Static oil reservoirs or sumps through the
by performing regular maintenance
of reliability
vent or fill ports.
3. (Good) Predictive-periodically
■ Turbulent zone in a representative location.
inspecting, servicing, and cleaning assets
benefits.
■ Long runs of straight pipe.
4. (Excellent) Proactive-predicting when
■ Downstream of system components and
equipment failure might occur
upstream of system filters.
5. (Optimum) Condition Monitoring-
■ Not currently taking oil samples from any
continuously monitoring assets while in operation.
component or system at a regular frequency.
Once you've come to terms with the overall maintenance
5. Lubrication-analysis program: Who is responsible for
strategy, it's time to dig deeper into how the site tackles
setting oil-analysis alarms and limits for the majority of
lubrication. To simplify the process, Gauthier recommends
your equipment?
going through a detailed, lubrication self-assessment
■ Not currently using oil analysis as a condition-based
exercise. Sample questions include:
maintenance tool.
1. Storage, handling, and disposal: What system best
■ Lab owned by our lubricant supplier sets all alarms and
represents your current visual aid for lubricant managelimits.
ment?
■ We have not set any alarms or limits.
■ We have adopted a color-coding system or a similar
■ We worked closely with a commercial laboratory to help
system using shapes.
define the most appropriate alarms and limits to help us
■ We only use one grease, one hydraulic fluid, and one gear
achieve our reliability and production goals.
oil. A color-coded visual-aid system is not necessary.
Often, according to Gauthier, the hardest part in
■ No color-coding or labeling visual-aid system has been
improving management of lubricants and lubrication pracadopted.
tices at a site is for personnel to be honest enough among
■ Not sure.
themselves to acknowledge/admit to their current situation.
2. Lubrication and re-lubrication practices: How are
"But if an organization is serious about changing its lubricaequipment-oil changes determined in your facility?
tion mindset," he said, "this type of self-assessment will put it
■ Oil changes are initiated based on oil analysis provided
on the path to success." MT
by a commercial partner or independent oil-analysis
laboratory.
■ Oil changes are initiated based on oil analysis conducted
Mike Gauthier is director of Global Services for Trico Corp.,
in the plant by certified lubrication technicians.
Pewaukee, WI. To access the complete lubrication self-assess■ Oil changes are performed based on a visual assessment
ment described in this article, visit hubs.ly/H07KcPf0.

26 |

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

JULY 2017

http://www.hubs.ly/H07KcPf0

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology July 2017