Preventative Maintenance

Hi Mikerho:

Sorry for not being clear, it is not a closed process plant. The manufacturing is a separated process. Thank you for correcting my word.

After we have got in the mind what equipments should be maintained in accordance with manuals/datasheets, the next step is to set up a schedule. I am having problem with this is that I dont know how to work out a appropriate schedule. There are many points in the relevant manuals, some are checking and some are replacing... Checking is actually done by operators via check list and managed by operation manager (Is that also included in maintenance job?).

I agreed that the most difficult part is to follow the approved schedule and manage it properly.

Moreover, preventive maintenance (PM) is also included with work orders? How do you think about this?

regards,

Hien

Hi Hien,

There is no easy way to set up a PM program. A spreadsheet program can be a great help; you can sort by frequency of checking or actual maintenance. I don't know what more I can tell you.

Good luck!

Mike

Work orders can be considered Planned Corrective Maintenance. Scheduled when repairs can be made without disturbing operations. Reactive maintenance is when things break down and need immediate attention. Preventive maintenance can be done both during down time and run time as long as procedures allow for it. (like filling oil resevoirs on oilers that are clear of equipment or other safe procedures)

Also take into account climate and dirt and dust factors.

Hi Charsley99:

Actually, work orders are made to avoid the maintenance staffs staying there and waiting for the machine broken. To have a effective maintenance department, we need to keep the staffs worked even in the operation time.

Ensure that they are working, and consider about the times spent for trouble calls, and cooperate all of them with a maintenance schedule. It would be a effective PM.

I am wondering on how to combine the recording data into maintenance jobs since it is done by operators. I don't want to have 02 staffs doing the same job. How is your case?

Hien

Et al,

I apologize but I disagree. PM is not simple. It can apply to a transmission grid, nuclear reactor, fleet, building, campus, manufacturing, entertainment (racetracks), calibration, transportation, forensics, missions, and even files and drugs that are close to their expiry date and need to be replaced and sent to Veterens Admin before they are stale dated; e.g. FBI: where is what part (of the file), what constitutes all parts, when was it sent, when does it get back, who owns it, did it get passed along and where is it now - possession).

PM requires the classification of each piece of equipment or each element to be tracked - e.g. is a 1/2 hp motor installed with redundant backup then run it to failure and baby the switch, but check the uninstalled stock on hand and make sure we rotate the shafts every six months - or is it a 200 hp motor that we baby with loving care.

Do we have regulatory requirements, e.g. pharma? Do we have safety issues? Do we need permits? Do we have drawings - are they working drawings or originals? What KPIs does management want to see - how often? What is the wrench time per trade, accounting headcount per trade, actual headcount per trade and day to day resource availability. How old is the infrastructure? How accessible is the infrastructure?

...And there is an enormous amount of detail that must be assimilated before you can begin to balance your trade load. That is why air conditioners get installed in winter.

'Simple' thinking is the common error most engineers make. It allows allows US$20 B annual revenue to SAP and ORACLE and Billions more to the management consultants who have an open check, because they know it isn't simple. They know that once they start building the backbone - integrating accounting - they can and will ask for any amount - and I only know of one company that walked away from a $32 M failure.

Von Rad

Yes SOP is nessecery ! at the same time operating schdule is important when its 'no Process plant', here only the inspection by operator & maintenance gang together to work . I made it in my plant.

Hi hien,

In the early days of preventitive maintenance on our site we used microsoft outlook as a scheduler you can set weekly monthly schedules and get it to send reminders so each day you log onto outlock and it will prompt you with your pm for the day week etc however you want to set it up

Grochy, sounds good. Then, your maintenance at that time would be included with data recording or just what you considered to be done weekly, monthly... according to machine manual and actual condition?

Which should be better? We have 1 maintenance staff and 01 operation staff and they do the same job by recording the machine operation data? If we have one operation manager, what is his job?

Hien

The aircraft industry is very keen on monitoring components with a "life cycle management system". All expensive components are serialized, and the hours of operation are carefully logged and monitored. Most items have a service "life" which requires its replacement when it becomes time expired. If you have regularly scheduled down times, TX items are replaced even if they show no immediate signs of wearing out. The TX'd item is routed to a service shop where it is examined, and overhauled. This complex procedure has the goal of "no unscheduled shut downs". It can be achieved pretty well...witness that "downtime" on an airplane may result in a diversion or even a crash! So airplane maintenance technicians take their duties VERY seriously!

The advantage of only doing such maintenance during scheduled shut downs is that the regular crew knows when they are off, and the maintenance crew will know when to come to work. (Pilot goes home, technician comes to work)

The disadvantage is that sometimes equipment is replaced when it is still good. It also means that you need a good selection of procurement of replacement components, excellent warehouse facilities and warehousemen, a system to track inventory by serial number and hours. It might seem expensive to maintain such an inventory, but compare to shutting the assembly line down for a few hours a week due to unscheduled downtime, and having all the workers standing around doing nothing!

Maintenance crews often work partial weeks, and are a good use of part time employees. A printing shop near here employs retired employees who come in three nights a week. Some maintenance may require more highly paid technicians than your regular day time workers, and some maintenance may be nothing more than engine wiping and floor sweeping. You will need to know which tasks are to be performed by which person.

If you are paying high wages to your employees, it makes little sense to employ them to sweep the floor. But some work should be part of their duties....checking that the oil levels are correct and topping them up as required...or changing blades on bandsaws. This will help them to have "ownership" of their position, and instill pride. Proud workers don't let their machinery sit idle or run hot.

The maintenance department, generally, has a list of functions or responsibilities. These can be grouped in five main areas, as listed below:-

i) Maintenance of existing equipment

Maintaining existing equipment is the basic reason for the department. To prevent rapid wear of the equipment, the group should utilize cost-effective preventive maintenance programs. To perform these tasks as efficiently and cost effectively as possible requires the utilization of trained workforce and the use of modern tools and maintenance methods that are available. However, performing all the above tasks depends on one important item-accurate record keeping. Without accurate records, it will not be possible to complete the assigned tasks in a timely and cost-effective manner.

ii) Equipment inspections and service

The inspections are required to ensure that the equipment is in safe operating condition and is being serviced in a timely manner.

iii) Equipment installation

When large installation projects occur in some facilities without the necessary workforce, outside contractors are used to supply the needed manpower.

iv) Maintenance storekeeping

It involves the receiving and distribution of the spares necessary for the repair and upkeep of the plant equipment. The ordering process is important to prevent material outrages in the stores. Material outrages could result in providing service delays to end users, if equipment breakdowns occur and no replacement parts are available.

v) Craft administration

This is the responsibility of controlling the manpower used by the maintenance department.

After sorting out the schedule everything that comes after just needs proper monitoring. I mean you need to make sure your staff is doing what is on the schedule. Anyone who does some work on any equipment should record what they have done. That is they should record what was wrong, and what they did to correct it. With some equipment you will need a checklist to ensure all that needs to be done is done eg for a motor a simple checklist might look like this

Check rotor insulation resistance

Check direction of rotation

Check bearing condition and lub

etc etc

As for keeping your staff busy, it depends on the frequency of the maintenance activities. You will have to schedule them and optimise. Since you have only 4 people check your schedule to see if everybody has got someting to do everyday or every hour. MS project for a month chart with your staff as resources will assist you verify how effective the staff is being used. It is a bit tricky to mach the activities and the staff 100%. An ideal situation is one were you have some optimal slack (some of the staff have to be free a fraction of the time) inoder to respond to emergencies.

Hope this will assist.

Warm regards

Katez

If this is not a process plant ,make a schedule for Inspection. (follow the Inspection Procedure). make check list & handover to Elec, Mech & get the result.

When I used to do field service work on automatic gates... then other systems.. They would often be broken and filthy before I arrived..

being somewhat of a neatnik.. I began to dust, use spray cleaner and wipe down the grime from the components and enclosures ..inside and out.... The schematics would sometimes be covered in lubricating oil and fur from the mice that once called the place home.. leaves.. wire bit's .. coffee cups?

Amazing how much nicer and easier it is to work on clean equipment.

It's not something for the cleaning crew to do. and the dirtiest parts are often inaccessible, or dangerous.

from then on, I would always train people to spend a couple quick minutes to clean things up.. The 1st time is always the toughest, but then..

This is not a new frontier, but i thought I'd throw it in there.

JE, you like your job very much, dont you? I like the clean machines very much and I believe the other people do, too. Because looking at the cleaness you keep, I can see how good they are managing your team.

Cleaning the floor/machines/walls during the stopage time is one of the best thing to do.

Hien,

As an automated manufacturing technician (maintenance) I have found that when my boss had me go over my p.m.'s and rework them the only thing I could come up with so as to not waste time was to establish a maintenance manual with quarterly review that kept track of all maintenance on the machine so that I could see what was going on with my machines and establish a routine maintenance that truly reflected the needs of the machine

With operator malfunction being a very common problem effecting production I would not allow a cleaning crew or operator clean my machines It sounds like if you were to have your maintenance people clean their machines it would increase their troubleshooting skills and allow for better non scheduled maintenance personally I can say it is a grave error to not have an in house maintenance crew it is too late to prevent anything after it is broken and production ceases My senses alert during operation are my most valuable (to the company) asset I have been known to simply sit and watch a machine and operator for half a shift

I always set up a perimeter around a machine where only my maintenance people can enter un/under educated well meaning production driven people ruin machinery besides Hien, that cleaning will always wipe away traces/clues as to problems or future problems. Add your own punctuation if necessary

Hi,

Production oriented work is also carried out in our factory.

Please send some example of your maintenance manual with index ( to know me what you included in manual).

Please guide me to make my maintenance manual.

Regards

Cleaning will always wipe away traces of problems or future problems?

Is that what you teach?

OK.. Take note: Clean equipment is harder to fix than dirty equipment.

...So how is it that I can trace and fix problems with both?.. (I'm really good)

..I will agree that dirty equipment is prone to failure. (overheating due to fuzz cakes and such)

I also agree that dirty equipment makes my tools, clothing, and hands dirtier.. Which increases the amount of time and money I spend cleaning these things..

no dobut !!!.

if we clean the equipment properly 95% of maintenance problems are solved.

dear hiens,

good day. i have read some of the comments to your query and they all having good points. Your situation is not complicated because the opration is not 24/7. You have enough time for your pm. Please dont get confuse with the work orders and the pm schedule of your machines. They both serve as your guide to make sure you will not missed a part of a machine unattended.

Simpley make a list of your equipment, prioritize the machine and make your schedule.

Dont consider the checklist of the operator as a pm. PM list of a machine is much deeper than the checklist of the operator.

Read the manufacturer recommendation and combine it with your actual experience. You dont need to follow what is in the manual. Practically some that is written in the manual makes your work harder and expensive. Combined all the theories on pm and decide which suited on your situation. You dont need to enforce scheduled maintenance always. Probably, in your situation you can stop the machine anytime when you observed something unusual. Remember you are preventing not repairing.

i agree that we should not think always that our technician must be busy always. Remember more heads are better than one. Take a time and have a small chat with them. Ask their observation and opinion for some activities and problems. Give them also time to talk with the operator and observed the machine while in operation. In short be flexible. and follow your list based on actual situation.

Guest:

Yeah, as you say, the check list is much different from PM list. And thing is, some manuals request we should check the machines everyday. So, it possibly means that we will have one maintenance guy to do this check list together with the operator? Do you think it is good for us or it is a waste of time?

For the work orders or works orders (WO), they are new to me. The reason why I am following to this is I know the WOs is one part in PM system. Actually, I dont know exactly how to apply this kind of forms in the actual case. Beside WOs, we also have Work performed without work orders. Anyone has established this before please send me a sample form.

Yeah, I can make a PM following a quarter basic. Can you suggest some ideas to start making one PM system? For me, of course, the equipment list and the appropriate manuals are something we go for first.

Regards,

Hien

How is the documentation system? How many type of documentation systems we would have? We will file them according to equipment list in maintenance schedule or maintenance schedule itself (weekly, monthly... basic)?