by T.A. Cook, Part of Accenture | Feb 20, 2021 | SPONSORED INFORMATION
From Lance Bisinger, CMRP, CRL Principal, Global Expert Lead Reliability T.A. Cook (tacook.com) Dr. Ajith Parlikad leads research activities at the Institute of Manufacturing in Cambridge, UK, and is Head of the Asset Management Group. His particular focus is on...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Feb 14, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Have you noticed shortages of food products, lumber, concrete, parts, supplies, and power tools, among other things? Many people are puzzled by shortages of what used to be common items in the marketplace. There are other shortages as well. COVID-19 and a volatile...
by Jane Alexander, Managing Editor | Feb 14, 2021 | Solution of the Week, Solution Showcase
According to Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, WI, manufacturing operations can harness the power of data to substantially improve their safety compliance and performance with two recently introduced safety solutions from the company. The new devices are said be capable...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Feb 14, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, Motors & Drives
In 2016, a project was launched by the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) through Lawrence Berkeley National Labs to re-perform the original industrial and commercial motor-system opportunities reports from 1996. At the beginning of the study, there was a...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 13, 2021 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
Over the past year, one effect of COVID-19 has been to turn us into a population of stockpilers and hoarders of consumable products. As a result, many are now more aware of a consumable item’s “best before date,” found on most product packaging and labeling materials....
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 12, 2021 | Asset Management, Safety Matters, The Bloch Files
The overwhelming majority of small-turbine-overspeed-trip devices are mechanical: They incorporate a spring-activated trip bolt that moves out and contacts a trip lever whenever a preset overspeed is reached. The overspeed trip setting is selected at the time of...
by Jane Alexander, Managing Editor | Feb 7, 2021 | Solution of the Week, Solution Showcase
According to ABB, Zurich, Switzerland, its new Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) service lets robot users create preventive-maintenance (PM) schedules for fleet and individual robots based on real-time operational data and, thus, optimize productivity and minimize...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 6, 2021 | Newsletter Column, The Bloch Files
Today (in 2021) as in 1975, I count bright Failure Investigators and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) among my trusted briefers and updaters. One of them recently sent me a 58-second YouTube video clip (TikTok Edition) of a hole-test exercise that caught my attention. In...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Feb 6, 2021 | Asset Management, The Sustainable Plant
As noted in the first part of this short article series (Feb. 1, 2021, see link below), the idea of reducing cost and decreasing the environmental impact of a manufacturing or process plant by focusing on management of parasitic frictional losses is a very compelling...
by Jim Seffrin, CMRP | Feb 6, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, IR Thermography, RAM Tools & Methods
It’s a common question: “How often should electrical systems be thermographically inspected?” Historically, accepted industry practice has recommended that infrared inspections be performed annually. However, site-specific conditions may dictate considerably...
