by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Jun 19, 2020 | Maintenance Management, RAM Tools & Methods
Every good tradesperson knows that use of incorrect and inferior quality tools can result in inferior work. That said, no definitive study has been performed on resulting costs (the direct costs incurred through broken tools and broken fasteners, and indirect costs...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Jun 7, 2020 | Maintenance Management, Newsletter Column
I recently sat in a budget meeting where the maintenance manager was making a pitch for a new $150,000-piece of labor-saving equipment. He waxed eloquently about its many features and how it would make his department’s work so much easier. Another department...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jun 5, 2020 | Maintenance Management, The Bloch Files
Decades ago, I was given the opportunity to study how different refinery giants re-shuffled their approach to pump repairs. Two different corporations provided insights into what went right and what went wrong. In the 1950s, each of two different world-scale...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 5, 2020 | Maintenance Management, Newsletter Column
I was talking with a maintenance-manager friend a few days ago about various topics, including the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Because his manufacturing plant supplies the automotive industry, it’s been ramping down toward a total shutdown. Despite the almost...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Mar 20, 2020 | Maintenance Management, RAM Tools & Methods
The global pandemic we’re now facing has put all of us, individuals and businesses alike, on an emergency footing. COVID-19 has already closed down or seriously affected the operation of most public facilities, and is likely to bring much of industry to a severe...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Mar 14, 2020 | Electrical Reliability, Maintenance Management, Motors & Drives
In ball-bearing machines, the bearings are often cited as the primary cause of electric-motor failure. There are numerous lubrication and application issues that impact bearing life, as well as basically cause reduced life. While we will continue to return to the...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Mar 7, 2020 | Maintenance Management, RAM's Human Factor
As an asset-management consultant working with a new client, one of my first steps is to perform a Maintenance Operation Effectiveness Review (MOER) in which we review and quantify the current state of the maintenance organization to determine how effectively it...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Mar 7, 2020 | Electrical Reliability, Maintenance Management, Motors & Drives
In this first part of a new series on electric motor systems, we’ll review the reliability of such systems. Let’s start by considering one the most-asked questions associated with the topic: “How long should the motor last?” While there are standards that...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 14, 2020 | Lubrication Corner, Maintenance Management
There are few definitive studies on rolling-element bearing reliability /life that are based on industry uses and working conditions. There are, however, many claims that indicate the vast majority of such bearings never achieve their engineered-life rating (some...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 3, 2020 | Maintenance Management, Newsletter Column, The Bloch Files
Perhaps you, too, have seen a storeroom packed full of startup spares (usually two wear parts or parts that, in the past, failed due to “random coincidence”). In any event, “random coincidence” is how my car dealer’s service manager explained things...
