Getting Started with Predictive Maintenance

When organizations look to truly embrace predictive maintenance they have three questions that must be answered in order to move forward. These questions are the basic decisions that you need to make to get moving in the right direction.  All of this is contingent upon your facility having processes for identified work planned, scheduled, and executed because without this, predictive maintenance will not be as effective. Simply put, you need to answer what, where and who. What technologies need to be employed, where in the plant and by whom? Once you know this you can begin to build your process, business case and justification to proceed.

How Long Does it Take to Build a Race Car?

If you ask me how long it takes to build a race car I have no idea, but I know you can put four tires on in under thirteen seconds. The point is if you are going to properly plan and schedule your work you need to break it down into smaller discrete task that you can accurately estimate and then build the job estimate based on those task estimates. Accuracy goes up exponentially when you estimate the elements and not the whole project at once.
Those of you who watch NASCAR racing see many of the best practices we seek personified in the race teams. They plan every step of their process and schedule all of their pit stops for maximum success. They practice to remove the wasted time from each step of their process and they kit all of the parts and tools they need for maximum speed. Because of all these best practices and the team work they display they can do a full four tire pit stop in just over thirteen seconds. 
If you want your team to perform like a race team then remember to create accurate plans and estimates which lead to more accurate schedules and better team work.

Does a Root Cause Exist?

Root Cause Analysis or RCA is an incredible tool for improving your operation or processes, but there are a few points that "practitioners" sometimes miss. One of which is that there is very seldom one root cause...in fact in most cases there are at least two. One is a condition that has existed for some period of time and the other is an action that allowed the condition to create an undesirable outcome. Lets look at a very simple example, if you slip on a wet floor there was a condition (the wet floor) and an action (you stepping on the wet floor). If you think about it this way, then you can decide which cause to eliminate. You can eliminate the water causing the wet floor or the action of walking through it.  Of course, you should dig deeper into each of these branches to better understand the underlying causes but this works for a simple example. The point is when you neglect one of these elements you limit your ability to mitigate or eliminate the failure at the lowest cost. Sometimes the condition or action will appear blatantly obvious but remember that even though it is obvious we list it to ensure that we consider its elimination or modification as a possible solution. I have witnessed many sites using the 5 Why methodology which typically leads to one "root cause" and in many cases the solution is more expensive and more complicated than it need be.  I like the 5Why methodology for building a root cause culture in your facility, but it should not be the back bone of your Root Cause Analysis program. So does root cause exist? Only if you consider root causes.

You Might Not Have a Program....

Below is a list of things Andy Page and I have seen and heard over the years that might make you laugh but should make us cry when it comes to having a solid reliability program.

If you think change management has something to do with the vending machines in the break room ...you might not have a program

If you think change management means always having a roll of quarters in your desk...you might not have a program

If your alignment standard contains the words flashlight and straight edge...you might not have a program

If your scheduling meeting usually end with the phrase “I guess we’ll just see about that”...you might not have a program

If your job plans can all fit on 1 side of 1 piece of paper...you might not have a program

If the phrases inner race and outer race remind you call your bookie...

If the phrase ball pass frequency just makes you giggle uncontrollably...

If your IR electrical program is administered by your insurance provider...

If you can name all of the machines on your oil sampling route...

If every time the 6 Sigma guys talk about the 16 Toll Gates to improvement and you wonder why they just didn’t take the back roads...

If you think precision maintenance means having a complete set of hammers with you at all times...

If you think torque wrenches are only for the boys of NASCAR...

If your balance standard involves the use of a nickel or a small glass of water...

If you measure your lubrication quantities in tubes…

If your idea of contamination control has something to do with keeping the rats out of the break room…

If you think the planner should have his own set of tools…

If you think that every mechanic should have his own key to the storeroom…

If you think a dial indicator is a new option on your son’s cell phone...

If your idea of a shim pack includes the cardboard box the pump came in ...

If your idea of a battery tester includes the use of the tip of your tongue..

If you think eddy currents are something you have to avoid at the beach...

If your most advance machine analysis tool is a screwdriver held against your ear...

If your torque standard involves Bubba and a cheater bar...

If your X-ray equipment was ordered from the back of a comic book...

If your machine base grouting procedure includes the use of bubble gum and chap stick...

If your maintenance reference library includes only two service catalogs, one handbook and yesterdays paper...

If your Root Cause Analysis process includes a step for dumpster diving...

If your required PPE includes a bubble wrap suit...

If your folks believe that TPM stands for Totally Painted Machines...

If you repair the same equipment so often you have a special cart...

If your ultra sensitive leak detection system involves an funnel held up to Eddie's ear...

If your Root Cause Analysis findings include “fire the SOB”...

If your idea of a bearing heater is a rose bud…

If your idea of proper bearing installation involves a hammer and a chisel…

If your lubrication guy still believes that more is better…

If the closest thing to RCM you have is Rapid Corrective Maintenance...

Hope you enjoyed those and if you can, take a minute and add a few that you have heard or seen at your site.