This time I'd like to take you behind the scenes with a rare look
inside a highly-successful PdM program.
You see, when I had the chance to interview our very own Clyde
Hughes on PdM, I jumped on it! Because Clyde is one of our most
experienced Oil Analysts and is a Subject Matter Expert on
Lubrication as well as Predictive Maintenance.
So we grilled Clyde with some of the toughest, most frequently
asked questions we hear every day from corporate maintenance
managers and reliability engineers.
Read on as Clyde gives down-to-earth, honest answers to each
question in this exclusive interview.
If you prefer to read this interview as a web page, just hop over
to:
http://www.alliedreliability.com/index.cfm?id=105 ************************************************************
Q: Clyde, how did you get started in predictive maintenance?
A: I stumbled into lubrication as a specialty a little over five
years ago. I had done some of that before; I was an industrial
mechanic in the Navy. I worked on gas turbines engines and engine
room stuff. We had lubrication programs and fuel quality management
programs there, and that's what got me started.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to overcome the
problems with lubrication that we have in this facility and other
facilities I have worked in, finding a problem and crafting a
solution for it.
Q: What's the number one thing your customer wants from you?
A: To not have to worry about their equipment. We give them a
comprehensive package to improve reliability and reduce unplanned
breakdowns. It gives them a lot of peace of mind and comfort
knowing that people who care about it, and are knowledgeable, are
doing things to improve reliability overall.
Q: What are the results?
Very good. I can only think of one failure we've had in the past
year that I probably should have called earlier. I should have
noticed it needed a better look at with vibration, because of the
amount of wear metal I saw.
Some units generate wear all the time. We monitor them closely,
instead of just replacing it, and wait for vibration or some other
technology to indicate that it's actually time to move on it.
Q: How long does it take to build a lubrication program that
produces results like that?
A: I was here 6 months before we got our retrofit design hammered
out, and got started retrofitting the equipment, so we could do
filtering and oil changes more efficiently. It was a year after
that before we started to see results in our remediation efforts.
It can take up to four years to reach your goals. You have got to
have patience. And just keep working at it. Do a little bit every
day. Pretty soon it adds up to a lot.
Q: What's the best piece of advice you would give to someone who is
about to establish a new lubrication program?
A: Take some time to research what's available. Don't just rush
into it. Most problems have a simple solution, which is often
better than a complex solution. Fundamentals are always important.
In lubrication, the goal is to keep your lubricant clean and dry and
fit for use. We don't need to over-engineer our solutions. Try
and keep it simple. Start slow and build on success, instead of
trying to bite off the whole thing at once.
It can be an overwhelming task, especially at a larger and older
facility. Bite off a little at a time. Build on your successes.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. Most of us out here are willing to
share our knowledge, because we can't be everywhere and solve all
the problems. A lot of times, we bounce ideas against each other.
At Allied, we are really good at talking among ourselves and
soliciting advice from colleagues.
Keep up with your literature. Don't forget your fundamentals.
Q: What kind of changes do you see as a program develops and
matures?
A: It gets to be more of a management thing instead of 'come in and
change things.' Now I do less stuff in the field and a lot more in
the office. More of an administrator and less of a problem-solver.
But I have to keep focused on what's going ahead.
The challenges can be great. At some plants, you have the
challenge of overcoming an ingrained culture, in a place that's not
familiar with what you're trying to do. You have to gain the trust
and confidence of those you are working with, and those who you are
trying to bring around to improve the reliability mindset.
Sometimes, especially in older establishments or plants, there is
the mindset "that won't work here." People don't like to hear that
they have done things wrong for years. It's not that they did it
knowingly; they just didn't have the knowledge at that point in
time.
People are reluctant to change. They think, "It has worked for so
long it must be okay." We don't want to say that anybody has done
anything wrong, just that there might be a better way.
Q: What do you see in the future for PdM?
A: I see a bright future for PdM, because as competitive pressures
increase, more and more industries are understanding the value that
it can bring to their program.
I think that there is going to be a need for multi-talented
individuals who understand more than one technology. It's not
going to be just vibration, or infrared, or lubrication. People
are going to have to have a working knowledge of all of them,
because there is consolidation in the industry. Everyone wants you
to do more with less. That's a challenge.
===========================================
Clyde Huges contributed a great deal of his extensive PdM and Oil
and Lubrication knowledge when Allied Reliability was in the
development stages of the PM/PdM Best Practices Workshops. This is
valuable information and training everyone needs.
To save $500 dollars on the next series of classes beginning October
30th, in Charleston, SC, go to:
http://www.alliedreliability.com/index.cfm?id=105 
Pages: 1
The Inside Secret to Successful PdM (Read 1317 times)
