® SKF Condition Monitoring

Setting Up and Operating A Cost-

Effective Predictive Maintenance
Program at Champion Paper
Company
“We developed one program that
allows our mechanics the opportunity
to spend 2-3 days working with the
system … outlining what we’re trying
to accomplish, and providing basic
information about how the system
works.”
“This plant is only two years old, and we’re
fortunate that our upper management
decided to go with a predictive
maintenance program from the very
beginning,” advised John Daniels,
predictive maintenance specialist at the
Champion Paper Company plant in
Quinnesec, Michigan. “We have two
people assigned full-time for vibration
analysis … plus two SKF Condition
Monitoring Microlog portable data
collectors, an IBM PC computer with a
Figure 1. SKF Condition Monitoring’s Microlog Portable
Bernoulli box, a real time analyzer and Data Collector.
plotter, and a printer.”
The predictive maintenance program currently When the program was started two years ago,
monitors approximately 6,600 points. For each they looked at a variety of vibration monitoring
unit they take vertical, horizontal and axial equipment and selected the Microlog system
readings … so that one motor and pump would developed by SKF Condition Monitoring, of
represent 12 monitoring points. There is one San Diego, California. “At the time we
weekly route which is run each Thursday, and selected SKF Condition Monitoring, their
consists of critical equipment that affects system offered some of the most enhanced
production throughout the entire plant. In features available,” he added. “In fact, we
addition, there are 29 monthly routes and two were a beta test site for them, and were able to
quarterly routes … with each route including work closely with them on any questions,
approximately 250 points and taking 2-3 hours
concerns or problems that came up.”
to cover.
“One of the most important considerations that
“At first, we listed every piece of equipment in
the plant that we wanted to monitor … and we found in integrating this technology into our
divided those into four areas; the pulp plant was educating our people. We
machine, the pulp mills, the boilers and the developed one program that allows our
wood yard area,” he continued. “We had mechanics the opportunity to spend 2-3 days
approximately 1,000 machines that we wanted working with the system … outlining what
to look at, and thought that a monthly schedule we’re trying to accomplish, and providing basic
would be the most efficient for the majority of information about how the system works. We
the points.” let them load the Microlog with the computer
… go out and take a route … then dump the
"In fact, after we set up the routings we found data back into the computer.”
that we could conveniently include less critical
Technical Paper points that were in the same area, and monitor “This experience is important for two reasons
CM1002 them on a monthly rather than quarterly basis." … first, it helps them understand what we’re
 ®

"Setting Up and
Operating A
Cost-Effective
Predictive
Maintenance
Program at
Champion Paper
Figure 2. “Even though the plant is relatively new, there have already been a number of
Company" situations where the predictive maintenance program has been particularly cost-
effective. By trending vibration readings, they can identify developing problems
that otherwise would go undetected.”

trying to do in this department and how it
relates to their jobs … and second, if a
problem develops during the second or third
shifts when our people are not here, one of
SKF Condition Monitoring
Area Centers these mechanics can come to our office, pick
up one of the Micrologs and use it to record
critical information. They might not understand
North and South America
4141 Ruffin Road all of the details of the program, but they can
San Diego, California 92123 be very helpful in an emergency.”
USA
“We’re also in the process of developing a
Telephone (619) 496-3400
similar program for all or our managers and
FAX (619) 496-3531
production people … providing an overview of
what we’re doing and the types of information
Europe, Middle East, Africa
Postbus 2091 that we collect and process. We’ve found that
5300 CB Zaltbommel some managers who were not aware of
The Netherlands vibration analysis have been amazed at what
Telephone (+31) 418-541010 we have been able to do … and in the process
FAX (+31) 418-540455 they too have become believers.”
Even though the plant is relatively new, there
Asia, Pacific have already been a number of situations
153 Gul Circle, Jurong where the predictive maintenance program has
Singapore 629610 been particularly cost-effective. “One of the
Telephone (+65) 861-6922
systems is a 1,250-hp primary cleaner pump
FAX (+65) 861-3044
motor which we monitor on a monthly basis,”
he continued.
that experience alone saved us thousands of
dollars.”
“We make a point of documenting each of
these instances where the predictive
maintenance program has made a difference
… and we can present the data in a variety of
reports and graphs. We keep educating our
management on the types of problems that we
control or prevent … and put these abilities
into the financial and production terms that
they more easily understand. As a result, our
management usually supports our annual
budget requests, as well as requests for
special project funding.”
“We’re also constantly working to improve the
efficiency of the program. We’re currently re-
evaluating which pieces of equipment are
included in the program … and we’re trying to
determine if we can reduce the number of
points that we monitor on each machine …
from say 12 points to 8 points. If we can
reduce the number of points that we monitor in
the current program, we’ll be able to add more
of the less critical points to the schedule, and
expand our information data base even more.”

CM1002 (Revised 4-97)
Copyright © 1997 by
SKF Condition Monitoring, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
“We noticed that the system had a high axial
vibration reading, and by trending the data we
found that it was consistently climbing each
month. We scheduled to replace it during the
next scheduled downtime, and when we got it
into the shop we found that the motor had a
0.050” differential in the air gap fitting. That is
something that you can’t see, feel or hear …
and without the analysis we would have run
the motor until it had failed … probably when
we could least afford it at 3 a.m. some
morning.”
“Production downtime represents a significant
cost for us … in addition to the cost of parts
and labor to repair a piece of equipment … so
“The best advice for someone who is
considering starting up a predictive
maintenance program is to sit down and
identify what equipment you have, and what
you want to accomplish,” he concluded. “Over
the last three years a lot of new diagnostic
equipment has been developed, and you can
accomplish just about anything that you might
want with one form of the technology or
another.”
“However, if you don’t have a clear idea of
what you want, you may end up with state-of-
the-art technology that sits on the shelf … or
that provides information that really isn’t
useful."