Kiln Inspection Checklist

(Where maintenance or replacement is recommended, indicate kiln number.)

I. Kiln Structure
1. Doors and door hangers, present condition:
Do door hangers operate properly:
Do doors fit properly:
Do gaskets adequately seal door:
What maintenance a replacement is recommended:
2. Walls, present condition:
IS protective coating adequate (masonry kilns):
Are cracks repaired or holes patched:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
3. Structural steel members, present condition:
Is protective coating adequate:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
4. Roof or ceiling, present condition:
Is protective coating adequate to minimize corrosion and vapor transmission:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
5. Floors and walkways, present condition:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
6. Rails and supports, present condition:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
II. Control system
1. Recorder-controller, present condition:
Is correct chart paper on instrument:
Is recorder-controller properly calibrated:
Are capillary tubes protected:
Are leads and connections of RTD adequately protected:
Are bulbs or sensors properly located and mounted for accurate reading of kiln
conditions:
Does cellulose EMC wafer need replacing:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
2. Water supply:
Is water supply line to wet bulb open:
Is wet-bulb water pan clean:
Is water supply unusually hot or cold:
Is drain line from water pan open:
100
Is wet-bulb wick replaced regularly:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
3. Air supply:
Is compressed air supply at correct pressure, clean, and uninterrupted:
Is compressor in good condition:
Are water and grease traps in good condition:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
III. Heating and Humidifying System
1. Steam feedlines and headers, present condition:
Are feedlines and headers properly insulated:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
2. Heating coils or ducts, present condition:
Are all pipes open to full flow of steam:
What is the condition of supports:
Is ductwork bent or otherwise damaged:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
3. Traps, present condition:
Are traps in best possible location:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
4. Condensate return line, present condition:
Are condensate pumps working properly:
Is line properly sized for volume carried:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
5. Automatic and manual control valves, present condition:
Are automatic control valves working properly:
Are springs and diaphragms working properly:
Are manual blowdown-valves provided for traps:
Are manual valves provided for shutting off individual coils:
Are check valves working properly:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
6. Spray lines, present condition:
Are spray holes or nozzles open:
Does condensate from spray line drip on lumber:
Is spray line properly trapped:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
7. Vents, present condition:
Do all vents open and close properly:
Do air motors and linkages work properly:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
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IV. Air Circulation System
1. Fans and motors, present condition:
What is the condition of electrical connections and switches:
Are fans slipping on shafts:
Are all fans turning in proper (same) direction:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
2. Shafts and bearings, present condition:
Are motors and shaft bearings properly lubricated:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
3. Fan baffles, cowling, and fan floor, present condition:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
4. Load baffles, present condition:
Can load baffles be improved:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
5. Air passageways (including ductwork in direct-fired kilns):
Are air passageways open and unobstructed:
Could air movement be improved:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
V. General Condition of Yard, Kilns, and Control Room
Does grading and surface of yard provide for good drainage directed away from
kiln(s): —
Are alleys adequate for maneuvering lift truck:
Are kiln trucks in good condition:
What maintenance or replacement is recommended:
Is control room neat and clean:
Are good kiln records kept:
Are kilns and surrounding area neat and clean:

A walk-by inspection should be performed

daily.

• Check lubrication levels for the carrying roller

• Check lubrication levels for the gears

• Verify kiln shell axial position

• Ensure cooling water flow for the carrying

roller

• Verify the burner’s fuel and air connections

for leaks

• Visually check the flame shape

These inspections should be performed

weekly, in addition to the daily checks.

• Measure kiln tire creep

• Note major component wear

• Check the kiln drive amperages for

fluctuations

• Check kiln seals and shell run-out on feed

and discharge ends

• Check drive bolt tightness – visually check

for loose bolts

• Verify the kiln shell temperature profile for

fluctuations in operating temperatures

• Survey general pilot and burner settings

including operating pressures and flow rates

These inspections should be performed

monthly, in addition to the daily and weekly

checks.

• Check the auxiliary drive motor to ensure it is

available in an emergency situation

• Check the pitch line separation between the

drive gear and pinion for changes in the gear

mesh

• Inspect gear reducer oil levels and all drive

bearings for high operating temperatures

• Perform vibration analysis of the gear

and pinion, gear reducer, and drive system

bearings

The Cement Institute’s Maintenance Management System (MMS) is a holistic

approach to the maintenance structure and methodology. It aims to ensure that
equipment and facility maintenances comply with increasing operational availability,
reliability, life-cycle of the assets, and performance, and to optimize the total costs of
ownership1.

The MMS includes, among other topics1:

 Maintenance Control and General Administration: This includes indicators,

delays, costs, planning and scheduling, organization and maintenance roles and
functions.
 Autonomous Maintenance and Operating Support: This includes
autonomous maintenance, Computerized Maintenance Management System
(CMMS), technical training for personnel, safety and security, and maintenance
management system concepts.
 Maintenance Technology: This includes predictive maintenance and trend
techniques, kilns and mills specialized routines, physical conditions of the
equipment, maintenance activities execution, lubrication, contractor
management; Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM); Reliability Module;
Failure analysis and problem solution, FMEA.
 Spare parts technology: This includes inventory optimization, spare parts list,
strategic spare parts.
The MMS achieves the baseline to establish all the maintenance practices and
processes to maintain a significant operating consistency level throughout the
production equipment1. The goal of each maintenance organization is to increase
productivity with the effectiveness of its personnel1. To achieve the overall
maintenance targets, various organizations strive for a Preventive and Condition-
based maintenance strategy with a high focus on reliability and pro-active
maintenance1.

Remember, maintenance in the cement industry contributes to the production cost and
represents a typical 15-25 percent of total manufacturing expenditure1. Many
companies have tried using standard production methods to control maintenance
costs, but this is not effective; maintenance can increase profits in two principal ways:
decreasing expenses and increasing capacity1. Maintenance costs consist of two main
divisions, labor, and material1. By achieving maximum availability (minimum
downtime) and the plant assets’ efficiency, a manager ensures a company does not
need to invest in excess assets to produce its products1.

1. Research: Conduct research to understand the benefits of CMMS software and how it
can help your organization. You can also research different CMMS vendors to find one
that meets your needs 1234.
2. Plan: Once you have chosen a vendor, you can start planning the implementation
process. This includes outlining a rough timeline for each phase of the implementation
process, clarifying timelines, roles, and responsibilities, and ensuring hardware
compatibility and adequate bandwidth 13.
3. Implement: With your plan in place, you can begin to implement the software. This
includes setting up your CMMS, migrating data, and tracking its impact 5.
4. Operate: Once your CMMS software is ready to go and your team has been trained, it’s
time to get the ball rolling and start using your new maintenance management system 2.

IBM Maximo and SAP PLM are both enterprise asset management (EAM) software
that offer maintenance management solutions. While both systems share some
similarities, they have some differences in terms of features and functionality.

According to a comparison by SelectHub, IBM Maximo is a comprehensive

management solution, while SAP is more of an analytics software. Maximo has
features such as procurement/materials management, work management and contract
management, which help you take control of your parts inventory, vendor contracts
and work orders 12. On the other hand, SAP PLM has a robust materials management
module consisting of enterprise structure definition and assignments, purchasing,
valuation, and account assignment. The solution helps enhance the visibility of
materials across plants and enables part reservations for needed materials. It also lets
you classify inventory with SAP standard descriptions for serial numbers, tagging and
more 1.

While our research finds IBM to have the edge over SAP, keep reading to learn how
these two fare against each other in terms of individual features 1.

IBM Maximo and SAP PLM are both popular enterprise asset management (EAM)
systems, but they have different strengths and features123:

1. Origin and Focus: SAP PLM was designed with a primary foundation based
on the financial requirements of the client, while Maximo was created to
support Maintenance Operations for the client2.
2. Asset Life Cycle Management: IBM Maximo provides 360-degree asset life
cycle management. It allows you to track asset movements, failures, and
performance across your enterprise. This feature allows you to develop
preventive maintenance programs, increase asset uptime, and reduce unplanned
maintenance1. On the other hand, SAP PLM provides a holistic view of
performance, risk, and costs throughout the asset life cycle with information
related to the usage of assets, accounting costs, warranties, and other
processes1.
3. Materials Management: IBM Maximo allows you to classify items/assets
using conditional expressions in the asset template and define sequences, class,
identity, and other features. It also helps you manage material allocation
through preventive maintenance triggers and track status updates on inventory,
work orders, and more1. SAP PLM has a robust materials management module
consisting of enterprise structure definition and assignments, purchasing,
valuation, and account assignment. It enhances the visibility of materials across
plants and enables part reservations for needed materials1.
4. Overall Features and Cost: IBM Maximo is a comprehensive management
solution with features such as procurement/materials management, work
management, and contract management, which help you take control of your
parts inventory, vendor contracts, and work orders1. SAP PLM is more of an
analytics software1. However, SAP Business All-in-one is more expensive to
implement than Maximo, and it offers more features3.
Remember, the best choice between the two will depend on your specific
requirements and circumstances.

Sure, here are some differences between other maintenance CMMS and SAP PLM
based on various sources12:

1. Usability: Business’s operating with fewer maintenance personnel may not be

in favor of going for a sophisticated package like SAP PLM and hence would
compromise with CMMS if their requirements are met. SAP PLM requires a
skilled person, trained on the particular modules to populate the data and use
them. CMMS packages are mostly designed with user-friendly and intuitive
clicks for the transactions required and hence easy to use for the maintenance
people1.
2. Maintenance Management: SAP PLM provides structured maintenance
management functionality. It helps keep assets at their peak performance by
implementing promptly maintenance and shorter response times. The solution
also allows users to create templates for work processes through Work
Clearance Management integration (WCM) and create a fault tree list against a
part or equipment in the asset master list. CMMS allows users to create
workflows and manage asset performance throughout its lifecycle. It ensures
regulatory compliance and lets users create a template for custom report
generation. The solution helps users schedule preventive maintenance activities
and provides reports on shutdowns, outages and turnarounds, improving
response times to faults to increase operational efficiency1.
3. Work Orders: SAP PLM provides work order management functionality. The
solution allows work order creation and helps users view and allocate resources
(spare parts, labor, tools) filtered by equipment availability. CMMS allows the
operators and maintenance team to record easily all kind of maintenance
information (breakdown/reactive, corrective, preventive, upgrades) and to track
the history and costs to maintain the asset1.
4. General CMMS Functionality: When comparing the general CMMS
functionality, SAP PLM leads with 98.51% of supported features, as opposed
to other CMMS’s 83.87%2.

Remember, the best choice between the two will depend on your specific
requirements and circumstances.
SAP PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) is a comprehensive solution for all
maintenance activities, and it supports preventative or risk-based maintenance and
provides outage planning and work order management1. It is also considered a
Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) that performs maintenance
management by conducting three key activities2:

1. Inspection: Includes all measures which establish the actual condition of a

technical system2.
2. Preventive maintenance: Includes all measures which maintain the ideal
condition of a technical system2.

In comparison to other CMMS, SAP PLM has some unique features:

1. Usability: SAP PLM requires a skilled person, trained on the particular

modules to populate the data and use them. SAP PLM works with entering
various T-code’s (Transaction codes). So, familiarity with all or the often used
transactions is required on a daily basis3.
2. Maintenance Management: SAP PLM provides structured maintenance
management functionality. The solution consists of asset management and
work order management tools and ensures regulatory compliance. It helps keep
assets at their peak performance by implementing promptly maintenance and
shorter response times3.
3. Work Orders: SAP PLM provides work order management functionality. The
solution allows work order creation and helps users view and allocate resources
(spare parts, labor, tools) filtered by equipment availability3.

So, in essence, SAP PLM can be considered a CMMS as it provides a structured

approach to maintenance management, including inspection, preventive maintenance,
and work order management.

Sure, here are some CMMS systems that can be used in the concrete industry:

1. The Cement Institute’s Maintenance Management System (MMS): This

system is designed specifically for the cement industry. It includes features
such as maintenance control and general administration, autonomous
maintenance and operating support, maintenance technology, spare parts
technology, and more1.
2. Limble CMMS: Limble is a user-friendly CMMS that offers robust work order
management, real-time monitoring, and detailed reporting. It’s used in various
industries, including construction2.
 3. Other CMMS Systems: There are many other CMMS systems that can be
used in the concrete industry. Some of the top-rated ones include Maintenance
Care, Fiix, UpKeep, ServiceChannel, Maintenance Connection, Fracttal,
eMaint, ManagerPlus, and FTMaintenance3.

Remember, the best CMMS for your needs will depend on your specific requirements
and circumstances.