A eae 4 Despite uncertain times, s i new products may abound. i} ae ocr lie de A de food recalls 14 RO: I$ lubrication, - - e J = , i a ho ngoliddtion right —_= he ee cs my tee Ci LL he ed Bip. — Chef Sessions: Kraft Ba Ingredients’GEE enn _ Considering lubrication consolidation How to reduce maintenance costs and extend equipment life. by butthead to Fend Prcesng iilions of dollars each year are spent to repair the damage caused by mechanical wear in U.S, fac- ‘tories. Most of the key elements of damage are due to surface degradation including mechanical wear and fatigque~a high percentage of which ts due to lubri- ant degradation and problems associated with related maintenance. The food industry is highly vulnerable to this issue. Given the wet nature of much of the food manufacturing process, the constant need for wash= downs, and the dramatic temperature variations from freezers to ovens, food companies must pay particular attention to the lubricants they use and the suppliers they choose to emplay. Increased competition, low marging and rising costs make this need particularly pressing. One solu- tion is total lubrication consolidation, which is the latest industry trend in the chellenge to reduce over- all maintenanee costs, extend equipment Life arid simplify the lubricant purchasing process. It is rel- atively new option tor plant maintenance profession- als, and it is generating understandable interest. ‘The reason is simple; In addition to these impor- tant benefits, total lubrication consolidation also pro- vides efficiency improvements through better Inven- tory control, more etfective preventive maintenance, and improved overall management practices Plant management can choose the best lubrication consolidation program by looking for 4 package otfer- ing @ complete product line that meets the require- ments of virtually every need in their plant, as well as an integrated oil analysis service and lubrication management software. All of these offerings should be supported by local product supply and expert technical assistance, Until recently, no supplier could meet all these requirements, but the lubrication marketplace is changing due to the demand for increased production efficiencies and greater supplier performance. These ‘demands have resulted in the redesign of a vaniety of programs with twists that make them look new, fea- huring claims of eomplete Iubrication packages. But buyers beware: Total lubricant consolidation pre~ 50 sents a deceptively simple challenge that is not easily achieved, This is mainly because most supphers simply do not have the capability to provide total lubrication Packages, In addition, the concept is so new thet many maintenance professionals are unclear about the crite ta needed to select the right products and services 10 implement a total lubrication program. Certainly some plant operations require only @ lim- ited amount of support, and many suppliers have the needed capabilities to meet such requirements, The challenge is especially daunting, however, for those Plants where thousands of moving parts have unique lubrication requirements and schedules that are diffi cult to mast and track effectively and efficiently. In addition, selecting the right supplier is a particularly tough challenge for plants where lubricants come from many companies. Nevertheless, consolidating lubrication-related purchases into a single, integrated program is possi ble, and there are many reasons maintenance protes- nals are giving it serious consideration. Optimization Lubrication consolidation helps manufacturers opti- mize the lubrication maintenance process to keep equipment running smoothly and continually at max- ‘rum capacity. Failure to do so can be costly, because preventable breakdowns interrupt production and hike maintenance costs. Lubrication engineers esti~ mhate that 60 percent of all mechanical failures are ‘due to inadequate or improper lubrication practices, ‘and bearing experts attribute more than 50 percent of all bearing failures to inadequate lubrication. Other causes for unnecessary expenses are mistakes ‘and oversights such as empty oil reservairs or grease fit- tings that may have heen overlooked dus to lack of Proper dacumentation. If tis dificult to find, it will be even more dificult to repair. In fect. an MIT study ealra- lated that 6 t0 7 percent of the United States’ Gross Notional Product (about $240 billion) is spent repairing ‘wear damage caused by poor lubrication, Continued on page 8?smeufatg pean Lavon Continued from page 50 Consider, for example. the lubrication require~ ‘ments of a typical food processing plant. It generally has hundreds or even thousands of lubrication points to attend, involving hundreds of combinations of lubricant types, lubrication points, lubrication fre~ quencies, and methods of application, The wrong lubricant, or the correct lubricant applied in the wrong manner, can halt plant operations. With so much at stake, making sure that the right lubricant is used at the right time is eritical, It 5 na wonder that lubrication consolidation requires expert assistance. Sources of error Multiple suppliets offering partial solutions to diverse hubrication requirements compromise good lubrication management by making the delivery of products and services more complex than needed. The difficulty is evident when considering that plant maintenance man~ agers typically purchase @ couple dozen or more difter~ ent lubricants from as almest as many suppliers. Why? Perhaps it is inertia, historical relationships, different buyers for different plants, Or no plant focus on. lubricam. I's often a nightmare, yet in many instances there is just no other choice. Almost no single supplier offers a complete ling of products that meet virwally every plant lubrication need. And this goes for related Iubnication services too, That's where the words “total lubrication consolidation” come into play. ‘As a fit step, maintenance professionals interest- ed in evaluating the prospects for savings should look for suppliers that offer a total Iubrication package, not just a “full* or “broad” product line. By selecting a supplier that offers the right mix of products and ser~ vices, customers are better assured that their inven- tory carries the most appropriate lubricants for thelr plant needs and that they are supplied to the right applications at the right time: cut a single supply source, however, redun= dant orders of comparable lubricants with different brand names can contribute to wasteful inventory. Maintenance professionals facing unclear or multiple lubricant choices can make mistakes thet damage equipment, causing preventable maintenance and increased downtime Maintenance professionals typically adopt a conser- vative but costly approach to machine lubrication by replacing fluids at shorter intervals than neces- sary. Although the decision is often well- grounded on conservative OEM maintenance guidelines, oil drain intervals can be extended 82 im many instances contingent on the selection of better ails for the application. For example, the sveitch from conventional oils to a new generation of ultra-high- purity mineral oils or synthetic lubricants can extend drain oils by as much as three to 10 times, respectively, In other instances, extended drain intervals stem from bil analysis readings indicating that lubricant will tol- erate extended service, Whatever the reason, the MRO manager who increases the time between lubricant drain intervals typically cuts related casts significantly, Extending lubricating intervals also increases production time and saves on produation losses due to unnecessary | maintenance that might be attributed to poor lubrica- tion practices. Por these reasons, it pays to make sure your supplier has not only the right lubricants, but also a staff of lubrication technical experts to help you solve problems and tap opportunities for savings. Consolidating pays of A consolidated lubricant source with local distributors streamlines the purchasing and inventory tasks facing | busy MRO managers. However. inbricant suppliers pro- viding the maximum benefit are thase who offer more than just quick delivery from a range of products. Conselidating lubricant purchases in a single, integrated program with a knowledgeable, full-line supplier can. provide better return on capital invest- ments, improve productivity and make inventory management more effective, Consolidation can. also lead to better preventive mointenance, better equip- ment performance and more effective general man- agement. Equally important, lubrication consolida- lon makes you a major customer, which justifies a higher level of technical suppor. Suppliers with complete lubrication packages, partic- ularly those offering tubrication technical service, have the necessary insight into a customer's equipment and operations that enables them to recommend the best lubricant for each application, After the right Iubticants are identified, the consolidated lubricant supplier should tag therm, Tagging relieves maintenance workers cf complex choices and tells them when lubricants must be changed. The lubricant supplies should also offer integrated oil analysis/monitoring services to assure timely Iubricant changes. The end result is extended equipment life, which is critical for expensive machin- ery and equipment. PB lm Stutelbert is the lubrication channel manager at Dow ‘Corning Corp. et Prcrriag # one 2002