By Jim Fitch
Machinery Lubrication Magazine
For any plant seeking lubrication excellence, there needs to be a visual starting point that sets the stage for what’s to come elsewhere in the facility. There is no better place for that than the lube room. In fact, I’ve never heard of a plant exhibiting excellence in machinery lubrication that doesn’t also exude excellence in the lube room. The lube room serves as the centerpiece and reference state for lubrication excellence. You have to get it right.
This is important because transformation can take a while for large plants. Rome wasn’t built in a day. To succeed, you must have a solid foundation and a constant reminder of what quality and success should look like. It effectively punctuates that this standard of excellence should be replicated at each machine where lubricants are in use. There’s a huge and very important psychological element here.
If you cut corners in the design and quality of your lube room, more critical corners will be cut elsewhere in the plant as well. Mediocracy becomes the norm and will be imbedded in the culture. When this occurs, the lube room transforms into a pigpen of tools, pumps, hoses, grease guns, bottles, totes and drums. Don’t let that happen. Be fussy and demanding, and set a high standard that encourages reliability excellence throughout the rest of the plant.