By Jim Fitch
Machinery Lubrication Magazine
The oil can was in need of a major redo years ago. It was grossly outdated in terms of modern views and needs relating to lubrication and machinery reliability. Fortunately, new products sporting highly advanced features have emerged on the market. For clarification, I’ll refer to the historic products as “oil cans” and their modern replacements as S&R containers. S&R is short for “sealable and reusable”.
Despite the obsolescence, the oil can still seems to prevail undeterred in many user organizations like a bad rash. You think it’s finally gone and then it just comes right back. Either these companies that use such archaic products are Neanderthals or they simply do not understand the business case for ditching the old in favor of the new.
This column was written to provide a gentle nudge to those who seem to have trouble getting or understanding this important message. In the world of machine reliability, this message is not trivial but rather a foundational underpinning of a well-engineered reliability program.