By Drew Troyer and Jim Fitch
Compoundings Magazine
Over the past ten years machine-dependent industrial sites have been reinventing their views about equipment maintenance – adopting a reliability focus. One might say that maintenance has always been about reliability, but today, more and more organizations are taking that connection very seriously, whereas in the past, the term reliability was- casually associated with the maintenance organization, which was primarily focused upon expediting parts and people to respond to failure. It could be said that machines were in charge of maintenance in the past – they decided when they were going to be worked on and what work was going to be done. Today’s maintenance organization seeks to take charge of maintenance and planning activities which decrease maintenance costs and associated waste, increase equipment reliability and, above all, increase the firm’s profit, share price and ability to compete in tough markets, especially global markets.
It is hard to imagine an effective process reliability assurance program without a strong emphasis on assuring the reliability of mechanical equipment. Likewise it is difficult to imagine an effective mechanical equipment reliability program without a strong lubrication program.