Attending a training course to learn what a prescribed lubrication program entails is the first step toward a successful Lubrication Program Implementation. However, even after completing the course, some students finish just as perplexed as they began, because they feel overwhelmed by the amount of material they must grasp, process, and implement in order to build a world-class organization.
Therefore, a blueprint for the months and years ahead is essential. A Lubrication and Oil Analysis Study serves as a starting point for assessing present strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, while also offering clear direction for short-, medium-, and long-term goals.
Next, an assessment is required. In this stage, an engineering consultant examines the factory to review the program’s current condition. This process helps identify violations of best practices within the plant
What to Buy
There are plenty of producers and resellers specializing in this industry. Your choices should be based on your reliability objectives. Always think about an asset’s life-cycle cost and how it affects your ability to fulfill your objectives.
There appears to be a constant tradeoff between upfront costs and life-cycle costs. Spending a little more upfront to acquire the best quality may lower your long-term cost of ownership. In some cases, buying inferior-quality products with a lower upfront cost but a higher life-cycle cost can still be effective. However, if proper care is taken, the machine and its components can benefit from the extra attention. Furthermore, this careful maintenance ultimately ensures that the end goal is achieved. Therefore, even lower-quality products can be a viable option when managed correctly.
Steps to Achieving Lubrication Excellence
1. Benchmarking
To determine where your lubrication program should go, you must first figure out where it is now. Conduct an in-depth benchmarking approach that compares your present program to industry best practices in key lubrication areas. It’s like the blind leading the blind if you don’t have a metric to compare your program to.
All effective programs start by clearly assessing the effort needed to achieve world-class status and identifying the steps required to get there. Changing lubrication programs isn’t like flipping a switch. To make it happen, you need a clear vision, dedicated champions, time, and financial resources.
2. Design and Engineering
Assess Lubrication Points
Examine each lubrication point during the design and engineering stage to decide which actions to take. Examples include equipment upgrades, routine inspections, and one-time inspections. The type of equipment, criticality levels, reliability requirements, financial benefits, safety implications, and other factors guide these decisions and directly influence your organization’s bottom line.
Develop Procedures
Design clear, simple, and specific procedures for each lubrication point based on these characteristics. Apply these processes to modify equipment for contamination control, set oil analysis standards, and train lubrication technicians in proper lubrication techniques.
Explore Automation
Consider installing an automatic lubrication system based on the factors above. Using an automatic single-point lubricator ensures the precision needed to keep bearings running smoothly.
3. Consolidation of Lubricants
Lubricant consolidation is a natural outcome of the design and engineering stage. Consolidate information about your lubricants to get a clearer picture of which products to buy and which cost less. This allows you to eliminate unnecessary or unused products from inventory and reduce the risk of lubricant cross-contamination.
4. Handling and Storage
Ensure Proper Storage Practices
Proper storage and handling practices are essential for a successful lubrication program. Equipment adjustments alone cannot prevent contamination if lubricants become contaminated while moving from storage to equipment.
Build a Proper Lube Room
A proper lube room should include dedicated receiving filtration, storage systems, filter carts, dispensing equipment, and a clean, safe environment for lubricants. This setup ensures lubricants remain uncontaminated and accessible.
Implement Lubricant Labeling
Lubricant labeling is sometimes overlooked but is critical. Label stored lubricants, top-up containers, grease guns, filter carts, and equipment clearly. Proper labeling improves efficiency, reduces errors, and helps technicians quickly identify the correct lubricant for each application.
Implementation Stage
Installation may need to be planned in advance with a shutdown, or it may be possible to finish on the fly. Although time is critical, the most important factor is who implements the changes, since their expertise and approach determine success.
The most effective technique is to have a small group of installers whose single duty is to install the changes all over the place. Each member of the crew must be educated on the items and how to properly install them.
Meanwhile, the team should focus solely on this task and avoid other responsibilities. They must concentrate on adjusting the equipment to achieve the Optimum State. If your team has any questions about designing or implementing a best-practice lubrication program, you can contact us here.