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A journal for all those interested in themaintenance, monitoring, servicing andmanagement of plant, equipment,buildings and facilities.

Volume 17, No 4.October 2004

Published by:Engineering Information Transfer Pty Ltd

Publisher and Managing Editor:Len Bradshaw

Publishing Dates:Published in February, May, August andOctober.

Material Submitted:Engineering Information Transfer Pty Ltdaccept no responsibility for statementsmade or opinions expressed in articles,features, submitted advertising,advertising inserts and any other editorialcontributions.

Copyright:This publication is copyright. No part ofit may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system or transmitted in anyform by any means, including electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording orotherwise, without the prior writtenpermission of the publisher.

For all Enquiries Contact:Engineering Information Transfer Pty LtdPO Box 703, Mornington, Victoria 3931, AustraliaPhone: (03) 5975 0083, Fax: (03) 5975 5735,E-mail: [email protected] Site: www.maintenancejournal.com

Optimizing The Role Of The Maintenance DepartmentJoel Leonard

6

RCM - Can It Deliver PerformanceJohn Gallimore

8

Key Performance Indicators Leading Or Lagging And When To Use ThemRicky Smith

16

Certification For Maintenance & Reliability ProfessionalsTerrence O’Hanlon

18

2004 Survey Of Special Maintenance Applications SoftwareIan Bradshaw

31

Plan For Maintenance ProductivityTom Westerkamp

48

Unbelievable Resonances And Their Enormous ForceMathias Luft

52

Hosted CMMS - Are You Ready For The Revolution?Computerized Facility Integration, L.L.C.

54

Implementing Problem Solving Excellence Using Six SigmaD Jenkins & P Townson

56

Improved Reliability Of Universal Joints On LPP MainCooling Water PumpRahimi Md Sharip

20

The Importance Of CMMS In SchoolsOren Tirosh

24

The Strategic Importance Of Asset Management

Daryl Mather26

The Role Of Knowledge In Managing Maintenance For Business Success

Dr. Mousumi Samanta & Dr. Bimil Samanta

64

PM CornerCondition MonitoringStandard - Steam Traps

70

74 Maintenance NewsCurrent Maintenance andProduct News

Subscription FormSubscribe to either thePrint or eMJ versions ofThe Maintenance Journal

81

Regular Features

October 2004Contents

This issue’s cover shot isreprinted with permissionfrom ABB Review SpecialReport - IndustrialServices.

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N E C

EditorialBill Baker MESA Memorial LectureIn August 04 I attended the inaugural William (Bill) Baker MESA Memorial Lecture in memory of Bill

who was a founding member of the Maintenance Engineering Society of Australia (MESA) and Directorand Principal Consultant of MACE Consulting Group from 1988 to 2003. Bill was a key figure in thedevelopment of Maintenance, Reliability and Asset Management in Australia. He was a leader in theMaintenance field and will be sadly missed.

Bill Baker spent many years in the Australian Department of Defence eventually leaving with the rankof Major. It was there f o re appropriate that the first William (Bill) Baker MESA Memorial Lecture bep resented by Major Dean Reyniers. Comments from the lecture are provided below by Ross Francis (RossFrancis Consulting):

Major Dean Reyniers, SO2 RAM, gave us an insight into his experience in Reliability andMaintainability Engineering in the Department of Defence (DMO). There is always much thatprivate industry can learn from the armed forces. A few key points noted during his talk include:• 95% of the Life Cycle Costs (LCC) of an asset is locked in before equipment enters

service. Thus the armed services focus for R&M Engineering is on acquisition activities • The opportunity to influence reliability diminishes rapidly once equipment is put into

service • A minimum of 80% (some would say 90+%) of the LCC are expended during operations

(often over a life of 20 years) and less than 20% for acquisition / construction • Reliability and maintainability issues must be dealt with at design and the emerging design

m a n a g e d• Industry is focused on asset management from purely an in-service perspective and

often invests in reliability through replacement and upgrades • To focus purely on existing assets is to sub-optimise from a life cycle perspective • Industry has many Maintenance Engineers and few Reliability Engineers • Industry should give much more feedback to OEM suppliers on reliability and

maintainability issues • Aim must be to bring down the barriers between asset users, in-service managers and

acquisition managers

SURVEY FEATUREin the February 2005 issueSurvey of Communication Tools UsedIn MaintenanceApplications And/Or Used InCMMS/EAM’s(May include datacollection/communication devices;GPS; GIS; bar-coding; transportation;Palm devices; etc.)If your organisation is a provider of suchcommunication tools or you are aprovider of CMMS/EAM systems thatincorporate such communication toolsand you wish to be included in thiss u r v e y, then please obtain the surveyform by contacting Len Bradshaw at:[email protected]

October

Completed survey forms must be returned by 29 October 2004

7

Optimizing The Role Of The MaintenanceDepartment

E-mail: [email protected]

Joel Leonard

Despite its often misconceived reputation, maintenance is morethan a “fix it when it breaks”function. But because it is often treatedas such, it’s not utilized to its full capacity. In order to avoid a “just fixit” maintenance department, plant managers must take re s p o n s i b i l i t y.Unless the maintenance organization is given (or develops) a pro a c t i v elist of goals and objectives, it will always be sub-optimized.

Maintenance GoalsIn order to determine the proper goals and objectives for the

maintenance organization, it is first necessary to define itsresponsibilities. Close examination reveals that the true goal ofmaintenance is to maintain the capability of the company’s assets top e rf o rm their designed function. When one views maintenance in thisw a y, many of the negative stereotypical perceptions aboutmaintenance will change. For example, determining the “customer”of the maintenance organization takes on a new focus. In manycompanies, there is a belief that maintenance’s customer is theoperation or production group, but the real customers of themaintenance department are the shareholders of the company. Bycaring for assets in which the shareholders have invested, plants canbe sold with pro d u c t i o n - re a d y, well-maintained assets worth morethan poorly maintained ready-to-scrap assets.

The second goal of maintenance is to be as efficient and eff e c t i v eas possible in carrying out the repairs and services that are re q u i re d .By taking more responsibility for the costs within their depart m e n t ,maintenance personnel ultimately protect their jobs. Keeping costsdown maximizes profitability and prevents wasted dollars whilemaking a case against the idea that it is more economical to contractout maintenance functions.

The third goal of maintenance is to reduce energy usage or energ yc o n s u m p t i o n . Well-maintained equipment re q u i res less energy tooperate. The maintenance organization can have a large impact onthe company’s bottom line by ensuring that all energ y - re l a t e dequipment is up to standard performance levels.

Judicious Cost Cuttingin the Maintenance Department In order to compete in this

hypercompetitive global economy, companies strive to become moree fficient and effective. In order to do this, companies have taken torolling out plans to elevate the bar of perf o rmance while againrestricting available re s o u rces.”Doing more with less” has become astandard business mantra.

Many companies have become so fanatical about cost cutting thatmany eff o rts have yielded disastrous and even dangero u sconsequences. Indiscriminate cost cutting can handicap companies’ability to respond to new opportunities as well as to maintain andexpand production capacity.

Typical Objectives

While the objectives of maintenance may vary from org a n i z a t i o nto organization, some typical maintenance objectives are defined asthe following:

1. Maximize production at the lowest cost, the highest quality, andwithin the optimum safety standards. This statement is verybroad, but it is important for maintenance to have a proactivevision to help focus its activities. In fact, this statement shouldbe tied to any corporate objective.

Optimizing The Role Of The Maintenance Department

8

2. Identifying and implementing cost reductions. This is sometimesan overlooked aspect of maintenance, but there are many waysa maintenance organization can help a company reducecosts.For example,a change in a maintenance policy maylengthen production run times without damaging the equipment.This reduces maintenance cost and,at the same time, increasesproduction capacity.

3. Providing accurate equipment maintenance records allows acompany to evaluate the performance metrics of equipmentaccurately in engineering terms such as “mean time betweenfailure” or “mean time to repair.” Success in this endeavor,however, requires accurate documentation of each maintenanceactivity. That is why most organizations use some form of acomputerized maintenance management system to track andreport this information. But whether or not a computer is used,key information must be accurately tracked. This documentationprovides legal defense to validate that proper maintenance onthe assets are being performed.

4. Optimizing maintenance resources includes eliminating wastewith effective planning and scheduling techniques. In reactivemaintenance organizations, it is estimated that up to one-third ofmaintenance expenditures are wasted. By optimizingmaintenance resources, organizations improve theireffectiveness in eliminating this waste. For example, if anorganization has a maintenance budget of one million dollarsand operates in a reactive mode, it is possible that theorganization is wasting more than $300,000. When 80 to 90percent of all maintenance activities are planned and scheduledon a weekly basis, there is very little waste to the maintenanceprocess.The goal for a reactive organization is to achieve thislevel of proficiency.

5. Optimizing the lifespan of capital equipment is another keyfunction of the maintenance department. Properly maintainedequipment will last 30 to 40 percent longer than poorlymaintained equipment. A preventive maintenanceprogram,properly designed, will ensure that the routine needs ofthe equipment are addressed. Minimizing energy usage is anatural result of well-maintained equipment. Well-maintainedequipment requires 6 to 11 percent less energy to operate thanpoorly maintained equipment. For example, heat exchangers andcoolers that are not cleaned at the proper frequency willconsume more energy when heating or cooling. HVAC systemsthat are not properly maintained will require more energy toprovide proper ventilation to a plant or facility. Even small thingscan have a dramatic impact on energy consumption, e.g., thealignment of couplings in a plant that has a large amount ofrotating equipment.

6. Minimizing inventory on hand is another waste-eliminatingobjective for maintenance organizations. Approximately 50percent of a maintenance budget is spent on spare parts andmaterial consumption. In organizations that are reactive, up to 20percent of spare parts cost may be waste. When organizationsbecome more planned and controlled, this waste is eliminated.Some typical areas of waste in the inventory and purchasingfunction include: stocking too many spare parts; expeditingspare part delivery; allowing shelf life to expire; single-line itempurchase orders; and vanished spare parts. So, it is important forthe maintenance organization to focus on controlling spare partsand their costs.

An Easy TargetMaintenance has been an easy target of indiscriminate cost

cutting because most organizations do not fully understand ora p p reciate its mission and value. For example, an ambitiousaccountant at a Maryland manufacturing plant, despite themaintenance depart m e n t ’s passionate objections, dictated that no

s p a re parts over $1,000 could be purchased for on-hand inventory.Shortly after this policy was made, the companies’ major productionline was shut down for three months to wait for a $1,200 replacementcomponent to arrive from a German manufacture r. That “cost savings”edict resulted in over $900,000 in lost revenue.

This is a more common event than many realize. Even thoughmaintenance contributes significantly, many businesses’ budgetdecisions are made with minimal input from maintenance.

Taking ChargeHow to Survive and Thrive in an Adverse Economic Environment:

1. Overcome shyness. Shyness has become recognized as a majorinhibitor to maintenance performance. Many opportunities topresent a case have been lost because maintenance personnelavoid speaking to groups.

2. Increase your credibility. The Association for FacilitiesEngineering (www.afe.org) has received numerous testimonialsfrom those who challenged themselves by taking the CertifiedPlant Maintenance Manager exam. Many recipients report thatmanagement’s perception of them increased and now have beeninvited to participate in key business meetings.

3.”Value Proof” your department. In this adverse economicenvironment every expense is up for review. Maintenance isvery misunderstood and therefore has been an easy target forindiscriminant cost cuts. Maintenance perception is critical toyour ability to receive appropriate resources. Do not hesitate tobring in maintenance experts to help educate management onthe role of the maintenance department. Work to convincemanagement and operations to attend a MaintenanceExcellence Workshop. Several companies who have attendedthese types of events have become more sensitive andsupportive to maintenance initiatives.

4. Be persistent.Take a lesson from some of the best sales people:your kids. Keep asking for key items until management gives in.Marketing statistics prove that it takes 21 exposures to an ideabefore gaining general acceptance.

5. Become a “known” value provider and cost cutting crusader.Constantly search for new methods to reduce costs and subtlyinform management of your successes. For example,many stateswill allow you to deduct spare parts inventory from your taxes.Also try becoming a showcase account for key suppliers;provide testimonials and referrals to your key suppliers inexchange for priority service and special pricing. Submit to winan industry maintenance achievement award, or try keepingeveryone’s eyes on the prize by creating a “Maintenance BragBoard.” Showcase key performance indicators and highlightdepartment successes.

Rex Gallaher, Director of Maintenance for USPS instructs his team,“Become a leader first, become a businessman second and thenbecome a maintenance re s o u rce.” Companies will continue to employcost cutting measures. It is our responsibility to provide inform a t i o nto facilitate judicious decisions and to improve the org a n i z a t i o n ’sability to respond to current and future challenges. Implement thesetips and you and your business will thrive.

Optimizing The Role Of The Maintenance Department

9

RCM - Can It DeliverPerformance? Director, GGR Associates Limited (UK)Published previously in The Maintenance and Asset Management Journal Vol 19 No 1

John Gallimore

AbstractReliability Centred Maintenance has its advocates and detractors

in fairly balanced numbers. This article shows how the industrialcontext is all important and that it is not a case of one methodologybeing good and others bad. There are industries, such as nuclearp o w e r, with potential for major disasters where standard RCM can dowell. In other circumstances, particularly where the risk to the publicis low and product variety is higher, the more recent developments ofRCM provide a better option for improving plant perf o rmance andsafety.

INTRODUCTIONSo why is it necessary to write another paper on Reliability Centre d

Maintenance when so much has already been published? The re a s o nis that previous papers have generally been written from a part i a lstandpoint. They may, for example, have come from org a n i s a t i o n swhose sole reason for being is to promote standard RCM, or they mayhave been written to describe a particular application of them e t h o d o l o g y. In the first case, exaggerated claims may have beenmade - certainly the weaker points will not get much coverage: in thesecond, the context of the paper is likely to be different from that ofthe reader and therefore of limited relevance.

The aim of this paper is there f o re to provide a balanced view ofRCM and its more recent derivatives, and to indicate where each isapplicable

THE BACKGROUND TO RCM

Most readers will be familiar with the formulation of RCM in the1970s in the USA aviation industry and its use in the development ofscheduled maintenance programmes for aircraft including the Boeing747. It was a huge success by any standard. So much so that equipmentf a i l u re is now well down the list of reasons for aircraft disasters - afterhuman erro r, extreme weather conditions and sabotage.

RCM caused old beliefs to be questioned. Most noteworthy ofthese perhaps was the belief that there was a 'right time' when eachitem of equipment should be overhauled. The definitive text on RCMby Nolan and Heap [1] shows, in the initial maintenance schedules forthe McDonnell Douglas DC8 and then for the DC10 and Boeing 747,how dramatically opinion changed - from a re q u i rement for scheduledremoval for maintenance of 339 items on the DC8 to as few as sevenor eight on the newer and far more complex aircraft.

RCM brought with it new concepts to guide the selection of apreventive maintenance (PM) regime. These included -

• A rigorous logic for identifying possible failures and decidingwhat to do about them

• Recognition of six failure patterns, not just the "bath-tub" curvefavoured by engineers

• Realisation that most failures occur randomly and cannottherefore be prevented by fixed interval overhauls orreplacements

• A focus on the consequences of failure rather than the failureitself

• A shift towards condition-based maintenance where theequipment is left undisturbed until early signs of failing can bedetected

• Enforcement of a re-design or change in operating procedures ifserious failure consequences cannot be prevented bymaintenance

• Recognition of the importance of operating context - similarplant in different uses or configurations will have different failureconsequences and will require different maintenance regimes.

It looked as if a panacea for the maintenance professional hada rrived that would lead easily to a step improvement in plant re l i a b i l i t ythroughout industry.

WIDER APPLICATION OF RCMSuccess with the early application of RCM in the airline industry

led rapidly to the application of the RCM methodology to other formsof transport, nuclear power and military systems. These industriesshare characteristics that include being -

• safety-critical

• involved with the public

• heavily regulated

• engineering dominated

• based on high technology.

It seemed an entirely logical move to extend the application of RCMto general process and manufacturing industries. Harris and Moss [2]reported, however, on the difficulties being encountered when RCMwas applied in power, process and manufacturing industries. Inp a rt i c u l a r, they highlighted the diff e rence in approach - from ap rescriptive approach by specialists in aviation to a co-operativeapproach by facilitator-led teams of plant operators and engineers inthese other industries.

Once the safety issues have been dealt with, the RCM process iscompeting with several other techniques for improving the reliability andp e rf o rmance of plant. We will there f o re look further at the characteristicsof a range of industries and examine how well (or otherwise) RCM meetsthe re q u i rements of a perf o rmance improvement methodology.

THE INDUSTRIAL CONTEXTWith the establishment of a standard for RCM [3] has come some

h a rdening of attitudes towards assertion that unless a methodologycomplies with this standard it is of little value. This is indeed a strangei rony considering how keen the RCM pioneers, Nowlan and Heap,w e re to ensure that any PM applied to plant should fully re c o g n i s ethe context in which it is re q u i red to operate. The failure of many RCMinitiatives in industry derives from the attempt to apply a cumbersomeand inflexible methodology in industrial contexts that differ widely fro mthose obtaining in aviation.

RCM - Can It Deliver Performance?

A simple classification of plant or industries is able to separate outthe obviously safety critical. These include, for example, aviation,nuclear power generation and the armed forces. Such sectors havedeveloped to become highly proceduralised, documented andregulated. In turn, adherence to the documented pro c e d u res is closelym o n i t o red and any lapse or 'near miss' is subjected to extensivereview and possible disciplinary action. In such contexts, whereengineering and technology dominate, it is not surprising that al e n g t h y, documentation-intensive process such as RCM can be re a d i l yaccepted.

The industrial context for most commercial process andmanufacturing industry is, however, quite diff e rent. Safety, while ofserious concern to management, is not such a dominant factor. Therea re fewer realistic possibilities for major disasters and the public isnot often put at risk. By comparison, cost effectiveness, operatinge fficiency and profit improvement come to the fore. Commonly, thecharacteristics of such industries are that they -

• are led by Operations, not Engineering

• have thinly stretched management

• are focused on output, cost and productivity.Where safety is paramount, as in the nuclear industry, there is no

option but to get the risk of critical failures as low as re a s o n a b l ypractical (ALARP). This objective leads inevitably to definedp ro c e d u res and extensive training, supervision and monitoring.E ffective managers in industries where failures are not so safety-critical such as food, drink, paper and board manufacture have tostrive for a different form of optimisation while recognising that theywill never achieve it - and that means accepting compromise. For

example, costs may be reduced if manpower (including supervision)is cut and a minimum of training is provided. Cut too much, though,and costs will rise and output will fall. Managers must keep chippingaway at waste, stoppages, changeovers, break-downs and so on, justto stand still in perf o rmance terms - let alone actually improve lineefficiency.

The reality for most manufacturing and process industries is thatmanagement is stretched (layers have been taken out), fewmanagement services specialists remain and the workforce is nobetter trained or behaved than in the past. Yet against this backgro u n dthe pressure for performance improvement is unrelenting.

PROBLEMS WITH RCMRCM has great strengths as a methodology but it is unrealistic to

expect a single standardised process to suit all situations. Feature sthat may be valuable in some industries can be a problem for others.Table 1 shows how features of RCM may be both a strength and aweakness depending on the industrial context.

These and other weaknesses associated with the application ofRCM are outlined below under the headings, 'Excesses andInflexibility' and 'Omissions'.

Excesses and InflexibilityThe RCM standard defines seven questions that must be answere d

in the set sequence in order to comply with the standard and tod e t e rmine all significant failure modes, their consequences, and whatp reventive tasks or other actions should be taken. These questionsrequire the following to be recorded: -

• the functions of the equipment

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• functional failures

• all the failure modes associated with each

functional failure and for each failure mode:

• the failure effects

• the consequences of failure

• preventive maintenance tasks if applicable and effective

• default actions if no appropriate preventive maintenance taskcan be set.

RCM terminology can present a barrier to acceptance by its users.Design engineers are probably comfortable with terms such as'functions', 'functional failures' and 'scheduled discard task' but theya re a switch-off for shopfloor staff. Much better to ask questions suchas 'What can cause this item of plant to run slow?' and to talk of fixedi n t e rval overhauls and replacements. Review meetings can getbogged down in semantic debate and a standard RCM vocabulary thatis alien to those who need to be involved in the process - the operatorsand the engineers who know the plant best.

The safety-critical industries have well documented failurei n f o rmation and the more academically minded can deduce whatfailure modes might occur. However, industrial processes, such as abottling line, often have little by way of documentation. They areusually one-off designs and the main components are fre q u e n t l ya l t e red or upgraded during their relatively short life. In such situationsthe risks to the public are near negligible and the employee is pro b a b l ysafer at work than at home. The standard RCM approach foridentifying failure modes is unattractive in these circumstances.

• The information database may not exist outside the minds of theoperators and engineers who run and look after the plant

• These people do not take readily to academic discussion aboutfunctional failures and whether 'bearing cage disintegrates' is afailure mode or a failure effect

• Their common sense tells them that the ponderous process withits heavy documentation takes too long and does not provide thecompany with value for money.

• They do, however, have a wealth of undocumented but essentialinformation to provide and will participate willingly and positivelyif asked questions they can relate to.

The standard further defines what information must be gathere dand how all the information and decisions are to be documented. Thislevel of documentation can be a burden and at odds with the need ofmost commercial organisations for rapid, cost-effective impro v e m e n t s .

OmissionsOutside the safety-critical industries, breakdowns usually account

for only a small pro p o rtion of production losses. Start-up, setting andchangeover losses and variations in raw materials are likely to be muchm o re significant. A project to raise plant perf o rmance will need to tacklethese issues, yet they are largely ignored by standard RCM. Many plantf a i l u res can be traced back to inadequate cleaning regimes and lackof, or inappropriate, lubrication. Where the environment is harsh or thep rocess involves aggressive, dusty or dirty materials, the associatedf a i l u res may account for more than half of all failures. Again, littleemphasis may be given to cleaning and lubrication tasks in RCM wherethey may need to be justified under the headings 'scheduled re s t o r a t i o n 'and 'scheduled discard'. Review team members readily accept a soundlogic for introducing a cleaning or lubrication task, but RCM's talk ofthe scheduled restoration or replacement of the damaged oil film is amental gymnastic too far for most people. Another omission concern sassessing the criticality of failure consequences. It is a great stre n g t hof RCM that it emphasises the consequences of failure rather than thef a i l u re itself. But it makes little sense to give the same weight to a 'safetyf a i l u re' that is highly improbable as to one where there is a good chanceof someone being killed. RCM does not distinguish between these twosituations by assessing criticality.

11

Table 1Strengths and weaknesses of RCM

RCM Feature Strength Weakness

A standard defines the Managers and buyers know Encourages a focus onmethodology what they will get without having following the methodology

to check each methodology on offer rather than obtainingbenefits

Required performance An essential step Nonestandards must be identified

Functions and functional Managers and buyers know what A cumbersome procedurefailures route to identifying they will get without having to check often not well suited tofailure modes the suitability of the methodology shopfloor involvement

RCM decision logic Nothing comparable in any other Standard RCM logic hasnon-RCM based improvement a narrow focus onmethodology maintenance tasks and

equipment redesigns

Focus on achieving the Well suited to safety critical plant Misses the point that forinherent reliability of the plant where reliability is of paramount most plant, breakdowns

importance possibly account for only5 to 10% of the plant’slost time

Documentation Prescribes detailed descriptions May be excessively timeat each step in the standard consumingmethodology


Although achieving success with standard RCM is fre q u e n t l ydifficult, there are situations where it is either the norm (for example,aviation) or where it should be considered. Pointers for a successfulapplication of standard RCM are provided below.

WHERE RCM SUCCEEDSAs noted by Harris and Moss [ 2 ], RCM (subsequently re - b a d g e d

as an SAE standard) was originally and successfully applied insituations that included these characteristics -

• the systems were clearly specified

• reliability data was generally available (or could be collected)

• the substantial cost of the exercise could be spread over a largepopulation (eg a fleet of aircraft)

• the organisation was orientated towards design engineeringrather than operations.

A further characteristic that may be added is being safety critical,or having the potential to cause a major disaster (heavy pollution orn u m e rous people killed) in the event of catastrophic malfunction of theplant. Examples of industries with some or all of these characteristicsinclude aviation, other forms of public transport, nuclear power,chemicals (some), petrochemicals and the armed forc e s .

Moubray [ 4 ] highlights re g u l a t o ry issues to conclude that thoseinvolved in the management of physical assets '...need to take gre a t e rcare than ever to ensure that every step they take in executing theirofficial duties is beyond reproach'. Managers are reminded that theymight face penalties of over $500,000 and seven years imprisonmentif they fail to prevent workplace death or serious injury. His clearimplication is that only those who have carried out a standard RCManalysis are likely to survive the subsequent enquiries. However, mostresponsible managers are aware of other effective risk assessmenttechniques and methodologies, such as HAZOPS [ 5 ] and Quantified

Risk Assessment, and use them where appropriate.M a n u f a c t u rers and operators of aircraft and other plant with a

potential for major disaster will no doubt take comfort from the pre s e n c eof voluminous RCM analyses to demonstrate that they have not beennegligent. They have the technical re s o u rces to undertake the workand they need to ensure that people are not put at risk by plant failure .

W h e re the use of RCM has become the firmly established norm (asin airlines and the armed forces) it is not worth even considering ana l t e rnative to standard RCM. Any attempt to improve the methodologywill be resisted. There will also be issues of compatibility with pre v i o u sstudies plus the comfort factor associated with the use of anestablished pro c e d u re. Managers and buyers of RCM services canget comparable quotations and a proven methodology and not haveto argue the case for making a change to accepted practice.

ALTERNATIVES TO STANDARD RCMIt has already been shown that process and manufacturing

industries face diff e rent challenges from those of the more safetycritical industries such as airlines and nuclear power. As well asassuring safe operation, managers need to get the most out of theirplant and people and be profitable. This inevitably calls forc o m p romises and doing right for the conditions in which they findthemselves. Results are needed quickly and before the focus shifts todealing with other issues.

The author's company, for example, offers assistance too rganisations to improve the perf o rmance of their plant. This includess t a n d a rd RCM where appropriate, but much more commonly aderivative of RCM provides a better solution. Managers are right toquestion whether the 'one size fits all' nature of standard RCM makesit appropriate for their particular industrial context.

The following describes how the requirements for alternatives tos t a n d a rd RCM became apparent and two ways by which these needshave been met.

13

Figure 1Evolution of plant performance improvement methodologies

FMEA

RCM

FMECA

TPM

SMED

ReviewRCM

Fast-trackRCM


Fast-track RCMThis is a plant perf o rmance improvement methodology that covers

p reventive maintenance needs, for example, to identify hidden failure s ,to maintain protective systems, to take account of operating context,and to document the analyses properly. The author's Fast-track RCMdoes all of these. However, most managers re q u i re more than this.They need a methodology that addresses their plant perf o rm a n c eobjectives on a wide front (eg on waste, changeovers, materials) andthey recognise that maintenance and reliability form only a part of thep roblem. Key re q u i rements of a perf o rmance impro v e m e n tmethodology are therefore that it -

• is easy to understand

• is easy to apply

• can tackle all aspects of plant performance, including preventivemaintenance

• incorporates the rigorous RCM decision logic

• distinguishes between serious and minor faults and failures

• is adaptable to achieve performance improvement objectivescost effectively

• is quick to apply.

S t a n d a rd RCM meets only one of these re q u i rements fully - hencethe emergence of derivatives. Fast-track RCM brings in import a n tf e a t u res from other improvement methodologies in addition to thes t ru c t u red approach, attention to preventive maintenance, anddecision logic of RCM. From Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)comes recognition of 'six losses of production': TPM's emphasis oncleaning and lubrication is given proper consideration for applicability

and effectiveness. Fast-track RCM also includes an assessment of thecriticality of each failure mode along the lines of Failure Mode, Eff e c t ,and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). As a result, serious failures arehighlighted and undue attention is not given to relatively trivial failure s .

In many industries, there is more loss of perf o rmance (thro u g h p u t )at changeovers and start-ups than from plant breakdowns. Themethodology that specifically addresses this problem is Single MinuteExchange of Dies (SMED). SMED works at several levels, fro mo rganisational improvement through to detailed activity re c o rding andanalysis, in order to reduce the waste of changeovers. Most of thebenefits are usually obtained at the first level and Fast-track RCMt h e re f o re includes consideration of the problems and faults that wastetime and materials at changeovers.

The consequence of a key component failure in plant depends verymuch on the engineering spares situation. If the component is held instock, downtime may be a matter of minutes. If a replacement has tocome from abroad, it could be days or weeks. Fast-track RCM pro v i d e sthe logic for deciding whether spares need to be made available andat what level (eg held on site or held by the supplier).

The end result is a methodology designed to identify and provideanswers to the faults, failures and problems that impact plant safetyand performance.

Review RCMReview RCM starts with the existing maintenance schedules and

uses RCM decision logic to see if they are appropriate and beingcarried out at the right frequency. The schedules are then amendedaccordingly. By comparison, standard RCM and Fast-track RCM takelittle or no account of existing PM routines during the initial equipment

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review process.In one company considering an RCM application, the maintenance

schedules were clearly excessive and only a small proportion of thescheduled tasks were being completed. Engineers picked what theyc o n s i d e red to be the most important jobs (or the ones they likeddoing!). Adding RCM-based tasks into an environment where theprinted schedules had no credibility would have been a disaster. Usingthe Review RCM approach, existing scheduled tasks were assessedagainst RCM decision logic and deleted or amended wherea p p ropriate. In addition, checks were made to ensure that anyp rotective systems had been identified and were being maintainedappropriately.

In this case, a few days using Review RCM were sufficient to makethe schedules achievable and restore credibility to the maintenancesystems before a perf o rmance improving Fast-track RCM pro g r a m m ewas started. Within two weeks, over 90% of scheduled tasks werebeing completed and throughput had increased. This is just oneexample of the effective and responsible use of a Review RCMapplication (sometimes re f e rred to as 'Reverse RCM') that started withthe existing maintenance tasks.

At the other extreme, nuclear power plants have used a much moreelaborate form of re t rospective RCM to improve maintenance re g i m e sthat were formulated at a time when it was believed that moremaintenance could only improve safety and re l i a b i l i t y. This beliefi g n o red the fact that perhaps a third of all maintenance tasks do somedamage to the plant - often quite minor, but occasionally serious, asin leaving a protective system in a failed state after maintenance. Itis hard to conclude that, with all the expertise and regulation presentin the nuclear industry, these organisations are putting the public atrisk by their use of a retrospective RCM methodology.

Evolution of RCM DerivativesR e f e rence has already been made to RCM's origins in the USA,

and to its focus on equipment failure and preventive maintenance.

The other main source for plant perf o rmance impro v e m e n ta p p roaches has been Japan, with its Total Quality Manufacture, To t a lProductive Maintenance and SMED.

F i g u re 1 illustrates the evolution, in the last ten years, of plantp e rf o rmance improvement methodologies from Failure Mode andEffect Analysis (FMEA) in the 1950s to derivatives of RCM. Only RCMand its derivatives include a rigorous logic for deciding whatp reventive maintenance tasks would be both applicable andw o rthwhile. Further information on RCM and its derivatives can beseen on the author's website [6].

QUESTIONS FOR MANAGERSS t a n d a rd RCM is suitable for safety critical industries and those

that have traditionally used RCM. It does not follow, however, thats t a n d a rd RCM is the only way - or indeed the best way - to avoidserious consequences from plant failure. Before embarking on anRCM application, managers should ask some pertinent questions -

• What are the key objectives? Improving plant performance, majorsafety issues, environmental protection…?

• Can safe operation of the plant be assured without usingstandard RCM - more quickly and at lower cost?

• Is standard RCM the best process for identifying possiblefailures (failure modes)?

• Does the RCM process meet my objectives or is its 'inherentplant reliability' focus too narrow?

• Can a standard RCM project realistically be completed in anacceptable time and at an affordable cost?

• Can the necessary technical skills and resources be madeavailable?

• Will the methodology be accepted by the workforce withoutundue coersion from management?The willing participation of review team members is important. It is

15

Figure 2Application of RCM and RCM derivatives

Potential forcatastrophic Failure

Variety ofProducts Low High

High

Low

Chernobyl (nuclear failure)

Bhopal (chemicals failure)

Civil aviationCoal mining

Iron & Steel

Petrochemicals

ChemicalsPharmaceuticals

Military equipment

Rail travelGlass

Cement

Water

Plaster

Pulp & paper

Plasterboard

Food & Drink

Vehicle Manufacturer

Packaging

RCM Derivatives

RCM


commonly implied that the RCM process will always identify all significantf a i l u re modes and the correct actions will be taken to deal with them. Inpractice, the RCM analysis will only be as good as the review team andthe ability of its members to work together. Where there is a high degre eof prescription and a culture of conformance, staff will follow thep ro c e d u re whether or not it is well matched to the org a n i s a t i o n ' sre q u i rements. But where meetings are facilitator-led and attendance ism o re voluntary, the methodology must be clear, to the point, andp resented in a language and style appropriate for the part i c i p a n t s .

Moubray draws attention to possible weaknesses in stre a m l i n e dRCM techniques. Such weaknesses undoubtedly exist in some of thetechniques on offer but certainly not in all. Managers there f o re needto understand any methodology being proposed and assure themselvesthat there are no deficiencies in important areas, particularly theachievement of safe operation of the plant. However, where safetyissues have already been satisfactorily addressed, any plantp e rf o rmance improvement methodology only needs to be cost-eff e c t i v e .

F i g u re 2 shows a range of industries positioned appro x i m a t e l yaccording to their potential for disaster (eg major loss of life) and thevariety of products or services provided. Candidates for RCM aretypically in the top left sector, which is dominated by nuclear powerand industries that are or were state-run or are heavily re g u l a t e d ;lower risk industries, often with greater product variety and facinggreater commercial competition, require a more flexible approach toperformance improvement as provided by derivatives of RCM.

IN CONCLUSIONIt is a truism that no two organisations are the same. Each will have

d i ff e rent plant perf o rmance improvement objectives and diff e re n tconstraints in relation to the skills and re s o u rces that can be deployed.

And all established organisations can point to management initiativesthat have been introduced with a great fanfare only to be quietlyburied a few weeks or months later. Improvements may be slow tomaterialise, managers may lose interest, or team members may simplyfind other things to do rather than attend review meetings.

Such initiative failures can be avoided, particularly where theapproach is cooperative, by closely matching the methodology to theobjectives and ensuring that those involved are suitably trained andenthusiastic. If the initial appraisal and planning indicate that standardRCM is the best methodology for the project, it should be used; morel i k e l y, though, a derivative of RCM will offer a better, quicker and morecosteffective solution. ?

REFERENCES1. Nowlan F S and Heap H, Reliability-Centered Maintenance,

National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia,December 1978

2. Harris J and Moss R, Practical RCM Analysis and its InformationRequirements, Maintenance, September 1994

3. RCM Standard, JA1011 - Evaluation Criteria for Reliability-Centered Maintenance Processes, SAE Publications,Warrendale, Pennyslvania

4. Moubray J M, The Case against Streamlined RCM, Maintenanceand Asset M a n a g e m e n t , Vol 16, No 3, 2001

5. HAZOPS, Hazard and Operability Study, methodologydescriptions at www.rsc.org/pdf/ehsc/HAZOP.pdf andhttp://slp.icheme.org/hazops.html

6. GGR Associates Ltd, Plant Performance ImprovementMethodologies, methodology descriptions at www.ggr-associates.co.uk

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Initiating major change, such as moving from a re a c t i v emaintenance operation to one, which is proactive and employs BestMaintenance Practices to achieve Maintenance Excellence, re q u i re ss t a rt-up support from top management. In order to continue the journ e yt o w a rds Maintenance Excellence, the continued support fro mmanagement will need justification. Upper management will not besatisfied with statements like “just wait until next year when you seeall the benefits of this eff o rt.” They will want something a little moretangible if you are to gain further commitment from them. You will needto provide tangible evidence in the form of objective perf o rmance facts.

That’s where metrics comes in. Metrics is just a term meaning “tom e a s u re” (either a process or a result). Combining several metricsyields i n d i c a t o r s, which serve to highlight some condition or highlighta question that we need an answer to. Key Perf o rmance Indicators(KPI) combine several metrics and indicators to yield objectivep e rf o rmance facts. They provide an assessment of critical parameters

or key processes. KPI for maintenance effectiveness have beendiscussed, defined and refined for as long as proactive maintenancehas been around. KPI combine key metrics and indicators to measuremaintenance performance in many areas.

Metrics can be a two-edged sword. Metrics are essential forestablishing goals and measuring perf o rmance. Metrics chosen orcombined erroneously can produce misleading indicators that yieldi n c o rrect and/or low perf o rmance measures. Inaccurate measure sproduce bad management decisions.

If you are involved in an equipment improvement program, suchas Maintenance Excellence, you must have a thorough understandingof the financial metrics used by your company to measure results andtrack improvement. You will need to establish a direct link betweeni m p roved equipment reliability and overall company operationalp e rf o rmance. At the bottom line, your metrics must yield a KPI in term sof financial performance.

Key PerformanceIndicatorsLeading or Laggingand When to UseThemwww.lce.com Life Cycle Engineering Inc.

By Ricky Smith

TimeTime

Maintenance Improvement Initiative Maintenance Improvement Initiative

Actual Cost

Projected BudgetProduction (as a percentage of full runcapacity)

Equipment Reliability (percentage operatingavailability)

Reliability vs Production Budget Performance

FIGURE 1

Key Performance Indicators Leading or Lagging and When to Use Them

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To determine maintenance strengths and weaknesses, KPI shouldbe broken down into those areas for which you need to know thep e rf o rmance levels. In maintenance these are areas such asp reventive maintenance, materials management process, planningand scheduling, and so on until two major Maintenance DepartmentKPIs are defined:✓ Maintenance Department Operating Costs (Budget Performance)✓ Equipment Reliability

In turn, equipment reliability must correlate to production - bothp roduction vs. capacity and cost per unit produced. On the other hand,operating costs must be carefully considered. Initiating change isgoing to initially increase maintenance department expenses.Accurately forecasting a budget centered on change is essential ifKPI is going to accurately depict department budget perf o rm a n c e .(See Figure 1)

Depending on KPI values we classify them as either l e a d i n g o rl a g g i n g indicators. Leading indicators are metrics that are taskspecific. They respond faster than results metrics and are selected toindicate pro g ress towards long term objectives. Leading indicatorsare indicators that measure and track performance before a problemarises. To illustrate this, think of a key perf o rmance indicators asyourself driving a car down a road. As you drive, you deviate from thedriving lane and veer onto the shoulder of the road. The tires runningover the “out of lane” indicators (typically a rough or ‘corru g a t e d ’section of pavement at the side of the road that serves to alert you tore t u rn to the driving lane before you veer completely off the pavementonto the shoulder of the road). These “out of lane” indicators are theKPI that you approaching a critical condition or problem. Your actionis to correct your steering to bring you car back into the driving lanebefore you go off the road (proactive condition).

If you did not have the indicators on the pavement edge, you wouldnot be alerted to the impending crisis and you could veer so far out

of the driving lane that you end up in the ditch. The condition of yourc a r, sharply listing on the slope of the ditch, is a lagging indicator. Nowyou must call a wrecker to get you out of the ditch ( reactive condition).Lagging indicators, such as your budget, yield reliability issues, whichwill result in capacity issues.

The necessity for tracking KPI other than just Equipment Reliabilityand Budget Perf o rmance is to pinpoint areas responsible for negativet rends (leading indicators). You would not want to scrap yourMaintenance Excellence initiative when the only problem is that thePlanner / Scheduler didn’t receive adequate training. By observ i n gand tracking Planned / Schedule Compliance and Planned Work as ap e rcentage of total labor you should be able to detect “non-impro v i n g ”or even negative perf o rmance early enough to identify and corre c tthe training problem. The “lower tier” leading indicators are alson e c e s s a ry for establishing benchmarks (Best Maintenance Practices)and tracking departmental progress. For example, the benchmark forthe KPI “Planned / Schedule Compliance” is generally accepted as90%. The tracking and public display of positive leading KPI alsoprovides significant motivational stimuli for maintenance departmentpersonnel.

A manager must know if his department is squarely in the drivinglane and that everything is under control, as long as possible beforeit approaches and goes into the ditch. A list of some of the keyperformance indicators of the leading variety are illustrated in Table1. Note that some of these indicators could be both leading andlagging when combined with and applied to other KPIs (KeyPerformance Indicators).

NOTE: KPIs must answer questions that you as a manager ask ino rder to control your maintenance process. Listed below is a samplingof recommended KPIs. They are listed by the areas in which amaintenance manager must ask questions

Reliability/Maintainability

• MTBF (mean time between failures) by total operation and byarea and then by equipment.

• MTTR (mean time to repair) maintainability of individualequipment.

• MTBR (mean time between repairs) equals MTBF minus MTTR

• OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) Availability x Efficiency(slow speed) x Quality (all as a percentage)

Preventive Maintenance (includes predictive maintenance)

• PPM labour hrs. divided by Emergency labor hrs.

• PPM WOs (work orders) divided by CM (corrective maintenance,planned/scheduled work) WOs as a result of PM inspections

Planning and Scheduling

• Planned / Schedule Compliance - (all maintenance labor hoursfor all work must be covered and not by “blanket work orders”)this a percentage of all labour hours actually completed toschedule divided by the total maintenance labor hours.

• Planned work - a % of total labour hours planned divided by totallabor hours in scheduled.

Materials Management

• Stores Service Level (% of stock outs) - Times a person comesto check out a part and receives a stock part divided by thenumber of times a person comes to the storeroom to check outa stocked part and the part is not available.

• Inventory Accuracy as a percentage

Skills Training (NOTE: A manager must notify maintenance craft personnel about the measurement of success of skills training

• MTBF

• Parts Usage - this is based on a specific area of training suchas bearings

Maintenance Supervision

• Maintenance Control - a % of unplanned labor hours dividedby total labour hours

• Crew efficiency - a % of the actual hours completed onscheduled work divided by the estimated time

• Work Order (WO) Discipline - the % of labour accounted for onWOs.

Work Process Productivity

• Maintenance costs divided by net asset value.

• Total cost per unit produced

• Overtime hours as % of total labour hours

TABLE 1

Key Performance Indicators

Key Performance Indicators Leading or Lagging and When to Use Them

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C e rtification forMaintenance &Reliability Pro f e s s i o n a l sCMRP, Director of Strategic Alliances and Joe Petersen, Business Manager, Society of theMaintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) www.smrp.org [email protected]

By Terrence O’Hanlon

If you would like to manage your maintenance program for betterresults, you should consider taking the CMRP exam.

All that separates some competitive industries is operation cost.Maintenance has a dramatic effect on operational costs. By learn i n gbest practices for maintenance management through SMRP, youro rganization can improve pro d u c t i v i t y, re l i a b i l i t y, profits, workplaceand morale. To support this process, you should consider becominginvolved with the Maintenance and Reliability Pro f e s s i o n a lcertification effort.

Certification for maintenance and reliability professionals? How many times have you thought that nobody ever listens to the

maintenance department?P e rhaps you've learned that in your company the only time the

maintenance department gains favorable recognition is when a disasterhas occurred and maintenance gets the plant up and running in re c o rdtime. Maybe you’ve also felt that there is no clear path for care e radvancement, or that maintenance and reliability do not hold bright future s.

As SMRP embarks on over 12 years of promoting maintenance asa profession, a new certification program is being off e red thatchanges the traditional paradigm of maintenance as “fixing things”to maintenance as a major enabler of profitable manufacturing and/orp rocesses. Over 600 people have now completed the Cert i f i e dMaintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP) exam and they areachieving amazing results at their jobs as they transform maintenancetraditions and perceptions.

Benefits for YouT h e re are both individual and company benefits to having

personnel certified in the maintenance and reliability profession.One of the most important benefits that certification can offer you, as

an individual, is increased confidence. Knowing that you’ve passed ac e rtifying examination can provide you with that little bit of extra poise,or empowerment, to more confidently propose your ideas and solutionsto problems that you and your organization face. If you are more eff e c t i v e ,you could be in line for a greater number of promotions and higher pay.

Once other people in your organization know that you havesuccessfully completed a professional certifying examination, they willlikely respect what you have to say a little more. Again, that can incre a s eyour job effectiveness, resulting in improved visibility and recognition inyour own organization-and possibly on a wider basis.

By participating in a certifying examination, examinees often learntheir strengths and weaknesses related to certain subject matter. Thiscan provide valuable insight into future training opportunities for theindividual to overcome and improve in those areas that might be sub-par.

In the event that you want to change jobs, your new employer may

re q u i re a certification in your profession. He/she might count the factthat you have a certification as a key diff e rentiation between you andanother candidate. Just imagine going through 50 or more re s u m e sof candidates for a job. Someone who has been certified in his or herprofession will likely have an edge. They stand out above the others.

Maintenance and reliability is a profession in which the principlesin one industry, like petrochemicals, translate very well to otherindustries such as auto manufacturing. While the products that arep roduced might be diff e rent and the machines that produce themmight be diff e rent, the maintenance and reliability principles forensuring effective utilization of those assets are the same.Successfully completing a professional certifying examination ensure sthat you can move from industry to industry. This can be especiallyi m p o rtant in today's business environment, where complete industriescould nearly disappear overseas in just a few years.

Benefits for Your CompanyCompanies gain benefits by employing and supporting pro f e s s i o n a l

c e rtification as well. Having a maintenance and reliability org a n i z a t i o nmade up of certified professionals who all know the correct theories andprinciples of maintenance will likely result in improved asset eff e c t i v e n e s s ,p roductivity and re l i a b i l i t y. This ultimately will result in lower costs.

O rganizations are likely to see improvement in morale andproductivity by recognizing those individuals who have successfullycompleted a certifying examination. If an organization supports itsemployees in their certification eff o rts toward maintenance andreliability, those employees know that they are valued individually bytheir organization and that the company values the maintenance andreliability function. Some companies, after adopting a policy ofpromoting certification for their employees, have seen an increase inthe quality of candidates for new positions. These candidates say theywant to work for a company that values maintenance and reliability.

When selecting from possible candidates for a position within acompany, management can have a greater degree of confidence in anew hire, if that candidate has successfully completed a pro f e s s i o n a lcertification.

Real-World CertificationBut, enough of all those "ivory tower" benefits. They sound great,

don't they? Now, let’s talk about the real world. Every single one of those benefits is available in the maintenance

and reliability industry today. As you know, there are certifications ina variety of technical disciplines, including vibration, lubrication andi n f r a red therm o g r a p h y, etc. Each of these maintenance and re l i a b i l i t ysegments has developed bodies of knowledge and cert i f y i n gexaminations to ensure that individuals in those specialties have at

C e rtification for Maintenance & Reliability Pro f e s s i o n a l s

least a minimum amount of practical and theoretical knowledge abouthow those functions should be perf o rmed. These certifying eff o rt shave been primarily accomplished by non-profit organizations re l a t e dto those technical specialties.

T h e re are two types of certifications available in most markets,including maintenance and re l i a b i l i t y. One type of certification involvesattending a course or workshop, and sometimes multiple courses, thenpassing an examination based on that material. This type ofc e rtification is really an extension of the learning process. It allowsthe examinee and course provider the opportunity to determine howe ffectively the material has been presented and retained to that pointin time. It should be noted that this doesn't mean the student/examineehas really learned the material. To really learn something it must be putinto practice. There are a variety of studies that show how quickly thelevel of retention falls off after a course or workshop, and it falls offv e ry quickly unless put into practice immediately. Examples of this typeof certification might include software courses, safety pro c e d u res orp e rhaps training certifications on specific types of equipment.

A second type of certification is based more upon accumulatedknowledge and experience. Although there typically are many re v i e wcourses available, this type of certification is almost impossible tostudy for. That’s because the necessary amount of accumulatedknowledge and experience is so broad. Examples of this type ofc e rtification might include Professional Engineering Licensing exams,the Bar exam for attorneys or the CPA exam for accountants.

The diff e rence between these types of certifications relates to thelevel of professionalism accorded to them. While passing a safetycourse that certifies one to perf o rm CPR is clearly important, this typeof certification doesn't command the national or international re s p e c tthat professional engineers, accountants or attorneys receive.

Becoming a CMRPThe Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP),

an international organization with approximately 2,000 members, hasdeveloped a certifying examination for maintenance and re l i a b i l i t yp rofessionals. Ta rgeted toward engineers and managers in themaintenance and reliability function, successful completion of thisexam results in the designation, Certified Maintenance and ReliabilityProfessional (CMRP). The CMRP examination has been in existencefor slightly more than two years and over 500 examinees havesuccessfully completed it to date. Both individuals and companies arenow citing the real benefits this type of certification provides.

T h e re are no formal education or experience re q u i rements to sitfor this certifying exam, which is off e red at numerous venues eachy e a r. If individually, you would like gain confidence, improve yourstanding in your organization or improve your ability to move to ad i ff e rent position, you should consider taking the CMRP exam. If youro rganization would like to improve pro d u c t i v i t y, re l i a b i l i t y, pro f i t s ,workplace morale and quality of your work force, it should considerbecoming involved with this certification eff o rt for engineers andmanagers in maintenance and reliability.

Regular readers of this magazine should note that IMC-2004, The19th International Maintenance Conference in Bonita Springs Floridawill be the site of a CMRP certification examination this December.Look for details concerning exact date, time and fees (including studyguides) at w w w. m a i n t e n a n c e c o n f e re n c e . c o m . In the meantime, formore information on the exam itself, log on to www.smrp.org or call(800) 950-7354. Examinations are also held outside of North America(ie. in Australia)

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C e rtification for Maintenance & Reliability Pro f e s s i o n a l s

21

Improved Reliabilityof Universal Joints onLPP Main CoolingWater Pump

Technical Support Group, Teknik Janakuasa Sdn Bhd, Lumut Power Plant, Perak, Malaysia

Rahimi Md Sharip

Abstract Lumut Power Plant (LPP) has four (4) units ( 4 x 25% duty ) vertical

axial flow submersible pumps working as main cooling watercirculating pumps with rated capacity of 8.6m3/s each. These pumpsa re very critical in providing seawater for this 1303MW combinedcycle power plant's once-through cooling condenser. Hence, highreliability is warranted to ensure optimum plant availability.N e v e rtheless, the main failure affecting the pump is the universaljoints which connect the pump's coupling known as cardan shaft tothe driver. This paper will outline the actions implemented on theuniversal joints in order to improve the overall pump reliability andeventually prevent the recurring defects.

1.0 Introduction The universal joints as in this MCW pumps are a unique form of

coupling. They are used to connect the shafts of two drive trainmembers that have non-concentric centerlines. Basically the universaljoints are connected at both end flanges of the cardan shaft. Thecomplete assembly acts as a coupling in transmitting the torque fro mthe driving ( motor ) to the driven ( pump ) unit. This configuration isapplicable to the connection between two shafts arranged in out-of-line (parallel misalignment ) and allow angular deflection inchangeable planes. Below are technical parameters of the card a nshaft and universal joints.

Pump shaft power at rated capacity : 1434.5 KW

Motor speed : 425 rpm

Pump Flow Capacity : 8.6 m3/s

Shaft length & weight : 1300mm & 420kg

Offset : 50mm

Shaft Flange size : 435 mm

Operating Torque : 32,207 Nm (1434.5 x 9542/425)

Max. Allowable Torque : 136,000 Nm ( Manufacturer's data )

Lubricant used : Grease EP 2

Greasing Interval : Once a month

2.0 Description of Universal Joints Each universal joint has 4 journal crosses. Rolling elements are

'sitting' on the running surfaces of the cross along the wholec i rc u m f e rence and separated at the center by a flat washer of thecross into lower and upper position. There are 46 rolling elements oneach cross. The enclosure or casing for these items is called thebearing cap and at the end of it, a grease nipple is fitted for the gre a s einjection which can be viewed further in figure 6. Each universal jointwill be connected at the both ends of the cardan shaft as shown inFigure 2. For universal joints to work efficiently, they need to operateat an angle and that is reason of the 50mm offset between the motorand pump.

Improved Reliability of Universal Joints on LPP Main Cooling Water Pump

22

3.0 Description of Typical Failures Generally all installed cardan shaft experienced an average life of

1 1/2 years after being put into service which is way below the OEMexpected lifetime of 50,000 operating hours ( ~ 5 years ). Table 1highlights the failures re c o rd for all 4 pumps. Typically when failureo c c u rred, all resembled very similar failure patterns as the followings; • Some of the rolling elements from the opposite crosses were

broken into several pieces • Greased formed into black 'coke' and solidified • Heavy wear on the journal crosses

Pictures of typical failures can be viewed in Figures 3 and 4.

4.0 Theory of Failure Modes F rom the heavy wear observed on the journal crosses, the most

likely failure mode could be deduced as Adhesive We a r. The mainreasons to substantiate this are the occurrence of two surfaces thatare sliding and rubbing with each other and may or not be separatedby lubricant. Rolling elements are always in sliding motion with thejournal crosses and are not in pure rolling motion. It is believed thatsliding under LOAD generate heat that must be dissipated usually bylubricant (grease). As similar to oil, bearings that operate att e m p e r a t u re above 70˚C cut grease life by a factor of 1.5 for each10˚Crise as found in 'Predicting Lube life - Heat and contaminants are thebiggest enemies of Bearing grease and oil' by Michael Khonsari, LSU

and E.R.Booser in Machinery Lubrication Magazine, September 2003issue. Straightforw a rd l y, if good heat dissipation fails to occur, thiswill lead to varnish formation and then 'coke' to the grease at theelevated temperature. This 'coking' will destroy the ability of greaseto lubricate the rolling elements. The ineffective lubrication will furt h e ri n c rease the friction and heat and eventually weaken the ro l l i n gelements microstructure and might cause fracture at the worst case.Based on this scenario, it can be concluded that there is excessiveload presence that cause the inefficient lubrication. So, where doesthis excessive load or force comes from?

Another theory that is worth for consideration is the offset anglethat is operating slightly less than the recommended value of 3˚ as "O ffsets of less than three degrees can cause the bearings in the jointsto rotate only part i a l l y. This causes uneven wear and can lead top re m a t u re failure, especially needle bearing designs. " ( UniversalDrive Shaft Maintenance - Will E. Johns III and David M. Cline - ThePump Handbook Series ). The one installed at site has 2.2˚ only witho ffset of 50mm and length 1300mm ( sinø = 50/1300 ). The papersuggested that optimal offset for proper operation of the shaft is 5˚ toinsure that universal joints on the shaft get adequate lubrication.

5.0 Possible Origins Of Excessive Loads In the bearing theory, load capacity is the main factor for the bearing

life and hence its re l i a b i l i t y. If we can use the simplest method of lifecalculation ( ISO equation ) for basic rating life which is L10 = (C/P)pw h e re L10 = basic rating life, millions of revolutions, C= basic dynamic

Figure 1. A picture showing a universal joint with 4 crosses at90deg each.

Figure 3. showing heavy wear on the one of journal crosses'running surfaces

Figure 2. See how a universal joint is connected to the cardan shaft.Note the grease nipple installed on the bearing cap.

Figure 4. Blackened rolling elements due to 'coked' grease and notesome broken pieces of rolling elements


23

load rating, N, P= equivalent bearing load, N, p= exponent of the lifeequation ( p=10/3 for roller bearings ).Clearly, from this basic formula ,it's proven that load is a very important parameter for the bearing life.

Calculation of dynamic bearing loads is a complex subject, not aneasy quantifiable task.

For this particular case, we evaluate the load imparted on therolling elements by the qualitative basis.

The loads acting on the bearing can be calculated according tothe laws of mechanics if the external forces (e.g. forces from powertransmission, work forces, inertia forces) are known or can becalculated plus the additional dynamic forces as a result of unbalance.

The other source of 'extra load' might originated from the usageof Belleville spring washer (F i g u re 9) inside the bearing housing whichcould restrict the free sliding movement of the roller elements andhence provide the compressive forces that is detrimental. In order toprevent this high possibility, these washers are replaced with the flatwashers to provide 'relaxation' to the rolling elements.

The UJ is equipped with Four-Point Lubrication System where eachbearing cap is fitted with the grease fitting, thus assuring that eachbearing receives a proper amount of grease.

6.0 Effect from Mass Imbalance? So, what is the effect of unbalance on a rotating part? At one

e x t reme, if mounted in a rigid suspension, a damaging force must existat support bearings or mounting surface to constrain the part. In fact,it is one of the major contributors to pre m a t u re bearing failure. Thefollowing formula (1) can be used to calculate the theoretical life ofball/roller bearings;

H = (C/L + 6.7753 X 10 -5 MVF )3 X ( 16667/RPM ) where,

H = Bearing life in hours C = Capacity of bearing in Ibs ( OEM specs ) L = In service bearing load ( Ibs ) M = Unbalance mass opposing vibration ( Ibs ) V = Measured vibration in velocity ( inches per secs ) F = Frequency of vibration in CPM or RPM From the above, it can be said that unbalance mass will affect the

life of the roller bearings in the UJs of MCW pumps. Also, the amountof the unbalance increases the effects of centrifugal forces as shown

by the following formula (1);

F = UB ( gram-cm )x 0.01 x ( RPM/ 1000 )2 where ;

F = Centrifugal force UB = unbalance RPM = shaft speed in rpm (Ref 1. Balancing - Identification and Correction, Lance Bisinger ,

Computational Systems Incorporated Knoxville.)

B a rry L. Ardell from Barry Ardell Technologies, Inc listed severalcauses for Universal joints problems in his article titled, ' DiagnosingMachines with Universal drives'. He mentioned that U-Joints installedwithout sufficient misalignment experience pre m a t u re bearing failure sand cause vibration when operated at an angle.

7.0 Modifications Implemented Originally, the UJ lubrication system is a single -point lubrication

w h e re a tendency for lubricant not reaching each journal cross is highand lead to a premature failure. This type was replaced with a four-point lubrication system where a grease fitting is fitted at each journ a lc ross cap. The new design will ensure that grease reaches each cro s seffectively and eventually improve its reliability. However, this is notthe case since failures still occur.

Table 1 - Defect history of cardan shaft that requires replacement

DATE PUMP REMARKS

25.5.99 Pump 4 Bottom cardan shaft bearing at 150˚C. High vibration - 70mm/S

30.3.2000 Pump 1 High vibration

Early May 2001 Pump 3 Motor overhaul

19.5.2001 Pump 4 High vibration

17.7.2001 Pump 4 Open up to check whether synthetic grease is working well

15.8.2001 Pump 4 (New UJ) Open up to check the condition using new 'grease' due to pump shutdown.Line 1 gate lowered. -> GT12 - Reblading

3.9.2001 Pump 1 Temperature reported high 150˚C!

28.4.2002 Pump 4 Replacement of cardan shaft with complete balancing, temperaturesticker and alignment.

20.6.2002 Pump 1 Reported knocking sound and temperature high UJ replaced with the over ex-pump 4. Replacement done on 22.6.2002

13.12.2002 Pump 3 Replaced due to elbow replacement. New UJ with balancing done.

* The highlighted row is the subject universal joint for this paper.

The existing greasechannel was plugged

permanently

Grease grooves made with increased depth. Newgrooves perpendicular to the existing were made but

not shown in the picture

Figure 5. Side view of journal cross showing the modification doneon greasing channel


24

The second minor modification was replacing the belleville springwasher that provide preload (compression ) to rolling elements.Theseitems are located at the bottom and top of those bearing inside thej o u rnal cross. This type of washer was replaced with a flat washerinstead.

The most notable action taken was the sending of completeassembly of cardan shaft for the 2-plane dynamic balancing to checkfor any unbalance. It is mentioned in OEM's ( Clarke Tr a n s m i s s i o n s ,UK ) 'Installation and Maintenance of Universal shafts' document that'unbalance will cause uneven running and pre m a t u re wear of theuniversal shaft and the bearings of the connected units'. From theresult an added mass of approximately 8kg is re q u i red for the

c o rrection of unbalance. The masses are placed on the left end planeand the right end plane re s p e c t i v e l y. In this manner, the re s u l t a n tcentrifugal force is zero and opposite in sense, so that they canceleach other. This results in a shaft completely balanced, i.e., balancedstatically and dynamically. If unbalance not rectified, this centrifugalf o rce is balanced by reaction forces in the bearings, which tend towear out the bearings with time. (Mark's Standard Handbook ForMechanical Engineers, 10th Edition, page 3-66 ) . P resence of very highcentrifugal forces could cause grease to separate into oils and soapsas mentioned in the article titled ' G rease Separation UnderCentrifugal Forces' by M.M.Calistrat (ASME member),PowerTransmission Development Section, Koppers Company, Inc.

Another task was the laser alignment work on the motor and pumpthat was carried out on 11t h May 2002 by Total Solution Te c h n o l o g ySdn Bhd. For information, pump centerline is offset 'in front' of motorcenterline by 50mm facing sea direction. Conclusion was the machinehas been aligned to its best possible allowable tolerance.

8.0 Conclusion As of today ( July 2004 ), the balanced and modified cardan shaft

has been installed in MCW pump No. 4 since 28th April 2002 whichtranslated into more than 2 years in operation without failure. Thissignifies good improvement when previous average lifetime ofuniversal joints is about 1 year or 1 1/2 years only compared to OEM'sestimated one is 50,000 hrs ( 5 years ). Anyway, the target re l i a b i l i t yfor this particular changes is 3 years.

Nevertheless, the frequency of re-greasing should be maintainedat the current interval of once monthly. This is also in line with anothermanufacturer's recommendation from US, Cline Co. who stated that'recommended interval for re - g reasing is every 3 months or 1000hrsin operation, whichever occurs first'.

It can also be concluded that the lubricant used, EP 2 grade gre a s eis a recommended one by other manufacturers as well and previousfailures were not related to the unsuitability of lubricant.

It's highly recommended that the following tasks should be carr i e dout to ensure good reliability of the cardan shaft;

1.Complete assembly of cardan shaft need to be sent out fordynamic balancing to correct any presence of unbalance. This issubstantiated by Cline Co. statement that ' any shaft that isnormally operated above 300rpm must be dynamically balanced'.

2.Grease channel should be plugged and grease grooves to bemade to ensure improved lubrication to the rollers

3. Grease meter to be sourced and installed at the grease gun.This will ensure more effective re-greasing since the amount isquantified. This is also in alignment with the best practice inmaintenance.

9. Acknowledgement The author would like to extend his gratitude to the Mechanical

Maintenance section for giving their cooperation and eff o rt in makingthis modification works went through successfully.

Figure 6. - Exploded view of Universal joints. Note that rollers areinstalled in two -tiers in side the bearing casing

Figure 7. Dimension drawing of complete assembly of cardan shaft

Figure 8. Lubrication system in universal joint. Pictures courtesyfrom The Cline Company, US.

Standard LubricationSystem

Cline Four-PointLubrication System

Figure 9. Belleville* spring washer was replaced with a flatwasher. This one was located at the top.

*


25

Importance of CMMS in SchoolsTechs4Biz Australia Pty Ltd www.pervidi.com.au

By Oren Tirosh

Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) arenow a standard tool for planning and tracking maintenance activities.The CMMS can provide a fast, effective and efficient way to manageresources, assets, services, and operations. In addition, with the risein popularity of wireless connection that include Personal DigitalAssistants (PDAs) and smart mobile phones, maintenance personalscan now receive work orders and record project/inspection data viahandheld devices.

Although there are many commercial CMMS software on themarket, there isn’t one program that is specifically designed for schoolmaintenance purposes. The schools pro p e rty or business manager,instead, need to understand the unique challenges and goals theschool maintenance team has before choosing the most suitablesoftware package. Generally, maintenance management software isdesigned to help ensure that facilities are, and will be, cared fora p p ro p r i a t e l y. Automation and electronic re c o rd keeping is aneffective method of reducing operational costs , and enabling usersto analyse information and identify trends that can impact on businessplanning, capital expenditures, and improved decision-making.

A c c o rding to the School Capital Maintenance Report (Vi c t o r i a nIndependent Schools BGA, August 2000), 48% of survey participantsw e re without established maintenance processes and all schoolsresponding to this survey agreed that there was a need for amaintenance program. Outsource agencies offering maintenances e rvices are more expensive and cause major interruptions to theevery day running of a school. Applying appropriate technology suchas Computerised Maintenance Management Systems would enablethe management of such maintenance processes to be more eff i c i e n t .

School buildings and facilities are major parts of the educationalenvironment and it is imperative that they are kept in good order. Theneed to protect and maintain school assets is part of the Vi c t o r i a ng o v e rnments policy emphasised in the Building Act and re l e v a n tLegislations. The new building regulations indicate that existing publicbuildings must be inspected periodically ensuring they are wellmaintained stru c t u r a l l y, and that all essential services such as safetyequipment are regularly examined. According to the Vi c t o r i a nG o v e rn m e n t ’s Asset Management Series (January 1996), this eff e c t i v emanagement of assets will save money.

CMMS should address the following facility manager’s dailyactivities:• Plan and schedule activities, preventative maintenance,

inspections, and service activities• Incorporate templates for health and safety guidelines and

regulation compliance• Assign work to staff based on skills, time and geographical

availabilities• Record details about service activities with minimised ‘key

strokes’ data entry

• Retrieve and analyse information and produce operational andmanagement reports based on the desired criteria

• Set up automatic alerts and triggers to notify of upcoming ormissed activities, both through reports and emails. (For example:‘Receive a weekly report of all overdue service activities’)

• Record time allocated to each task and automatically producetimesheets and job costing

• Utilise barcodes to improve data collection and processing• Automate re-occurring tasks• Provide staff with specific instructions regarding activities or

equipment• Create custom escalation procedures that alert management

when activities are not completed• Interface with other school’s systems (building management

system, general ledger, etc...)C u rrent technologies allow software companies to develop

packages with automation capabilities at aff o rdable prices. Beforemaking any investment decisions, however, it is important toacknowledge that a fully operational automation system must includet h ree main components: 1) Desktop/server application, 2) HandheldDevices, and 2) Web Portal. Only the combination of thesecomponents will dramatically improve all aspects of inspection andmaintenance activities.

Components of a ComputerisedMaintenance Management System

The Desktop / Server application The desktop/server application is the main component in the

CMMS. It usually includes many functions, which allow sophisticatedre p o rting and analysis. The CMMS server should store all the data andp rovide a variety of operational and management functions, such as:• Work Order Manager:

Record, track, manage, report, and analyse a variety of workorders and activities. Provide users with access to historicalinformation, search engines, and trend analysis capabilities

• Scheduler: using a Graphic User Interface, display schedules,workloads and forecasting for dispatch personnel and servicemanagers

• Equipment and Asset Tracker: providing a complete and up todate picture of the organisation’s assets and equipment, as wellas delivering automatic reminders for related information suchas warranty expiry dates and lease termination dates

• Event-driven and Automated Escalation Procedures: issuingemails, reminders, and reports based on user-defined criteriaE v e ry school has its own special needs and re q u i rement. The

CMMS software, there f o re, must be flexible in a cost-eff e c t i v e

Importance of CMMS in Schools

26

m a n n e r, addressing the school’s exact re q u i rements and businesscriteria, without making major adjustments to the school existingtechnology.

To maximize utilisation and re t u rn-on-investment, desktop/serv e rapplications should not be stand-alone. They should be designed fro mthe outset to transfer information to and from handheld devices, theInternet and other systems used by the school.

Handheld DevicesHandheld devices are designed to provide information that

a l ready exists on paper forms or on the desktop, improving one’s abilityto access and utilise the data. For example, if a user fills out a weeklyinspection form providing specific information, the handheld devicewill fulfil the same function. A handheld user can pick from a checklistof possible choices writing or typing information, according to thes c h o o l ’s re q u i rements and pre f e rences. Handheld devices makecurrent, past, and future information accessible and easy to use.

In contrast with manual or paper-based processes, there are many,additional benefits of using handheld devices. The handheld devicecan list all the information re q u i red by technicians, engineers, andmaintenance personnel for perf o rming their tasks and activities. It canp rovide easy to use navigational search capabilities, and quick accessto information. Handheld devices can also include validations thatallow or disallow data entry. They can also provide the user withhistorical information pertaining to previous service orders orparticular pieces of equipment. Furthermore, by using barcodes andscanners attached to the handheld devices, quick identification of theequipment can improves efficiency, and minimizing human errors.

Data re c o rded with the handheld device can then automaticallybe transferred to the desktop/server database without the need for

further data entry or data reformulation. The means of data transferbetween handheld devices and the database can be through as t a n d a rd cradle, wired modem, infrared, Bluetooth, or wire l e s scommunications. The handheld software should be able to run onmultiple hard w a re platforms, providing flexibility and utilisation offuture technology without costly software upgrades.

Web PortalA web portal for users, customers, or tenants, can enhance

services and allow end-users to enter work requests for approval bythe appropriate personnel. The application is host and managed byan Application Serviced Provider (ASP) at a data centre separate fro myour workplace. The web-based management tool helps businessestrack and manage many classes of assets, each with uniquerequirements.

The significant financial and operational benefits from an ASPsolution are:1. Access anytime and anywhere with a standard Internet

connection.2. Faster implementation.3. Automatic receipt of most updateable upgrades.

Good maintenance is essential to protect the school facilities,t h e re f o re avoiding the necessity of spending larger sums of money inthe future on the continued use of equipment. A pro f e s s i o n a lmaintenance plan must be developed to include a computerisedautomation system that is tailored to the school’s needs. A CMMS thatis comprised of a desktop/server application, handheld devices, andweb portal can dramatically improve all aspects of inspection andmaintenance activities, there f o re creating better efficiencies andsaving the school large sums of money.

ARMS Reliability Engineers: Providing Asset Management Solutions To Drive Business Performance.

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With simple methods, powerful software and a proven delivery approach, manyof the worlds leading companies are improving business profitability with:

• Improved Asset Performance • Reduced risk of catastrophic incidents• Repetitive failures eliminated• Lower maintenance costs• Less plant downtime

Whether you have a new project that is still being designed or an existingfacility that you wish to improve, our simple to use reliability techniquescoupled with proven software and powerful delivery approach, providesolutions so your operation can realize outstanding results.

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Importance of CMMS in Schools

27

The StrategicImportance ofAsset Management

Daryl Mather

The intention of this paper is to provoke thought re g a rding someof the dramatic incidents that has occurred in the field of assetmanagement in recent years. As well as some of their more immediateconsequences and ramifications of changing societal attitudesregarding the failure of physical assets.

In particular it examines the impact of these events on issues suchas the selection and implementation of enterprise managements o f t w a re, the use of call centres and the outsourcing of assetmanagement functions. There is also an overview of the evolution ofasset management throughout the world that has brought us to thispoint.

IntroductionThe past few years have been a critical period in the discipline of

Asset Management. This was a result of a handful of events, theimplications of which reverberated around the world. All of theseevents were, in some manner, due to a failure of physical assets.

• The Colombia Space Shuttle Disaster

• The New York blackout, the London blackout and the blackout inItaly

• 6 people, responsible for the management and maintenance ofthe rail lines, charged with manslaughter regarding the Hatfieldtrain disaster in the United Kingdom

The global reaction to these events has been the culmination of acontinuous series of changes in this area since the early 1970’s. Thesechanges have encompassed attitudes within society, heightenedlevels of understanding as well as the competitive market forc e sacting on the function of physical asset management.

Changing AttitudesSociety has become increasingly intolerant of industrial incidents,

particularly in the areas of safety and environmental integrity. It is nolonger considered acceptable to cause harm to either the enviro n m e n tor to people and the communities that they live in.

In the past ten years this has been reflected in various changes inlegislation and regulation in countries around the world. Some of therecent developments in these areas include:

• Changes to the regulations governing electricity providers in theUnited Kingdom. Now providing a high degree of focus on risk

management and mitigation.

• Wide ranging fraud legislation by the federal government ofCanada in response to the Westray disaster

• Legislation in response to the Longford disaster in Australia

It is becoming obvious that in the future those responsible for themanagement of physical assets will be more likely to be called toaccount when there is a failure, and as can be seen by recent history,it is likely that it will not be companies but individuals.

In extreme cases incidents can also mean irreversible damage toa companies public image. Think of such disasters as the Exxon-Valdez environmental incident, the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopalin India or more recently the linking of Powergen to the New Yo r kblackout. All of these incidents have remained chained to thesecompanies in the public mind.

Heightened Level of UnderstandingThe publication of the re p o rt Reliability Centred Maintenance,I

prepared by Stan Nowlan and Howard Heap, has enabled a quantumleap in the way in which we understand how maintenance should bemanaged.

Many of the findings of this re p o rt fly in the face of long-held,“common-sense” type beliefs and have exposed the true complexn a t u re of asset management. They also force companies to look attheir physical asset base in an entirely different manner.

At a high level these can be summarised in the following points:

• Changes to our understanding of how maintenance contributesto a company’s strategic advantage

• Changes to the way in which we understand equipment failures

• The maintenance department alone is not capable of developinga sustainable and adequate maintenance strategy regime

• Maintenance is not about preventing failures, it is aboutpreventing the consequences of failure

• An understanding of the ability of operational maintenance todrive capital expenditure

• More protection is not necessarily better

• An understanding of new ways of maintaining items, particularly

[email protected] Mather is an Author, Speaker and Management Consultant(United Kingdom.)

The Strategic Importance of Asset Management

those that don’t fail according to long-held views

• Extensive data is not required to take decisions on maintenancepolicies.

Many of these new ways of thinking have challenged long heldi n d u s t ry views. So much so that they are often difficult for industryprofessionals to easily assimilate.

They are even less likely to be understood by those outside of thefield of asset management.

As we move into the 21st century many are beginning to looktowards asset management as a source of strategic advantages. Toachieve this the organization will need to have a deep understandingof these issues, and others like them, integrated into their thinking andcorporate cultures.

Competitive Market ForcesOne of the key elements of the increasingly open global competitive

e n v i ronment is pre s s u re on costs. Pre s s u res to increase pro f i tm a rgins, or in worse case scenarios retain profit margins underlowering retail prices.

As one of the largest elements of both operational and capitalspending, asset management is often an obvious target for re d u c t i o n sin this area.

Maintenance costs are high, in some cases artificially high. Notonly are they high but there is increasing pre s s u re on maintenancecosts to rise. Areas such as increased regulation, complex andautomated machinery, as well as rising costs of physical asset themselves are pushing maintenance operators to the wire. Pressures todo more are increasing while the pre s s u re to spend less is gre a t e r

than it has ever been.One of the major factors behind this trend is that we are more

dependent on machinery than at any time in the past. Wherep reviously we would use people to do work, today we use machinery.

This conflicting situation of pressures to increase the work donecombined with pressures to reduce the costs of doing that work, hasbeen one of the principal drivers behind many of the vast range ofp roduct and service “solutions” that have appeared over the pastthree decades. These have generally been focussed on appealing tothis management concern over rising direct costs.

This situation has unfortunately led to more poor decisions andmisunderstandings in asset management than any other influencingf a c t o r. The results of decisions based on these concerns alone, whileoften bringing some short-term gains, are rarely sustainable and caneven be dangerous in the medium to long term.

Ad-hoc or isolated cost cutting often leads to the eradication ofskills or activities that assist in achieving production goals. In worsecase scenarios they impinge on the safe operating environments ofassets.

This does not mean that direct cost reductions are not achievablein asset management.

Much of the maintenance that we do today either achieves verylittle, or is actively counter productive. As such there is always scopefor reducing areas of re d u n d a n c y. Added to that are other areas ofi n e fficiency such as planning and scheduling, stores management andother key areas.

The concept of direct cost reduction needs to be replaced with thefocus on reducing maintenance unit costs. This re q u i res a re d i re c t i o nof costs from the present activities towards activities that we tru l y

28

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must do to achieve adequate performance levels.Any increase in attention, no matter where it comes from, is of

course welcome. However it needs to be reinforced with knowledgeof the true nature of asset management, as well as the strategicimportance to many facets of corporate activity.

This may include re g u l a t o ry and legislative compliance, safety ande n v i ronmental integrity as well as the standard economicrequirements of quality, production and efficiency.

Implications for Asset ManagementThe implications of the changing attitudes, understandings of

physical assets and market conditions bring a broad array ofimplications for those responsible for asset management. The majorityof these can be explained as “new accountabilities”.

Many of these are accountabilities levelled at, or within,corporations themselves. However many will also be directed at theindividuals taking or overseeing these decisions, often with dauntingconsequences for failure.

New Levels of AccountabilityAs previously highlighted, asset managers are beginning to find

themselves increasingly called to account for the decisions that havebeen taken.

Decisions will increasingly be judgedagainst:

• Higher standards for legislative and regulatory compliance

• Increased understanding of the role of assets in areas ofproductivity, cost and quality

• Risk of damage to the corporate image of the company

• Failures to adequately understand production needs

• Failure to accurately determine capital planning requirements,based on current physical assets and future requirements

This leads to two conclusions. Firstly those responsible for takingdecisions re g a rding physical assets need to have a deepunderstanding of all of the issues and implications of those decisions,as well as the necessary authority to act on them.

Secondly it will re q u i re the ability to adequately defenddecisions taken. Not only in terms of considerations i n t e rnal to thec o m p a n y, but also in terms of defence in the case of potential legalactions. It is this second conclusion that has the most impact formaintenance managers of the future .

The ability to state that asset management decisions aredefendable is paramount. This means that they have been taken bypeople qualified and experienced enough to take them; in a mannerthat is in line with internationally accepted standards on the issue;and in a manner that provably complies with the first two pre m i s e s .That is to say, a manner that is totally auditable.

Although these may stretch into many areas of corporatemanagement, there are three “in vogue” elements of today’s market

that are particularly of concern.They are:

• Enterprise Resource Planning / Enterprise Asset Managementdecision making and management

• Outsourcing of asset management functions

• The use of call-centres as a viable asset management tool

The E.A.M / E.R.P MarketAsset Management, or Enterprise asset management as it is often

re f e rred to within this industry, is one of the areas where there hasbeen a definite decay in the decision making process.

Although this area is by far the most expensive of the current rangeof solutions in asset management, it is easily the most misunderstoodand counter-productive in many cases.

Prior to 2003 many maintenance systems were implemented as aresult of an ERP implementation. A logical follow on to what has beenc o n s i d e red the “main game”. (Often financial, supply chain ori n f o rmation technology related) Decisions within this area havef requently been taken, or managed, by people with little or no tru edepth of knowledge in the asset management arena.

Even in organizations where the importance of asset managementis understood, those with a background in IT or finance, or otheru n related discipline, are often responsible for these types of projects.

As has been explained earlier the area of maintenancemanagement is an area that is complex and not guided by re c o g n i s e d“common-sense” judgements. It is not an area that is easily norrapidly understood by those outside of the discipline. While the useof quasi-experts may be sufficient in other areas of corporate activity,in asset management the stakes are simply too high.

Even in the most cavalier of board rooms the corporate riskassociated with this dangerous practice is becoming recognised. Inthe years that follow 2003, as accountability continues to be a markedfactor of asset management, previous decisions will increasingly needto be revisited by those with the knowledge and depth of experienceto do so.

This marks a dramatic change in the stru c t u re of this market sector.Decisions re g a rding selection, implementation and post-implementation management must become more focussed on the tru eareas of asset management.

Previously “requirements” were attached to processes currentlyin place, or more often a proposed future state of processes. As wemove forward this will become driven more by the requirements thatcompanies have of their physical asset base, in order to achievestrategic advantages within their market.

Outsourcing in Asset ManagementO u t s o u rcing has become one of the catchcries of those off e r i n g

solutions and regimes aimed at lowering direct costs. In some areasthis may be relevant. Within the area of physical assets there aresome major considerations that first need to be taken into account.

R e g a rdless of who has been delegated the responsibility formaintaining the asset base, there is still only one asset owner. That isthe corporation that operates and owns them. So while there itremains possible to delegate re s p o n s i b i l i t y, it is still not possible todelegate legal ramifications of these responsibilities. This has beenshown dramatically in the recent events, previously mentioned, in theUnited Kingdom.

This indicates that there are at least two areas of assetmanagement that need to be retained under the strict control of theasset owners.

Firstly is the judgement as to what should be done. T h ed e t e rmination of exactly what maintenance regimes should be appliedin order to comply with the corporate re q u i rements of the physicalassets. The asset owners are the only ones that can do thissuccessfully as they are the only ones with full knowledge of the

29

Asset Management

Safety

Production

Legislation

Quality

Capital Planning Regulation

Costs Environment


corporate objectives in this area.Secondly there is a need to retain control, in some form or other,

over how things should be done. This can better be explained as thes t a n d a rds to which a task must be completed, as well as the dateswithin which a task must be completed.

Contracts for outsourced maintenance cannot be managed on thebasis of merely handing over assets or a series of tasks to bemanaged. The execution of many tasks, derived in response to theasset re q u i rements, have small tolerances for execution They aredriven by the way in which a piece of equipment fails as well as theconsequences of that failure.

A failure to carry out these tasks within the timeframes that arerequired is a failure of the asset management function.

This carefully balanced combination of doing the right job a n ddoing the job right is the essence of responsible asset steward s h i pand will be the basis on which asset managers, will be judged in thef u t u re, re g a rdless of who they have delegated responsibility to forexecuting this plan.

The Use of Call-Centres

The use of call centres for asset management is an extre m e l ydisturbing development and one that is increasing in popularity.

People with some form of engineering background often staff thesei n i t i a l l y, but more often than not they become operated by datamanagement and clerical type employees.

If these are used only as a means of data capture then the situationis manageable. Yet in more extreme cases there have been efforts toalmost fully automate the scheduling decision making process, using

c e n t res such as these as points where work can be prioritised anddispatched for execution.

Again the situation develops whereby people with little or no depthof understanding of the area of asset management are takingdecisions that could have potentially disastrous consequences. Thisis often on the recommendations of other people with dubious levelsof understanding of the ramifications and importance of assetmanagement.

All engineering judgement needs to take as its base curre n toperating conditions. These can often be intangible and changeable.This only increases the level of corporate exposure to risk. Thissituation is neither defendable nor is it logical.

These are merely a few of the areas that are affected by thechanges in perceptions re g a rding maintenance. There are, of course,many others throughout the entire range of activities and decisionsthat are taken on the subject.

A New Framework for Asset ManagementAs the level of understanding of these areas begins to rise, so to

do the expectations that managers and companies will be able to meetmodern requirements.

In the past maintenance strategy has frequently been treated in ahighly reactive manner. Maintenance regimes are often created inresponse to machine breakdowns or incidents. Often, in the afterm a t hof disasters, there are public statements made demanding, orpromising, “more intensive maintenance”.

While the intention is laudable, the result is often of such reactiveactions is either noneffective or counter productive. Either way it istoo late to stop the original incident from having occurred.

30


Managing assets needs to be done in a truly proactive approach,one that ties the management of physical assets to the corporateobjectives.

A modern approach to asset management can be visualised as aseries of dominoes. Each domino needs the momentum from theprevious area, and then proceeds to pass this momentum to the nextdomino in the line. Starting at any point other than the beginning willleave some dominoes standing.

Modern asset management can be seen in the same way. Each ofthe dominoes re p resents one of the decision-making areas that arerequired to adequately manage assets.

The initial momentum to begin the sequence comes from the visionof a future state. This needs to clearly re p resent the corporateobjectives and goals, and expressing how asset management can playa part in achieving these goals.

This energy is then carried forw a rd to impact on the remaining are a sof decision making. As with the dominoes, a decision to begin in themiddle of this chain reaction will omit areas important to the end re s u l t .

The Corporate ViewpointP e rhaps more than any other management initiative, asset

management is heavily driven by the corporate re q u i rements andobjectives. Yet it is often overlooked or summed up in globalstatements regarding “improved efficiency” or “improved quality”.

One of the more recent tools in the managers’ arsenal is thebalanced score c a rd. This proven tool has been used successfullyt h roughout the world as a means of communicating corporates t r a t e g y, and converting strategy into results. However specific assetmanagement goals and causality links are rarely included in corporatescorecards.

By including asset management at this level of setting corporateobjective this sets two powerful dynamics in motion. Firstly it raisesthe level of understanding throughout the company of this area and itsi m p o rtance. Secondly it provides guidelines for future decisions thatwill need to be taken re g a rding the following steps in the chainre a c t i o n .

Developing Maintenance Strategy

The corporate objectives, once clearly defined and linked to assetmanagement, act as “re q u i rements” in the creation of the strategyregimes.

An example of this can be found in the linking of corporateobjective re g a rding quality to asset perf o rmance. Determining exactlywhat the future acceptable level of poor quality will be immediatelyp rovides a guide for the perf o rmance standards re q u i red of the assetsin the production lines.

These then need to be considered along with all o t h e rre q u i rements that the company may have of its assets. There are alarge number of areas that contribute to the company’s requirementsof its assets, and all of these need to be considered in the re s u l t i n ganalysis.

When there is a clear definition of what it is that companies needfrom their asset base it will allow them to

a) Understand if their assets are able to achieve these objectives in the first place and

b) Determine the maintenance strategies required to ensure that they do or

c) Determine what enhancement actions are required to meet corporate requirements

Working through these two steps not only forces a radical changein the manner in which companies view their assets, it also leads toa radical change in the way that the assets are managed and thatdecisions are taken in this area.

Applying Maintenance Strategy

As work on maintenance strategy gets underway, work can beginon the steps relating to the application of maintenance strategy. Thismeans taking the strategies and determining what are the support i n gbusiness needs and processes that will be required to execute them.

As the strategies are developed information re g a rding the clearre q u i rements of the materials and human re s o u rces functions willbegin to emerge.

This give a company the ability to totally plan and control themaintenance efforts and spending, from the strategies through to thematerials and human resources dimensions all aligned with the trueasset requirements.

S i m i l a r l y, as these fundamental issues are addressed, there beginsto be an understanding of what the business processes need to be.Quite often this can mean a radical change to existing processes.

These can range from processes governing acquisition, installationand enhancements, through to the operational processes. In somecases it may re q u i re diff e rent maintenance scheduling fre q u e n c i e s ,in others it may re q u i re whole new skill bases to be developed or itmay lead to changes in the ways that we plan, perf o rm and re c o rdworks that are done.

In stark contrast to conventional thinking in field of assetmanagement systems, it becomes clear that business processes donot drive “re q u i rements”. In fact business processes, and the systemsthat are used to manage them, are driven by asset requirements.

This is one of the key misconceptions to have emerged regardingenterprise asset management in recent years.

Administering Maintenance Strategy

With the asset re q u i rements, supporting business needs and workp rocesses defined, attention can now turn to the use of an existing orfuture computerised maintenance management system.

It sometimes becomes clear that the systems in place are eitherinadequate for managing the asset portfolio or that it is being used ina manner that does not align with the newly defined businessprocesses.

This is often a startling revelation to companies expecting to beable to merely “roll out the maintenance modules” of their existingERP that was bought for financial or other business reasons.

This can often be a rude awakening when the amounts of moneythat are sometimes involved are taken into account.

ConclusionsThere can be no doubt that the perceived importance of physical

asset management has risen substantially during 2003. There can alsobe no doubt that this trend will continue into the future as it has doneover the past three decades.

It is beginning to become more widely understood that assetmanagement is a complex and specialist area. One which can be as o u rce of strategic advantages, but also one in which the implicationsof misjudgement can be extremely serious. Not only from a financialperspective but also in many areas of corporate activity.

In order to exploit the advantages available in asset management,and ensure their responsible stewardship, will need to be basedaround three basic tenets:

1. Using the correct people; 2. With the correct knowledge;3. To make decisions in the correct way

Bibliography1. Reliability-centred Maintenance report - Dolby Access Press2. Maintenance - A New Paradigm, John Moubray,

available from www.aladon.com3. The case Against Streamlined RCM,

John Moubray, available from www.aladon.com

31


Survey 2004

2004 Survey Of Special Maintenance Applications Software

32

2004 Survey OfSpecial MaintenanceApplications Software

Compiled by Ian Bradshaw , August 2004. The data given in this 2004 Special Maintenance Applications Survey Survey (SMAS) is extracted, as received, from the re s p o n d e n t s .EIT does not there f o re accept any liability for actions taken as a result of information given in this Surv e y.

@ptitude (SKF ReliabilitySystems)

@ptitude is an embedded knowledge based systemthat Integrates asset data; identifying symptomsand faults for use within cor rective actions.

Company Information: Name: Apt GroupAddress: Suite 22, 450 Elizabeth Street Sur ry

Hills NSW 2010 Contact: Ian JonesPhone: 02 9318 0213Fax: 02 9318 0776 Email: [email protected]: http://www.aptgroup.com.au

Software Details:

@ptitude is modular solution that helps improveoverall plant efficiency by replacing labourintensive data collection analysis with anautomatic process for fault resolution.

@ptitude provides the means to capture andretain knowledge of your most seasonedprofessional for use by everyone. The systemsfunctions are oriented towards using collectedplant data such as: Condition Monitoring A l a r m sto determine the best possible method tomaintain plant life expectancy.

Asset data capture, Symptom Resolution,Corrective Plant maintenance.

Implement Proactive Reliability MaintenancePrograms.

Establish Risk based Preventative MaintenanceRoutines.

Determine Reliability Centred MaintenanceInspection Routines

Analyse asset failure (FMECA).

AIMSS Authoring ToolAIMSS authoring tool set puts all the technicalinformation you need to maintain complex systemsat your fingertips.

Company Information: Name: RELIASSAddress: Cams Hall, Cams Hill, FAREHAM, UK,

PO16 8ABContact: Mr Kouroush FassihiPhone: +44 1329 227 448Fax: +44 1329 227 449Email: [email protected]

Web: http://www.reliability-safety-software.com

Software Details:

AIMSS puts all the technical information youneed to maintain complex systems at yourfingertips.

The Advanced Integrated Maintenance SupportSystem (AIMSS) is an interactive electronictechnical manual (IETM) authoring tool set.AIMSS uses state-of-the-art object databasetechnology that enables you to generate, display,store, retrieve, automate, and deliver Class 4 and5 IETM formatted projects from yourworkstation or personal computer. AIMSS isWindows? based software. Its graphical authoringenvironment requires no programming skills.

APT INSPECTION APT-INSPECTION: calculates the best inspection,monitoring or test interval and quantifies theeconomics of risk-based inspection methods.

Company Information: Name: Asset Performance Tools LtdAddress: Prince Henry House, Kingsclere

Business Park, Kingsclere, Hampshire,RG20 4SW

Contact: Bert MontgomeryPhone: +44(0)1635 299200 Email: [email protected]: www.aptools.co.uk

Software Details:

Provides evidence of the correctinspection/testing strategies, giving auditablejustification for compliance with safety orinspection requirements.

It can show what the cost implications are oftesting more or less often and how technicalintegrity is achieved by a particular monitoringprogramme.

It can evaluate inspection and testing activitieswith combinations of benefits.

The costs start at £4180.00 for a single userlicence. (Multi user licence is also available

APT LIFESPANAPT LIFESPAN: calculates the best life cycle for anyasset and put numbers to the costs and benefits ofalternative replacement, refurbishment andmaintenance options.



Contact: Bert MontgomeryPhone: +44(0)1635 299200 Email:

[email protected]: www.aptools.co.uk

Software Details:

It provides sophisticated modeling ofdeterioration and rapid economic evaluation ofrenewal, upgrade or disposal options.

Lifespan will optimize the combination of capitalinvestment, equipment reliability, performance,operating and maintenance costs, risk exposureand life expectancy.

It provides rapid What-If analysis comparingdifferent scenarios.

The costs start at £5280.00 for a single userlicence. (Multi user licence is also available).

APT MAINTENANCEAPT-MAINTENANCE calculates the best preventive

maintenance interval or equipment replacement

point and puts numbers to the costs, benefits and

risks of alternative maintenance strategies.



Contact: Bert MontgomeryPhone: +44(0)1635 299200 Email:

[email protected] Web: www.aptools.co.uk

Software Details:

It identifies the cost and risk optimal strategies,tests for sensitivity to weak and range estimateddata and quantifies the impact of constraints orintangibles.

Based on cost, risk performance optimisation itputs figures to the cost and benefits of alternativemaintenance strategies.

It allows you to select optimum combinations ofpreventive, condition-based and on-failuremethods.


APT PROJECTAPT PROJECT evaluates why someproposals/projects are not worthwhile. It providesa ranked listing of competing options, eachevaluated for cost, risk and payback.


Business Park, Kingsclere, Hampshire,RG20 4SW, UK

Contact: Bert MontgomeryPhone: +44(0)1635 299200 Email: [email protected] Web: www.aptools.co.uk

Software Details:

Evaluate and demonstrate why some proposalsare not worthwhile.

Compare and prioritise dissimilar projects ormodifications.

Use range estimates and engineering knowledgeto the full.

Discover what data is worth collecting and forwhat reason.

Calculate the premium paid for safety, legalcompliance, public image and other intangibles.

Record the assumptions about anticipatedbenefits at the time of justification.


APT SCHEDULEAPT SCHEDULE: Offers a unique opportunity toprovide a comprehensive and fully quantifiedanalysis of optimal shutdown and work schedulingstrategy.




Software Details:

APT SHCEDULE provides sophisticated andrapid ìwhat-ifî? Analysis of different taskcombinations.

It can support decisions concerning the righttime to shut down a plant or process formaintenance work.

IT identifies the optimum combination and thecost/risk/performance impact of workprogrammes.


APT SPARES APT SPARES shows you which ‘slow moving’ orinsurance spares to hold, and in what numbers.




Software Details:

Determine which spares are worth holding, andin what numbers.

Reduce stock-holding and/or risk exposure todowntime and unavailability costs.

Evaluate 'pooling' options and shared stockstrategies.

Compare alternative vendors and supply routes.

Discover what data is worth collecting, for whatreason.


ASENT ToolkitASENT is a comprehensive modular set of softwaretools that enables you to manage design tasks withease.


PO16 8ABContact: Mr Kouroush FassihiPhone: +44 1329 227 448Fax: +44 1329 227 449Email: [email protected]: http://www.reliability-safety-

software.com

Software Details:

ASENT provides leading-edge reliability andmaintainability computer-aided engineeringsolutions. ASENT is a comprehensive modularset of software tools that enables you to managedesign tasks with ease. ASENT's tools, which arefully described in the ASENT Brochure allowengineers to turn data into useful, design-impacting information.

ASENT stores all the analysis, performance, andmanufacturing data for your entire company, andmakes it available for use with any ASENT tool.And because you enter data once, but reuse itmany times, ASENT provides a significantproductivity boost for your company.

ATC Professional Shutdown/Turnaround Management System

Management system designed specifically for oilrefinery and petrochemical plantshutdowns/turnarounds.

Company Information: Name: InterPlan Systems Inc.Address: P.O. Box 590131Contact: Bernard ErtlPhone: 281-482-7126Fax: 281-648-1821Email: [email protected]: http://www.interplansystems.com/

Software Details:

ATC Professional is a proactive turnaroundmanagement system that is much more than just

a Gantt chart program. ATC Professionalincorporates procedures that involve the entireturnaround management team to promoteownership and visibility of the plan, andobjectivity and communication in the reportingcycle for successful project management towardsyour time and budget goals. It encouragescooperation and allows all team members tocontribute and succeed.

BETAPLUSA new generation Common Cause Failure (CCF)partial beta model that takes account of proof-testintervals and involves positive scoring of CCFrelated features rather than a subjective "rangescore".

Company Information: Name: Maintenance 2000 LimitedAddress: Broadhaugh

BuildingSuite 110Camphill RoadBroughty FerryDundee DD5 2NDScotland

Contact: Dr. David Smith

Phone: +44 (0) 1382 803070

Fax: +44 (0) 1382 737736

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.maint2k.com

Software Details:

B E TAPLUS is a Common Cause Failure (partialBeta model) assessment technique that developsthe partial Beta model beyond the currentlyavailable theories to include:• Recognising that proof test and auto-test

intervals influence the value of Beta. • A positive calibration of the model using

common mode/cause failure data. • Positive scoring of Beta related sub-factors

rather than subjective assessment of avariable for each group of factors.

• The facility of testing the effect, on Beta, ofalternative design proposals andmodifications.

• The opportunity to add scoring criteria andre-calibrate against new commonmode/cause failure data.

• The opportunity to alter the weightings ofeach group of factors.

h t t p : / / w w w. m a i n t 2 k . c o m / r e l i a b i l i t y - m a i n t e n a n c e -optimization-software.htm for further functionaldetails and costs.

CATLOC CATLOC is a sophisticated life cycle costing toolwith a new unique flexible approach to LCCmodeling.

Company Information: Name: SYSTECON ABAddress: BOX 5205

SE10245 STOCKHOLMSWEDEN

Contact: Oskar TengoEmail: [email protected]: www.systecon.se

Survey 2004


33

Software Details:

CATLOC is a new whole life costing tool forcalculations and comparative analyses of costs fordevelopment, production, operation andmaintenance of technical systems throughouttheir life cycle. CATLOC offers a unique flexibleapproach to LCC modelling. Firstly, it allows costequations and cost break down structures to befully defined by the user. Secondly, in the analysis,it allows the user to categorize, slice and dicecosts in almost any dimension including time.

CATLOC has intuitive input views as well asflexible graphical result views for accurateanalysis and interpretation of results. It is idealfor identifying cost drivers.

COMPARE (CalculatingOptimum MaintenanceParameters)

A Reliability Centered Maintenance package that

enables optimum spares levels, optimum proof test

intervals and optimum replacement times to be

obtained.

Company Information: Name: Maintenance 2000 LimitedAddress: Broadhaugh Building

Suite 110Camphill RoadBroughty FerryDundee DD5 2NDScotland

Contact: Dr. David SmithPhone: +44 (0) 1382 803070Fax: +44 (0) 1382 737736Email: [email protected]: www.maint2k.com

Software Details:

C O M PARE (Calculating OptimumMaintenance PARamEters) is a ReliabilityCentred Maintenance software package thatenables significant cost savings to be made inspares and maintenance resources.• Having too many spares carries a cost

penalty. Too few spares incurs expensiveoutage time. Using Markov analysis,COMPARE enables the optimum numberof spares to be chosen for any combinationof lead time, repair time, failure rate,number of active items and the degree ofredundancy for that item.

• Coincident dormant failures, otherwiseprotected by redundant configurations, willlead to costly outage. Too frequent prooftesting, to reveal failed redundant units, willincur a waste of maintenance resource.COMPARE enables the optimum proof testinterval to be calculated for a given outagecost, proof test cost, down time and failurerate.

• The cost of an unplanned replacement maybe much greater than the plannedreplacement of a part despite its not havingfailed. There will be an optimumreplacement time for parts having a wearoutcharacteristic. COMPARE enables theWeibull parameters of parts to be assessedfrom field or test data in order for theoptimum time to be calculated.

• The COMPARE user manual covers thebasic theory behind these techniques. Italso includes reliability theory and theapplication of these techniques.

• Graphical outputs for use in wordprocessing packages.

• FARADIP (FAilure RAte Data InPerspective) provides a failure rate databenchmark which can be used to review thefield data which users apply to COMPAREor as a source of data where generic figuresare required.

D-LCCD-LCC is a powerful yet flexible Life CycleCosting Program



software.com

Software Details:

D-LCC is a powerful yet flexible Life CycleCosting Program. D-LCC (Decision by LifeCycle Cost) makes the LCC analysis easy andcomprehensive. D-LCC is a key tool formanagers, decision-makers, engineers, ILSpersonnel, and other staff involved in system

Survey 2004


34

acquisition, proposal writing, management,development, production and through-lifesupport.

EAGLE ToolkitEAGLE presents a complete logistics solution, frombuilding logistics data and maintaining existing

databases to providing reports, and other post-production support.



software.com

Software Details:

EAGLE Toolkit presents a complete logisticssolution, from building logistics data andmaintaining existing databases to providingreports, technical manuals, and other post-production support.

EAGLE is an enhanced integrated logisticssupport software system. Its LSAR (LogisticSupport Analysis Record) relational database,based on and fully compatible with MIL-STD-1388-2B, provides a complete logisticsarchitecture EAGLE goes beyond 1388-2B'sspecifications by adding engineering drawings,technical manuals, video support, and otherfunctions. Current1388-2A and 1388-2Bdatabases can easily be migrated to the EAGLEstructure.

eTaskMaker Project PlanningSystem

Flexible tool for standardizing and improving bestpractices in estimating, planning and schedulingmaintenance work.

Company Information: Name: InterPlan Systems Inc.Address: P.O. Box 590131Contact: Bernard ErtlPhone: 281-482-7126Fax: 281-648-1821Email: [email protected]: http://www.interplansystems.com/

Software Details:

e TaskMaker generates detailed, customizedproject schedules (including tasks, durations,resources and PDM schedule logic) for export toleading project management systems based uponquantities, dimensions and answers to multiplechoice questions. Supported projectmanagement exports include ATC Professional,Primavera P3, P3e & P3e/c, Microsoft Project,Microsoft Excel (for cost estimating) and more.

e TaskMaker includes over 100 estimatingmodules related to plant maintenance (includingpiping demolition, fabrication and installation).The eTaskMaker Module Editor allows you toedit/customize any module or easily build newones.

FARADIP (FAilure RAte Data InPerspective)

FARADIP (FAilure RAte Data In Perspective) is oneof the largest failure rate and failure mode databanks in the reliability profession.

Company Information: Name: Maintenance 2000 LimitedAddress: Broadhaugh Building

Suite 110Camphill RoadBroughty FerryDundee DD5 2NDScotland

Contact: Dr. David SmithPhone: +44 (0) 1382 803070Fax: +44 (0) 1382 737736Email: [email protected]: www.maint2k.com

Software Details:

FARADIP is one of the largest failure rate andfailure mode data banks in the reliabilityprofession, based on over 40 published datasources together with M2K's own reliability datacollection. FARADIP has been available for 10years and is now widely used as a data reference.It provides failure rate data ranges for a nestedhierarchy of items covering electrical, electronic,mechanical, pneumatic, instrumentation andprotective devices. Failure mode percentages arealso provided.• Nested menus of failure rates and failure

modes from over 40 diverse data sourcesincluding military, telecommunications,offshore operations, process and aerospaceindustries.

• Ranges of failure rates spanned by themajority of published sources and anindication of the most common values.

• FMEA's for two system failure modestogether with parts count and MTBFcalculations.

• Full editing facilities for global files andcomponent entries.

Equipment included:• Microelectronics (logic, linear & memory). • Discrete semiconductors, tubes, lamps. • Passive electrical components. • Instruments and analysers. • Connectors, switches, PCBs, cables. • Electromechanical and rotating machinery.• Power supplies, sources and transformers. • Mechanical items (incl. pumps and valves). • Pneumatic and hydraulic equipment. • Computers, DP and Comms. • Alarms, fire protection, arrestors, fuses.

See


Faultree Plus Version 10.0Reduce risk and improve safety with the worldsmost popular faultree, event tree and markovanalysis software package FaultTree+.

Company Information: Name: ARMS Reliability EngineersAddress: PO Box 501 Ocean Grove

Victoria 3226Contact: Michael DrewPhone: 0352 555 357FAX: 0352 555 778Email: [email protected]: www.reliability.com.au

Software Details:

Fa u l t Tree+ is a fully interactive graphics andanalysis program for performing probabilistic riskassessment using integrated fault tree, event treeand Markov analyses. The program runs underMicrosoft Windows 95/98/2000, NT and Me andis capable of analysing large and complex faultand event trees producing the full minimal cutrepresentation for fault tree TOP events andevent tree consequences.

Fa u l t Tree+ is used by many organisations as partof their implementation of IEC 61508.

Fa u l t Tree+ provides CCF analysis, importanceanalysis, uncertainty and sensitivity analysisfacilities. The program allows users to constructa single project database containing generic dataand event tables, fault trees with multiple TOPevents, event trees originating from differentinitiating events, CCF tables and consequencetables. Fault and event tree pagination isautomatically controlled by the program. Fa u l ttree TOP events may be used to representspecific nodes in the event tree. Multiplebranches are also handled to allow for partialfailures. Fa u l t Tree+ uses efficient minimal cutset generation algorithms to analyse large andcomplex fault and event trees. NOT logic maybe included in the fault and event trees at anylevel and event success states retained in theanalysis results as an option.

Faultree is used by a variety of industriesworldwide, including aerospace, defence,automotive, nuclear, rail, chemical process plant,oil & gas and medical amongst many others. Fo ra free demonstration of version 10.1 please callARMS Reliability Engineers on 52542922 oraccess us on the web at www.reliability.com.au

FavoWeb - Failure ReportingAnalysis & Corrective ActionSystem

FavoWeb is a Web based Failure ReportingAnalysis & Corrective Action System



software.com

Software Details:

The Fa v o Web system is a logistic applicationallowing collection of failure information andother types of data like corrective action andtesting from processes related to differentactivities of a product in an

organization. The application supports activitiesin different Life Cycle Phases like production,development and maintenance.

One of the most important characteristics

Survey 2004


35

Fa v o Web has is its Definition Flexibility. Nomatter what industry the organization belongs to,the application can be customized to fit therequirements. This is done with the help of anadministration utility. This utility helps thecompany's administrator to define eachfunctional module (Failure reporting forinstance), to include different input forms, user-defined fields for each input form, design andstyle output reports and even select interfacelanguage.

FMEA-Pro 6FMEA-Pro 6 simplifies Failure Modes and EffectsAnalysis for automotive, aerospace and defense,electronics and general manufacturers



software.com

Software Details:

FMEA-Pro 6 simplifies Failure Modes andEffects Analysis for automotive, aerospace anddefense, electronics and general manufacturers.FMEA-Pro includes a FMECA template forcriticality analysis and a Control Plan for quality

planning. In addition to export capabilities forHTML, PDF and Microsoft?Word, this FMEAsoftware includes FMEA 3rd Edition (QS-9000)revisions for Design and Process FMEAs.

FRACAS+ Collect, record and analyze system failures acrossmultiple sites, using The Failure Reporting Analysisand Corrective Action System (FRACAS).

Company Information: Name: ARMS Reliability EngineersAddress: PO Box 501 Ocean Grove Victoria

3226Contact: Michael DrewPhone: 0352 555 357FAX: 0352 555 778Email: [email protected]: www.reliability.com.au

Software Details:

A major problem facing organizations today isthere ability to record, analyze and control avariety of similar failures at various sites. TheFailure Reporting Analysis and Corrective A c t i o nSystem (FRACAS) is the latest installment fromEnglish based software leader Isograph.

Isograph have developed the FRACAS+ tool tocompliment its current reliability, availability andmaintainability analysis software suite. Therecording of equipment or system failure isbroken down by site and functional location in ahierarchical structure that can be easilyunderstood. Beneath this, the hierarchical tree

can be constructed to any level of complexity.

Failure and repair reports are assigned to aparticular piece of equipment with itsmovements to other locations recorded.Corrective Actions and Failure modes, along withpersonnel data details can then be assigned toeach specific part of the failure report.

The advantage of FRACAS over other systems isthat as field failure and other maintenance datais entered in to the FRACAS system the data isautomatically analyzed. The analyzed FRACASdata may then be used to optimize plannedmaintenance schedules, inspections and designchanges using Isograph’s powerful availabilitysimulation, reliability centred maintenance andWeibull software.

Hazop Plus Version 2 HazopPlus provides a visual environment in whichto design and use the study and action forms thatare the basis for entering Hazop information.


3226Contact: Michael DrewPhone: 0352 555 357FAX: 0352 555 778Email: [email protected]: www.reliability.com.auSoftware Details:

• Hazop+ Version 2.0 helps you to customiseyour Hazop study, it provides a very

Survey 2004


36

A year had passed since Greg had initially called Assetivity - and when he thought back to how thingshad been when he had made that call, he was pleasantly surprised by the improvements inMaintenance performance that Assetivity had been able to help implement.

12 months ago, breakdown maintenance was rampent. The maintenance crew spent most of theirtime lurching from one crisis to another. Production targets weren’t being met, and most of the timeMaintenance was to blame. The plant manager was putting pre s s u re on Greg to improve the situation,and it wasn’t a pleasant place to work.

The improvement had been dramatic, Greg reflected, and had been achieved in a remarkably shorttime frame, considering the huge cultural change that had occurred.

N o w, although occasional breakdowns still occurred, they were rare, and were treated aso p p o rtunities for improvement. Teamwork between Maintenance and Production had never beenb e t t e r, and the plant operators were taking on more responsibility for perf o rming some tasks that hadp reviously been considered to be “maintenance” tasks. Plant perf o rmance had improved, and notonly were production targets now being constantly met, but quality and safety performance had alsoimproved.

But above all, the most dramatic change had been in the people. No longer did people “park theirbrains at the gate” on their way to work - the latent talents of the entire workforce were no longerhidden, everyone had the opportunity to contribute to the best of their ability. And they enjoyed doingso - a quick walk through the plant showed that you were far more likely to see people with a smile on their face than 12months ago. Greg, too, was getting far more enjoyment from his work, and this had followed on to his family life also. Gregwondered briefly whether he would have been able to achieve these gains in the given timeframe without Assetivity’sassistance… but he already knew the answer

Assetivity Pty Ltd, Operations and Maintenance Consultants, PO Box 1315, Booragoon WA 6154 Ph 08 9474 4044www.assetivity.com.au

convenient way to enter and store theHazop study information which speeds upthe process of recording and managing thepotentially large amounts of informationgathered, and it offers a powerful reportgenerator for the creation and printing ofprofessional quality reports.

• Create list of Hazop participants and details • Create list of items in the system under study• Create list of parameters • Create list of guide words • Associate guide words with appropriate

parameters • Associate parameters with appropriate items • Create the study form headings • Create the action form headings • Define risk ranking matrices, multiple

matrices upto nine dimensions • Project Wizard The project wizard simplifies

the creation of new projects. The wizard isallows the user to select study headings,action headings, parameters and guidewords from the current library.

• Library Facility The supplied librarycontains all the study headings, actionheadings, parameters and guide words. Theuser may add their own study headings,action headings, parameters and guidewords to this category or create their owncategory and add items to that. In additionto modifying the supplied library the usermay create their own libraries.

For a free demonstration of the software pleasecall ARMS Reliability Engineers on 52542922 oraccess us on the web at www.reliability.com.au

Ivara EXPAsset reliability software providing real-time assethealth management, performance analysis, andidentification of the right work at the right time.

Company Information: Name: Ivara CorporationAddress: 935 Sheldon Court

Burlington, OntarioL7L 5K6 Canada

Contact: Ann ChristieEmail: [email protected]: www.ivara.com

Software Details:

EXP reliability software enables you toimplement an asset reliability strategy. Thisinnovative and easy-to-use software supports areliability-based approach to asset management.EXP is a system that Maintenance andOperations use, day-to-day, to manage the healthof their assets and to identify the right work atthe right time to optimize asset reliability anddrive business results - fast.

The financial and business benefits of areliability-driven approach to asset managementare huge. Increased asset reliability reduces costsand increases output. Within three years,customers realize, on average, a recurring annualimprovement of 20% of the maintenance budget.

LCC Ware Version 3.0 lccWare allows the user to define the costelements of a system during its lifetime, frominception to disposal.


3226Contact: Michael DrewPhone: 0352 555 357FAX: 0352 555 778Email: [email protected]: www.reliability.com.au

Software Details:

Life cycle costing is a methodology forcalculating the whole cost of a system frominception to disposal. The system will vary fromindustry to industry and could for instance be abuilding, a ship, a weapon system or a powerstation. Whatever the system, the life cyclecosting technique will be the same, the majoritems of cost will be defined through its life.These items could include research anddevelopment, construction, operation andmaintenance and disposal. The items may befurther subdivided until the cost of each elementcan be defined as a mathematical equation. At asimple level this may be the number of man-hours multiplied by a cost rate. The elements ofcost will then be added together to give the totalcost for each item and a grand total for thesystem through its full life. As the projectdevelops you will want to alter your life cycle costanalysis model accordingly and you will also wantto carry out sensitivity studies and cost trade offstudies. Each of these will be require arecalculation of the model. lccWare gives you thepower to create and develop a life cycle costmodel in a familiar interactive visualenvironment. lccWare also provides you withprofessional quality reports. For a freedemonstration of the software please call A R M SReliability Engineers on 52542922 or access uson the web at www.reliability.com.au

LOGAN Fault & Event treeAnalysis Tool

LOGAN FT&ET enables the construction and

evaluation of fault and/or event trees and is widelyused for Quantified Risk Assessment (QRA).

Company Information:

Name: RELIASS

Address: Cams Hall, Cams Hill, FAREHAM, UK,PO16 8AB

Contact: Mr Kouroush Fassihi

Phone: +44 1329 227 448

Fax: +44 1329 227 449


Web: http://www.reliability-safety-software.com

Software Details:

The well-established LOGAN Fault and EventTree module enables the construction andevaluation of fault and/or event trees and iswidely used for Quantified Risk A s s e s s m e n t(QRA). It allows the results from fault treeanalysis to be incorporated into an event tree toprovide a complete evaluation of the probabilityof hazards of various severities.

LOGAN Monte CarloSimulation Tool

The LOGAN Monte Carlo analysis module issuitable for the evaluation of the availability ofcomplex systems or processes.



software.com

Software Details:

The LOGAN Monte Carlo analysis module issuitable for the evaluation of the availability ofcomplex systems or processes. It allows theeffects to be assessed of different levels ofr e d u n d a n c y, standby arrangement, sparesholdings, levels of manning, etc. It also enablestime-dependent failure probabilities

MaDCATMaDCAT is a tool for categorization and analysisof experience data from the maintenance process.




Software Details:

M a D CAT (Maintenance Data Categorizationand Analysis Tool) has special emphasis onanalysing development of reliability, cost andsystem performance over time.

For breakdown and accumulation of data (cost,number of events etc), MaDCAT uses a uniqueflexible combination of user-defined hierarchicalstructures, cost elements and informationcategories.

MaDCAT analyses events as a function of timeor any other time-based parameter. Tr e n danalysis is used to discover changes in eventflows. Sequential test plans can be applied toverify failure flows. Analysis of failure intensityis used to determine maintenance intervals.

Data is easily imported and exported fromcustomer’s data sources.

MaintenanceMax MaintenanceMax is the performance supportsystem for maintenance personnel: a web-enabledtool that integrates procedures, schematics,training, forms, and more

Company Information: Name: REI Systems, Inc. Address: 7620 Little River Turnpike, Suite 500,

Annandale, Virginia 22003 USA Contact: Anna Liisa Van Mantgem

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Phone: 1-703-256-2245 Fax: 1-703-256-9372

Email: [email protected] Web: www.maintenancemax.com

Software Details:

MaintenanceMax is a portable, rugged, web-enabled job aid that integrates procedures,schematics, training, illustrated partsbreakdowns, forms, and other maintenance datainto one user-friendly kit. Data is presented howmaintenance technicians want it: task-based,with diagrams, references, part ordering, andmore just a click or two away. MaintenanceMaxis a complimentary technology for yourCMMS/EAM. Features include: annotationc a p a b i l i t y, 3D equipment breakdown animations,wire tracing diagrams, automated work ordercompletion, drag-and-drop content authoring,and more. Cost varies; site survey and pilotusually $30K-$100K (USD); ROI is easilyachieved for organizations with 10+ maintainers.Microsoft XP or NT operating system required.

MasterpieceAward winning software Masterpiece, cleans andmanages large engineering databases. Masterpiece

provides a cost effective solution to cleaning ‘dirty’

data.

Company Information: Name: The Asset Partnership Pty LtdAddress: Suite 1, 2 Culdees Road, BURWOOD

NSW, 2136

Contact: Stephen YoungEmail: [email protected] Web: www.assetpartnership.com

Software Details:

Masterpiece is sparesFinder’s award-winningsystem for cleaning and managing largeengineering inventory databases. Masterpiecedelivers a cost effective, web-based solution to along standing problem of poor quality data inlarge inventory databases.

The system has been designed to address theneeds of large, complex organisations, particularlywhere improving and then maintaining dataquality to a common standard will allow them toproperly leverage ERP software investments. Aswell as a multi-lingual user interface, the systemis designed to process legacy data supplied inmany languages to produce a descriptive outputin the desired language and format.

Masterpiece operates independently of privatecataloguing schemes and standards, and allows youto choose the approach which best suits your businessneeds. Masterpiece enables each line of your data tobe cleaned in the most cost effective way.

The sophisticated cleaning tools, patternrecognition capabilities and inventory dictionariesautomate the task wherever 100% certainty ofoutput is possible. Where manual intervention isrequired, the system provides a sophisticatedinterface to structure definitions and control theworkflow and approval process.

Masterpiece encourages a focus on value,allowing you to get data cleaned in the way whichgives you most business benefit.

MEADEP - Measurement-Based Dependability AnalysisTool.

Measurement-Based Dependability Analysis Tool.

Sophisticated System Reliability - Availability

Modelling Made Simple

Company Information: Name: RELIASS

Address: Cams Hall, Cams Hill, FAREHAM, UK,

PO16 8AB


Phone: +44 1329 227 448

Fax: +44 1329 227 449


Web: http://www.reliability-safety-

software.com

Software Details:

Measurement-Based Dependability A n a l y s i sTool.

Sophisticated System Reliability - Av a i l a b i l i t yModelling Made Simple!

MEADEP consists of four modules. Thesemodules are:

• Data Pre-Processor (DPP)

• Data Editor and Analyzer (DEA)

• Model Generator (MG)

• Model Evaluator (ME)

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ME AnalystME Analyst is a maintenance engineering softwaresuite that assists maintainers to conduct variousmaintenance analysis methodologies such asFMECA and RCM.

Company Information:Name: GHDAddress: Level 8, 180 Lonsdale St.

Melbourne 3000Contact: Nicholas PhillipsPhone: 613 8687 8000Fax: 613 8687 8111Email: [email protected]

Software Details:• Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)• Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality

Analysis (FMECA)• Maintenance Task Analysis (MTA)• System lead step-by-step decision process• Automatic calculation of failure mode

criticality, item criticality and task intverval• Complete history of original and subsequent

analysis• Training is available

MINCOM LinkOneLinkOne is an illustrated parts catalogue anddocumentation software which allows users toidentify parts and maintain the equipment quicklyand efficiently.

Company Information:Name: GHDAddress: Level 8, 180 Lonsdale St.

Melbourne, 3000Contact: Hakim MentesPhone: 03-8687 8000Fax: 03-8687 8111Email: [email protected]

Software Details:• Easy identification of parts by linking items

on parts list to call outs on drawings.• Incorporating parts lists to manuals (html,

pdf, doc)• Integration to major asset management

software such as MINCOM Ellipse, SAP,etc

• Web based viewer or stand alone viewer• Comes in two parts; LinkOne Viewer and

PublisherSystem Requirement• Windows ME, 2000 or XP• 64 MB of RAM• 20 MB of space on hard disc (60 MB space

for Publisher)• Microsoft IE 5.5 or higher

NAP The Network Availability Program (NAP) enablesusers to predict the availability and reliability ofcommunication networks.


3226

Contact: Michael DrewPhone: 0352 555 357FAX: 0352 555 778Email: [email protected]: www.reliability.com.au

Software Details:

The Network Availability Program (NAP)enables users to predict the availability andreliability of communication networks. The NAPnetwork availability model utilizes an extendedReliability Block Diagram (RBD) methodologythat addresses the specific characteristics ofnetwork elements and their connections.

Some of the extra features of NAP include:• Criticality Ranks• Parts Library allowing easy importing of

parts data in their conveinient groups• Network Element Library allows easy

construction of common network elementdiagrams

Complex or simple networks may be modeledusing NAP. Network elements may be logicallymodeled right down to part level using thepowerful NAP pagination facility. Individualnetwork elements diagrams have been extendedbeyond traditional RBDs to allow users to modelmultiple interfaces and their interactions withcommon equipment. Users may also restrict theanalysis to network paths traversing a limitednumber of network elements (limiting the ‘hop’number). This useful feature eliminatesunrealistic ‘snake like’ paths in complex networks.

OPUS10 OPUS10 is a comprehensive and flexible tool for

spares optimisation and logistics support analysis,enabling maximum availability at minimum cost.




Software Details:

OPUS10 is the world-leading tool for costeffective spares optimisation, life support costingand evaluation of maintenance and supplyconcepts. Furthermore it includes the powerfulLORA XT for system based, optimal allocationof repair resources.

OPUS10 features a very flexible multi indenture,multi echelon model that accommodates anytechnology or support organisation. It can modelflexible/lateral re-supply/backorder priority,preventive/ corrective maintenance as well asrepairables, discardables and partly repairables.

The optimisation is made from a systemperspective and will facilitate increasedavailability combined with savings of 20-40%compared with other methods.

PHA-Pro 6PHA-Pro 6 is the best-selling PHA software tool in

the world.



software.com

Software Details:

PHA-Pro 6 is the best-selling PHA software toolin the world, empowering process and alliedindustries to consistently document HAZOP,What If, Checklist, FMEA, SIL, LOPA, SVA ,PrHA and many other risk studies. Data analysisstatistics, charting capabilities, and MicrosoftVisio?integration make this an indispensable toolfor almost any type of hazard analysis. Feature byfeature, no other PHA software or HAZOPsoftware compares to PHA-Pro..

PMO2000Manages the initial review and creation of amaintenance strategy and the continuousimprovement process that follows in a ReliabilityAssurance program.

Company Information: Name: OMCS InternationalAddress: 7 / 92 Railway St SthContact: Steve Turner / Cameron RussellPhone: 61 3 9315 0330Email: [email protected]: www.reliabilityassurance.com

Software Details:

Planned Maintenance Optimisation (PMO) hasbecome the preferred approach for defining themaintenance requirements of the physical assetsof many of the world’s major companies. It hasreplaced RCM in these organizations because ofits speed and the fact that PMO2000TMproduces the same maintenance program asRCM in one sixth of the time with one sixth ofthe resource requirements. Together with ourother tools, a typical outcome of our programs isthat maintenance related downtime can bereduced by half in between 6 to 12 months.

PMO2000TM is the software that supports theinitial analysis and the subsequent continuousimprovement of the maintenance activity.

Combined with RIMSys and your downtime datacollection system, PMO2000TM creates thebaseline for your complete asset managementand reliability assurance program.

Key features:• Creates a comprehensive FMEA for

reviewing.• Outputs schedules into Word or Adobe pdf

documents that link seamlessly withmodern CMMS.

• Full import and export capability.• Performs labour balancing and resource

budgeting functions.• Cuts grouping and review of RCM outputs

by 90% over traditional methods.• Can perform both PMO and RCM analysis.• Fully networked with user’s access levels

controlled by password.• Allows for the use of libraries to develop

generic strategies.

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• Now built on MSSQL database andavailable in Chinese.

Used by nearly 100 sites around the world.

Get your free evaluation copy available fromwww.reliabilityassurance.com.

qRA ToolkitqRA Toolkit is locally developed software for

qualitative Risk Analysis in accordance withAS/NZS 4360, 3931 and MDG 1010


NSW, 2136Contact: Shane ChiddyEmail: [email protected] Web: www.assetpartnership.com

Software Details:

Risk is an inherent part of everything we do andthe qRA Toolkit is a unique software program tomake possible the management of risk in astructured, systematic and defensible manner.

As organisations face risks from all directions, aformal approach to Risk Management isessential. An organisation that has learned howto manage risks effectively will be able to makeinformed decisions and operate safely andefficiently.

The qualitative approach does not require groupmembers to be skilled in mathematics and isdesigned to create a valid and defensible risk

assessment, even when hard data is not available.

The qRA Toolkit leads the risk analysis facilitatorthrough the risk identification and managementprocess as defined by AS/NZS 4360, 3931 (IEC60300-3-9) and MDG 1010.

This software was developed in A u s t r a l i aspecifically for Australian and New ZealandIndustry and is fully supported withcomprehensive training. The software isavailable in stand-alone and network versions.

The qRA Toolkit features a report generatorwhich provides the complete risk analysis reportin the right order in addition to:• Documentation of the analysis systems and

sub-systems• Documentation of hazards, effects and

existing controls• Selection and analysis of hazards requiring

additional controls• Relative risk calculations using the

probability/consequence matrix• Documentation of additional control, their

cost/benefit and associated action plans • Automated sorting in risk, consequence,

person responsible and required date• Common secure database for all risks• Built in audit and review capability

RAM Commander R & M ToolRAM Commander is a Reliability andMaintainability software for reliabilityprofessionals and design engineers.

Company Information: Name: RELIASS

Address: Cams Hall, Cams Hill, FAREHAM, UK,

PO16 8AB


Phone: +44 1329 227 448

Fax: +44 1329 227 449


Web: http://www.reliability-safety-

software.com

Software Details:

RAM Commander is a Reliability andMaintainability software for reliabilityprofessionals and design engineers. This powerfulsoftware program covers the entire scope ofengineering tasks related to reliability ofelectronic, electro-mechanical, and mechanicalsystems.

Modules cover:

• Reliability Prediction

• Reliability Block Diagram

• Maintainability

• Spare Parts Analysis & Optimisation

• Derating Guidelines and Reports

• FMECA Analysis

• Testability Analysis

• Process & design FMEA

• Fault Tree Analysis

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Phone 0419 413 139 Fax 02 9402 4532www.thesoftwarewell.com.au [email protected]

Save Time… Save Money… with Wells Work Scheduler

This Advanced scheduling application provides the missing link between Maintenance andOperations so that jobs can be easily scheduled around the availability of equipment. It alsoenables the maintenance schedule to react quickly to windows of unexpected equipmentavailability to optimise maintenance utilisation and reduce future downtime.The Wells Work Scheduler will vastly improve maintenance scheduling in order to maximiseresource utilisation and minimise equipment downtime.

The Wells Work Scheduler comes with a 30 day money back guarantee, so can you aff o rd not to try !

Take Control. Gantt and Resource Usage views clearly shows the automatically generated taskschedule and resource utilisation. Tweak the schedule with manual overrides to control specifictasks, if required.

Ideal for Shutdown planning! Work can be broken-down hierarchically, as required, to efficiently schedule and allocate work packages. Work can be structured on attributes including: Equipment Group, Location, Responsibility and Task Type.

Manage resources graphically by setting calendar rules and resource availability. Adding extra shifts or contract resources can be accomplished in seconds.

Makeover your workplanning and schedulingwith Wells Work SchedulerAutomatically Schedule work aroundequipment availability, work priority andmaintenance Resources.

Link Operations and Maintenance tomaximise resource utilisation andminimise equipment downtime.

Ideal for Shutdown Planning to efficientlyschedule and allocate work packages.

Integration with CMMS applicationsfor seamless generation and schedulingof maintenance task

Wells Work Scheduler

MEX operates on all current Windows platformsincluding ‘95 ‘98 ‘00 NT & XP. It also allows theuser to report directly into Word, Excel and Access.It is recommended that you have at least 32 MbRam, 152 Mb Hard Disk space and an 800 x 600display option with 256 colours.

Other solutions available from Maintenance Expertsinclude: FLEETMEX, MEX OPS, MEX STORES,EASYTIME, FUEL MEX, MEX LINKS & MEXINSPECTIONS.

Your Maintenance - Our Expertise. Over 2400 Users Worldwide

Reduce Costs, Improve efficiency and help harness the full potentialof your maintenance operation. MEX gives companies all the power to takec o n t rol of their maintenance operation. Whether you are managing the maintenanceof a Processing Plant, Factory, Building Facility or even providing ContractMaintenance services, MEX has the flexibility to accommodate any situation. Let MEXlaunch your operation towards significant improvements in efficiency and pro d u c t i v i t y.

MEX’S Powerful Features Include:

M A I N T E N A N C E

M A N A G E M E N T

S O F T W A R EM E XEquipment RegisterA complete asset register, accuratelytracking the value and status of all ofyour equipment.

Work OrdersIncrease efficiency and profits, knowwho did what work, what it cost andwhen it was completed. Schedule andutilize your resources effectively.

Equipment Usage/PerformanceCondition reporting. Record and monitorreadings by any type including hoursused, Kpa, km etc

Maintenance PoliciesReduce breakdowns and control routinepreventive maintenance with automaticwork orders and standard jobs.

ReportingEssential and accurate informationimmediately. Customise your reports andgraphs, and export to third partyapplications.

HistoryAll your equipment history forperformance and comparative analysisand life cycle costing.

StoresComplete inventory management fromissuing spares to vital information onparts availability and consumption.

InvoicingSimple invoicing for customermaintenance work completed direct fromyour work orders.

InspectionsUtilise MEX and hand held devices toaddress risk management and safetyobligations. Perform routine inspectionsand upload results into MEX with a pressof a button.

Work RequestsSave time and eliminate paperwork.Remote requesting module to accuratelytrack, approve, and monitor workrequests.

Equipment Register• View add and update all details from

within a selected record• Record and report on details of

supplier, costs, purchases date etc• Equipment movement tracking• Location hierarchy to any branch of

equipment• Region/department hierarchy• Inclusion of all equipment details

including graphics/pictures• Security and User access levels

Work Orders• Multiple jobs for a work order• Resource and plan Labour, Materials

and time• Prioritise, report on and control work

in progress• Estimated and actual job costs• Internet and Intranet Work Requesting• Graphical schedules & tracking of work

Readings• Monitor plant readings• Track plant usage times• Graph results

Equipment usage/Performance• R e c o rd and re p o rt on any reading type• Calculate average usage rates for

equipment• Report on equipment performance

Maintenance Policies• Schedule work by conditions, hours

used, km, months etc• Automatic work order creation• Standard jobs• Allocation and management of job

spares, people and costs• Attach files to Policies

Invoicing• Invoicing of work completed• Create invoices directly from Work

Orders• Complete breakdown of costs, labour

and parts• Invoice matching to line item level• Customer specific pricing

Drawings• Complete Drawings register• Store equipment listing for each

drawing

History• Life cycle of costing and comparative

analysis• Failure analysis codes• Full work details including description,

labour parts• Account code charges• Down time/Repair time

Reports• Ease of data capture• User customizable reports• Export data quickly and accurately

MEX FROM $2178*

FREE CD DEMONSTRATIONCOPY OF MEX www.mex.com.au

Just fax this form to Maintenance Experts +61 7 3392 4888 or mail to:MEX Maintenance Experts PO BOX 6118 Buranda Qld Australia 4102

Name/Position:

Company:

Address:

Phone: Fax:

✂

RAMP - Plant AvailabilityModelling Tool

RAMP is a powerful availability modelling packagedeveloped specifically for the analysis of processsystems.



software.com

Software Details:

Do you know what are the most critical items ofequipment on your plant? Do you know howoften they fail and what the consequences onproduction are when they do? The answers tothese questions can have a dramatic effect onyour operations and maintenance strategies andalso on bottom line performance.

RAMP is a powerful availability modellingpackage developed specifically for the analysis ofprocess systems. RAMP models the effects ofscheduled and unscheduled downtime onprocess throughput, establishing relationshipsbetween equipment reliability, configuration,maintenance strategy, spares and resources.

Raptor Reliability SimulationTool

The graphical user interface and strong emphasison human factors make Raptor the pre-eminentreliability analysis tool.



software.com

Software Details:

Raptor software allows a reliability novice to quicklymodel a system. The graphical user interface andstrong emphasis on human factors make Raptorthe pre-eminent reliability analysis tool.

Because Raptor is so easy to use, there has beenan explosion of requests from academicinstitutions for the tool; however, educators arenot the only users. More than 2,500 commercialand government organizations also have copiesof this tool. In addition, hundreds of customersin more than 75 countries use Raptor.

RCA Rt - Root Cause Analysis RCA Rt software guides users through the problemsolving process. It incorporates a managementsystem where data, logic and solution history can

be referenced to identify patterns and trends.

Company Information: Name: RCA Rt Pty LtdAddress: GPO Box 407, Melbourne 3001Contact: Melissa CameronPhone: 03 9248 1381Fax: 03 9248 1388Email: [email protected]: www.rcart.com.au

Software Details:

R CA Rt is a comprehensive incidentmanagement system that is integrated with athorough Root Cause Analysis process. RCA Rtis a straightforward and intuitive process. It ispowerful productivity improvement tool that:• Enhances a culture of continuous

improvement• Encourages better use of resources• Improves problem solving skills• Reduces recurring problems• Improves job satisfaction• Reduces operating cost• Entirely suited for the shop floor

The RCA process may be enhanced by softwareto create a system to manage and analyseincidents and promote defect elimination. Thesoftware is a flexible package that guides usersthrough the problem solving process in easy tofollow steps.

Use of this software:• Greatly enhances the speed and the depth

of the RCA process,• Displays the cause tree as it grows• Allows easy amendment of the cause tree,• Ensures that no important information

source is overlooked,• Incorporates information gained from

brainstorming, practical investigations orother sources.

• Facilitates follow up with action plansclearly identified

• Records data, information and logic forfuture reference, and

• Provides a simple and professional reportingtool.

The corporate version has an administrationmodule that enables management of incidentsand conditions and provides a powerful searchtool that assists with the identification of trendsand repeating problems.

Suitable for use on a site wide network or standalone PCs’. RCA Rt is an Australian product withlocal software support that may be implementedwith significant cost savings.

RCM ToolkitSpecifically designed to support SAE JA1011compliant RCM, this proven and robust softwaremakes your RCM analysis easy and fast.


NSW, 2136Contact: Stephen YoungEmail: [email protected] Web: www.assetpartnership.com

Software Details:

This software supports an RCM II process thatcomplies with SAE JA 1011 and is used by theworld leaders in the application of RCM.

The RCM II process is designed to develop themost appropriate processes to manage theconsequences of equipment failure and thissoftware, developed to support complaint RCManalysis, quickly leads the RCM facilitatorthrough the analysis process to determine themost appropriate maintenance at the rightbalance of risk, cost and performance. Aparticular feature of this software is the way inwhich the most appropriate management policiesare developed using the Failure Finding Interval(FFI) calculator.

This software provides all the features expectedof an SAE JA1011 compliant RCM analysis inaddition to a wide range of standard and usercreated reports to support your maintenanceprocess including RCM worksheets in standardformat, work packages sorted by task, frequencyand skill set, fault finding guide (which allowsfor easy system fault diagnosis and hence a fasterreturn to service), analysis statistics plus manymore.

The user can also easily merge maintenance tasksand create maintenance task packages formigration to your CMMS while maintaining theall important audit trail.

The software is fully supported by a proven andworld class training program and unlimitedtechnical support. Available as standalone,network and internet versions.

RCM TurboLeading expert decision support methodology forthe implementation of the principles of reliabilitycentred maintenance and development of new,optimised maintenance schedules.

Company Information: Name: Strategic Corporate Assessment

Systems Pty LtdAddress: P.O. Box 427 Heidelberg,

Vic, 3084 AustraliaContact: Chris KellyPhone: 03 9455 2211Fax: 03 9455 2233Email: [email protected]: http://www.strategicorp.com

Software Details:

RCM Turbo was developed by and formaintenance professionals. Its processincorporates the established principles ofreliability centred maintenance, with a strongbusiness-based approach. It is a sound platformfor the development of revised maintenancepractice and evolution from reactiveenvironments through to planned, lower cost,higher process reliability environments.

The thrust of an RCM Turbo assessment is toput before assessors all the best availableinformation required to facilitate and justifydecisions. A number of expert components arecombined to provide an information flow whichleads directly to new, optimised maintenanceschedules ready for export and implementationin the existing computerised maintenancemanagement system. These include a criticalityassessment, which prioritises equipment forassessment and strongly contributes to the'thoughtware' component of a reliability analysis.

The detailed failure modes and effects analysiscomponent of an RCM Turbo assessment

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encourages assessors to explore alternativescenarios in order to gauge the resultant effectson both reliability and cost to the business. RCMTurbo seeks first to explore whether anypredictive maintenance is technically (then on acost basis) effective. If a predictive task cannotbe found, then any preventative actions areexplored. The full implication of doing nomaintenance (or operate to failure) is thenexamined, so that in every significant decisionthere is a clear comparison between any new,planned environment and a scenario of operatingto failure. RCM Turbo then provides a primarytask optimisation module to support the decisionon how often to perform these cost effectiveinspections.

All the assessment is aimed at the minimisationof business consequence in the event of bothoperational and safety/environmental failure.

Final optimised schedules are generated by RCMTurbo after a process of automatic generation of user-defined workgroups along with a workflow smoothingfacility which matches the newly optimised activitiesto available maintenance resources.

The successful usage of RCM Turbo isdependent on the level of assessor knowledgeand understanding of reliability principles. RCMTurbo is not just a piece of software, it is aplatform underpinning the methodology. Thus animplementation of RCM Turbo is carefullyplanned in the format of a high profile project,with defined deliverables and expectedoutcomes. Appropriate end user training is alwaysscheduled as part of the project.

The importance of local ownership, buy-in and

commitment cannot be underestimated in animplementation of a project aimed at a review ofmaintenance strategy across a site.

Strategic provides support services at all stagesof a reliability project, carefully balancing localownership implications with the need to providethe required deliverable.

RCM Turbo is a 32 bit Windows (9x, NT, XP)application provided on CD-ROM for standaloneor network use. Licences are provided on aperpetual basis, for unlimited users.

Hardware required is Pentium level or better.

Costings including training, implementation,audit, review and corporate licences are providedon application.

RCM Professional 3.0RCM Pro 3.0 is an easy-to-use yet powerfulreliability software program designed to hold,manipulate, and analyze Reliability-CenteredMaintenance or FMEA data in an intuitive,structured, and flexible way.

Company Information:Name: SNOINO.comAddress: Broadhaugh Building Suite 110

Camphill Road Broughty FerryDundee DD5 2ND Scotland

Contact: Mr. V. NarayanPhone: +44 (0) 1382 803070 Fax: +44 (0) 1382 737736Email: [email protected] Web: www. snoino.com

Software Details:

RCM Pro will hold any number of projects, withonly one being open for input at any one time. Aproject may be of any size, from a single functionwith an associated functional failure and failuremode, to (for example) the safety systems on anoil platform.

FREE evaluation trial (full program plus sampleanalysis) available.

h t t p : / / w w w. s n o i n o . c o m / r e l i a b i l i t y - m a i n t e n a n c e -optimization-software.htm for further functionaldetails and costs.

RCMCost Version 4.0RCMCost helps oragnisations minimize costs,

reach operational and environmental goals by

providing a visual environment to decide theoptimum preventive and inspection maintenance

actions through a FMECA and powerful simulation

facility.



Software Details:

RCMCost is a 32-bit application which runs

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under Microsoft Windows and provides the datamanagement, reporting andanalytical facilities fordeveloping and maintaining a Reliability-CentredMaintenance (RCM) programme. Thesefacilities include :• Graphically constructed system hierarchy

diagram • Failure Mode Effects and Criticality

Analysis (FMECA) • Identification of critical failure modes • Advice for decision making based on

performance simulation • Redundancy modelling • Weibull analysis of field data • Optimisation plots for alternative

maintenance strategies • Group maintenance modelling • Flexible reporting providing customised

worksheets • Copy and paste facilities for data transfer • Import/Export to databases and

spreadsheets

The RCMCost computer program provides thefull framework for building the RCM model torepresent your plant. It provides facilities forstoring RCM data and analysing maintenancealternatives. It provides simulation algorithms topredict lifetime maintenance costs, spares costsand usage, maintenance crew manningrequirements, safety and environmental risks andoperational performance. In addition RCMCostidentifies critical failure modes and compares thecost, safety and operational benefits of differentmaintenance intervals. The program is designedto combine well-established reliability predictiontechniques with engineering experience. Theprogram does not decide on which maintenancepolicy or combination of policies to adopt.Instead it advises the individual user orworkgroup based on the operational dataprovided. The program may be used to filter themost critical item (component) failures beforedetailed maintenance decisions are made. For afree demonstration of the recently releasedVersion 4.1 please call ARMS ReliabilityEngineers on 52542922 or access us on the webat www.reliability.com.au

RCMeasyRCMeasy automates a re-defined RCM processwith a strong emphasis on failure mode effectanalysis, which it does very well.

Company Information: Name: MCP AMIS Pty LtdAddress: 21 Activity Crescent, Ernest QLD 4214Contact: Tony OsbornPhone: 07 55646637Fax: 07 55646638Email: [email protected] Web: www.mcp-cg.com

Software Details:

The management of maintenance has become acentral focus in the improvement of businessperformance. The need to reduce the cost ofmaintenance whilst maintaining high levels ofplant reliability and availability is the keyobjective of RCMeasy.

The RCMeasy technique involves the analysis ofplant, machinery, equipment, buildings or otherassets to develop the most effective maintenance

strategy plan for the organisation. The RCMeasyapproach can be used for existing processes andequipment or when developing maintenanceplans for new sites or processes. A typical projectinvolves a knowledgeable person acting asf a c i l i t a t o r, and staff drawn from the engineering,operational and production departments.

The project team use their experience todetermine the most critical items of equipmentin the process and apply the RCMeasy techniqueto identify the most effective means ofmaintenance. The project data is captured andanalysed using the RCMeasy software.

RCMeasy can import equipment register data foran existing system, guides the user throughcriticality analysis and supports Failure ModeAnalysis to produce maintenance tasks, times,frequency and resource requirements.

Information produced can them be uploadeddirectly into your Computer MaintenanceManagement System.

Windows Based MS Access database, stand-a-loan or net workable

Training and support available

Site wide licence AUD$4,995.00

RCS ToolkitReliability-centred Spares (RCS) Toolkit is theleading edge technology for accurately matchingspare parts holdings to maintenance andoperational needs.


NSW, 2136Contact: Stephen YoungEmail: [email protected] Web: www.assetpartnership.com

Software Details:

RCS Toolkit is applicable to any engineeringinventory whether it is fast moving consumablesor slow moving insurance spares. The softwarealgorithms reflect the true reality of maintenancespares holdings and are configurable to reflectyour operating context.

Because the RCS logic takes into account bothcommercial and maintenance requirements, theoutputs are defensible justifications for theholding of key items that the Asset Manager, theFinance Manager and the Inventory Managercan all understand.

While best results are achieved by using yourRCM analysis outputs, if you wish to assumeyour current maintenance strategy is correct,then RCS Toolkit provides a quick and definitiveanswer to the question of what engineeringstocks should be held and where, as well asallowing you to you see the effect of uncertaintiesin downtime costs, part costs and lead times.Seeing the impact allows you to better manageyour inventory and understand the risks.

RCS Toolkit allows you to effectively manage therisk inherent in holding engineering spares andtakes the guesswork out of deciding what to holdpresented in table, text recommendations orgraphical format.

This software is fully supported by training andtechnical support.

Reliability WorkBench Version9.1 Prediction Module

The prediction software carries out the failure ratecalculation as defined by the chosen standard andgives you the result.



Software Details:

The Telcordia (Bellcore) standard predicts thefailure rates for mainly electronic componentsand is based on research on telecommunicationsapplications. The MIL-HDBK-217 standardpredicts failure rates for electronic equipmentbased on work carried out for the US DoD. TheRDF 2000 standard predicts failure rates forelectronic equipment based on the reliabilitydata handbook published by UTE (UnionTechnique de l'Electricite). The NSWChandbook deals with mechanical componentsand is based on research carried out for theUnited States Navy.

The components that make up a system can bedefined in a tree structure. The tree may becomposed entirely of components or it could besubdivided into blocks each of which could holdother blocks or components. In this way you caneasily represent your system and sub-systems.The failure rate model for each component ismade up of a base failure rate for that particulartype of component and multiplying factorsknown as pi-factors. These factors depend onthe operating conditions experienced by thecomponent. You can input these conditionsthrough simple dialogs and life is made eveneasier by providing default values for theparameters. If you don't like the default valuesyou change them! The failure rates ofcomponents are calculated immediately anddisplayed on the tree diagram. The contributionsof components failure rates to blocks andsystems failure rates is also displayed. You canexamine the effects of stresses caused by thevarious environmental conditions by displayingthe base failure rates and pi-factors for eachc o m p o n e n t .

Reliability WorkBench Version9.1

An integrated visual environment in which failurerate prediction, FMECA, Reliability Block Diagram,Fault Tree, Event Tree and Markov analysis arecombined.



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Software Details:

The Reliability Workbench is a fully integratedreliability prediction software toolkit whichincludes the following elements: • Reliability Prediction o MIL-217 F Notice 2 o Telcordia (Bellcore) TR-332 Issue 6 and

SR-332 Issue 1 o NSWC standard 98/LE1 o RDF 2000 • MTTR Prediction • RAC Prism Link • FMECA, Process and Design FMEA o MIL-STD-1629A o QS-9000 o SAE J1739 o SAE ARP5580 o BS 5760 o EFA Format o Commercial Aircraft Format • RBD Analysis • Fault Tree Analysis • Event Tree Analysis • Markov Analysis • Maintainability

All these powerful reliability analysis methodscan be applied from within a single, fullyintegrated, program. You can now automaticallygenerate fault trees from your prediction orF M E CA project and share data in this fullyintegrated environment. For further informationor a demonstration of Reliability Wo r k b e n c hVersion 9.1. you can contact ARMS on 035255

5357 or via email [email protected].

RelCodeWeibull analysis of failure data to determine burn-in, random or wear-out pattern, preventivereplacement intervals, inspection intervals andspares requirements.

Company Information: Name: Albany Interactive Pty LtdAddress: 16 Wellesley Road Ringwood North

Victoria 3134 AustraliaContact: Nick HastingsEmail: [email protected]: www.albanyint.com.au

Software Details:

Functional capabilities: Analysis of failure andsuccessful performance data using the We i b u l ldistribution, including Bi-Weibull; Preventivereplacement interval analysis; Estimation ofMTBF including confidence limits; Inspectionand Condition Monitoring Intervals; Spare partsrequirements projection; Data entry direct orfrom spreadsheet; Results to screen, printer orfile in spreadsheet compatible format.

Description: RelCode software is designed toassist maintenance and reliability managers to:

1. Assess the failure pattern and mean life ofcomponents. This helps you to determinethe root cause of failure and to select themost appropriate maintenance policy.Assessing the Mean Life helps to measurereliability and to determine spares

requirements.

2. Calculate the best preventive replacementinterval for components subject to wear-out.Calculate spares requirements related to theresulting policy.

3. Determine inspection intervals.

4. Apply Weibull and Bi-Weibull distributionfitting to any data, e.g. as a building block insimulation models.

Input: RelCode can work from either numericaldata supplied by the user or from estimates madeby a person with experience with the relevantcomponents.

Output: Tabular and graphical outputs indicatingWeibull parameters, Reliability plot against age,Failure rate plot against age, Cost againstpreventive replacement age, Availability againstinspection interval for hidden failures, Probabilityof detection against monitoring interval forcondition monitoring.

Runs on IBM-PC. Site license cost $4400.Current version 9.04.

Developed continuously since 1975.

RIMSys - ReliabilityIncident Management System

Manages the administration, storage, retrieval of

investigations into reliability problems and

incidents as well as minor projects. Interfaces with

RCA, CMMS and PMO/RCM software.

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Company Information: Name: OMCS InternationalAddress: 7 / 92 Railway St SthContact: Steve Turner / Cameron RussellPhone: 61 3 9315 0330Email: [email protected]: www.reliabilityassurance.com

Software Details:

This is the first system of its kind - a must fororganisations that are serious about eliminatingfailures.

Many organisations initiate investigations intoinfrequent, high consequence plant failures orfrequent, medium to low cost incidents.However, many times they: • fail to complete the investigation; • fail to implement the solution; or • have a poor system for storing, referencing

or searching investigation reports.

This situation leads to a cycle of repeatedinstances of the same failure and a waste of effortwhen investigations are half done or notimplemented.

Key Features• RIMSys™ is a system that supports the

incident management process of: o recording, o allocating responsibilities, o investigating, o recommending actions, o approving, o implementing, and o closing. • Is network based allowing unlimited

incident raisers. • Has definable staff access levels. • Stores records in formal database

environment where records cannot be lostand status can be reviewed simply andquickly.

• Allows grouping, filtering and reporting ofthe status of incidents including 'time instage'.

• Has extensive reporting capability.• Can be configured to automatically email

people at different stages of theinvestigation / resolution process.

• Allows linking to electronic documentsincluding photographs.

• User definable risk matrix. • Rapid risk ranking. • User definable incident consequence

categories. • Can be used to manage Occupational

Health and Safety (OH&S). • Can be interfaced with other systems such

as CMMS, PLC, SCADA, CITECT orDCS.

Get your free evaluation copy available fromwww.reliabilityassurance.com

SIMLOX SIMLOX is a powerful and versatile tool for eventbased simulation and analysis of complexoperational and logistic support scenarios.

Company Information: Name: SYSTECON ABAddress: BOX 5205 SE10245

STOCKHOLM SWEDEN


Software Details:

SIMLOX is a powerful and versatile tool forsimulation and analysis of complex operationaland logistic support scenarios. It will simulatehow performance varies over time given certainoperational profile, support structure, sparesassortment and maintenance resources.

SIMLOX is ideal for capability assessments.Accurate simulations will identify and correctproblems, bottlenecks and shortages before realworld operations are compromised.

SIMLOX provides graphs on system availability,resource utilisation, actual vs requested missiontime etc.

SIMLOX handles any technology or organisation.It will accommodate for ìrobbingî, battledamages, batched transports, lateral support,scheduled transfers (of systems, items orresources) and more.

Spares Optimisation System(SOS)

Unique expert decision support methodology forestablishing whether or not to hold a spare and ifso, in what max/min quantities

Company Information: Name: Strategic Corporate Assessment

Systems Pty LtdAddress: P.O. Box 427 Heidelberg, Vic, 3084,

AustraliaContact: Chris KellyPhone: 03 9455 2211Fax: 03 9455 2233Email: [email protected]: http://www.strategicorp.com

Software Details:

SOS is a Windows based software applicationwhich provides users with a consistent, auditableplatform for deciding whether or not to hold aspare part. If the decision is to hold, then SOSwill recommend an appropriate max/min quantity.

SOS is unique in that it utilises an expert approachto the decision making process. Through a criticalityassessment taking consideration of a combinationof technical and business implications, SOS willmake a holding recommendation ready for exportto the existing computerised maintenancemanagement system, or will justify the introductionof new items to the store.

SOS does not rely on the mathematicalmanipulation of movement history, thus it can beapplied to new equipment spares and equally toslow moving items. A final decision will be adirect reflection of current maintenance practice.

Developed by and for maintenance engineers,SOS is an optimising tool, not a 'slash and burn' approach. Where the business is exposed to riskthrough insufficient holdings, SOS will clearlyindicate the implications. A cost/risk module isprovided for the assessment of contentious,expensive and capital/insurance items, where thecost and risk of stockout is graphically comparedto the holding costs of the item.

SOS is also a 'what if ?' tool. Users can explorethe effect on recommended holdings based on

alternative lead times, usage and repairabilityimplications. This functionality can clarify thepath to new, vendor arrangements whilequantifying the effects.

SOS is a 32 bit Windows (9x, NT, XP)application provided on CD-ROM for standaloneor network use. Licences are provided on aperpetual basis, for unlimited users.

Hardware required is Pentium level or better.

Costings including training, implementation andcorporate licences are provided on application.

Strategic also offers spares optimisation servicesthrough its affiliate Sparesoptimization.com. Seewww.sparesoptimization.com

SVA-ProSVA-Pro is a comprehensive and innovativesoftware tool for conducting Security VulnerabilityAnalysis.



software.com

Software Details:

S VA-Pro 6 is a comprehensive and innovativesoftware tool for conducting SecurityVulnerability Analysis. This product is designedwith the specific needs of security specialists inmind. It provides expert guidance for studying afull range of facilities to help companies identifycritical assets and potential adversaries in orderto eliminate threats and reduce vulnerabilitythrough improved countermeasures.

trim Using streamlined methods, trim™ ranksequipment risk, applies predeveloped maintenance

templates, and generates complete CMMSequipment PM work orders.

Company Information: Name: CORE, Inc.Address: 5915 Braun WayContact: J. K. AugustPhone: +1 (303) 425-7408Fax: +1 (303) 425-0861Email: [email protected] Web: www.rcmtrim.com

Software Details:

Trim™ users pre-qualify equipment PM by risk,to apply equipment templates. They custom-apply template tasks on downloaded masterCMMS equipment using simple, lookupselection methods. Knowledgeable staff hasreports to review, verify and audit analysis,validate results and upload completed work.CMMS, Rounds, PDA's or other implementationsystem receives end products. Flexibleworkorder products trace tasks to standard,approved templates. Automatic computersoftware makes change update easy. Repetitive

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changes provide living maintenance, with changejustification basis. Trim? automates PMdevelopment in complex maintenanceenvironments like power plants tasks

TTREEA highly user friendly Fault Tree Analysis package

that, unlike more complicated products, can beassimilated in less than an hour.

Company Information: Name: Maintenance 2000 LimitedAddress: Broadhaugh Building Suite 110

Camphill Road Broughty FerryDundee DD5 2ND Scotland

Contact: Dr. David SmithPhone: +44 (0) 1382 803070 Fax: +44 (0) 1382 737736Email: [email protected]: www.maint2k.com

Software Details:

TTREE is a straightforward and fast Fault TreeAnalysis package that caters for the majority ofFault Tree sizes encountered in practice. Itprovides:• A simple and logical tree input method that

enables tree logic to be verified. • Clear outputs providing cut set ranking by

unavailability and failure rate (six measuresof cut-set and event importance).

• Clear graphics, which can be easilyimported into a word processing package(gate suppression facility).

• The Technis Beta + method for takingaccount of common cause failure.

• Facilities for one-shot probability such ashuman error.


Wells Work Scheduler Advanced scheduling application that linksMaintenance and Operations so that maintenancework can be easily scheduled around resource andequipment availability.

Company Information: Name: The Software Well Pty LtdAddress: 47 Epping Dr

Frenchs Forest 2086 NSWContact: Steve SydenhamPhone: 0419 413 139 Fax: 02 9402 4532Email: [email protected]: www.thesoftwarewell.com.au

Software Details:

This advanced scheduling application integrateswith CMMS applications to provide a seamlessenvironment for generating maintenance tasksand then optimizing the maintenance schedulearound task priority, resource availability andequipment availability to maximize resourceutilization and minimize equipment downtime.

The Gantt based graphical view of the workschedule clearly shows the automatically

generated task schedule and resource utilization.

Manual overrides can be used to tweak the

schedule as required.

Ideal for shutdown planning to efficiently

schedule and allocate work packages based on a

user definable work breakdown structure.

Wells Work Scheduler includes the following

features:

o User Defined resource calendars

o Scheduling based on Constraints, Priorities

and Predecessors

o Scheduling based on Resource and

Equipment availability

o Drag and drop task linking

o Flexible sorting and filtering of work tasks

o Printing of Schedule in Gantt format

o Flexible project hierarchy

o Manage stand alone projects

o Integration with CMMS applications

(optional)

The Wells Wok Scheduler will vastly improve

most maintenance scheduling applications and,

as a result, maximize resource utilization and

minimize equipment downtime.

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P roduct ofthe year 2003

EuropeanElectronics

Industry Awards

Contact MSc for further details on our range of infraredCamera Systems or list of our authorised distributers.

27 Research Drive, Croydon VIC 3136ph 03 9761 5088 fax 03 9761 5090email: [email protected]: www.maintsys.com.au

Infrared Thermography.... find temperature problemsbefore they find you!

Affordable Portable Thermal Imaging camerasand software start from under Aud $5,000.

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Based on daily scheduling, comprehensive planning, ande n g i n e e red standards, maintenance finite-capacity planning canprovide full utilization of the maintenance workforce and continuousskill development. Results of using finite-capacity planning for thisapplication are a 20 percent to 40 percent increase in work completedwith the same amount of staff, better customer service, impro v e dquality, and reduced cost per unit of maintenance service.

Conventional maintenance departments receive requests andimmediately route them to supervisors or technicians for action.Technicians respond by checking the job site, planning the work,deciding what materials and tools to bring to the job, and thenreturning to the shop to gather parts and tools. They return to the job,p e rhaps several times, to do the work. They make repairs whenn e c e s s a ry, often under emergency conditions. They perf o rm periodicpreventive maintenance on a regular annual schedule. They also dop rojects that involve modification or additions to the physical plant.These varying, random demands create peaks and valleys in theworkload; consequently, the peaks re q u i re overtime (higher costs) andthe valleys result in unutilized time (higher costs through lower output).

Complicating this scenario is the usual result that, for a shop madeup of, say, 100 technicians, there are easily several thousand openwork orders in various stages of planning, waiting for materials, inp ro g ress, and so on. There is no control valve that adjusts randomwork requests automatically with the fairly constant available staffhours. Result: too many jobs in pro g ress and too few being completed;many late completions; equipment unavailable when needed, causinglate customer deliveries; and too many work orders lost in deskdrawers, tool boxes, and lockers waiting for action. Not a pre t t ypicture.

This situation is usually not the fault of maintenance technicianseven if they are seen in the break room too often by highermanagement. Poor maintenance service is usually caused by the lackof up-todate management tools in the maintenance department. “Butwe just installed the latest version of our top-of-the-line computerizedmaintenance management system. We have the right tools!” you say.But what business process did you use when you installed thes o f t w a re? In many cases, it’s the same perf o rmance managementp rocess that has been producing low productivity all along. So youautomate a low-productivity system. The software cannot deliver anyresults without a good shop floor productivity management systemintegrated into the business process.

Ask yourself these questions: What are the savings that resultedf rom our new software upgrade? How much productivity impro v e m e n thas resulted? What is the payback period (when savings equals cost)?

What is the re t u rn on investment? If you can’t answer these questions,you probably are getting only 10 percent or 20 percent of the valueout of your CMMS.

A new optionMaintenance finite-capacity planning is a maintenance pro d u c t i v i t y

management tool used by supervisors and planners to plan, schedule,and dispatch sufficient work to utilize the full staff capacity every day.

The purpose of maintenance finite-capacity planning is to controlthe release of only a well-planned amount of work that the staff canmanage each day. It is based on the scientific management principledefined by Frederick Taylor as follows: The best productivity re s u l t swhen each individual has a definite job to do, in a definite way, andin a definite time.

The organization in conventional maintenance departments isusually composed of supervisors who direct the work and technicalstaff who plan and perform the work. There are many administrativeresponsibilities associated with this arrangement that are no one’sre s p o n s i b i l i t y, so they fall on the shoulders of the supervisor andtechnician. For example, they must do their own field checks, jobplanning, and deciding on the work content. They must do the materialrequisitioning and often have to hunt for in-stock material. They sortt h rough many work orders each day to find the ones they can workon; technicians schedule their own day.

By contrast, the department using maintenance finite-capacityplanning has a planning function (about one dedicated planner fore v e ry 30 technicians). The planners are skilled technicians, so theirplans affect the productivity of all technicians, not just their own. Staffor a consultant trains the planners in formal planning of all types ofmaintenance work.

The training also introduces work measurement to maintenanceworkers specifically, how to establish realistic times for the differentmaintenance work. The planners determine work content of the job,p r i o r i t y, tools and materials needed, safety re q u i rements, skillsneeded, and crew size. They requisition non-stock material and keepsupervisors informed about the status of the backlog what jobs arehigh priority, what jobs are ready-to-work. The planners re l i e v es u p e rvisors and technicians from these planning tasks so they can domore work.

The introduction of maintenance time standards is an essentialp a rt of the process since the time standards are the means toestablish consistent, realistic job methods, and times. Standards arethe yardstick by which management measures backlog of work, byskill, for staffing decisions and budget preparation.

Plan for maintenanceproductivityBy Tom Westerkamp

Reprinted with the permission of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, 3577Parkway Lane, Suite 200, Norcross, GA 30092, 770-449-0461. Copyright©2001

Increase Maintenance Productivity With Finite-capacity Planning

Plan for maintenance productivity

50

The 15-step processThe following 15 steps constitute a sequenced plan to implement

maintenance finite-capacity planning.

1. Operations managers, project managers, facilities managers,customer service personnel, supervisors, and planners submit workrequests according to proper standard pro c e d u res. They documentwork on work orders and enable the enterprise to develop two to fourweeks of backlog.

T h e re are four types of maintenance work: emergency re p a i r,p reventive maintenance, routine corrective maintenance, and pro j e c t s(modification, additions, and other construction work). These jobscome into the maintenance department randomly sometimes notenough work requests to keep the available workforce busy, andsometimes too much. When too much work comes in, the solution isto use overtime, contractors, or to expand the workforce if the needis seen as a continuing one. Insufficient work results in idle time andhigh costs; too much work results in delays, incomplete jobs, and highcosts.

2. Prioritize the work. Sufficient leadtime is the key to on-timecompletion. An effective maintenance work order priority system istime-sensitive. Each of the four priority categories listed below has aspecific, pre-established response time. This concept givesmaintenance managers the tools to respond quickly to urgent workand time to evaluate the backlog of routine work. They can determ i n ehow much work is due during each future time period. This ensuresthat sufficient lead-time exists to take corrective action if the workloadand workforce get out of balance.

Four levels of priority are used to ensure that response to a workrequest for maintenance service is made according to the urgency ofthe request:• Priority 1: Emergency. Includes emergency work needed to

ensure personnel safety, to return mission-critical equipment toservice, or to prevent major damage. Response is immediate andovertime is automatic if needed.

• Priority 2: Urgent. Must be completed during this shift as soon asa maintenance person is available but does not interrupt otherwork. Overtime approval is automatic.

• Priority 3: Service is needed within 24 hours. Specify that serviceis needed before the end of a certain shift by entering (1) for thenight shift, (2) for the day shift, or (3) for the afternoon shift.

• Priority 4: Scheduled work. This work can wait more than 24hours. It includes routine repairs, preventive maintenancescheduled annually, and projects such as overhauls,installations, and modifications. The request must include a datewhen the equipment will be available and when work is to becompleted.Safety re q u i rements are extremely important and should re c e i v e

careful and continuing attention. These requirements will fall into allfour categories shown above, from a safety guard missing (Priority 1)to a gradually wearing stair tread (Priority 4). Priorities should beestablished for safety work according to the circumstances of eachsituation. The service request should be clearly marked “Safety.”

3. Plan each routine work order. Planning may be done informallyor formally. The supervisor or technician may now do this informallyas part of the job, but full-time planners could do it to free up time fors u p e rvisors and technicians. A good planning system includesdefining the work content and scope, determining materials neededversus what is available, identifying skills needed and crew size,applying a standard time to the job, planning safety re q u i rements, anddeciding what special tools or equipment may be re q u i red. Thisplanning is a complex activity. It takes a lot of time. If the planning isall done by supervisors and technicians, they are very likely going tospend no more than a third of their time directing and doing the work,re s p e c t i v e l y. The other two-thirds will be time spent checking jobs,planning them, locating tools and materials, and sometimes hoppingin the company truck and going to the hard w a re store for out-of-stockor nonstock items.

4. The supervisor organizes the next day’s work. Only enough workto make full use of available staff, plus a small cushion, is re l e a s e deach day. Current excess work orders should be collected andreissued as the maintenance finite-capacity planning system isi n t roduced. As work orders are completed, new work orders arereleased.

5. Load a job assignment board every day with enough work toutilize the full staff of technicians (see “Using the job assignmentb o a rd”). The maintenance work order system does not start action ona job until the work order is assigned to a maintenance person. Themaintenance supervisors use the job assignment board to assignp replanned routine corrective work, preplanned pre v e n t i v emaintenance work, and project work to each member of the crew.

Using the job assignment board1. The supervisor loads the “To start” slot each day with enough work orders to make full use of each

member of the crew all day plus 10 percent (or other amount based on experience) for unexpectedcircumstances. For example, customer-driven changes may mean that equipment scheduled for repair isunavailable; therefore, an alternate job is needed so that the maintenance person can be rescheduledwith a minimum of lost time. Full “To start” and “In progress” slots indicate at a glance that the maintenance person has a job (so thecrew leader knows where the person is) and has other work assigned ahead.

2. When loading the job assignment board, the crew leader places the first job to be done in front, the second in back of the first, and soon. This ensures that work will be completed according to the priority set by the crew leader.

3. When getting assignments, the maintenance person performs the work in the order that work orders are loaded in the job assignmentboard. The current job is moved to the “In progress” slot. After the technician completes the job, he or she notes comments, delays,and actual hours and places the completed work order in the “Complete” slot. If the job is not completed due to an interruption or lackof material, the work order is placed in the “Delayed” slot. When any work orders are in the “Delayed” slot, the crew leader knows ata glance that some action is required due to a condition not controllable by the maintenance person.

4. The supervisor who checks the work orders for completeness and quality picks up completed jobs during the day and at the end of theday. Some jobs may necessitate visits to the job site to ensure that work is satisfactory to the requester. All jobs completed during theshift are turned in to the data entry clerk by the end of the shift so that closings can be kept current in the computer system. Thisensures that the system reports are up to date.

5. Complete pro c e d u res for filling out the work order are explained to each technician by the supervisor before the system is implemented.


51

Figure 1. Cost per standard hour trend.

Figure 2. Cumulative savings vs. cost resulting from productivity improvement..

Figure 3. Backlog trend for planning next week’s work and future staffing.


6. The supervisor monitors work order progress daily and adjustsassignments for emergencies, delays, and completions. Theseconditions are part of the typical maintenance depart m e n t ’sexperience, so the system must be flexible enough to roll with theseminute-to-minute changes. If there are plenty of planned work ord e r sready for assignment, they can be staged and ready when the ru s hwork is done.

7. The supervisor checks completed work orders for quality andcompleteness of work every day. The supervisor selects a sample ofwork orders each day, goes to the job site, and inspects the work. Thesite inspection may include discussion with the requester to ensurethat the work is satisfactory from the user’s point of view.

8. E v e ry day, the supervisor checks completed work orders forquality and completeness of re p o rting. In the typical maintenanceshop, not all work is recorded on work orders. Some jobs may havebeen done on verbal authority. Some time may have been spentwaiting for an assignment and not recorded anywhere.

9. Completed work orders are turned in by the supervisor everyday to ensure completeness of equipment histories and control re p o rt sand to verify that all hours worked are accounted for.

1 0. Once a week, the supervisor reviews the previous week’s work,performance report results (Figures 1 and 2), and organizes the nextweek’s work (Figure 3) with the planner.

1 1. Planners identify and obtain needed as-built drawings andmanuals for vendor troubleshooting, preventive maintenance,c o rrective maintenance, and parts. Missing information is often acause of delay. If critical information such as an equipment re p a i rmanual is unavailable, several hours can be spent in wasted activityor hunting for the information. Ideally, all of this information should beonline so that it can easily be obtained from a database using a searc hengine. If technicians have access to the database from a portable,w i reless computer, they can look at the information on a heads-updisplay while working.

1 2. C o n v e rt troubleshooting into preventive maintenance or re -design of mission-critical equipment. Analysis of the failurei n f o rmation by the planning group can reveal the reasons forequipment failure or diminished capability. With this inform a t i o n ,management and the vendor can assess the problem and either adjustpreventive maintenance tasks and frequency or look for more robustdesign to eliminate or reduce the problems.

1 3. The maintenance engineer checks year-to-date equipmentrepair costs to see where the most improvement can be made. Focusattention there. Often, the work orders only distribute costs andseldom capitalize on the most important advantage - analyzing thecosts to find out which equipment or locations are absorbing the mostlabor and material costs. Many computerized maintenancemanagement systems have Pareto analysis re p o rts or SQL queryc a p a b i l i t y. These tools can be used to sort costs by equipment orlocation in descending order of cost. Often the 80/20 rule 80 percentof costs are concentrated on 20 percent of the equipment re v e a l swhere management attention will yield the greatest results.

1 4. Integrate the scheduling into the CMMS by activating the worko rder scheduling application. Many computerized maintenancemanagement systems have no scheduling function built in or have itbut it is inactive. If daily scheduling had not been done in the past,t h e re would have been no need to install the scheduling function when

the system was set up. This integrated approach is essential for a completely paperless

system and an effective use of hand-held technology.

15. Get all hours worked accounted for in the CMMS work ordersystem. This may seem obvious. In fact, the assumption is frequently“ We already do that.” It is wise to check again. Unless you are alre a d ydoing maintenance finite-capacity planning, no daily check is madeto account for all hours worked, so it is up to chance. There are manyways actual hours worked can be overlooked when you try toreconcile them with hours reported on work orders:

• Verbal assignments or technician initiated work orders, no hours reported.

• Lunch and breaks, if paid, not included in reported hours.

• Vacations, holidays, absence, but no reduction in available hourson report.

• Training and meetings unreported.

• Time spent due to delays not included on the control report.

• Assisting contractor or vendor not reported and unplanned.

• Field checking jobs and contacting the customer not reported.

• Not all crewmembers’ hours reported on multi-person jobs.

• Unscheduled time (time between assignments), no work order toreport on. Should be reported as a delay on the next assignment.

• Missing as-builts, manuals, and guides.

• On-the-job-training time unreported. Both trainee and traineractual time should be re p o rted as work time.

Note that you can run a report in the CMMS that shows the totalhours for each technician on work orders for a period. By comparingthis total with the total time each technician was available, you cand e t e rmine the source of any shortfall in time on work ord e r s .

Finite-capacity planning starts with organizing a dedicatedplanning function and introducing pre d e t e rmined maintenance times t a n d a rds. It includes daily scheduling of all labor hours available,even if the schedule has to be adjusted several times due to inevitablechanges in priorities. It ends with a continuous improvement systemthat pays back the investment many times over. It increases thew o r k f o rce size without any hiring authority since each individualworks more productively and with increasing skill. It frees superv i s o r sfrom planning so they have more time to be at the job sites ready toc a rry out their two most important responsibilities fully utilizing theworkforce and developing the skills of their staff.

For further reading1. Karger, Delmar W. and Franklin H. Bayha,

Engineered Work Measurement, 4th ed., Industrial Press, 1987.2. Taylor, Frederick Winslow, The Principles Scientific

Management, Dover Publications, 1998 (republication of theoriginal vol. published by Harper & Bros., 1911).

3. Westerkamp, Thomas A., MaintenanceManager’s Standard Manual, 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall, 1997.

4. Zandin, Kjell B., editor-in-chief, Maynard’sIndustrial Engineering Handbook, 5th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2001.

5. Zandin, Kjell B., MOST Work MeasurementSystems, 2nd Ed., Marcel Dekker, 1990.

Tom Westerkamp is a consultant, author, and speaker. He isfounder and CEO of Productivity Network Inc., a pro d u c t i v i t yi m p rovement consulting firm specializing in maintenancemanagement, health care business office management, and telecomtechnology. Copyright©2001

52


53

Unbelievable:Resonances And Their Enormous Force

PRÜFTECHNIK

Mathias Luft,

PRÜFTECHNIK was called in to evaluate damage on a supply airventilator. The site was a scene of destruction and devastation.

Both pedestal bearings of the ventilator shaft had been torn off andhurled away. The 80 mm thick shaft was bent by approx. 30 degreeson both sides of the impeller. The impeller itself had run into the leftand right suction cones, completely destroying them and was itselfbadly dented. All fan belts were torn - in short, this aggregate was atotal write-off. What had happened?

An important clue was the evidence from the operator who saidthe damage had occurred during the startup of the ventilator. As aventilator of the same type was in operation nearby, it was possibleto re c o rd a so-called Bode diagram or run up curve. Thism e a s u rement re c o rds the amplitude of the rotational fre q u e n c yvibrations (i.e. the part of the vibration caused by imbalance) as afunction of the speed. It revealed a trend that indicated the cru c i a lc i rcumstantial evidence for the re c o n s t ruction of the damagep ro g ression (Fig. 1, right). At approx. 1130 rpm, and thus below theoperating speed of 1300 rpm, a sudden rise in the rotational fre q u e n c yvibration amplitude to more than 80 mm/s (!!) appeared which thenabruptly fell again above this critical speed. Consequently, the signalpath corresponds precisely to the behavior of a rotor when passingt h rough its 1st flexing intrinsic vibration (Fig. 2). In addition to thedistinctive rise in the rotational frequency vibrations, the phaserotation of 180˚ is especially typical.

It was clear from this that only a rotor resonance could have beenthe underlying cause of the damage. However, the actual cause couldhave been increased imbalance of the impeller that could still havebeen absolutely permissible at the operational speed, but caused tool a rge a vibration excitation when passing through the resonance point.

How high the vibration increases at the resonance point dependsmainly on the damping of the rotor and on the dwell time in the areaclose to the point of resonance. Heavy rotors such as the turbinerotors of large steam turbines re q u i re more time to build up to highvibration amplitudes than, for example, light impellers. Thus, in addition

to the optimum balance of the ro t o r, rapidly passing through the pointof resonance is also a key factor in avoiding unacceptable vibrationsnear the point of resonance.

A n y w a y, if the resonance point of the rotor is to be shifted,constructive changes are essential. In this case, the changing of ther i g i d i t y, the mass or the bearing spacing are the most import a n tparameters although such measures are often not possible for costreasons. However, as an additional measure in variable- speeda g g regates, at least the speed range close to the resonant fre q u e n c ymust be blocked in the converter control unit.

Unbelievable: Resonances And Their Enormous Force

54

Figure 1. Amplitude Curve

Figure 2a. Bode Diagram / Startup Curve

Figure 2b. Bode Diagram / Startup Curve

Figure 3. Vibration From A Rotor

Resonance point1. Bending intrinsic form

A= 82.6 mm/sn= 1132 rpm

Resonance

Resonance

Phase Shift by 180˚

Rise In Resonance

Unbelievable: Resonances And Their Enormous Force

55

Hosted CMMS -Are You ReadyFor The Revolution?Computerised Facility Intergration, L.L.C,

Well, are all of you ready for a shift in software distribution? Forthose of you who don’t know, a revolution in the way software isdistributed is at hand. It is changing the way your vendors and serv i c ep roviders pro c u re, distribute, deploy, manage, and bill for softwareapplications. What am I talking about? One of the most rapidly gro w i n gareas of the software industry, that of Application Service Providers(ASP) or hosted solutions.

A S P ’s are comprehensive software and support serv i c e s ,developed to deliver state-of-the-art and world class computerizedmaintenance management systems (CMMS) right to your door via theI n t e rnet. The ASP companies allow you to access maintenanceapplications that are stored on servers, which are centrally managedand maintained. The ASP maintains your entire system, giving youaccess to it through a Web bro w s e r. Anything you could do with anin-house application can be done through the Net in exchange for amonthly service charge.

So, what does this mean to you, the maintenance professional thathas to live with the latest trend? Relief, is the word that comes to mind.How?

Think of this all too familiar scenario:The maintenance department has again become the target for

management improvements. You have been asked to impro v ep roductivity; increase PM completion; reduce inventory levels; getsoftware, hardware, associated support costs under control; and, ohyeah, do not burden the IT department while your at it. Since the ITd e p a rtment doesn’t possess the re s o u rces and/or technical expert i s eto support your eff o rt, you are left with the same old questions. Doyou have the necessary know how, budget, labor or software systemsto implement the solutions?

So here you are again. To get all the functionality you need, youpurchase one-time software product licenses (based on the numberof users and/or the size of your company) and high annual serv i c econtracts. You have to buy new hard w a re and also hire outsides e rvice professionals to help implement the application, configure theh a rd w a re, migrate the data and finally train your people. All the while,t rying to figure out how to pay for all these up-front costs out ofc u rrent operating budgets. Not to mention, I’m sure all of you are tire dof writing large checks to consulting firms for projects that never seemto be finished or end in disillusionment.

Well, the hosted industry is going to change all that. They are goingto allow a business to have access to specialized, high quality, andcomplex software applications, such as CMMS, CAFM, and documentmanagement. The hosted companies manage updates and changesto the application, the database, the security, and the hard w a re. They

o ffer training, setup, 24X7 help desk, data management and analyticals u p p o rt as part of standard packages. In addition, weigh-in the factthat your staff will have access to maintenance information at anytimeand from anywhere, all they need is a bro w s e r, no specialworkstations. All this for a known, fixed monthly fee.

CFI recently did an analysis for a CMMS client based on thefollowing: 30 power users (supervisors, clerks, planners, scheduler,etc.), 90 work reporting only users (technicians), 50 PC’s that need tobe upgraded, Internet cost of $20 per month per user, average ITloaded salary of $100,000 per year, CMMS license cost $2,850 per userwith a 20% Software Annual customer service plan, and a Hosted costof $207 per month per user.

L e t ’s run their numbers. In dollars and cents, it takes an averageof about $127,000 a year to set up and operate a CMMS applicationover 5 years, (see Table 1.) At the end of the five year period, hard w a reand software will probably have to be updated, so the cycle start sagain. In contrast, the annual cost for a browser enabled hostedapplication is about $87,000 per year, (see Table 2.) So when all thenumbers are run, the ASP approach winds up eliminating an averageof 32% of the total cost of ownership of the application per year (Figure1.) With a company profit margin of 5%, that extra cost translates intoa requirement of $800,000 in extra sales.

Another factor to consider is the up front cost. Looking at Table 1again, the first year of in-house operation is $369,000 compared to ahosted of $97,000. That is a whopping 380% diff e rence. When you lookat that, why would you go another way?

Table 1: In-house application cost for 5 year period (estimated).Table 2: Host application cost for 5 year period (estimated).Figure 1: Cumulative Cost comparison.A S P ’s utilize standardized software setup packages and templates,

this reduces customization by cutting out some of the bells andwhistles you have come to expect (but which most companies don’tutilize anyway). Secondly, Internet data transfers are not yet reliableenough every w h e re to support all mission-critical data exchanges,they are getting better but not quite everywhere yet.

The choice is yours. Realize, though that if your department is atarget for improvement, an ASP may be the answer.

Computerized Facility Integration, L.L.C. (CFI) is an ApplicationS e rvice Provider (ASP) dedicated to leveraging the capabilities ofweb-based facilities management technology.

Hosted CMMS - Are You Ready For The Revolution?

56

$700.000

$600.000

$500.000

$400.000

$300.000

$200.000

$100.000

$0Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

$369,112 $427,792 $486,472 $545,151 $635,506$96,720 $181,440 $266.160 $350,880 $435,600

In-house

Hosted

Hosted vs In-House Analysis

Total Cost Of ApplicationTraditional

Cost Component Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 5 Year Total

Hardware Database Server $7,000 $7,000

Application Server $7,000 $7,000

Web Server $7,000 $7,000

Report Server $7,000 $7,000

Upgrade PCs $62,500 $62,500

Software Application Fees - MRO $168,600 $168,600

Database Fees - SQL $9,600 $9,600

Report Writer $1,800 $1,800

Server Support Initial Configuration - 4 weeks $7,692 $7,692

Set Up - 4 weeks $7,692 $7,692

Database - 2 weeks $3,846 $3,846

Web Install - 1 week $1,923 $1,923

Security Setup - 4 weeks $7,692 $7,692

On-going Maint. Client Server - (10 weeks p/yr) $19,231 $19,231 $19,231 $19,231 $19,231 $96,154

Web Server - (5 weeks p/yr) $9,615 $9,615 $9,615 $9,615 $9,615 $48,077

Communication Internet Fees $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $36,000

Maint & Support Software - ACSP $33,720 $33,720 $33,720 $33,720 $33,720 $168,600

Hardware - 10% p/yr $9,615 $9,615 $9,615 $9,615 $36,200

Upgrades Software Install (4 weeks p/yr) $7,692 $7,692 $7,692 $7,692 $30,769

Hardware (2 weeks p/yr) $3,846 $3,846 $3,846 $3,846 $15,385

Depreciation Capital Cost (35%) -$31,675 -$31,675 -$31,675 -$31,675 ($95.025)

Yearly Cost $369,112 $58,680 $58,680 $58,680 $90,355 $635,506

Cumulative Total $369,112 $427,472 $486,472 $545,151 $635,506

HostedASPSoftware Lease $74,520 $74,520 $74,520 $74,520 $74,520 $372,600Communication EN2Max $15,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $27,000

Internet $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $7,200 $36,000Hardware Upgrade PCs $62,500 $62,500Depriciation Capital Cost (35%) -$21,875 -$21,875 -$21,875 ($65,625)Yearly Cost $96,720 $84,720 $84,720 $84,720 $84,720 $435,600

Cumulative Total $96,720 $181,440 $266,160 $350,880 $435,600

Figure 1. Cumulative Cost Comparison.

Table 1. In-House application cost for 5 year period (estimated)

Table 2. Host application cost for 5 year period (estimated)

Hosted CMMS - Are You Ready For The Revolution?

57

IMPLEMENTINGPROBLEM SOLVINGEXCELLENCE USINGSIX SIGMA

1Maintenance Hatch Associates Pty Ltd 2Global Maintenance Network Full time member - BHP Billiton

D Jenkins1 & P Townson2

SummaryTo operate excellently, businesses must be faster and more

e ffective at solving problems than their competitors. Hence, ourpurpose is to build a superior problem solving capability within BHPBilliton which we have called PSE (Problem Solving Excellence), onew h e re problems are identified early, the knowledge and experienceof our people are applied to properly determine the root cause, andwhere team action is taken to improve the business performance byeliminating problem root causes.

To date 17 PSE workshops have been facilitated around the worldat businesses focused on mining and mineral processing. We havefound some of the businesses have been successful in building asuperior problem solving capability and produced real benefits, whileothers have been less successful.

To understand the key success factors and learnings a review ofthe workshops was undertaken using the Six-sigma process foraccelerated change. This process provides a framework of sevenchange elements that are required to make an effective change andinclude: Leading the way: Creating a shared urgency: Buildingcoalitions and commitment: Focusing the vision: Chartering a transitionroad map: Aligning systems and stru c t u res: and Sustainingmomentum.

The review re i n f o rced that to develop an effective problem solvingc u l t u re we need to think beyond a process for solving problems (ofwhich there are many proven effective problem solving processes outt h e re) and move into the more difficult areas of people and changewhich most of us resist.

After reading this paper it is obvious that we are well on the wayto building a superior problem solving capability within BHP Billiton.We also have a real challenge in front of us to tackle some of thechange elements that focus on people to realize the full benefit of PSE.If we can do this effectively and can get there before our competitorswe will have a substantial competitive advantage and achieved

something truly great. The good news is as a result of the review wenow have a clear direction and we know what has to be done.

K e y w o rds: Problem solving, change management, impro v e m e n tprocess, data analysis

1 WHAT IS PROBLEM SOLVINGEXCELLENCE AND WHY WAS ITDEVELOPED?

To operate excellently, businesses must be faster and moree ffective at solving problems than their competitors. Hence, ourpurpose is to build a superior problem solving capability within BHPBilliton, one where problems are identified early, the knowledge andexperience of our people are applied to properly determine the rootcause, and where team action is taken to improve the businessperformance by eliminating problem root causes.

PSE (Problem Solving Excellence) is a key global strategy that theGlobal Maintenance Network is rolling out across BHP Billiton tocontribute to our company operating excellently. It is aligned with ourOperating Excellence and Six Sigma Plus improvement programs.

Our goal is to up-skill the majority of our people in team problemsolving. Experience has shown strongly that the best way to achievethis is via a process of application learning and coaching in smallteams to solve real problems at site. With support and follow-up thepractices become natural for the work groups and the site as a whole,then the improvements become sustainable. In doing this our peoplebecome capable rather than trained.

The PSE workshop process is designed to build a superior pro b l e msolving capability and doing so move a site from their current state totheir desired result through a transition and learning phase as shownbelow (refer figure 1). The current state in which most businessesfind themselves includes: they are experiencing ever incre a s i n gcompetition: margins are being squeezed: plant reliability could bebetter: and they know they have lots of problems although are not sure

IMPLEMENTING PROBLEM SOLVING EXCELLENCE USING SIX SIGMA

58

w h e re to start. There are also differing levels of knowledge andunderstanding of problem solving as well as differing opinions on therelevance and importance of eliminating these problems. With somany differing opinions and people going in diff e rent directions it isnot surprising that effective team based problem solving over the longterm is difficult to achieve.

A vision of a desired result that most businesses are driving forincludes: they want to be proactive in addressing problem areas: usethe knowledge of their people to solve problems: fully utilise theirsystem to identify and monitor problems: and improve businessp e rf o rmance by reducing losses. To achieve this the businesseswould like a strategy to improve the plant reliability and performancethat all parties have agreed to, are aligned to and own. With our PSEvision clear the question is, how effective have our eff o rts been todate?

2 HOW EFFECTIVE HAVE OUR EFFORTSBEEN?

To date 17 PSE workshops have been facilitated across a numberof businesses around the world including North America (1), SouthAmerica (2), South Africa (5) and Australia (9). The businesses arefocused on mining and mineral processing. 250 people have attendedthe workshops, key site people coached to provide ongoing problemsolving support to drive the improvements, 60 problems impacting thebusinesses bottom line were analysed for root cause including costjustifications. We have found some of the businesses have beensuccessful in moving from their current state to their desired re s u l tand produced real benefits to their business, while others have beenless successful.

To understand the key success factors a review of the workshopswas undertaken. To help us analyse the outcomes we used the Six-

sigma process for accelerated change as shown by the large arrowin figure 1 under the transition and learning phase. This pro c e s sp rovides a framework of seven change elements shown either sideof the centerline, which are:• Leading the way• Creating a shared urgency • Building coalitions and commitment• Focusing the vision• Chartering a transition road map• Aligning systems and structures• Sustaining momentum

These elements help us to move from our current state to ourd e s i red result through a transition and learning phase. The changeelements adjacent to the centerline do not need to be addressed inany order, rather they all need to be considered at the same time toe n s u re we can effectively move through the transition and learn i n gphases of change. Managing these elements is like spinning plates- we have to start each one and continually go back to keep themmoving. The change elements furthest from the centerline (ie: Leadingthe way and Sustaining momentum) re q u i re constant attention all thetime from the start of process through to the end, as these arefundamental to making any change happen successfully.

The PSE workshop has a distinct step at the end of the pro c e s sthat captures the part i c i p a n t ’s key learnings and perceived barr i e r sp reventing the site from moving from their current state to the desire dresult. These captured thoughts were mapped against the changeelements and provided us with a real insight into the PSE pro c e s s .The remainder of this paper explores our findings and discusses oursuccess factors and learnings.

Figure 1: Problem solving excellence process


59

2.1 Leading the wayFor a change to be successful the change element “leading the

way” re q u i res constant attention. The accelerated change transitionmodel defines leading the way within figure 2.

Leading the way“Having a champion who actively engages in and sponsors the

change in an enduring way. Making a visible, relentless commitmentvia face-to-face communication, modeling change, and settingaggresive expectations for oneself and others”

Success Factors: Learnings

• Participants made personal • The business needs to lead theCommitment to leading the way to support participantsway

• Developed a thorough • Our expectations of the siteapproach to engage were not always clearmanagement

Participants Quotes:Our bosses behaviours don’t match their expectations, they shift their

goals before completing an initiative (another initiative which never gets finished)

Figure 2: Leading the way

This definition certainly challenges us and asks for a seriouscommitment to effect a successful change. We identified that the PSEworkshop engaged the participants and certainly got them leading thew a y, which was a real success factor. Conversely a learning was thateven with the participants keen and ready to lead the change andsolve problems, without the managers and the business also leadingthe way (as shown in the above participants quote) effective changewill be a real challenge. Another success factor was that over theduration of the 17 PSE workshops a detailed engagement process hasbeen developed to get managers on board and committed to theworkshop. There is also a learning to raise the profile of the “leadingthe way” within the engagement process so as to set the corre c texpectations up front.

2.2 Building coalitions & commitmentE ffective problem solving cannot happen in isolation as the causes

and solutions impact all parts of the business. To be successful a sitemust Build Coalitions & Commitment. The accelerated changetransition model is defined in figure 3.

A key objective of the PSE workshop is to coach the participantsto identify real issues and develop effective solutions on their ownsite-specific problems, using a “learning by doing” methodology. Thisa p p roach has proved a real success factor, as the take up on theproblem solving concepts has been extremely high. Having a crossfunctional team from a natural work area has ensured that actualcauses are identified and effective solutions are developed pro v i d i n greal benefits. Automatically building collations and commitment andalso solving real problems to kick start the business impro v e m e n tinitiative.

As with leading the way the same coalitions and commitment isneeded to happen outside the workshop to ensure managers and thebusiness are supporting PSE. Another good pick up was that weshould not always accept the resistance to change, we should workthis resistance and bring it out into the open and deal with it otherw i s ewe will not get people truly committed.

2.3 Creating a shared urgencyResearch has shown that the number one reason for change not

being successful is the failure to create a shared urg e n c y, for thisreason we need to get it right. The accelerated change transitionmodel is defined in figure 4.

Some key success factors of the PSE include: completing dataanalysis on the business systems (eg: SAP, downtime) provided a gre a tunderstanding of the business’s current state and a feedstock ofp roblems for the workshop process (refer figure 5). The constru c t i o nof the Uptime model provided a picture of how the plant is perf o rm i n gover a period of time. The uptime model helps the participants in theworkshop to see the bigger picture and focus on what’s pre v e n t i n gthe business from being competitive or making the best re t u rn oninvestment. This approach deliberately looks at all losses holisticallyto challenge the site review their performance as shown in figure 6.

As with the other previous change elements there needs to be asense of urgency outside the workshop to focus the business’s drive.To create this urgency re q u i res trust in the message the businessanalysis is sending (not Peter cried wolf) and strong leadership inconveying this message, if this is done well the site can start to builda coalition of commitment.

Figure 4: Creating a shared urgency

Building coalitions & commitments“ T h e re is a strong commitment from key constituents to invest the

change, make it work, and demand and receive managementattention. Also consider what coalitions to build and what resistanceis inevitable”


• Having natural workgroups in • These same coalitions andthe workshop builds coalitions commitment needs to happenand commitment outside the workshop

• “Learning by doing” • We need to work with the methodology makes problems resistance and don’tsolving relevant, fun and underestimate itbuilds teamwork

Participants Quotes:If we want to get the root cause we need operations and production.

Otherwise we will continue to blame each other and not solve the problem

Creating a shared urgency: “The keyword is shared - not by one leader, but all stakeholders.

The reason to change now (not “next year”), whether driven by thre a tor opportunity, is instilled within the organisation and widely sharedthrough data, demonstration, demand or diagnosis. The urgent needfor change must exceed its resistance ”


• Workshop data analysis • This same shared urgencyfocused participants on needs to happen outside thebusiness opportunity workshop

• Uptime model provides a • The business needs to be openholistic view to business and honest so people own thelosses urgency

Participants Quotes:The business says everything is urgent, even if we are not in trouble they

are always crying wolf.

Figure 3: Building coalitions and commitment


60

Figure 5: Participant discussing their data to create a shared urgency

Figure 6: Uptime to focus on business losses to create a shared urgency


61

2.4 Focusing on the visionOur desired state provides a vision for the business. The

accelerated change transition model defines this within the followingslide figure 7:

Figure 7: Focusing the vision

Most of the businesses that have completed a PSE workshop havea strategic plan. A success factor was leveraging off this good worka l ready done by providing a great opportunity to raise the profile ofthe strategic plan and make it real to the participants by showing themhow they can contribute to making it effective. By doing this thep a rticipants can see the bigger picture and broaden their perspective.Supporting this plan some businesses had a clear vision as shown infigure 8.

This business used the Uptime model and made it part of theirm e a s u res for reliability and perf o rmance improvement. This picturep rovides them with some clear goals over the next five years to re d u c etheir losses and increase production. The key focus for the business wasto reduce unscheduled losses (breakdowns, urgent work, no operatorsetc) as these were compromising their market position by preventing thesite from being a reliable supplier. A key learning was to share thesegood examples with other businesses as PSE is rolled out.

2.5 Sustaining momentumThe PSE workshop aims to sustain momentum although we

recognize we are not around when the site is trying to do this. Thisis a key area that the workshop needs to develop to ensure there isconstant follow up with the site to help them sustain momentum. Theaccelerated change transition model defines this within the followingslide (figure 9).

Some of the success factors included using data analysis andprioritising to find simple problems with a cost benefit. The problemswe looked for had to impact on the business, be easy to solve withlittle eff o rt (minimal capital as this will always slow downi m p rovement) and we need to be confident that a solution existed.This approach ensured we got some early successes as shown infigure 10.

Focusing the visionThe desired outcome of change is clear, legitimate, widely

understood and shared. A vision must be compelling and vivid enoughto create action. Way beyond posters and plaques - a vision definesa future state clearly enough so people understand it and knowwhether they want to get on board.


• Some businesses using • Take good uptime examplesuptime targets to reduce and share with otherlosses over the next 5 years businesses

• Starting to integrate PSEworking into businessstrategic plans

Participants Quotes:Our vision should stop the breakdown cycle, we are not doing PM’s

because we have breakdowns and we have breakdowns because we arenot doing our PM’s. Solving problems will break this cycle

Figure 8: Uptime providing a clear vision to reduce losses


62

Figure 9: Sustaining momentum

Figure 10: Early success factors

Some key learnings included integrating the PSE with otherbusiness initiatives as most businesses feel initiative overload andthen the PSE arrives simply adding to list. By doing our homework wecan demonstrate how the PSE supports the other business initiativesrather than being new.

We have also found that businesses completing two or three of thePSE workshops over a 6-12 month period have produced significantlybetter results. By re t u rning for the second workshop we were ableto catch up with participants and management and review the initialworkshop. This continued dialogue has ensured that team basedp roblem-solving stays on the businesses radar and helps to sustainmomentum. This approach also provides an opportunity to revisit thedata and look for new problems that can be targeted as part of theworkshop, which provides a second kick-start for the site. Thebusinesses have been calling for this follow-up support since the initial

PSE workshops. We have struggled to develop an effective follow-up process due to the geographical locations and re s o u rces re q u i re dto support the businesses. The approach of running follow-upworkshops at businesses rather than single workshops at multiplebusinesses looks to provide better results all round.

2.6 Aligning systems and structuresOf the seven change elements the PSE workshop and the

businesses addressed, aligning systems and structures was the bestc a t e red for. The accelerated change transition model is defined withinthe following slide figure 11.

Key success factor is that the majority of businesses haveadequate staffing, training, organization design, communication andinformation technology. Some businesses had detailed measures inplace and re w a rds varied from individual perf o rmance goals top roduction bonuses. The PSE workshop problem solving process hasbeen refined over many years and is working well and deliveringresults, the process is shown in figure 12. The process has a numberof key steps that the participants work through over 2 days, thesesteps include build understanding (identify problems), measure andanalyse (root cause analysis), improve and monitor (implementsolutions) and institutionalise (lock in the results).

A key learning was to focus our eff o rts on the more difficult peopleand change elements, as this will give us the biggest re t u rn on ourinvestment.

2.7 Chartering a transition roadmapA Transition Roadmap enhances our ability to reward key events

and milestones and builds momentum and commitment. It pro v i d e sus an accurate measure of the change initiative and provides focusand direction. The accelerated change transition model defines thiswithin figure 13.

To effectively implement PSE, we have developed a technicalstrategy (Q) as well as an acceptance strategy (A).

The PSE workshop process focused heavily on the technicalstrategy: developing solutions, writing up action plans, developingsome measures, setting up some dates and arranging follow meetingsand workshops etc.

Our approach also considered the cultural and org a n i z a t i o n a lchange strategy (A) for enrolling the hearts and minds of those whomust implement or will be impacted by the technical strategy. Wi t h o u ttheir acceptance of the solution, we will not get the behaviors, action,and urgency that impact the effectiveness of the strategy and its ability

Sustaining Momentum:Get some early wins - and keep on winning

Sustaining Moments:“The transition zone of changes re q u i res constant attention to

fueling the energy for forw a rd action. Fueling means planning toe n s u re early wins, publicising victories, celebrating early adopters,monitoring re s o u rce re q u i rements, and vigorously communicating theknown and unknown”


• Using data analysis we find • We need to integrate the PSEsimple problems with other site initiatives

• We have early successes as • Running follow up workshopswe chose simple and easy at the same business isproblem to work with producing better results than

• Using facilitators speed up the multiple work shops at manyprocess business

Participants Quotes:When the workshop finished we had all this energy and once we went

back to the day to day grind nothing happened. Is this just another initiative

Aligning systems and structures:“ T h e re are seven processes or systems that enable people and

change efforts to succeed - staffing, training, measuring, rewarding,o rganisation design, comunication and information technology. Theseseven must be evaluated to determine which need to be modified toalign them with the desired future state. These are powerful “levers”to help initiate and sustain change”


• Most businesses have this • We do not need to focus ourelement covered e ff o rts on this element as there

• The PSE process is workinga re bigger fish in the other

well delivering resullts whichelements

are measured

Participants Quotes:When the workshop finished we had all this energy and once we went

back to the day to day grind nothing happened. Is this just another initiative

Pick some easy problems to start on - eg:• Simple, clear definition of problem• easy to analyse• confident in being able to solve• of benefit to the people involved

Use a facilitator to drive the analysis andsolution development process:

• to speed up the process• to ensure its success• to coach our own people

Achieve some good results:• benefits to the business• benefits for the people involved

Publish the results to spread the news andencourage more improvement activities -and leverage more people into the process.

List of Improvementopportunities

Keep on winning through ashared understanding andownership of the problem

Figure 11: Aligning systems and structures


63

to get the desired results. A key learning is that we must spend more time developing an

o rganizational and cultural strategy to achieve and sustain the re s u l t swe want. It doesn’t mean we compromise the quality of the technicalstrategy in order to get acceptance. However we delude ourselvesif we think we can get excellent results with only a technical strategyto the change. Often a less “perfect” solution combined withcommitment and enthusiasm by those who have to implement it willhelp overcome the unforeseen bugs or flaws as people want it towork.

Figure 13: Chartering a transition road map

3 WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT?The competitive market place is forcing us to be smarter at what

we do and be more efficient in the process. Having an effective teambased problem solving culture can provide a significant diff e re n t i a t o rbetween us and our competitors. To develop an effective pro b l e msolving culture we need to think beyond a process for solvingproblems (of which there are many proven effective problem solvingp rocesses out there) and move into the more difficult areas of peopleand change which most of us resist.

The PSE (Problem Solving Excellence) workshops to date havep roduced some good results. Some of the success factors andlearnings are tabled below:

Success factors

• Participants made personal commitment to leading the way

• Developed a thorough approach to engage management and thebusiness

• Workshop data analysis focused participants on businessopportunities

• Uptime model provided a holistic view to business losses

• Some businesses using uptime targets to reduce losses over thenext 5 years

• Starting to integrate PSE workshop into business strategic plans

• Having natural workgroups in the workshop builds coalitions andcommitment

• “Learning by doing” methodology makes problem solvingrelevant, fun and builds teamwork

Figure 12: PSE process map

Charting a transition roadmap:“A project plan for building the A must be as real as the plan for

implementing the Q. Are milestones set and realised? Are there plansthat establish accountability? What are the measures and feedbackmechanisms to monitor pro g ress and give early warnings when theplan is off target?”


• We have implemented some • Focusing on the technicalsolutions leading to business solution alone will not lead tobenefits success

• We are starting to track • We must work more on theproblems solved in the acceptance strategy if we areworkshop and monitor for to realise the total benefitresults

Participants Quotes:We can design out our problems, the operators will pick it up as we go

along (we all know this is not the case, our research has shown 95% ofsimple problems don’t require capital, it is about how we work together


• Most businesses have aligning system and structures changeelement covered

• Using data analysis we find simple problems

• We have early successes as we chose simple and easyproblems to work with

• The business needs to lead the way to support participants

Learnings

• Our expectations of the site were not always clear

• This same shared urgency needs to happen outside theworkshop

• The business needs to be open and honest so people own theurgency

• This same coalitions and commitment needs to happen outsidethe workshop

• We need to work with the resistance to change and don'tunderestimate it

• Focusing on the technical solution alone will not lead to success

• We must work more on the acceptance strategy if we are torealise the total benefit

• We need to integrate the PSE with other site initiatives.

• Running follow-up workshops at the same business is producingbetter results than multiple workshops at many businesses

On completing this paper it become obvious that we are well onthe way to building a superior problem solving capability within BHPBilliton, one where problems are identified early, the knowledge andexperience of our people are applied to properly determine the rootcause, and where team action is taken to improve the businessperformance by eliminating problem root causes.

We also have a real challenge in front of us to tackle some of thechange elements that focus on people to realise the full benefit ofPSE. If we can do this effectively and can get there before ourcompetitors we will have a substantial competitive advantage andachieved something truly great. The good news is as a result of thereview we now have a clear direction and we know what has to bedone.

“The authors would like to acknowledge the value of working withour colleagues Phil St Baker, Ian King, Craig Hurkett, Richard Blaydenand the numerous site participants who actively commited themselvesto team based problem solving. Over the past years we have allworked hard to help people develop the skills and processes re q u i re dto eliminate losses from their business’s bottom line.

David Jenkins is a Senior Consultant with Hatch Consulting locatedin Brisbane (www.hatch.com.au) while Peter Townsend is a Full Ti m emember of BHP Billiton’s Global Maintenance Network and is alsolocated in Brisbane.”

64

Course One

Planned Maintenance & Maintenance PeopleThe What, When & Who of Maintenance

Course Two

Maintenance PlanningAdvances In Maintenance Planning, Maintenance Control & Feedback

Course Three

Maintenance ManagementSuccess & Excellence In Maintenance & Asset Management

Maintenance 2005 SeminarsAttend Just one, twoor all three of these

one-day course

PRESENTED BYLen Bradshaw

Melbourne18-20 May 2005

Townsville18-20 July 2005

Sydney29-31 Aug 2005For more information see: www.maintenancejournal.com

or Email: [email protected] Phone: 03 5975 0083

In-house presentation of these seminars will only be considered for organisations outside of Australia


65

1. KnowledgeIn an increasingly competitive business environment, there is an

upsurge of interest in the business community about the importanceof managing knowledge. Knowledge is regarded as a most valuableand strategic re s o u rce for creating sustainable competitiveadvantage. It is considered to be the capability for effective action.

Definition of KnowledgeIn making an attempt to define ' knowledge' we are rather

compelled to use such terms as 'consciousness', 'cognition',' a w a reness', 'experience' etc. which have more or less the samesense as the former and we are also confronted with the samesituation if we attempt to define any of these terms themselves.Though it is somewhat difficult to define ' knowledge', yet it is notimpossible to characterise knowledge in such a way that we canunderstand what it is as a form of consciousness as distinguishedf rom other forms such as opinions, belief, doubt, emotions, desire sand volition etc. Knowledge as a form of consciousness can bedefined as complete justified true belief. To say that 'we know' is tosay that (a) what we are conscious of is true, (b) we believe that it istrue and (c) we have adequate evidence to believe that it is true andobviously the above three are the main constituents ofknowledge[Samanta, 1995].

2. Data, Information and Knowledge Leaving behind the philosophical part of knowledge most

re s e a rchers in KM literature agree in presuming that knowledge issomething different from data and information. While the distinctionbetween data and information may be clear-cut, that betweeninformation and knowledge is often less obvious. This is partly due tothe human habit of taking information, accepting it and treating it asknowledge. In order to effectively apply and to understand KM, it isi m p o rtant to distinguish between knowledge and information and thinkof how knowledge and information relate.

T h e re are three main schools of thought in defining knowledge.One group of re s e a rchers argues that data, information andknowledge focus on diff e rent parts of a value chain or hierarc h i c a ls t ru c t u re as shown in fig. 1a. The other focuses on the analysis of' p rocess' of knowing through which the knowledge is cre a t e d ,p rocessed and disseminated (Fig. 1b). The third group re g a rd sknowledge as 'thing' or 'object'. According to value chain, data areraw facts, figures or observation and information is data organised sothat it has meaningful context, and knowledge is meaningfullyo rganised accumulation of actionable information applicable toproblem solving[11].

A c c o rding to process viewpoint, knowledge can be identified withboth justified belief in mind (personalised information or the cognitivestatus of knowing) and commitment anchored to the overallepistemological stru c t u re(Sveiby1997, Malhotra1998, Nonaka&Takeuchi1995,). Data is uninterpreted material on which a decision isto be based, information is data interpreted in a given context.Knowledge is the cognitive ability to generate insight based oni n f o rmation and data[ 1 5 ]. Knowledge can also be considered as the end

The Role OfKnowledge InManagingMaintenance ForBusiness Success

Lecturer, B.K.C. College, Kolkata, India

Extracts from a paper by the following authors:

Dr. Mousumi Samanta

Lecturer, Mine Survey Dept., Asansol, West Bengal, India

Dr. Bimal Samanta


66

of chain that begins with data as a commodity, while value is addedto data when they are processed into information and inturni n f o rmation gains further value when it is applied in meaning contextbecoming and transformed into knowledge. However, within the valuechain approach, some re s e a rchers re g a rd knowledge as a thing orobject that we can manage, store and manipulate[11].

T h e re are two types of knowledge: Tacit and Explicit. Thisdistinction between tacit and explicit is increasingly recognised byscholars, subject of discussion and fundamental to the concept of KM.This important distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge withre g a rd to forms of knowledge is introduced by the chemist-turn e dphilosopher M. Polanyi and used by Nonaka to formulate a theory ofo rganisational learning that focuses on the conversion/ creation ofknowledge between tacit and explicit forms. Explicit knowledge orknow-what (sometimes re f e rred to as formal knowledge) is explicitand discrete types and most common type of knowledge. It is veryoften codified and stored in a written form such as manuals,b ro c h u res, technical drawings, scientific formula, patents; and re a d i l ycommunicated in symbolic form or in formal and systematic languageand shared through print, electronic method and other formal means.It can be gained through education or structured study.

Tacit knowledge (also informal knowledge), on the contrary, isprimarily more tacit and hard to articulate with formal language. It ishighly personal, and deeply rooted in an individual's experience,actions, understanding and involves personal belief, values,perspectives, insights and assumptions. It is highly contextual andculture-bound. It involves both cognitive and technical elements andis non-transferable without direct personal interaction( either physicalor virtual). Therefore it is not found in manuals, books, documents or

databases. Tacit dimensions of knowledge build-up overtime inpeoples' heads, hands and relationships. People generally use stories,metaphors, analogies and demonstrations to convey their tacitknowledge to others. Polanyi( 1967) encapsulates the meaning of tacitknowledge as ' we are more than we can tell' e.g. swimming, ride abicycle. It is assumed that tacit knowledge has more value thanexplicit knowledge. According to Nonaka( 1995) ' the key to knowledgecreation lies in the mobilisation and conversion of tacit knowledge'.H o w e v e r, Bohn( 1994) advocates that knowledge is only valuable whenit can be explicit. Even in philosophy this point is emphasised, sincethe question of knowledge does arise when there is proposition andonly a proposition can be true or false. Actually, both forms ofknowledge are important for maintenance effectiveness. The task ofKM for maintenance effectiveness is, there f o re, to identify andfacilitate the application of valuable tacit knowledge that is potentiallyuseful when it becomes explicit.

The dimension of tacit knowledge is divided into two categories:technical and cognitive. Technical tacit knowledge(TTK) consists ofi n f o rmal personal skills or craft, sometime re f e rred to as ' k n o w - h o w '.Cognitive tacit knowledge(CTK)encompasses implicit mental models,perceptions, beliefs and values.

I n f o rmation becomes knowledge once it is processed in thepeople’s mind( tacit knowledge as per Nonake'95 , Prusak,97) whichthen becomes information ( explicit knowledge as per Nonaka) onceit is articulated or communicated to others in the form of spoken orwritten words, text, computer output or other means. There are somedefinition of knowledge as justified personal belief that increases anindividual's capacity to take effective action.(Alavi& Leinder, ) .Davenport & Prusak ( 1998) describe knowledge as" a fluid of framedexperience, values, contextual information and expert insight thatp rovides a framework for evaluation and incorporating newexperiences and information".

3. Knowledge and MaintenanceMaintenance effectiveness depends upon the interplay of many

factors. These are decision making capability, the ability to deliverd e s i red maintenance by individuals and by department, technical andmanagerial capability i.e. design, fault prognosis and diagnosis etc.,the ability to act in time, and better co-ordination, communication,commitment, co-operation between, and joint effort of, maintenanceand operation, or the equipment designer, manufacturer and user. Allthe above factors depend to significant degrees on eff e c t i v ea v a i l a b i l i t y, creation, share and application of good knowledge andclear understanding and consequently, broad and systematicmanagement of knowledge. Maintenance knowledge is both explicit(engineering principles and technical drawing etc.), and tacit (in one'sknowledge of organisations or location). There is a significant positivec o rrelation between measure of tacit knowledge and job perf o rm a n c efor all levels of management [20].Fig. 1a Data, Information and Knowlegde

Fig. 1b Data, Information, Knowledge and Decision making

Information + ∑ (Experience,

values, patterns,implicit rules)

Data + ∑ (Attribute,relevance, context)

Raw facts, Figures,Observation

Knowledge

Quantity

Information

Data

Acquire

Data

Result Action• Decision Making• Strategic Formulation• Problem Solving• Inovation, Creativity

Information Knowledge

Process

Applyfor

Implementation Formulate

Analyzed or

Relevant and actionable


67

A decision is the selection of an alternative out of the severalnumber of alternatives available at hand considering diff e rent re l a t e dcriteria. Successful organisations get competitive advantage at leastin three ways: by making right decisions, by making decisions in time,and by implementing decisions timely & rightly. Maintenance decisionconstitutes the most important thing that engineers do. One of thep r i m a ry roles of an engineer is to evaluate alternatives and choosethe most appropriate. The more they know, better is their judgement[ 4 ].In fact, decision making may be assumed as a process synonymouswith the whole process of management. Again, one of the key skillsrequired of a maintenance engineer is the ability to deliver machinesthat satisfy users' re q u i rements, by the correct configuration,re l i a b i l i t y, integration, operation and control and perf o rmance. In ord e rto determine an appropriate maintenance policy for machinery,management boils down to making a series of decisions concerningthe following (i)why perform maintenance(ii) which equipment are tobe maintained (iii) the average interval between component failuresor when to perf o rm preventive maintenance(iv)which actions arerequired or what to do on the machine(v) what level of maintenancemix will be applied in each case (vi) how to do it and where to do it(vii)how is the maintenance work to be organised (viii)how long it takes.

Outcome of the decision or choice/ solution depends on what thedecision maker knows or believes(Turban'1988). Lack of knowledgeis a major shortcoming of the above important decision. Figure 3classifies knowledge into three categories ranging from completeknowledge to ignorance[ 1 5 ]. Decision making under certainty (withcomplete knowledge) implies that consequences/outcomes that willfollow are already known; decision making under risk(less thancomplete knowledge) means a probabilistic or stochastic decisionsituation and decision making under uncertainty (ignorance/ leastknowledge) means the probability of occurrence of the possibleoutcome not known.

We have already described that data are facts and figure s ( f i g .1b).Collection of quality failure/ operation/cost data are usuallynecessary in machine capability or effectiveness analysis for gettingreliable and accurate results. Data collected from the field areassumed to be the best. Again, data are re q u i red to be collected overa period of time for providing satisfactory representation of the truef a i l u re characterisation of the machine. Data is of paramounti m p o rtance to determine facts, causes and failure rate, availabilityetc. Technical data are re q u i red for design and operationalassessment. Data are processed or organised for meaningful analysis.Numeric data can be entered into spreadsheet, and trend, chart ,qualitative and quantitative analysis drawn. During the analysis phase,i n f o rmation is transformed into knowledge. This knowledge is nowcontext specific, relevance and actionable for planing, scheduling andexecuting machine maintenance decision making, problem solving,p rognosis/diagnosis, creativity and innovation(fig.2b). Moubray '97advocates that knowledge enhances clear understanding of thenature of equipment failure as well as its design capability in relation

to the desired performance of machine.

4. Knowledge ManagementKM is concerned with two aspects, identifying and managing the

knowledge that already exist in the organisation and enhancing theability to create new knowledge to meet maintenance objectives.T h e re is not yet a clear, consensus and universally accepted definitionof KM. There are several working definition of KM found atconference, in print and on Webs. Some of the best definitions of KMcome from current re s e a rchers, whom are widely consultedpractitioners and specialists in the field. The following are are p resentative sample. Sveiby(1997) defines KM as ' art of cre a t i n gvalue from an organisation's intangible assets. Ruggles( 1998)describes KM as "an approach to adding or creating value by moreactively leveraging the know-how, experience, and judgementresident within and, in many cases, outside of an organisation." KMis the "process of collecting, organising, classifying and disseminatingi n f o rmation throughout an organisation, so as to make it purposefulto those who need it." (Albert, 1998). KM deals with the process ofc reating value from an organisation's intangibleassets(Liebowitz,1999). Beckman(1997) defines as "the formalisationof and access to experience, knowledge, and expertise that cre a t enew capabilities, enable superior perf o rmance, encourage innovation,and enhance customer value."[ 2 1 - 2 2 ] A c c o rding to Yo g e s hMalhotra(1997), "knowledge management caters to the critical issuesof organisational adaption, survival and competence in face ofi n c reasingly discontinuous environmental change. Essentially, itembodies organisational processes that seek synergistic combinationof data and information processing capacity of inform a t i o ntechnologies, and the creative and innovative capacity of humanbeings". Malhotra argues that this is a strategic view of KM that takesinto account the synergy between technological and behaviouraspects as necessary for survival in ' wicked environments'. The needfor synergy of technological and human capabilities is based on thedistinction between the 'old world' of business and the 'new world'of business. Some have defined KM as getting the right inform a t i o nto the right people at right time so that they can make the bestdecision. However, Malhotra advocates that in a world of radicaldiscontinuous change, it is impossible for a system to predict inadvance what the right information, right person or the right time willbe at any given point in the future. KM focuses on 'doing the rightt h i n g ' ( e ffectiveness) instead of 'doing things right' ( efficiency). KMis a framework within which the organisation views all its processesas knowledge processes. So it is found that there are several schoolsin the subject of KM till now. However, most gurus consider that KMis a process. This is based on the understanding organisation as a KMsystem. With this view, KM can be defined as a specified businessp rocess through which organisations systematically andc o m p rehensively identify, create, store, share, and apply theirinstitutional or collective knowledge to improve overall org a n i s a t i o n a leffectiveness(OOE) or overall maintenance effectiveness(OME).

5. KM Framework for MaintenanceManagement

There are several frameworks for KM developed by scholars. KMframeworks have been described diff e rently by diff e rent authors. Incharacterising the nature of KM phenomena, frameworks differ notonly in their focus, but also in their breath and depth. In their reviewsHolsapple and Joshi 1999; Lai and Chu, 2000 and Rubestein-Montanoet al. 2001 discuss the components and assumptions in the existingframeworks for organisation context. There appears to be aconsensus on the need for a more specific framework for themaintenance management context. We have developed a KMframework for maintenance purpose(Fig.3). Even though the existingand the suggested frameworks recognise varying org a n i s a t i o n a lcontexts, they generally appear to ignore the diff e rences in theoperating environmental contexts. The working of KM frameworkdepends on individual knowledge capabilities(IC) or competencies,

Complete Knowledge

UnderCertainty

UnderRisk

UnderUncertainty

Incomplete Knowledge

Figure 2 The zones of decision making

Decision Making Condition


68

o rganisational knowledge capabilities(OC) and enviro n m e n t a linfluences(EI). The stru c t u re of the framework is as follows: first layer-Environmental influence, second layer-Organisational and Individualcapabilities or competencies, third - KM process/ life cycle and finallyMaintenance process. Environmental factors generally influence theKM process for uncertain future through employee and organisation.E n v i ronment can be viewed from diff e rent dimensions like socio-cultural, political, Governmental, legal, economic, customer, supplier,competitors, product/ market change, design complexity, technologyand community etc. Individual knowledge capabilities comprise ofindividual skill, knowledge, value, norm, education, experience, timeand motivation. A person working in or with an organisation is themain actor of the KM process. On the other hand, org a n i s a t i o n a lknowledge capabilities include organisational culture, stru c t u re &strategy, infrastructure & technology particularly IT, human resourcedevelopment, objectives, leadership, knowledge asset etc. Thesuccessful organisations are those that consistently manage thecontinuous and ongoing KM process of identifying, creating, storing,distributing and applying their knowledge that define the ' corecompetency'. In fact, an organisation re q u i res knowledge foro rganising and maintaining itself as a functioning enterprise.Organisation and environment interact with one another, as a resultof which information is absorbed and knowledge originates and actionis taken on the basis of its combination with the experience, valuesand internal rules (Davenport and Prusak).

KM generally deals with a number of diff e rent core knowledge

process activities. KM activities have also been described differentlyby different authors. From research and experience and reviewing abroad range of KM process described in literature it is found that thefollowing five basic knowledge process activities are sufficient anda p p ropriate: (1)Identify (2) C reate (3) S t o re (4) S h a re and (5) A p p l y.These are also called as knowledge life cycle. Though somea p p roaches have additional activities, they still include in our fivebasic activities.

Identify: The first phase of KM process is the identification o fknowledge available within the organisation. Every organisation hassome maintenance objectives. To reach any destination we must knoww h e re we are. Similarly, to achieve the maintenance objective,o rganisations need to identify what knowledge they possess and whatthey are lacking. It is necessary to assess continuously the 'bestpractices'. It includes an analysis of re q u i rements of machine,o rganisational core capabilities and knowledge re q u i rements. In ord e rto avoid the reuse of knowledge to reinvent the wheel, theidentification steps should be done before creating new knowledge.

C reate: The next phase is the c reation of new knowledge toi m p rove maintenance perf o rmance and sustainable competitiveadvantage. Nonaka and Takeuchi(1995)in their dynamic model ofknowledge creation suggest that knowledge is created andt r a n s f e rred through social interaction amongst individuals ando rganisations. Nonaka and Takeuchi also propose four diff e rent modesof knowledge conversion between tacit knowledge and explicit

Environmental Influence

Equipment: Design complexity, cost of procurement, maintenance and spare partsBusiness: Threat, opportunity, competition and globalization.Availability: Maintenance alternatives, quality manpower and technology.Change: Culture, technology, economy, product market, customer requirements.

Organisational Capability

And Individual Capabilities

Identify

MaintenanceImplementation

MaintenanceChoice

UsableMachine

Feedback

MaintenanceAlternatives e.g.

corrective, preventive,RCM or TPM

MaintenanceProblem e.g.

machine breakdownor likely to fail

KMProcess

Figure 3 KM framework for maintenance


69

knowledge(Fig. 5) in a matrix : Socialisation ( f rom tacit to tacit): an individual acquires tacit

knowledge directly from others through shared experience, imitation,o b s e rvation, practice, on job training, brainstorming and becomes'socialised' into a specific way of doing things.

Externalisation (from tacit to explicit): It is a knowledge creationp rocess. By its nature, the conversion of tacit knowledge into explicitknowledge is somewhat difficult. Tacit knowledge is converted intoexplicit form with the help of stories, metaphors, analogies,demonstrations, concepts, hypothesis or models e.g. writing a reportafter attending a maintenance conference or workshop, dialog amongteams members.

C o m b i n a t i o n ( f rom explicit to explicit): combines discrete piecesof explicit knowledge into a new whole, e.g. compiling data fro mn u m e rous source to write a re p o rt. The re p o rt is constituted by thisnew explicit knowledge.

Internalisation (from explicit to tacit): It is a process of ' learningby doing' and a verbalisation and documentation of maintenanceexperience. Individuals have to understand and internalise inform a t i o nwhich involves creating their own tacit knowledge so that they canact on it. These processes do not occur in isolation, but work togetherin different combinations in typical business situations. Knowledge isshared, articulated, and made available to others when as a result ofthe individuals' participation in these process organisational learn i n gtakes place. Creation of new knowledge takes place through thep rocesses of combination and internalisation. Socialisation andexternalisation are complex and human interactive process.

S t o re: The next phase is the s t o r a g e of above newly cre a t e dknowledge in individual and organisational memory in order to buildup knowledge assets for future benefit. This also includes storing it inthe form of documents, data-based and records.

S h a re: The purpose of this step is to distribute the new knowledgewith the members of the organisation. Knowledge is transferred andmade accessible to workers throughout the organisation thro u g hcollaboration, training, coaching and workshops. In fact, if knowledgeof any persons be not shared by others that will have only a limitedorganisational value. Again, unlike tangible assets knowledge growswhen it is only shared, after all " a candle loses nothing by lightinganother candle".

Apply: Knowledge becomes valuable if it is practically applied in

the machine maintenance. On the other hand, if it is not so used, thesame purpose is defeated. In fact, the firm's ability to create andsustain competitive advantage through maintenance should befundamentally based on integration and application of specifiedknowledge of the members of the organisation. Valuable human andknowledge re s o u rces will be lost unless organisations make betteruse of their critical resources.

As Knowledge is context specific, it depends on a particular timeand space. In the fast changing business environment, knowledgealso becomes obsolete over time unless organisations make betteruse of their creative workers who desire to apply their knowledge forvalue addition. Use of knowledge, there f o re, becomes an input forknowledge identification phase. In this way, each KM process steppaves the input for the next step and that again for the next and soon. Since thus the cycle of knowledge is built upon itself, it becomesa knowledge spiral in the organisation as describe by Nonaka andTakeuchi(1995). However, an organisation cannot create knowledgewithout individuals.

The output of such new knowledge will become the basis of allwork done by the maintenance department. The maintenanceengineers are re q u i red to translate the output of putting knowledgein practice to work into day to day activities that can be perf o rmed bythe maintenance staff. In order to support proactive maintenancemanagement, it is necessary first to know what events are likely too c c u r. Knowledge of employees of the organisation substantiallyinfluences efficiency of its activity, the achievements of its goals andadaptation to complex changing conditions. In fact if the employeesof an organisation have wide and deep knowledge the org a n i s a t i o nworks better and will have greater potentiality for work in the future.For machine diagnosis a large amount of knowledge is also required,viz, knowledge of equipment and how it normally operates, knowledgeabout the failed equipment and its fault systems etc. In this contextit may be said that Reliability Centred Maintenance( RCM) strategy isc o n c e rned with the technical aspects of the machine where as inTotal Productive Maintenance(TPM) importance is given to humanaspects of the implementation process. TPM is sensitive to theo rganisational culture and people's knowledge, where as RCMdemands a higher level of technical knowledge about the systems/equipment under consideration. TPM aims at improving theo rganisational knowledge capabilities by enhancing the pro b l e msolving skills of individuals and enabling them to learn whatever they

Socialisation Externalisation

CombinationInternalisation

Tacit Knowledge

Tacit Knowledge

From

To

Explicit Knowledge

Explicit Knowledge

Figure 4 Knowledge created by four modes of knowledge conversion (after Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995)


70

have to learn in various functional areas[26]. People who operate andmaintenain the equipment on a day-to-day basis, they tend to knowhow the equipment works, what goes wrong with it, how much eachf a i l u re matters and what must be done to fix it- and if they don't know,they are the ones who have the most reason to find out[4]. History,experience and a precise knowledge of how a system operatesregulates and controls the eventual success of maintenance strategyimplementation. So TPM (people), RCM(technology) and content(knowledge) can be integrated for getting overall maintenanceeffectiveness( OME).

6. Concluding RemarksKM is not new. It is an evolutionary development rather than a

re v o l u t i o n a ry. Even before the term KM coined in the early 1990s, manyo rganisations have a well-established system to manage and generateknowledge in a variety of approaches for upgrading the knowledgebase of their employees. Prusak(2001) looks at " knowledgemanagement like any system of thought that has value, is both old andnew, and its combination of new ideas with ideas that everyone hasknown all along”.

H o w e v e r, under increasing competitive pre s s u re many companiesa re recognised KM as a strategic weapon in the market place forbusiness or maintenance success either through knowledgeablepeople delivering task more effectively or through managing theintellectual capital wisely. Again, due to global competition andturbulent business environment, there has been an increasing amountof interest shown to create, store, share and apply knowledge in allo rganisations. So in the digital age, knowledge plays an important ro l e .It is found that an essential part of KM is, of course, knowledge itself.The questions of origin and nature of knowledge has been exploredf rom philosophical and KM perspective. Knowledge is something thatresides in the head of a person rather than in computers and isrevealed in skill and ability to operate in certain conditions. Knowledgeis something different from data and information. It is, however, morethan information. There is a diff e rence between two main typesknowledge: tacit and explicit knowledge. KM cannot be viewed as theimplementation of technology alone; rather it is a multidisciplinea p p roach that integrates business strategy, cultures, value andmaintenance work processes. Creation of KM re q u i res the pro c e s s e sof social interaction. The unique configuration of individuals that makeup the organisation is there f o re, paramount to KM's long-term viabilityand its value to maintenance. So organisation environment should besuch that where workers readily transfer and share what they know,i n t e rnalise it and apply it to create new knowledge for overallmaintenance effectiveness.

Selected References:1. Samanta, B. (2003): Some aspects of optimising maintenance

strategy for mining machinery, Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation,Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

2. Drucker P. (1993): Post-Capitalist Society, Oxford.3. Malahota, Y (2003): Is knowledge the ultimate competitive

advantage? Business Management Asia, September, URL:http://www.brint.com/interview/maeil.htm

4. Moubray, J.(1997): Reliability Centred Maintenance .2nd Ed.Butterworth-Heinemann.

5. Nonaka, I,(1991): The knowledge-creating company, HarvardBusiness Review, (November-December), 96-104

6. Prusak, L.(1997): Knowledge in Organizations, Butterworth-Heinemann.

7. Prusak, L(2001): Where did knowledge management comefrom? IBM Systems Journal,Vol. 40,no 4, pp 1002-07.

8. Wah, L. (1999): Knowledge Management- Behind the buzz,Management Review, April, pp. 17-26.

9. Samanta, M. (1995): Knowledge and Certainty, unpublished Ph.D.Dissertation, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

10. Samanta, S. C.( 1975): The problem of a Priori Knowledge: A

critical survey, unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Calcutta

University, Kolkata.

11. Shin, M., Holden, T. and Schmidt, R.A.(2001): From knowledge

theory to management practice: towards an

integrated approach, Information Processing and

Management, Vol. 37,pp 335-355

12. Sveiby, K.E. (1997):The New Organizational Wealth: Managing

and Measuring Knowledge-Based Assets, Berrett-Koehler, San

Francisco, CA.

13. Malahota, Y.(1998): Knowledge management, knowledge

organisations & knowledge workers: A View from the Front

Lines. URL: http://www.brint.com/interview/maeil.htm

14. Nonaka, I. Takeuchi, I. (1995): The Knowledge Creating

Company. How Japanese Companies create the dynamics of

innovation, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

15. Turban, E.(1988): Decision Support and Expert systems-

Managerial Perspectives, Macmillan Publishing Co. New York.

16. Polanyi, M(1967): The Tacit Dimension. Doubleday.

17. Bohn, R. E. (1994), Measuring and managing technological

knowledge. Sloan Management Review, Vol.26, no.1,pp 61-73.

18. Alavi, M. , Leidner, D.( 1999): Knowledge Management Systems:

emerging views and practices from the field, In Proceedings of

the 32nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on Systems

Sciences, Los Alamitos, CA, USA, IEEE Computer Society.

19. Davenport, T.H. and Prusak, L. (1998): Working Knowledge: How

Organizations Manage What They Know, Harvard Business

School Press, Boston, MA.

20. Smith, E.A.( 2001): The role of tacit and Explicit knowledge in the

workplace, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 5, No. 4,

pp311-321.

21. Shukla1,M(2003): Revisiting Knowledge Management:

Integrating "Knower" with the Knowledge Processes, from Web

22. Jinxi, W., Jisheng, L.(2003): Knowledge Chain

Management:Emerging Models and Practices from the Field,

from Web.

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existing knowledge management frameworks, In proceeding of

the 32nd Hawail International conference on system science,

Los Alamitos, CA, USA, IEEE Computer Society.

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frameworks and industrial cases, Proceedings of the 33rd

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management- a key factor to success in mechanized coal mines.

Coal Mining Technology and Management, Vol 6,No 2, pp 5-10.


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Planned Maintenance Corner

Basic PrincipalThe purpose of a steam trap is not as the name may indicate to trap steam, but rather to trap condensate in a steam line. The trap ismounted on or adjacent to a steam line. The trap should open and capture condensate when there is condensate in the steam line. Thetrap should be closed when steam is present in the line. It is usually important that the traps perf o rm closing and opening quickly toreduce steam and condensate losses. Condensate trapped in the steam trap may be purged into a condensate return system or may bepurged to the atmosphere depending on system design.

There are three types of steam traps, they are:

1. Ball float & bucket traps are mechanical steam traps. They operate be response to the difference density between and steam andcondensate.

2. Thermostatic steam traps operate by noticing the temperature difference between condensate and steam, see CMS forthermostatic steam traps for more information.

3. Thermodynamic traps operate by the difference in thermodynamic energy between steam and condensate, see CMS forthermodynamic steam traps for more information.

Ball Float Trap

In the simplest form of the ball float trap, the float (B) is attached to the end of a rod (C). The opposite end of the rod is attached to ad i s c h a rge valve (D). When condensate fills the body of the trap the float rises, gradually opening the discharge valve. This trap is seldomused today without a thermostatic or bi-metallic plate to control discharge.

Each issue of the MJ will have a sample Condition Monitoring routine. This issues’ sample is provided from IDCON’s 3 volume series of bookson “Condition Monitoring Standards”. This excellence series contains a useful range of Condition Monitoring / Planned Maintenance routinesand is available from:

IDCON:[email protected] www.idcon.com

or for the Asia Pacific region:[email protected] www.maintenancejournal.com

Condition Monitoring StandardSteam Trap - Mechanical

Ball float steam trap Ball float steam trap principle of operation

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Open Bucket Float

The open bucket trap consists of a float (A) that is open at the top, a valve rod (D) extending through a discharge tube (E). The dischargevalve (F) seats the orifice (G). Other parts are the fulcrum (C) and the body (B). In some designs the bucket surrounds the discharge tube,(see right picture), but operation is essentially the same.

When condensates enter the trap, it gradually fills up and the bucket floats, causing it to push the valve close. The condensate will finallyspill into the bucket, and the bucket sinks due to the added weight and pulls the valve open. The pre s s u re inside the trap will force thecondensate through the discharge tube. As soon as the bucket has emptied it floats again and pushes the valve close.

Inverted Bucket Float

A newer and more commonly used mechanical steam trap is the invert e dbucket steam trap. The top of the bucket is attached to a valve rod (B), whichp e rmits the discharge valve (C) to open and close as the bucket falls andraises. When the bucket is at rest it hangs downward with the valve open.Condensate enters the trap from the passage (D). As long as condensate isp resent the bucket stays down, but as soon as steam enters the trap, thebucket floats and rises causing the valve to close. Steam slowly condensatesand also bleeds off through the small vent (F) at the top of the bucket.Another important purpose of the vent (F is to permit gases to escape. If itwere not for the vent, the bucket would become filled with air and keep thevalve closed all the time.

KEY WHAT WHY

Before checking the steam traps in a system, start by checking that steam pressure andtemperature at the inlet of the system in the normal operating range.

Always have in mind that some traps may have been installed incorrectly or have beenpoorly designed. For example:

1. Supply line may be too small

2. Condensate connection should be taken at lowest point in the apparatus.3. Condensate line should be sloped towards the trap.

4. Is discharge line large enough to carry off the condensate?5. Is the backpressure in the return line higher than anticipated?

6. Is there a check valve in the system, does it have the right capacity and does itfunction properly?

T h e re is little point in checking alltraps in a system before youknow the system is running atnormal operating parameters.

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It takes experience to learn to evaluate a steam trap. Different traps operate differently,and therefore have different sound characteristics. You should listen to the sound of thesteam trap as you are watching the discharge. If you have a closed system (condensatereturn) watch the installed sight glass or use the nearby test valve. If neither test valveor sight glass is in place, make sure to install at next opportunity.Preferably use an ultrasonic listening device. An ultrasonic listening device will let youlisten to specific frequencies without interf e rence from nearby equipment. If you don’thave an ultrasonic listener, use an industrial stethoscope. The instructions below arebased on the following assumptions:

1. Sound from the steam trap can be isolated, meaning there isn’t other steam traps closeenough to distort the sound impression.

2. The steam trap is designed right for the application. When inspecting, realize that alltraps may not be perfectly sized for the operations, the guidelines below may thereforehave to be tweaked to fit the application.

BALL STEAM TRAPAt low loads the ball floattraps have a tendancy tod i s c h a rge continuously, butat high pre s s u res thed i s c h a rge sound will bei n t e rmittent. If you hear arythmic interm i t t e n td i s c h a rge the trap is workingproperly.

KEY WHAT WHY

If the trap has a discharge to the atmosphere, a visual check can be doneeasily. If the condensate is transported in a condensate return system thereshould be a sample valve or a sight glass installed in order to do a visualcheck.

The ball float valve is usually designed with a thermostatic or bi-metallic discelement today. Discharge will therefore be almost continuous, but thedischarge will be condensate not steam.The bucket steam trap is easier to evaluate visually. If you can see thedischarge and the trap discharges intermittently, the trap is working properly.Look for obvious leaks to the atmosphere on piping coming to and from thetrap and on the trap itself. Continuous discharge to the atmosphere from asteam trap usually indicates a failed trap.

Condensate discharge will tellyou if the trap is working pro p e r l y.P robable causes for impro p e rdischarge:

• Orifice worn

• Malfunctioning trap

• Plugged inlet line

• Trap filled with dirt

• Too high pressure

• Inv. bucket: bucket vent filledwith dirt

Safety First!Steam systems canbe extremely hot;do not touch any

part of steamsystem.

Listening to the cycle sound of atrap is a good indicator forevaluating the condition of thetrap.A failed trap will have a differentcycle sound than a wellfunctioning trap.

Ball float with thermostatic element

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BUCKET STEAM TRAPWhen the trap is workingproperly a hissing sound willbe heard during discharg e .When the trap closes thehissing sound stops.Continuous hissing indicatesfailure.If you can see the dischargeand the trap discharg e si n t e rm i t t e n t l y, the trap isworking properly.

I N V E RTED BUCKET STEAMTRAPWhen the trap is workingproperly a hissing sound willbe heard during discharg e .When the trap closes a tinyhissing sound will be heardsince the trap may bleedt h rough the small vent (F),see above. Continuous loudhissing indicates failure .Often a rattling sound fro mthe bucket can be heardwhen a trap has failed. If youcan see the discharge andthe trap discharg e si n t e rm i t t e n t l y, the trap isworking properly.

KEY WHAT WHY

Safety First! Steam systems can be extremely hot;do not touch any part of steam system.

Te m p e r a t u re of the steam trap, discharge line and the inlet line usually has to be usedconjunction with the methods above to be meaningful.

Use an Infrared temperature gun for checking temperature.

Cold inlet line can obviously tell you that the line is plugged or the system is down.

The outlet line temperature is not a good indicator to draw any conclusions from unlessyou know the exact temperature of the steam, and the exact temperature of thecondensate. Even though you know these temperatures, the outlet temperature maymislead you if a trap has failed closed since we don’t know the portion of condensateand steam in the line at the point we are measuring the temperature.

A cold steam trap also indicates failure, but different traps may have different operatingtemperature depending of type and system parameters. A trap that is somewhat coolerthan the system has not necessarily failed.

Cool trap is indicating failure.

Cool inlet line indicates blockagein line

Te m p e r a t u re in conjunction withultrasonic can sometime helpmonitor the condition of the trap,but don’t rely on thermography byitself.

Safety First!Steam systems canbe extremely hot;do not touch any

part of steamsystem.

m a i n t e n a n c enewsSkilled launches new AssetManagement System -

Skilled ASSET GUARDIAN

Skilled Engineering recently launched - Skilled A S S E TGUARDIAN, a Computerised MaintenanceManagement System (CMMS) that assists companiesin managing all aspects of their plant and facilitymaintenance operations.

Along with maintenance-related tasks, the system canalso be used for tracking assets of any type, such as:computers, audio visual equipment, vehicles, tools, dies,etc. It can even be used by service providers fortracking jobs on their client base.

Skilled believes this new product is the perfectcompliment to its contract maintenance and labour hireservices and will allow it to provide a complete turnkeymaintenance solution to companies - whether theysimply require a CMMS, need some labour resourcesand a CMMS, or are looking to outsource their entiremaintenance operation.

The software is the result of a partnership withCanadian-based software developer Western SoftwareSolutions and provides Skilled with a cutting edgeCMMS that has the backup of a well establishedsoftware development company.

Greg Kastes, a Canadian who moved to Australia tofurther develop the market for the software, says SkilledASSET GUARDIAN can be tailored to suit themaintenance operations of many different industries.

“The software will track what has been done, notify ofwhat needs to be done and will provide valuable toolssuch as spare parts lists and all maintenance costs withlinks to the source of the costs.

“The value of the system is the history it builds up,” he said

“There is also a huge benefit for Australian companiesin that the support is right here should you need it.”

Mr Kastes said, unlike some of its competitors, thesoftware is thought out from a maintenance perspectiveand not a finance perspective, which means it provideseverything you need plus some extras that are uniqueto maintenance situations.

The software is easy to use and implement and providesall of the features that maintenance professionals expect.

You can also “cherry pick” the features that you wantto use and not be burdened by all the other featuresavailable in the system.

If you would like more information about Skilled ASSETG UARDIAN please contact: Greg Kastes at SkilledEngineering on (03) 9924 2214.

Avexus Showcases MobileComputing MRO Solution was atFarnborough Airshow 2004

Avexus Inc., has announced a new mobile computingcapabilities that quickly and accurately capture criticaldata in point of work processes. This functionality speeds

the flow of information from operations to all interfacingfunctions driving reduced costs and turn times.

"Studies have shown that 20-30% of a worker’sproduction time is wasted on manual and inefficienttasks. Avexus' mobile solutions respond to ourcustomers' growing need to extend operationalefficiencies to point of work locations in the hanger orin the field," said Avexus’ CEO and president, RichardBergmann. "Operators, third-party repair facilities andOEMs will now be able to use Avexus' MRO solutionswith ruggedized mobile computing devices to increaseefficiencies and productivity."

The ability to use mobile computing at the point of workwill ensure that on-wing or field work, such as thatperformed on aircraft during a non-routine inspection,is performed in the same consistent manner as off-wingwork completed at a repair facility. Extending workmanagement and execution to the point of work willalso speed decision making concerning service and partsordering; enable remote labor attendance monitoringand work order execution; ensure faster, more accuratematerial procurement; and enable integration ofadaptive planning data with routine maintenance tasks.

"Being able to climb onto an aircraft during aninspection and input codes for non-routine repair workwill be a real boon to the enterprise that wants toreduce turn times and improve productivity," saidBergmann. "Data can be immediately transferred fromthe mobile device in the hanger to an engineer orproduction control specialist who can make quickerdecisions about how to proceed most effectively basedon other inputs and scheduled maintenance activities.These new efficiencies will speed assignment ofresources, capacity planning and materialsprocurement. The ultimate benefit of these solutionsis an overall increase in work productivity, work capacityand asset uptime.”

w w w. a v e x u s . c o m .

Barcode or RFID tags for assettracking?

Hardcat's Dan Drum suggests that it is important forthe customer to be aware of both what it is they requirein a tracking solution, as well as the many differentvariants of RFID tag currently fighting for marketsupremacy.

"There are many RFID offerings on the market, andmany more coming. The complexity varies from theselection of the tag, which could be active or passive.Then on top of that, is it LF, HF, UHF or GHz. That isfollowed by consideration of whether a fixed mountedor handheld reader required" says Mr Drum.

A key consideration is that different readers are requiredto read the various tags available. Whereas it is possibleto buy a barcode reader capable of reading the completerange of commonly available barcode formats, the sameis not true for RFID.

Whatever technology the customer chooses to tag theirassets, they need to have some certainty that the

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technology represents the best choice not only today,but in future. Also of importance is to be certain thatthe solution is ideal for tracking assets, as distinct fromother tagged items such as warehouse pallets orsupermarket goods, as there are important logisticalconsiderations regarding the life of the tag, its sensitivity,and the cost of the infrastructure needed to read it.

RFID technologies boast advantages that barcodescannot deliver, such as active tags that allow movementof portable and attractive assets to be automaticallydetected, or embedded tags that are unlikely to risktampering. However, barcoding retains key advantagesfor asset tracking - the technology is established anduniversal, and the label cost is very low, and the labelis permanent and may potentially last for decades. MrDrum suggests the consumer should weigh up the costsand benefits associated with either technology whenmaking their decision.

It is important also to remember that asset tags,whether barcode or RFID, should not be seen as thesolution itself. They exist as a link between the physicalasset item and the asset database. Mr Drum suggeststhat the most important consideration remains thefunctionality of the database software that forms thebase of the solution. The Hardcat solution can bereadily used with either RFID or barcode labels.

Dan Drum www.hardcat.com

Companies Launch First CMMSwith Radio FrequencyIdentification

Cathexis Innovations and MicroMain Corporation haveannounced their new strategic partnership. Thispartnership includes the launching of the first RFID-enabled computerized maintenance managementsystem by a major CMMS vendor.

With this new partnership, Cathexis and MicroMainhave developed a fully integrated RFID-enabled versionof MicroMain XM. This version incorporates Cathexis’RFID middleware solution, the RFID Engineô, so thatassets can be managed with radio frequencyidentification in addition to or instead of bar codes.

RFID improves asset identification, tracking andmanagement through automation of the data collectionand entry process. The RFID tags allow users to storeinformation relevant to the asset directly on the tag itself.Customers then place RFID tags on their assets and usehandheld RFID readers to immediately access and modifythe information. This data typically includes make, model,serial number, owner, and maintenance history.

Unlike bar codes, RFID does not require line of sightbetween the tag and reader, which increases speed incompleting maintenance tasks or inspections. Thebenefits of RFID also include unique identification ofassets in the field, “on-asset” maintenance history, andenhanced data integrity and accessibility formanagement and auditing. Because RFID minimizesdata entry errors, accuracy is also improved.

“The benefit of RFID technology in the domain of assetmanagement is tremendous, and Cathexis is excited tobe working with an industry leader like MicroMain tobring this ëout- of-the-box’ solution to market,” saidSteven Taylor, President of Cathexis Innovations Inc.

“This fully integrated solution is a marriage of Cathexis’cutting-edge RFID Engine middleware and MicroMain’sproven asset management suite,” he added. “The RFIDEngine allows virtually any RFID or other A I D C(Automatic Identification and Data Capture) technology,such as bar codes, to be integrated into a softwareapplication. Users of the RIFD Engine typicallyexperience reduction in development time, cost andcomplexity up to 75%. We are confident that this blendof innovative technology with a proven, reliable productlike MicroMain XM, addresses a significant need in themarket and offers tremendous value to end-users.”

“MicroMain has achieved many ëfirsts,’ and now inpartnering with Cathexis we are the first major vendorto offer an RFID-enabled CMMS,” said Pat Conroy,President of

w w w. m i c r o m a i n . c o m

FLUOR EARNS WORK ONAUSTRALIA’S NEWESTALUMINA REFINERY

Fluor Corporation has today announced that it has beencontracted to provide asset management supportservices to Australia's newest alumina refinery with itsjoint venture partner Monadelphous Engineering Pty.Ltd.

The Fluor Monadelphous Services team will provideintegrated maintenance and shutdown services for theComalco Alumina Refinery (CAR) owned by ComalcoAlumina Ltd. The duration of the contract is five years.

" We are really looking forward to combining thestrengths of CAR and FMS in a positive relationshipthat will help us achieve a world-class refinery," saidMaurice Schneider, Comalco superintendent ofcontract management.

The refinery is planned for development in three stagesand will operate using the Bayer process, the mosteconomic means of producing alumina from bauxite.The plant initially will produce nearly one and one-halfmillion tons of alumina annually, which will be shippedto other sites for further processing into aluminum metal.

"This alliance is an example of true resource andsystems integration,” said Matthew Langmaid, generalmanager of Fluor’s Operations & Maintenance groupin Australia. “It is a rare example of pure allianceb e h a v i o r, where we have removed all traditional barriersto cooperation and apply daily the principles ofopenness, best for role, no duplication and sharing ofbest practice methods in everything we do.”

F M S ’s services are designed to enable the refinery toeffectively and efficiently manage its long-termreliability support, especially during times of peakworkload, and provide an effective mechanism forsupplying ongoing shutdown and routine maintenancesupport services.

FMS is a joint venture of Fluor Australia Pty. Ltd., andMonadelphous Engineering Pty. Ltd, a leadingAustralian engineering construction, maintenance andindustrial services company with a long-term presencein the Gladstone community. Together FMS and CARare committed to supporting the development of localbusiness and industry. w w w. f l u o r. c o m .

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500,000 JOBS A MATER-NANCEMILESTONE

B r i s b a n e ’s Mater Health Services has recorded its500,000th maintenance job in 13 years with thesoftware package MAINPAC.

Neil McMahon of the Mater’s engineering andenvironmental services group, says the milestone in themaintenance of buildings, infrastructure and evenbiomedical equipment, points to the need forappropriate information systems to support theemerging discipline of Enterprise Asset Management.

"Immediate throughput of job costs and other relevantdata to the plant and asset registers is essential toincrease the accuracy of the Hospital’s financial andcorporate reporting," Mr McMahon said.

He predicts significant changes, beginning with a trendtowards more "cost effective" maintenance.

"It is becoming more common to replace or upgrade anitem of equipment, rather than fix it continually.Hospital accreditation organisations are beginning toexpect that benchmarking of activities with peerorganisations occur on a regular basis.

"There is a lot greater requirement for safeenvironments and more maintenance is being driven byworkplace health and safety concerns. In the healthcarei n d u s t r y, accreditation and certification to certainexternal standards is a common event. Morecertification bodies are expecting specific areas withinan entity to be able to report on the programmedmaintenance for a period into the future to meetmandatory certification, so they can continue to provideservices to the public," Mr McMahon said.

By involving all levels of staff in the use of MAINPACMr McMahon’s department has continually developednew expectations and demands for improvement of thesoftware. A Job Request module and functions to exportdata into the Mater’s finance system are examples ofthese improvements.

The job request module can now give the entire 4500staff of Mater Health Services access to at least somepart of MAINPAC. The job request and assetregistration modules provide immediate feedback onplant or assets needing repair and work completedacross the Mater’s 3 public and 4 private co-locatedhospitals across greater Brisbane.

For further information please contact:

Mr Peter Bates, Mainpac Pty Ltd,Telephone: 08 8130 7711

Reliability Incident ManagementSystem

During the last year, OMCS International has beenquietly developing a new software product, RIMSys(TM)or Reliability Incident Management System.

RIMSys(TM) is used to manage incidents deemedimportant enough to require formal investigation.

It provides the following management functions:

• a defined process of investigation, action,implementation and archive

• incident recording

• a summary screen for an overview

• details screens for specifics, searching, filtering,data extraction and reporting

• each incident is assigned a status in each step ofthe process

• user definable consequences can be assigned toeach incident to aid prioritising

RIMSys(TM) also provides advanced functions of;

• an email based notification system that can beconfigured to notify individuals and groups ofcertain events in the investigation resolutionprocess

• interfacing with PMO2000(TM) allowing quickretrieval of planned maintenance tasks associatedwith the equipment being investigated

• a configurable Risk Assessment calculator

• attachment of any type of file to each incident forarchiving formal reports and includingphotographs

RIMSys(TM) is designed to take the administrativeeffort out of investigation. Gone are the days when youcan't find that piece of paper or when you cannotrespond in seconds on the status of a specificinvestigation.

D ownload a free Evaluation version Now :h t t p : / / m 1 e . n e t / c ? 3 0 8 5 4 3 7 5 - O K U u M 0 Y b J 5 K N M % 4 0 6 0 1 2 1 4 -Q . U k I r Q Y d n h M E

CBM workshops cover all bases

Effective use of condition based monitoring (CBM)contributes to increased plant uptime and reducedmaintenance costs, which combine to increase the returnon net assets of a manufacturing operation. To bringfamiliarity to this concept, and in particular that of vibrationmonitoring, Rockwell Automation Australia is running aseries of hands-on workshops displaying its Entek XMProducts. From July 2004 through to November, theseEntek XM seminars will be held by Rockwell A u t o m a t i o nAustralia distributors throughout NSW, Queensland, SouthAustralia, Victoria and Western A u s t r a l i a .

Each Entek XM seminar introduces the new Entek XMsuite of on-line vibration monitoring modules, designedto monitor and protect machinery. The XM series is afamily of relay and communications modules that maybe applied as a stand-alone system, or integrated directlywith control systems using the DeviceNet open standardcommunications network to provide key diagnosticinformation.

According to Chris Baker, Rockwell A u t o m a t i o nAustralia business manager asset management, theEntek XM workshops already run have generated anexcellent response from customers. “This seminarprovides all the information needed to get started withtrue integrated condition monitoring,” he said.

The free four-hour workshops consist of theory andproduct information supported by some hands-on,online simulation practice. On completion, participantshave the option of purchasing a half-price XM 120ëstarter kit’ consisting of the XM module and allnecessary componentry to start real-time conditionbased monitoring.

For further information or to register, contact your nearestauthorized Rock well Automation Australia distributor,w h i ch can be located by visiting

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR!DECEMBER 5 - 8, 2004

19TH INTERNATIONAL MAINTENANCE CONFERENCE

LEARN HOW MAINTENANCE & RELIABILITYPROFESSIONALS JUST LIKE YOU

ARE CREATING SUCCESSFUL RESULTS

w w w. r o ck we l l a u t o m a t i o n . c o m . a u .A l t e r n a t ive ly, p l e a s econtact Adem Adil on 0411 260 667.

TechConnect--Rockwell’s site-widescalable support solution

An innovative, multi-tiered technical support program--know as TechConnect--is now available to Australiancustomers of Rockwell Automation. TechConnect is afully integrated program of phone support, softwareupdates, technical reference tools, and supportmanagement services. Providing site-wide coverage forthe Rockwell Automation hardware and softwareproducts, TechConnect offers unrivalled levels offlexibility and scalability, ensuring an optimal matchwith each customer’s technical support needs.

Developed from Rockwell Automation Australia’s well-established customer service program, the newTechConnect program leverages the company’s realtimesupport model. This ensures immediate connection toa technical expert in over 90 per cent of calls, and firsttime resolution of problems in 50 per cent of cases.This uniquely flexible support program now providescoverage for an entire industrial site’s automationsystem, rather than tying the support to individualproduct items.

The centrepiece to the program is the A u s t r a l i a n - b a s e dtechnical support centre--one of five such ëSupportCenter Practices’ (SCP)-certified facilities locatedaround the globe. Operating as a network, the fivesupport centres ensure that control on delivery is tight,and underpin an optional 24-hour everyday supportservice offering.

According to Breekveldt, TechConnect is mosteffectively used as a proactive maintenance tool, wherecustomers are encouraged to pick up the telephone atthe earliest signs of a problem. “The Te c h C o n n e c tprogram should be seen as less of a safety-net and moreas an extension to the customer’s own maintenance andIT departments.” This is reflected in the program’spricing structure, which allows unlimited calls andqueries. In this way, the service can be used as a meansof helping maintain plant up-time, rather than as a lastresort to merely support breakdown repair activities.

h t t p : / / s u p p o r t . r o ck we l l a u t o m a t i o n . c o m / s u p p o r t p r o g r a m s.

Online Monitoring - intelligentand flexible

PRÜFTECHNIK Condition Monitoring presents theVIBROWEB; a new, automated monitoring anddiagnosis system for production-critical machines andsystems. VIBROWEB is completely autonomous,running without PC connection which makes itparticularly suitable for applications in distributed andout-of-the-way machine parks (pump stations,pipelines,...). The modular and flexible systemconfiguration keeps investment and installation costslow and also enables the economic integration ofVIBROWEB into existing monitoring infrastructures.VIBROWEB is designed to allow the logical connectionof almost every type of sensor (ICP, DMS,LineDrive,...). The signal conditioning for each channelis carried out with the aid of special plug-in cards that

are simple to replace as and when required. Of the 32analog measurement channels, two can be measuredsimultaneous, with other channels available for rpmmeasurements (8x) and for digital inputs and outputs(each 4x). As all the sensors are constantly supplied withp o w e r, the channel changeover times and thus also theduration of a measurement cycle are minimal.VIBROWEB applications include all machines withrotating parts, especially aggregates that work withvariable rpm or under varying load conditions. If themeasured values are too high, VIBROWEB carries outthe necessary diagnostic measurements itself, wherethe system takes different operating states into account.If an alarm condition is detected, VIBROWEB promptlyinforms the maintenance technician by eMail or SMSand attaches the relevant measured data to the eMail.The evaluation and archiving of the data is carried outwith the OMNITREND PC software. For tele diagnosis,the specialist logs onto the system via an onlineconnection and Internet-capable browser.

w w w. p r u f t e ch n i k . c o m

Whitestone awarded $1.4 millionDOE Contract for the ParametricEstimation of DeferredMaintenance at Eight NationalLaboratories

Whitestone Research Corporation has been awardeda Department of Energy (DOE) contract for theparametric estimation of deferred maintenance at eightsites administered by the National Nuclear SecurityAdministration. The award follows a demonstrationproject in which Whitestone's MARST cost forecastsystem was used to estimated deferred maintenance atLawrence Livermore National Laboratory. MARSTestimates were within 6 percent of the actual costsdetermined by facility inspectors, and more accuratethan a competing methodology also evaluated. TheWhitestone approach costs less than half of traditionalcondition assessments. The value of the contract is $1.4million.

Whitestone Research, with headquarters in SantaBarbara, California, specializes in applied economicresearch and software development. Whitestoneproducts and services are used every year by hundredsof major corporations, government agencies, and publicand private institutions.

For more information on Whitestone services andp r o d u c t s, please see the company's website atw w w. w h i t e s t o n e r e s e a r ch . c o m .

Advance in Planned MaintenanceSystems

Det Norske Veritas (DNV) has approved a PlannedMaintenance System (PMS) that offers a significantadvance to the marine industry. It has appro v e dM A I N Telligence from Design Maintenance Systems Inc.(DMSI), (www.desmaint.com), which allows all shipmaintenance re q u i rements to be managed by a singlesystem using a single database. MAINTelligence's singlesystem and database approach greatly simplifies thep rocess that ship operators must follow to avoid opening up

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components for class survey."This is truly a significant advance in marine condition

monitoring," said Paul Jamer, MarEng, VP Technical &Product Development, AKA Group. "Marine companies thatuse MAINTelligence can now more easily leverage theirp rograms to assist in reducing the costs associated withclass inspections." Users of MAINTelligence may apply toDNV for a PMS Implementation Survey where machinerycomponents are assessed based on the documentedmaintenance history contained in MAINTelligence, ratherthan through mandatory physical inspection.

The approval, described as "an impre s s i v eaccomplishment" by Mark Cusack, former Director ofOperations and Technical Services, Department of Fisheriesand Oceans (DFO) Canada, provides the marine industry witha important innovation in Planned Maintenance Systems. Itgives an approved tool for simplifying the process of classs u rveys, planning the maintenance management functionsand implementing a predictive maintenance program all inone system and in one database.

" F i n a l l y, the shipping industry has the proper softwaretool for planned maintenance management function (PM),"said Ian Liddle, DMSI President, "that provides for PMSImplementation Surveys and has all the tools for a fullp redictive maintenance (PdM) program, covering vibration,oil, thermography and engine analysis in one system andone database." MAINTelligence can also manage engineroom data logging re q u i rements, using intrinsically safehandheld computers.

For more information, contact: Michelle Po i t r a s, D e s i g nMaintenance Systems Inc. at +1-604-984-3674 orm i [email protected] http://www. d e s m a i n t . c o m

NEW DEVELOPMENTSREFLECTS COMING OF AGEFOR EAM

Mainpac Pty Ltd, has stepped up its research anddevelopment activities by an order of magnitude withthe aim of positioning itself at the forefront ofinformation systems and methods to support the assetand maintenance discipline.

The companyís Adelaide development centre isoverseeing the most radical redesign of the software inits 20 year history while playing a pivotal role in aproject code-named Longbow, the objective of which isto develop new methods for Enterprise A s s e tManagement (EAM) process on demand.

The Longbow project outcome is a processmanufacturing environment for EAM that allowsbusinesses to shape their processes themselves, performcontinuous and incremental process improvementswithout impediment from technology whilesimultaneously exploiting low cost best of breedapplication component objects. Responding to eventsfrom sensors in the EAM environment, processes willbe able to evolve and adapt in real time.

Reflecting the significant changes in software technologythat have occurred in the 20 years since JohnCruickshank first unveiled a modest computerisedmaintenance management system, the newest software,Version 7 which is due to roll out in the next month isn- or multi-tiered. This means that the database, businessrules and presentation layers of the software are no longermonolithic but for the first time are separated.

This ensures the ease of connecting to other databasesand the ability to tailor the software for specific users,organisations and industries.

The opportunity to put Australia at the forefront ofR&D for enterprise maintenance systems and expandthe countryís export base has been recognised by theAustralian Government. Earlier this year AusIndustrymade a significant grant to Mainpac under the R&DStart scheme to help fund this highly innovative R&Dproject. The R&D Start Program, available toAustralian companies, is a merit-based programdesigned to assist Australian industry to undertakeresearch and development and commercialisationthrough a range of grants and loans.

Mainpac has also partnered with CIEAM (CooperativeResearch Centre for Integrated Engineering A s s e tManagement) based at the Queensland University ofTe c h n o l o g y. This part of the R&D program aims tointegrate an advanced data acquisition system prototypeand intelligent fault diagnosis and prognosis modelswith the Mainpac software system, using an opensystem architecture and the MIMOSA standard. Theproject will capitalise on the services based architectureof Longbow to demonstrate end to end integration ofbusiness process in a utility maintenance environment.The project will significantly reduce maintenance costby more accurately predicting preventative maintenancerequirements for routable equipment.

The Longbow project aims to create a world benchmarkin asset management processes to SMEs, scalable to largeenterprise. The project will create a software environmentthat will continually adapt itself to seamlessly align withand support the most desired business process.

Initially the project is being built on the .NET platformwhich provides the flexibility to not only use theMicrosoft environment but also connect to any device,platform or database. Given that the open sourcecommunity is now enabling the .NET environment,subsequent releases of the program will also cater foropen source operating environments.

Longbow uses the latest industry trends of businessprocess flexibility, web services, services orientedarchitectures, component delivery and XML technology.To take full advantage of this new technology Mainpacis developing a completely new architecture that willnot be constrained by legacy design limitations.

A cornerstone of the project is the services oriented modelwhich is a powerful means of creating a new functionaluser experience. Mainpacís 20 years of expertise andcustomer input will feed into a detailed process model ofbest practice EAM. This allows the problem to be lookedat from the user point of view and the solution brokeninto discrete components of functional services. Theseservices can be easily assembled in different ways as abusiness changes its processes.

The use of webservices and XML technology based onopen standards will allow Mainpac and third partyservices and to be sourced from any server on theInternet. The result is reusable software process servicesfor asset management that can be loosely coupled withother components to accommodate new businessprocesses on demand anywhere, any place, anytime.

Events will be created and captured via a wide range ofinterfaces including electronic monitoring devices onassets, PDAs, phones, GPS aware devices, internetbrowser devices etc. The framework will manage the

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discrete events within the context of an organisationíschanging business processes.

The system will achieve flexibility by creating EAMprocesses on demand through an architecture based onagility, dynamically linked services, event managementand, asset management process repository.

For further information please contact:

Mr Peter Bates, Mainpac Pty Ltd,Telephone: 08 8130 7711

Highly popular Irisys HandheldThermal Imaging camera

Maintenance Systems Consolidated P/L (MSc) haveexperienced tremendous success with the low cost IrisysIRI 1011 thermal imaging camera. Since its launch inAustralia and New Zealand in late 2003, the IrisysThermal Imager has been purchased by large multi-sitecompanies right through to small electrical contractors.All these companies find the Irisys ideally suited tofinding hot spots on electrical switch boards andcomponentry as well as for checking motors, pumps,gearboxes and other mechanical equipment. After all,over 100 users canít be wrong !!

The Irisys is also available in both high temperature (3000Cand 10000C) options and increased FOV - field of view(100 and 200) options. The device allows non-contacttemperature measurement for industrial applications andis suitable as a diagnostic tool for workshop personnel, fieldservice technicians and tradespeople.

Use of the system ranges from the traditional industrialpredictive maintenance applications such as theinspection of electrical and mechanical plant, throughthe design, troubleshooting and maintenance ofdomestic and commercial heating, air conditioning andelectrical installations, to vehicle maintenance andautomotive engineering. In real-time, equipment canbe thermally imaged and component temperaturesaccurately measured.

Similar in size and appearance to a small digital stillcamera, the ergonomically designed, lightweight,handheld imager incorporates complete optical imagingand microprocessor systems, built-in visual laser aimingdevice and one-hand control. The optional handle andslot-in Pocket PC can either be click-fixed to the imagerto form a single, one-hand operated unit with anintegrated display, or can be detached for two-handedoperation of the system.

This latter configuration enables the imager to bepointed at awkward angles or used in very small spaces,allowing the Pocket PC to be comfortably held in thehandle for ease of viewing. It can also be used as acomplete freestanding static unit using the tripodmounting point; this enables accurate positioning forremote imaging and temperature measurement, whichcan then be displayed in large format on a PC screen.The integrated circuit-mounted ceramic detectorgenerates a 256 pixel realtime temperature display. Anoptical system projects the external scene onto thedetector array, enabling the temperature at each of the256 pixels to be accurately measured at a rate of eighttimes every second.

Full product specifications available at MSc we b s i t e :w w w. m a i n t s y s.com.au

Contact Bret Jo n e s, Maintenance Systems Consolidated

(MSc) on: Tel: (03) 9761 5088 Fax: (03) 9761 5090 Email: [email protected]

IMPACT.Net - the most deployablesystem on the market

SoftSols Group has announced the next generation ofits internationally recognised IMPACTxp Maintenanceand Enterprise Asset Management System.

I M PA C T.Net is a zero footprint web browser basedsolution that can literally be accessed from anywhereat anytime via the Internet. All that is required is astandard browser on a PC, laptop or PDA. There areno initial downloads - just login and start processing.

This pure simplicity of deployment means the systemcan be used by anyone in the organisation with a needto review or update work order, asset or maintenancerelated information. However, simplicity does not meancompromise in functionality or performance, far fromit, as IMPA C T.Net provides unique features that meanthe screen layouts, reports and menu options can beconfigured for every user to meet their specificrequirements - ON LINE.

No more waiting for the supplier to change the screen,no more waiting for the consultant to reconfigure thereport - do it HERE and NOW. This unique facilitymakes IMPA C T.Net accessible to all in the organisationin the format they require. New fields can even beadded to the database as required without affecting theintegrity of the system or the need for programmingskills. Customised validation and data look up featurescan be attached to the new field providing the richestpossible functionality for an Enterprise A s s e tManagement System with real-time flexibility.

The look and feel of the system is driven by style sheetsallowing you to incorporate your company logo and usein-house design guidelines to seamlessly integrateIMPACT.NET with other corporate solutions.

Each user can be presented with their own live KeyPerformance Indicator charts (KPIís) as they log intothe system bringing critical business intelligence to theirattention and promoting rapid resolution of issues. Theuserís own unique view of the system can be configuredto make their tasks as simple as possible, with the abilityto attach photographs, documents, images, drawingsand videos to any record. The information they need isat hand in the format they need, when they need it.Whatís more any reconfiguration of their view of thesystem can simply be done on-line as they need thechange, without even logging out of their session.

I M PA C T.Net can work with multiple databasesincluding Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle and Progress.It uses Crystal Reports or Microsoft Reporting Servicesto provide on-line reporting and graphical analysiscapabilities.

This is the new generation of Asset MaintenanceManagement systems. You access it wherever you want,whenever you want, with the information you want, inthe format you want. Why use a system that dictateshow your information is displayed when you canimplement IMPACT.Net, which lets you decide.

M a ke it your own Asset Maintenance ManagementSystem with IMPAC T. N e t . Contact SoftSols Group nowand get what you want at www. s o f t s o l s g r o u p.com ors a l e s @ s o f t s o l s g r o u p..com

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Past Issues Cost of Past Issues is: Aus$44 Price is inclusive of postage and local taxes. To see a listing of past issues go to: www.maintenancejournal.comAll past issues are available in the Print format. Electronic version only available from the February 2003 issue onwards.

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MaintenancePublicationsMaintenancePublications

The following Maintenance Publications, available from EIT Pty Ltd, may be ordered by: Fax: 03 5975 5735 Email: [email protected] Web: www.MaintenanceJournal.com

ALL PRICES ARE IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS. / PRICES for AUSTRALIA INCLUDE POSTAGE COSTS AND GST ADD Aus$40 PER TOTAL ORDER FOR ALL DELIVERIES OUTSIDE OF AUSTRALIA.

CD’S:

WIREMAN SEMINARS - PPT SLIDES For the first time anywhere in the world we are able to offer for sale CD’s

of hundreds of Power Point Slides from Te rry Wi re m a n ’s series of MaintenanceSeminars. These CD’s are an invaluable training and learning tool for yourmaintenance personnel.

1. BENCHMARKING MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT CD Version Aus $295.00Benchmarking Introduction and Generic Benchmarks - 151 slidesO rganizational Considerations, Education Problems, Work Order Systems,Maintenance Planning, Maintenance Scheduling, Preventive Maintenance,Maintenance Materials - 455 slidesBenchmarking Best Practices and Benchmarking Survey - 256 slides. TOTAL:863 SLIDES

2. COMPUTERISED MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS CD Version Aus $295.00Successfull CMMS - 31 slidesMaintenance Practice Assessment - 53 slidesOrganizational Assessment - 18 slidesCMMS Selection, CMMS Implementation, CMMS Usage - 264 slidesCost Justification and ROI - 32 slidesCMMS, ERP and EAM, CMMS Issues - 70 slides. TOTAL: 468 slides

3. MAINTENANCE PERFORMANCE INDICAT0RSCD Version Aus $295.00Introduction - Performance Indicators - 125 slidesP reventive Maintenance Indicators, Inventory & Purchasing Indicators, Wo r kFlow Systems Indicators, CMMS/EAM Systems Indicators, Training Indicators,Operations/Facility Involvement PI’s, Predictive Maintenance Indicators, RCMIndicators, TPM Indicators, Statistical/Financial Optimization PI’s, Cont. Impro v.PI’s - 335 slides Building the Pyramid &The Future - 33 slides. TOTAL: 493 Slides

4. TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCECD Version Aus $295.00Introduction to TPM - 60 slidesTPM Organizational Considerations - 100 slidesBest Practices and TPM, Preventive Maintenance & TPM, TPM & Stores & Purchasing, TPM & Work Orders, TPM & CMMS, Zero Breakdown Strategies & TPM - 328 slidesFinancial Benefits of TPM - 66 slidesTPM Conclusions - 37 slides. TOTAL: 591 Slides

5. ZERO BREAKDOWN STRATEGIESCD Version Aus $295.00Achieving Zero Breakdown A Reality - 36 slidesImproved Equipment Effectiveness - 314 slidesIntroduction, What Causes Failures?Understanding Basic Component DesignFive Steps: Maintain Basic Conditions, Maintain Operating Standard s ,Deterioration Prevention, Improving Design WeaknessesPreventing Human Error, Beyond the Basics. TOTAL: 350 Slides

MAINTENANCE - COMPUTER BASED TRAININGEIT P/L are pleased to offer in Australia the New Standard Institute’s range of‘e-Learning’ Products. The training products listed below are available to youas CDs. F e a t u re-packed, New Standard Institute's electronic bench re f e rences areenhanced with Pop-up Definitions, Enlargeable Graphics, Animation andinteractive exercises. All the products listed below include narrated text.For full details of each CD see our web site at:www.maintenancejournal.com/maintenancebooks.htm

6. MAINTENANCE STOREROOMSNEW LISTING CD Version 2004 Aus $450.00The Maintenance Store rooms computer based training (CBT) is taken fro mNew Standard Institute's two-day seminar for Store room and Parts Managersand provides a comprehensive approach to the mechanics and mathematicsof a well-run storeroom. CBT has full narrated text. Program also includes theReorder Point Calculator.

7. GASKETS & BOLTED FLANGES CONNECTIONSNEW LISTING CD Version 2004 Aus $190.00Containing fluids (liquids and gases) is essential to both safe and eff i c i e n t

p rocess operation. Leaky systems can be costly as well as dangerous. The USEPA has set down regulations aimed at limiting emissions of volatile organiccompounds (VOC) in pumps, compressors, valves, and flanged equipment. Thistraining shows you how to achieve a good flanged connection as well as theessentials of studs, bolts and nuts.

8. SHUTDOWN, TURNAROUNDS & OUTAGESCD Version 2003 Aus $450.00A shutdown, turnaround, or outage can be the biggest and most complicateddemand on maintenance re s o u rces. Modern project management methodscan enable a maintenance professional to identify, plan, staff and coordinatethe eff o rt of hundreds of workers and their support equipment while minimizingdowntime and costs. This e-Learning tool includes interactive critical path method training.

9. MAINTENANCE PLANNING & SCHEDULINGCD Version 2003 Aus $370.00This easy-to-use training is a solid MP&S re f e rence. The CD-format of theMaintenance Planning and Scheduling electronic training resource containsall of the enhancements of our downloadable material: Pop-up Definitions,Wo rd Search functionality, Enlargeable Graphics, Animation and interactivee x e rcises with the addition of voice-over narration. Provides the basics ofMaintenance Planning and Scheduling training without leaving your facility.

10. LUBRICATIONCD VERSION 2003 Aus $130.00This material will provide you with a thorough understanding of lubricantchoices. Several interactive aids have been added to make this a solid tool.Learn proper lubrication methods and how to analyze oil test results.

11. AC MOTOR CONTROLSCD VERSION 2003 Aus $130.00Most AC motors are started through a standardized control system designedto protect the motor, the circuit, and operating personnel. This training toolfocuses on ladder diagrams, wiring, and troubleshooting techniques for themost common motor used in industry, the AC induction motor. New interactiveexercises and quizzes help you hone your troubleshooting skills.

TEXTS:

Condition Monitoring Standards Volume I, II & IIICondition Monitoring Standards [CMS] are the building blocks for setting upand running a preventive maintenance, and condition monitoring [PM/ECCM]system. The CMS documents have full color pictures to explain the function,condition monitoring as well as why and how each of these tasks should beexecuted. Each CMS contains brief inspection points, detailed instru c t i o n sand suggested intervals for each on-the-run and shutdown inspection.

12. CONDITION MONITORING STANDARDS VOLUME 1Torbjorn Idhammar, 2001, 124pp [Colour], $330.00Section 1 - Preventive Maintenance Task List Section 2 - Condition Monitoring StandardsMotor AC; Coupling Tire; Coupling Sure flex; Coupling Grid; Coupling Thomas;Coupling Wrap flex/Atra flex; Coupling Gear; Coupling Jar; Coupling Magnetic;Coupling To rus; Pump Vacuum Nash; Pump - Ve rtical - Multistage; Ta n k ;Conveyor Screw; Valve solenoid; Air Breather - Des Case; Flinger; GearReducer; Conveyor Belt; Conveyor Drag; Fan Axial; Agitator/Mixer; Compre s s o rRotary Screw - Quincy; Dryer System - Air desiccant; Steam Joint - Valmet

13. CONDITION MONITORING STANDARDS VOLUME IITorbjorn Idhammar, 2001, 130 pp [Colour], $330.00Section 1 - Preventive Maintenance Task List Section 2 - Condition Monitoring StandardsMotion Detector; Backstop; Pump, Centrifugal; Heat Exchanger; Bearing, PillowBlock; Chain Drive; Hydraulic Unit; Feeder; Mechanical Seal; Packing; CheckValves; Screen Reciprocating; V Belt Drive; Screen - Vibrating; Screen - Disc;S c reen - Centrifugal; Lubrication Reservoir; Fan Radial; Pump Vane; Pump Gear;Pump Piston; Steam Trap Mechanical; Steam Trap Thermostatic; Steam TrapThermodynamic; Valve with Actuator [S=Shutdown].

14. CONDITION MONITORING STANDARDS VOLUME IIITorbjorn Idhammar, 2003, 115 pp [Colour], $330.00Condition Monitoring StandardsUniversal Joint; Rope Sheaves; Regulator - Air; Pump - Pro g ressive Cavity;Blower - Rotary Lobe; Belt - Cog; Doctor Blade; Brake Disc; Bolts and Nuts;Cylinder - Air; Pump - Diaphragm; Motor DC; Valve; Clutch Centrifugal;Expansion Joint; Coupling - Fluid; Cylinder Hydraulic; Bearing - Oil Cooled;Hydraulic Motors; Pump - Multistage; Governor; Pneumatic Filter and Oil Most;Piping and Pipe Hangers; Steam Turbine [Small].

15. LEAN MAINTENANCEReduce Costs, Improve Quality, and Increase Market Shar eNEW LISTING. R Smith, B Hawkins 2004, 304 pp $120.00 Moving the maintenance operation well into its own lean transformation is am u s t - d o - p re requisite for successful manufacturing plant - or any process plant- Lean Transformations. This Handbook provides detailed, step-by-step, fullyexplained processes for each phase of Lean Maintenance implementationp roviding examples, checklists and methodologies of a quantity, detail andpracticality that no previous publication has even approached. It is requiredreading, and a required reference, for every plant and facility that is planning,or even thinking of adopting ‘Lean’ as their mode of operation.

16. PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE OF PUMPS USING CMNEW LISTING . R S Beebe 2004, 181 pp $305.00The first book devoted to condition monitoring and predictive maintenance inpumps. Explains how to minimize energy costs, limit overhauls and re d u c emaintenance expenditure.This book show how condition monitoring can be applied to detect intern a ldegradation in pumps so that appropriate maintenance can be decided uponbased on actual condition rather than arbitrary time scales. The book focuseson the main condition monitoring techniques particularly relevant to pumps.Field examples show how condition monitoring is applied to detect intern a ldegration in pumps.

17. MANAGING MAINTENANCE SHUTDOWNS AND OUTAGESNEW LISTING. Joel Levitt 2004, 208 pp $95.00 Now you can have the ability of saving money immediately just from readingand using this unique guide! Managing Maintenance Shutdowns and Outageswill provide a deeper understanding of how to effectively manage larg emaintenance jobs such as power plant outages, re f i n e ry refits and many more .With this, users will have increased ability to plan and manage such projects.

18. EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENTRisk and Reliability Strategies for Optimizing PerformanceNEW LISTING. V Narayan 2004, 288 pp $95.00 P roviding readers with a clear rationale for implementing maintenanceprograms, this unique guide is written in a language and style that practicingengineers and managers can understand and apply easily. Eff e c t i v eMaintenance Management examines the role of maintenance in minimizingthe risks relating to safety or environmental incidents, adverse publicity, andloss of pro f i t a b i l i t y. Bridge the gap between designers/maintainers andreliability engineers, this guide is sure to help businesses utilize their assetseffectively, safely, and profitably.

19. BENCHMARK BEST PRACTICES IN MAINT. MANAGEMENTNEW LISTING. Terry Wireman 2003, 228 pp $105.00As the only re f e rence that provides vital information in a concise and easy-to-use format, Benchmarking Best Practices in Maintenance Management willprovide users with all the necessary tools to be successful in benchmarkingmaintenance management. It presents a logical step-by-step methodology thatwill enable a company to conduct a cost-effective benchmarking eff o rt. Itp resents an overview of the benchmarking process, a self analysis, and adatabase of the results of more than 100 companies that have used theanalysis.

20. RCM - GATEWAY TO WORLD CLASS MAINTENANCEA Smith & G Hinchcliffe 2003, 337 pp, $120.00Includes detailed instructions for implementing and sustaining an eff e c t i v eRCM program; Presents seven real-world successful case studies fro md i ff e rent industries that have profited from RCM; Provides essential inform a t i o non how RCM focuses your maintenance organization to become a recognized‘center for profit’. It provides valuable insights into current pre v e n t i v emaintenance practices and issues, while explaining how a transition from thec u rrent ‘pre s e rve equipment’ to ‘pre s e rve function’ mindset is the keyingredient in a maintenance optimization strategy. This book defines the fourprincipal features of RCM and describes the nine essential steps to achievinga successful RCM program.

21. CMMS A TIME SAVING IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSDaryl Mather, 2003, 320 pp, $225.00Computerised Maintenance Management System [CMMS] is now penetratingmoderate to small corporations on an international level. These corporationsneed an efficient method to implement this effective but complicated system,but most of the currently available texts are written by theorists and involvecomplex approaches. In CMMS: A Time Saving Implementation Process, ap r a c t i t i o n e r- t u rned-consultant presents his field proven, practical appro a c hthat can dramatically reduce the amount of time and cost needed to implementand maintain CMMS in any corporation.

22. INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY REPAIR Best Maintenance Practices Pocket GuideR Smith, R K Mobley 2003, 537 pp $90.00The new standard re f e rence book for industrial and mechanical trades.Accessible pocketbook format facilitates on-the-job use.Industrial Machinery Repair provides a practical re f e rence for practicing plantengineers, maintenance supervisors, physical plant supervisors andmechanical maintenance technicians. It focuses on the skills needed to select,install and maintain electro-mechanical equipment in a typical industrial plantor facility which will keep equipment operating at peak reliability andcompanies functioning more profitably through reduced maintenance costsand increased productivity and capacity.

23. AN INTRODUCTION TO PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE 2ND EdKeith Mobley 2002, 337 pp, $180.00This second edition of An Introduction to Predictive Maintenance helps plant,process, maintenance and reliability managers and engineers to develop andimplement a comprehensive maintenance management program, pro v i d i n gp roven strategies for regularly monitoring critical process equipment andsystems, predicting machine failures, and scheduling maintenance accord i n g l y.

24. MAINTENANCE EXCELLENCE OPTIMIZING EQUIPMENT LIFECYCLE DECISION

J Campbell & A Jardine 2001, 536pp $190.00Maintenance Management Fundamentals; Maintenance ManagementMethodologies; Measurement in Maintenance Management; DataAcquisition; Materials Management Optimisation; Managing EquipmentReliability; Assessing and Managing Risk; Reliability By Design: ReliabilityCentred Maintenance; Reliability by Operator: Total Productive Maintenance;Optimising Maintenance Decisions; Reliability Management and MaintenanceOptimisation: Basic Statistics and Economics; Maintenance OptimisationModels; Optimising Maintenance and Replacement Decisions OptimisingCondition Based Maintenance; Conclusion: Achieving MaintenanceExcellence;

25. COMPUTER-MANAGED MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS 2nd Ed.By Mobley/Cato 2001, 200pp $140.00A comprehensive, practical guide that covers selection, justification, andimplementation of an effective CMMS in any facility. In this new edition, theauthors have added a chapter specifically on the latest technology, ApplicationS e rvice Providers [ASPs], that has revolutionized the way computer- m a n a g e dmaintenance systems are used and the benefits they can offer to a business.This solution provides integrated software, hard w a re, and networkingtechnology along with Information Technology [IT] consulting services into ano u t s o u rced package. A new appendix on Key Perf o rmance Indicators has alsobeen added.

26. RELIABILITY, MAINTAINABILITY AND RISK 6th Ed. David Smith 2001. 336pp $135.00R e l i a b i l i t y, Maintainability and Risk has been updated to ensure that it re m a i n sthe leading reliability textbook - cementing the book’s reputation for stayingone step ahead of the competition. This sixth edition incorporates brand newmaterial on the accuracy of reliability prediction and common cause failure .This book has now been established for over 20 years. It deals with all aspectsof re l i a b i l i t y, maintainability and safety-related failures in a simple andstraightforward style, explaining technical terms and jargon and handling thelimitations of reliability parameters

27. TPM A ROUTE TO WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCE Peter Willmott & Dennis McCarthy 2000, 264pp $190.00This title builds on Peter Wi l l m o t t ’s earlier book, ‘TPM the We s t e rn Wa y ’ ,updating the scope of applications and tools. The TPM route map is updatedto include the journey to zero breakdowns & beyond. CONTENTS: From totalp roductive maintenance to Total Productive Manufacturing; Designing the TPMu m b rella; TPM top down & bottom up roles; The TPM improvement PLANTOOLBOX; standardizing best practice; TPM analysis, TPM in nonmanufacturing; TPM for design; Planning and launching TPM; Sustaining lifeafter pilot; Case Studies.

28. ASSET MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE - THE CD By Nicholas A Hastings 2000, 820 slides $180.00This compact disk contains 19 PowerPoint presentations containing over 820slides dealing with Asset Management and Maintenance. Asset ManagementOverview; Life Cycle Costing; Maintenance. Organisation & Control; Spares &Consumables Management; Reliability Centered Maintenance; Total Pro d u c t i v eMaintenance; Failure Mode and Effects Analysis; Risk Analysis and RiskManagement; Reliability Statistics & Life Distributions; Reliability DataAnalysis; Age Based Replacement Policy Analysis; Case Study - Axle Bushes;Availability and Maintainability; Measuring and Improving MaintenanceE ffectiveness; Reliability of Systems; Condition Monitoring; Job and ShutdownPlanning; Continuous Improvement.

29. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, ESSENTIAL CARE ANDCONDITION MONITORING

Idhammar, Et Al. 1999, 337 pp, $390.00It is a unique re s o u rce for improving maintenance processes and learn i n gs m a rt inspection and trouble shooting techniques on a wide variety ofcomponents including, fasteners, pumps, conveyors, motors, gears, bearing,chain, pipes and valves, couplings, seals, fans, lubrications, lifting equipment,hydraulics, pneumatics, compressors, steam, electrical systems, etc. Theinspection techniques are presented in the book together with inspection toolsand examples of how to inspect a number of standard components. The bookc a refully explains how to set up and improve a preventive maintenance systemor process in any industry. Preventive Maintenance/Essential Care and

Condition Monitoring teaches the reader how to organize condition monitoring,lubrication, alignment, cleaning, and other preventive maintenance systemsinto one orchestrated process.

30. ENGINEERING MAINTAINABILITY: HOW TO DESIGN FORREALIBILIITY AND EASY MAINTENANCE

By B S Dhillon, PhD 1999, 254pp $205.00This book provides the guidelines and fundamental methods of estimation andcalculation needed by maintainability engineers. It also covers themanagement of maintainability eff o rts, including issues of org a n i z a t i o n a ls t ru c t u re, cost, and planning processes. Questions and problems concludeeach chapter. Contents: Introduction; Maintainability Management;Maintainability Measures, Functions, and Models; Maintainability To o l s ;Specific Maintainability Design Considerations; Human Factors Considerations;Safety Considerations; Cost Considerations; Reliability-Centred Maintenance;Maintainability Testing, Demonstration, and Data; Maintenance Models.

31. ROOT CAUSE FAILURE ANALYSISBy R Keith Mobley 1999, 333pp $186.00Root Cause Failure Analysis provides the concepts needed to eff e c t i v e l yp e rf o rm industrial troubleshooting investigations. It describes the methodologyto perf o rm Root Cause Failure Analysis [RCFA], one of the hottest topicsc u rrently in maintenance engineering. It also includes detailed equipmentdesign and troubleshooting guidelines, which are needed to perf o rm RCFAanalysis on machinery found in most production facilities. This inform a t i o nwill there f o re be invaluable to maintenance and plant managers wanting toincrease their own knowledge, plan or provide training [and use this book indoing so], and to operators needing to improve their skills.

32. TURNAROUND MANAGEMENTBy Tom Lenahan 1999, 183pp $170.00T h e re are thousands of plants around the world that each re q u i re re g u l a rshutdown or turn a round maintenance but until now there has been almostnothing published in this specialized area. Turnaround management is projectmanagement - it has all its main elements. It also has a number of feature swhich make it unique. This text for the first time looks at those unique aspectsof turn a round management. Contents include : Initiating the turn a ro u n d ;validating the work scope; pre-shutdown work; contractor packages; planningthe turn a round; the turn a round organization; site logistics; the cost profile; thesafety plan; the quality plan; the communications package; executing theturnaround; terminating the turnaround.

33. MAINTENANCE PLANNING & SCHEDULING MANUAL Richard D Palmer 1999, 400pp $195.00Must rate as one of the best texts ever published on Maintenance Planning.This text enables maintenance managers and maintenance planners todramatically improve the productivity of their maintenance plan; Clearlyidentifies the six basic principles of planning and the six associated principlesof scheduling; Provides how-to information on implementing a planningfunction, using work orders, and perf o rming in-house work sampling. Anexcellent hands-on text and one of the few published on maintenanceplanning.

34. HANDBOOK OF MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENTBy Joel Levitt [USA] 1997, 476pp $172.00This unusually comprehensive book is designed as a complete s u rvey of thefield for students or maintenance professionals, as an introduction to maintenancefor non maintenance people, as a review of the most advanced thinking inmaintenance management, as a manual for cost reduction, a primer for thes t o c k room, and as an element of a training regime for new supervisors, managersand planners.

35. INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENTBy W R Hudson, R Haas & W Uddin, 1997, 416pp $150.00The principles and the overall concept of effective infrastru c t u re managementdiscussed in this book have never before been treated in such detail.All the varied tools and techniques that are used in planning, building,maintaining, and fixing our nation’s roads, bridges, airports, utilities, water andwaste water facilities, parks, buildings, and sports complexes are thoroughlyexamined. Numerous examples of the technologies available for various usesare included. The book also discusses a host of high interest topics such aslife cycle analysis of stru c t u res, decision support systems, databasemanagement, and analysis and modeling methods.

MAINTENANCE PUBLICATIONS

MAINTENANCE PUBLICATIONS - ORDER FORMAll prices are AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS. PRICES for AUSTRALIA INCLUDES POSTAGE & GST.ADD Aus$40 PER TOTAL ORDER FOR ALL DELIVERIES OUTSIDE OF AUSTRALIA.

Item Title Aus $ QTY

1. Benchmarking Maintenance Management Course PPTs - CD $295.00

2. Computerised Maintenance Management Systems Course PPTs - CD $295.00

3. Maintenance Performance Indicators Course PPTs - CD $295.00

4. Total productive Maintenance Course PPTs - CD $295.00

5. Zero Breakdown Strategies Course PPTs - CD $295.00

6. Maintenance Storerooms - Training CD $450.00

7. Gaskets & Bolted Flanges Connections - Training CD $190.00

8. Shutdowns, Turnarounds & Outages - Training CD $450.00

9. Maintenance Planning & Scheduling - Training CD $370.00

10. Lubrication - Training CD $130.00

11. AC Motor Controls - Training CD $130.00

12. Condition Monitoring Standards Volume I $330.00

13. Condition Monitoring Standards Volume II $330.00

14. Condition Monitoring Standards Volume III $330.00

15. Lean Maintenance $120.00

16. Predictive Maintenance of Pumps Using Condition Monitoring $305.00

17. Managing Maintenance Shutdowns and Outages $95.00

18. Effective Maintenance Management $95.00

19. Benchmarking Best Practices in Maintenance Management $105.00

20. RCM Gateway To World Class Maintenance $120.00

21. CMMS A Timesaving Implementation Process $225.00

22. Industrial Machinery repair $90.00

23. Introduction To Predictive Maintenance 2nd Edition $180.00

24. Maintenance Excellence Optimising Equip. Life Cycle Decisions $190.00

25. Computer-Managed Maintenance Systems 2nd Edition $140.00

26. Reliability, Maintainability & Risk $135.00

27. TPM - A Route to World Class Performance $190.00

28. Asset Management and Maintenance - the CD $180.00

29. Preventive Maintenance, Essential Care and Condition Monitoring $390.00

30. Engineering Maintainability: Design for Reliability &† Easy Maintenance $205.00

31. Root Cause Failure Analysis $186.00

32. Turnaround Management $170.00

33. Maintenance Planning & Scheduling Manual $195.00

34. Handbook of Maintenance Management $172.00

35. Infrastructure Management $150.00

NAME: COMPANY:

ADDRESS:

PHONE: FAX: Email:

METHOD OF PAYMENT TOTAL FEE PAYABLE: AUS$

1. CHEQUE ENCLOSED PAYABLE IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS TO : ENGINEERING INFORMATION TRANSFER P/L

2. CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD::

CARD NO: EXPIRY DATE:

SIGNATURE: NAME ON CARD:

PH: 61(3) 5975 0083 FAX: 61(3) 5975 5735Email: [email protected] INFORMATION TRANSFER P/L, P O BOX 703, MORNINGTON, VIC 3931 AUSTRALIA

This form may be photocopied

Attend just one, two or allt h ree of these one-day courses.

Melbourne18-20 May 2005

Townsville18-20 July 2005

Sydney29-31 Aug 2005

Venues

Course OnePlanned Maintenance & Maintenance PeopleThe What, When & Who of Maintenance

Course Tw oMaintenance PlanningAdvances in Maintenance Planning, Maintenance Control & Feedback

Course Thre eMaintenance ManagementSuccess & Excellence in Maintenance & Asset Management

PRESENTED BYLen Bradsha w

ORGANISED BYENGINEERING INFORMATION

TRANSFER PTY LTDAND

THE MAINTENANCE JOURNAL

● Revisions & Updates for the 2005 MaintenanceSeminars

● Detailed Seminar Slides in Hard Copy

● Plus a CD of Hundreds of Pages of CaseStudies, Maintenance Related Facts, andSeminar Notes (400mb of Information)

● Each seminar provides opportunities to discusswith other practisioners improved ways ofmanaging and performing maintenance activities

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AND MOSTRECOGNISED MAINTENANCE RELATED SEMINARS

★ As well as Maintenance Personnel, why not also send “Operations Personnel” to Course 1 ★

Maintenance2005 Seminars

In-house presentation of these seminars will only be considered for organisations outside of Australia

Who should attend?Planners,Team Leaders,Team Members,Supervisors,Tradesmen,Operations Personnel,Technicians,Engineers,Systems Managers,

and others interested in maintenance of plant and assets.

Each course costs AUS $660.00 per delegate per day (Inclusive of GST)

1Course OnePlanned MaintenanceAnd Maintenance PeopleThe What, When and Who of Maintenance

1 . Maintenance Activities• The different activities performed in maintenance emergency, corrective, preventive, predictive, condition based,

proactive, and designing for maintenance.• The pre-planning process in maintenance• Shutdown Maintenance - the dangers

2 . Consequences of Good orBad Maintenance

• The direct and indirect costs of Maintenance.• What do you cost and what are you worth.• Effect of too little or too much planned maintenance.• Duties of proving due care of your assets.• Are “competent” people planning and doing the maintenance work.

Discussion 1: H ave your organisations the correct mix of maintenance activities.

Do you identify real maintenance costs and respond to those costs

3 . Inspections & Condition Based Maintenance

• What inspection and preventive/predictive techniques are now available in maintenance.• How often should you perform inspections and condition based maintenance activities.• Increasing the effectiveness of inspection and condition based maintenance activities.

Discussion 2: What techniques for inspections & Condition Monitoring are used in your plant.Are they successful. If not why not.

4 . Maintenance Planning and Contro l

• The different processes and techniques involved with maintenance planning and control.

• The functions performed by a computerised maintenance management system.

5 .The People and Stru c t u res In Maintenance

• People - The most important assets in maintenance.• The different organisational structures used for maintenance activities.• Restructured maintenance;flexibility and team based structures.• What motivates people to work with the company rather than against it.• Are teams achievable in your organization? How far can you go.• Utilising non maintenance resources.• TPM - Total Productive Maintenance.• Administrative responsibilities for teams.• Recruitment and Reward methods.• Maintenance Outsourcing/Contracting.• A range of Case Studies on people issues in Maintenance.Discussions 3: Are your organisations using the right people and structures in maintenance?

Successes and failures in people issues.


Who should attend?Planners,Team Leaders,Team Members,Supervisors,Tradesmen,Operations Personnel,Technicians,Engineers,Systems Managers,Stores Personnel,and others interested in maintenance of

plant and assets.

2Course TwoMaintenance PlanningAdvances in Maintenance Planning,Maintenance Control and Feedback

1 . Maintenance Planning in Diff e rent Stru c t u res

• From chasing breakdowns to total productive and proactive maintenance.

• How does the Maintenance organisational structure affect the roles of planner and supervisor.

• Maintenance Planning in team structures, or for outsourced maintenance.

• Who should be the Planner. Recruitment and Responsibilities/duties of the Planner.Who should not be the Planner. Full time orpart time planners.

• Planner to Maintenance Personnel ratio.

• Value of effective planning and planners.

2 . Maintenance Planning: Examples Of The Best

• Examples of how the best plan and schedule their Maintenance Activities.Moving from Reactive Planning to Pro-activeMaintenance Planning.

• Improving Communication in the Planning process.

Discussion 1: How is maintenance work Planned and Scheduled in your organisations.Planning strengths and weaknesses

3 . Developing Maintenance Plans

• Developing maintenance plans.Introducing the various methods currently used.

• Sources of information and expertise.Who should be involved.Using a generic approach.Resources needs.

Discussion 2: The Plan Development Methods inyour organizations.Who does it & is it successful

4 . Computerised Maintenance Management Systems

• CMMS curre n t ly available and a demonstration of some of the improved fe a t u res of modern CMMS.

• The maintenance planning and control process and how computer systems help improve that pro c e s s .

• Automating the issue of work and reporting to history. Improving communication and quality of data.

• The move towards Asset Management Systems and beyond the traditional CMMS.

• Linkage to other management systems,control systems,GIS,GPS, Internet,etc.

• Benefits & Problems associated with the use/implementation of a CMMS.

• What makes for successful Maintenance Planning and a successful CMMS.What motivates people to work with the systemrather than against it.

• What factors need to be in place if we are to have a functioning system.What factors are required for the BEST functioningsystems.

Discussion 3: How well have your organisations selected,implemented and used your Planning Systems and CMMS.

5 . Maintenance Stores • Who owns the store ? S t o res objective s .

• I n t roduction to stock control methods for standard ,e x p e n s i ve or consumable stock items.

• I m p roving service levels from your store.

• Maintenance of parts in the stores.

Course ThreeMaintenance ManagementSuccess & Excellence in Maintenanceand Asset Management

1 . Business Success Via Better Maintenance• The key role that maintenance plays in achieving business success.Maintenance as a profit creator.

• Justifying maintenance resources.

• Proving your worth.

• Maintenance Impact on Safety and Legal Costs.

• Maintenance contributing to long-term competitive advantage.

2 . Achieving Maintenance Excellence• Maintenance excellence - the common features of the best maintenance organizations in the world.

• Excellence in People, Parts and Practices.

2.1 People excellence:• Leadership, recruitment,training,flexibility, motivation,teams,TPM, performance, rewards, core skills and outsourcing

2.2 Parts excellence:• Stores management,stores objectives,alliances, internet spares, parts optimisation, improved parts specifications,automated

stores,stores personnel.

Discussion 1: How well are you moving towards

excellence in people and parts.

2.3 Practices excellence:• Better corrective Preventive, Predictive, and Proactive maintenance.

• Strategies for reducing down time / repair time.

• Case study on Failure & Replacement analysis.

• Moving through Preventive / Predictive to Proactive Maintenance.

• Improving profits via Proactive Maintenance.

Discussion 2: Discussions on Excellence in Maintenance Practices and introducing the Maintenance Excellence Survey.

3 . Maintenance Strategies For The Future• Setting Strategies: From Policy Statements,Audits,Benchmarking,Gap Analysis and Objectives through to Maintenance

Performance Measures and KPI’s.

• Examples of Maintenance Objectives and Performance Measures.

Discussion 3: What strategy development,setting of objectives & performance measures are used in your organisation.

4 . Analytical Methods In Maintenance• Maintenance Plan Development and Optimisation Software.

• Examples of how to collect, use, and understand maintenance data.

• Fine tuning PM activities.

5 . Asset Life Issues• Introduction to Plant Design considerations that improve reliability, availability and maintainability.

• Introduction to life cycle costing of assets and terotechnology.

• Plant replacement strategies;software tools.

• Better maintenance specifications of machines and assemblies.

Who should attend?Maintenance Team Members,Technicians,Planners,Engineers,Supervisors and Managers;plus Production Supervisors/Managers & Accounts/Financial Managers,and others interested in

maintenance of plant and assets.

3


● Melbourne: 18 - 20 May 2005Course One:18 May 2005Course Two:19 May 2005Course Three:20 May 2005

Rydges Carlton Hotel701 Swanston St,MelbourneWeb:www.rydges.com

● Townsville: 18 - 20 July 2005Course One:18 July 2005Course Two:19 July 2005Course Three:20 July 2005

Southbank Hotel &Convention Center23 Palmer St,QLD 4810Web:www.southbankhotel.com.au

● Sydney: 29 - 31 August 2005Course One:29 August 2005Course Two:30 August 2005Course Three:31 August 2005

Swiss-Grand Hotel,Bondi BeachBeach Road,Bondi Beach NSWWeb:www.swissgrand.com.au

REGISTRATION FORM Course

■ Course One: Aus$660 (Inclusive of GST)

Planned Maintenance and Maintenance People■ Course Two: Aus$660 (Inclusive of GST)

Maintenance Planning■ Course Three: Aus$660 (Inclusive of GST)

Maintenance and Asset Management

Name of delegate ________________________________________________________________ Position ______________________________

Company _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Email_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Telephone _____________________________________________________________Fax____________________________________________________

Name of approving officer ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Position _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Method of payment Fee payable $_________________

★ Cheque enclosed made payable to Engineering Information Transfer Pty Ltd

★ Charge to my credit card American Express Mastercard Visa Card

Name on credit card _________________________________ Expiry Date _______________

The seminar is presented by Len BradshawLen Bradshaw is a specialist in maintenance management and maintenance planningcontrol and an international consultant in this field.Len has conducted over 280courses for in excess of 8,400 maintenance personnel,both in Australia andoverseas.He is managing editor of the Maintenance Journal.He has a MastersDegree in Terotechnology (Maintenance Management) and has held several positionsas Maintenance Engineer in the UK and other overseas nations.He is the author offour texts on maintenance management.Len has conducted maintenancemanagement courses for all levels of maintenance staff from trades personnel toexecutive management.

Seminar Fees AUS $660 per person per day (Inclusive of GST)The course fees given above also include Seminar notes as well as lunch andrefreshments.Course fee does not include accommodation,which if required is thedelegates own responsibility.

C o n f i rm a t i o nA confirmation letter will be sent to each person on receipt of their re g i s t r a t i o nfo r m .

Ti m e sThe seminars start at 8:00am and end at 3:30pm, each day. Registration and coffee isf rom 7:45am each day.

For Further Inform a t i o nPhone EIT (03) 5975-0083 or Fax Australia (03) 5975-5735,or email to: m a i l @ m a i n t e n a n c e j o u r n a l . c o m

✓ Please Tick Course

ENGINEERING INFORMATION TRANSFER ABN 67 330 738 613C a n c e l l a t i o n s : Should you (after having re g i s t e red) be unable to attend, a substitute delegate is alw ays we l c o m e.A l t e r n a t i ve ly, a full refund will be made for cancellationsre c e i ved in writing 14 days befo re the seminar start s . Cancellations 7 to 14 days prior to the seminar dates will be refunded 40% of the registration fe e, in addition to a set ofseminar notes.T h e re will be no refund for cancellations within 7 days of the seminar dates.This registration form may be photocopied.

How Do I Register?

1 . Fax the completed registration andp rovide credit card pay m e n td e t a i l s .Fax: 03 59 755735

2. Mail the completed registrationform together with your chequemade payable to:Engineering InformationTransfer Pty Ltd P.O. Box 703, MorningtonVIC 3931, Australia

3. Email Indicate courses/ dates/venue required and provide detailsof method of payment to

m a i l @ m a i n t e n a n c e j o u rn a l . c o m

You may also register via our website:

w w w. m a i n t e n a n c e j o u rn a l . c o m

Venue✓ Please Tick Venue

Melbourne

Townsville

Sydney

w w w. m a i n t e n a n c e j o u rn a l . c o m

Group of Companies NOVEMBER 2004Presents a 4 day Course, entitled:

apt Group Head Office: Level 1, Suite 22, 450 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010. Australiawww.aptgroup.com.au [email protected] Tel: 61 2 9318 0656 Fax: 61 2 9318 0776

“Fundamentals of Precision Maintenance”Integrating practical Bearing Assembly, Oil Analysis & Dynamic Analysis to extend your machines lives

By World Renowned: Bill Kruger

SYDNEY MONDAY 15-18 NOVEMBER 2004 PERTH MONDAY 22-25 NOVEMBER 2004

Who should Attend?Designed for plant personnel that seek a basic understanding of“Precision Maintenance” to reduce maintenance costs and improve plantReliability.

The course is specially designed for maintenance and operationssupervisors, engineers, predictive maintenance personnel, tradesmanand operations personnel; in fact, anyone who is interested improvingplant operation.

This course provides the fundamentals necessary to implement precisionmaintenance in your facility and to ensure maximum payback is obtainedfrom your equipment investments.

Biography - Bill Kruger combines 29 years of practical field experience with proven instructional techniques, includingvisual aids and demonstrations. Participants return to the plant able to immediately apply their learning’s. Those whounderstand the power of the solutions provided are best able to utilise equipment and significantly reduce unnecessarymachinery problems.

What is it about?Lowering maintenance costs and maximizing machine reliability using field proven “Precision Maintenance” methods andprocedures. Learn how to extend machinery life and prevent most machine failures from occurring, through:

• Common Sense on-site oil analysis.

• Understanding threats to bearing reliability.

• Problem identification using vibration analysis.

• Applying the various vibration, balance and alignment standards.

• Taking & verifying reliable data through practical understanding and proper use of sensor types and limits.

Actual Case histories are used to teach Root Cause Analysis Techniques, also, frequent misinterpretation andmisapplication of industry standards are explored as major causes of machinery problems.

COURSE CONTENT1. How to extend Bearing and Seal Life.

Film thickness vs. friction and load wear vs. machinery life.Establishing an on site oil analysis program.

2. Creating the Mental Model.

Rotor behaviour, bearing clearances, orbits, energy waste, sealwear and bearing life.

Vibration terminology, why & how machinery behaviour createsthe vibration pattern and how to relate them.

3. How to find most common failures.

Resonance: Mass/Stiffness relationships, effects of resonance(fatigue, energy loss).

Unbalance: Cause/Effect, shop field balance considerations andlimitations.

Misalignment: Cause/Effect, foundations & bases, determiningthermal growth, precision alignment tolerances.

4. Separating Sources occurring at 1X running speed.

Identifying & preventing unbalance, misalignment, bentshaft, eccentricity and resonance.

5. How to fix them forever.

Proper-bearing installation and maintenance techniques.On-site analysis to maximize bearing and seal life.

6. Real World Program Considerations.

How to establish goals and objectives.

Financial considerations.

How to recognize and correct troublesome equipment.

How to determine if you are getting the most from yourcondition monitoring equipment or program.

To all who complete the training, a certificate will beissued for “ Professional Development Record Purposes”

SEE OVER FOR ENROLMENT FORM

Group of Companies NOVEMBER 2004Presents a 4 day Course, entitled:

apt Group Head Office: Level 1, Suite 22, 450 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010. Australiawww.aptgroup.com.au [email protected] Tel: 61 2 9318 0656 Fax: 61 2 9318 0776

“Fundamentals of Precision Maintenance”Integrating practical Bearing Assembly, Oil Analysis & Dynamic Analysis to extend your machines lives

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Please select Venue

SYDNEYMONDAY 15-18 NOVEMBER 2004

PERTHMONDAY 22-25 NOVEMBER 2004

Registration 8:15am – Finish 4:30pm daily. Accommodation booking required?

Participant Details:

NAME: ________________________________________________ POSITION: _____________________________

COMPANY: ____________________________________________ DEPARTMENT: _________________________

ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________________________________________

STATE: ________ POSTCODE: ____________ EMAIL: ______________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ___________________________________ FAX: __________________________________________

FEES: AUD$1,790.00 (Ex. GST) per participant. FEES INCLUDE: Lunch, refreshments & course material.

Notes1/ To ensure seat allocation, an official company purchase order should be lodged upon enrolment; cheques made payable to AptTechnology P/L and mailed to the address below; alternatively credit card payment is acceptable.2/ Cancellation policy: a 50% refund will be made for cancellations 10 or more working days before commencement of the course. Ifless than 10 working days, no refund can be given. For fees already paid, you may send a replacement participant.

Please select method of payment:

VISA MASTERCARD BANKCARD CHEQUE ENCLOSED

NUMBER: EXPIRY DATE: ___________

NAME ON CARD: _____________________________________ SIGNATURE: ______________________________

Please either fax or post the registration form to secure a place now (duplicate form as required)

Do you have Interest in any of our other training courses, educational tools or services?• Precision Maintenance for Management - 1 day: public or in-house

• Precision Maintenance for Tradesman - 3 day: in-house (only)

• Advanced Machinery Inspection and Analysis - 5 day: public or in-house

• Lubricant Analysis for Condition Monitoring - 2 day: public or in-house

• Precision Alignment - 4 day • Precision Balancing – 3 day (comb. 5 day): in-house (only)

• Electrical Plant Reliability – release 2005

• Computer Based Training – products & distance learning

• Machinery and Equipment Assessment Programs and Consulting Services (Mech. Elec. IT)

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