Lubrication Program audits

The potential bottom-line benefits of proper lubrication are often overlooked. This is true throughout the industrial world and in countless applications, from machine tools, off-highway and pulp and paper to steel, railroad and wind turbines. If no effective lubrication program is in place, an operation is likely to experience significant unplanned downtime at a substantial cost to its bottom line—and, potentially, its customers. Conversely, the right lubrication process can provide opportunities to improve profitability by reducing costs and boosting reliability, increasing the overall life cycle of equipment, and, ultimately, turning out products at a more competitive rate. Reference SKF

We provide the necessary gap analysis at the point of lube purchase to lube disposal activities. The more we are interested to give the immediate improvements that can be easily taken up and will ensure to tell you where you can save maintenance expenses by doing right lubrication and oil analysis practices.

Lubricant Selection

The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) manual is always the first place to go to identify lubricant selection requirements. Second, engaging the vendor lubricant representative is absolutely crucial.

The vendor you choose should be able to cross-reference the manufacturer recommendations (OEM) with his available lubricants, oil, and greases and select the appropriate one for your machinery. When an organization lacks lubrication expertise the vendor can be an excellent source of support.

Lubricant Storage and Handling

The first step toward achieving proactive maintenance of your lubricants, and ultimately your equipment, begins with proper in-plant storage and handling. Many facilities are unaware of the danger improper lubricant storage and handling practices create and what inevitable fate it can lead to in terms of equipment reliability and lifecycles.

Here are some areas for proper lubrication storage and handling:

• Design the lubrication storage areas: The purpose is to ensure ease of use and limit handling mistakes. The storage areas should be well lit and organized and also include provisions for bulk storage. An area should also be set aside for top-off containers and grease guns.
• Quality control program: This is to ensure the correct oils and lubricants are being delivered and the cleanliness of the delivered lubricants is up to current target particle and moisture cleanliness levels. Checks should also be made to ensure oils haven’t exceeded their recommended shelf life..
• Labelling and identification: The labelling system can efficiently ensure the right lubricant is used at the right location and prevent cross contamination. The labelling system should be simple and easy to implement.

Lubricant Dispensers and Grease Gun Storage

Storage for dispensing containers, grease guns and rags is another important step to ensure contaminants are not introduced to the lubricants as a result of poor housekeeping. These tools should have their own dedicated fireproof storage cabinets for easy access and organization.

Building the Lubrication PM Program

The key questions to ask are what kind, how much, and how often? Answering these questions will start your lubrication preventive maintenance program. Some basic steps can be followed to achieve
PM program success:

• The OEM manual is an important source of information for building your preventive maintenance schedules. The lubrication section of the manual should describe the locations on each machine that should be lubricated, the type of lubricant to use at each location, the quantity of lubricant to be applied and how often to apply the lubricants.
• The lubrication routines should be scheduled preferably in a CMMS. Regardless of the system used, the maintenance department’s daily lubrication activities should be organized. Responsibility should be assigned for each lubrication function.
• Verify that the lubricants being used meet the OEM recommendations for fluid type and viscosity. Never deviate from these recommendations.
• Use only clean containers to transfer lubricants. If possible, pre-filter the lubricant as it is being added to the system.
• Maintain recommended system temperatures. Generally, industrial systems are designed to run most efficiently with bulk fluid temperatures of 110–130 °F (43–55 °C).
• Test fluid periodically (at least every two months) to determine its physical and chemical condition. If a change in appearance is noted, check the fluid immediately. Water content and pH of water-based fluids should be checked frequently. If a major failure occurs, test the fluid before the system is restarted. Residual contamination from a breakdown may prompt another failure.
• Change filters when indicating devices denote plugging of the element, or when fluid analysis reveals a change is needed.
• Keep maintenance records on each system as an aid in determining good preventive maintenance techniques. Records should be audited occasionally to ensure accuracy and thoroughness.
• Colour-code and symbol-code all lubricants and lubrication points. This will minimize mistakes when delivering the PM routines.

Training and Education

Educating the work force is a key first step in launching your lubrication program. The operators and mechanics that are directly responsible for lubrication must be suitably trained, and individuals that are indirectly involved in the lubrication program should also have at least a basic awareness of the program’s goals, primary benefits, and its procedural requirements. .

Continuous Improvement

In the quest for reliability the lubrication program should be reviewed and improved on an ongoing basis. This can be done as an annual review led by the maintenance engineer and the lubrication technician. A thorough review of each lubrication schedule can made every three years or some other predefined review cycle. Selected schedules can be staggered so a third of the PM schedules are reviewed annually. Equipment history for the equipment reviewed should be evaluated. Failures occurring as a result of poor lubrication should be examined to determine the root cause.