Maintenance Technology April 2012 by Applied Technology Publications

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Contents APRIL 2012 • VOL 25, NO 4 • www.MT-ONLINE.com

YOUR SOURCE FOR CAPACITY ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

FEATURES CAPACITY ASSURANCE STRATEGIES Planned Work Predominance: Contribution To The Bottom Line

©NJ — FOTOLIA.COM; ©mills21 — FOTOLIA.COM

The approach discussed here can bring some much-needed clarity to your objectives and help quantify your gains. Mike Shekhtman P.E., MBA, CMRP, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., North American Tire Manufacturing

ON THE ROAD TO SUSTAINABILITY 22

At NSK, ‘Low Friction’ Equals Sustainability This manufacturer equates the energy-saving qualities of its products with its campaign to cut waste and pollution. Rick Carter, Executive Editor

POWER TRANSMISSION PRIMER 30

28 42

Lubrication Checkup

Technology Showcase

THE RELIABILITY FILES

Marketplace

Vibration Analysis: It’s Finally In Your Hands

Information Highway

Classiﬁed

Supplier Index

Viewpoint

The Basics Of Roller Chain Sprockets Installing new chain on old sprockets at your site? Please say it ain’t so! Special From U.S. Tsubaki For Maintenance Technology

My Take Stuff Happens

Special From Gates Corporation For Maintenance Technology

6 8 10 14

Belt Drives: Investing In Inspection & Preventive Maintenance Lack of investment can lead to costly downtime and/or safety issues.

DEPARTMENTS

Identifying faults before they become big problems doesn’t have to be a time-consuming, expensive proposition.

Choose The Best Hydraulic Fluid For The Job

Extending machine drain intervals, saving fluid and reducing downtime for oil change-outs spells “success” at a busy production operation.

Uptime For On The Floor Motor Doc’s Hot Topics

Keep the celebration going... ...make sure to visit www.MT-Online.com for this month’s 25th Anniversary Article, “C’ing Successful Organizational Change.”

www.MT-online.com APRIL 2012

MT-ONLINE.COM | 3

April 2012 Volume 25, No. 4 Your Source For CAPACITY ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

ARTHUR L. RICE President/CEO arice@atpnetwork.com

BILL KIESEL Executive Vice President/Publisher bkiesel@atpnetwork.com

JANE ALEXANDER

Editor-In-Chief jalexander@atpnetwork.com

RICK CARTER

Executive Editor rcarter@atpnetwork.com

ROBERT “BOB” WILLIAMSON KENNETH E. BANNISTER RAYMOND L. ATKINS

                                                            

Contributing Editors

RANDY BUTTSTADT

Director of Creative Services rbuttstadt@atpnetwork.com

            

GREG PIETRAS

Editorial/Production Assistant gpietras@atpnetwork.com

 m

ELLEN SANDKAM

Direct Mail 800-223-3423, ext. 110 esandkam@atplists.com

JILL KALETHA

Reprint Manager 866-879-9144, ext. 168 jillk@fosterprinting.com

California - Illinois - Connecticut - Canada e-mail: support@miller-stephenson.com www.miller-stephenson.com m

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Subscriptions: FOR INQUIRIES OR CHANGES CONTACT JEFFREY HEINE, 630-739-0900 EXT. 204 / FAX 630-739-7967

CUstom REPRINts Use reprints to maximize your marketing initiatives and strengthen your brand’s value.

RepRints aRe ideal foR:

n New Product Announcements n Sales Aid For Your Field Force n PR Materials & Media Kits n Direct Mail Enclosures n Customer & Prospect Presentations n Trade Shows/Promotional Events For additional information, please contact Foster Printing Service, the official reprint provider for Maintenance Technology. Call 866.879.9144 or sales@fosterprinting.com

Maintenance Technology® (ISSN 0899-5729) is published monthly by Applied Technology Publications, Inc., 1300 S. Grove Avenue, Barrington, IL 60010. Periodicals postage paid at Barrington, Illinois and additional offices. Arthur L. Rice, III, President. Circulation records are maintained at Maintenance Technology®, Creative Data, 440 Quadrangle Drive, Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. Maintenance Technology® copyright 2012 by Applied Technology Publications, Inc. Annual subscription rates for nonqualified people: North America, $140; all others, $280 (air). No subscription agency is authorized by us to solicit or take orders for subscriptions. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Maintenance Technology®, Creative Data, 440 Quadrangle Drive, Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. Please indicate position, title, company name, company address. For other circulation information call (630) 739-0900. Canadian Publications agreement No. 40886011. Canada Post returns: IMEX, Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5, or email: cpcreturns@ wdsmail.com. Submissions Policy: Maintenance Technology® gladly welcomes submissions. By sending us your submission, unless otherwise negotiated in writing with our editor(s), you grant Applied Technology Publications, Inc. permission, by an irrevocable license, to edit, reproduce, distribute, publish, and adapt your submission in any medium, including via Internet, on multiple occasions. You are, of course, free to publish your submission yourself or to allow others to republish your submission. Submissions will not be returned. “Maintenance Technology®” is a registered trademark of Applied Technology Publications, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.

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APRIL 2012

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY C: 60

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MY TAKE

Jane Alexander, Editor-In-Chief

Loving People Who Love Tools

better title for this might have been, “Here’s To Some People Who Love People Who Love Tools,” but it would have been too long. To clarify, the reference is to YOU who love and count on stateof-the-art test and measurement (T&M) tools to keep your operations up and running and— as I came to realize recently—the people at Fluke who clearly understand and love YOU back. From what I see, there’s a lot of loving going on, in both directions. I came to this conclusion during the first week of April, when I joined other editors invited from across the trade press at the beautiful, expansive Fluke Park facilities in Everette, WA. The occasion was the company’s “Editorial Summit 2012: Optimization and Efficiency.” What an amazing affair! Attendees were urged to wear comfortable shoes, and it’s a good thing we followed our hosts’ advice. We had a very busy schedule. In addition to getting up close and personal with essentially all things Fluke (i.e., tools, tools and more tools), we got a unique glimpse into how these products are conceptualized, designed, manufactured, tested, distributed, maintained, serviced, upgraded and trained on—and why. There was so much to see, do and discuss with the Fluke technical experts and manufacturing professionals who were put at our disposal. Our group took full advantage of the opportunity. In short, we learned Fluke has come a long way since it was founded in 1948 by John Fluke, Sr.— with a power meter as its first product. In his opening Summit presentation, John Cavoretto, Fluke’s VP of Engineering, used the intriguing (at least to me) phrase “from engineers to artisans” in characterizing the journey the company has been on over the years. You, too, might find it interesting. Read on… In its earliest days, Fluke, like other T&M companies, was working to develop bench instrumentation that appealed to engineers, scientists and physicists. Then, in 1977, it introduced the first handheld (HH) digital multimeter, which marked the launch of a whole new product category in the T&M market: HH precision test equipment—and the “firsts” have kept on coming. Somewhere along the way, however, Fluke noticed the profiles of its customers beginning to change. While plenty of them still worked in R&D and company labs, growing numbers were service, installation and maintenance technicians who worked out in the field. In Fluke’s vernacular, these were/are the “artisans”—defined as “no-nonsense, practical, skilled troubleshooters…smart and quick…love to use tools and demonstrate they know what they’re doing…live in the ‘here and now’…love to be heroes.” Whatever YOU call them, such “artisans” are an important factor in the capacity assurance equation. Moreover, Fluke strives to serve them (and YOU) by producing the type of tools THEY say THEY need, not just those that Fluke says THEY need. That’s what customer-centricity is all about. We saw it on display over and over in Everette, in everything Fluke does, including, it seems, delivering a strong value proposition—a goal set early on. As Cavoretto reminded us, “Great ideas live well beyond their creators.” Although Fluke’s value statement has evolved and been refined over the years, the idea that “the customer deserves to get a little more than they paid for,” was a “John Flukeism” from the outset. It lives on, Cavoretto said, to frame Fluke’s values to this day. And to all that, I’ll say, “What’s not to love?” MT jalexander@atpnetwork.com

maintenance technology

APRIL 2012

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NEWS STUFF HAPPENS

New ‘Green’ Code = New Compliance Option Builders, owners and operators now have greater flexibility in the design of high-performance buildings through a change impacting application of the green building standard from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) included in the International Green Construction Code (IgCC). ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2011, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, provides a green building foundation for those who strive to design, build and operate high-performance buildings. It covers topic areas of site sustainability, water-use efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and a building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources. This new version of Standard 189.1 now serves as a compliance option with the newly published IgCC, developed by the International Code Council (ICC) and endorsed by cooperating sponsors ASTM International and the American Institute of Architects. The change allows permit applicants, as opposed to authorities having jurisdiction, the option to use Standard 189.1 as the path of compliance. Learn more at www.ASHRAE.org.

’ N ’ I T N I H T G H FIIG F S D S R D O R WO W Inspiration For Those Battling The Enemies Of Reliability & Productivity

Jeff Dudley, Corporate Director of Reliability and Maintenance for The Dow Chemical Co., highlighted the following quote from General Colin Powell in a talk he delivered during a recent meeting of SMRP’s Chicago Chapter:

“The art of leadership will always deliver more than the science of management.” (BTW: Jeff authored this month’s “Viewpoint” on page 56)

Have you read, heard, seen, thought or written down something that falls into the realm of “fightin’ words” for the maintenance and reliability community? Send your favorites to quotes@atpnetwork.com. We’ll be selecting one or two (maybe even three) to feature each month. Be sure to give full credit to the individual (dead, alive, real or fictional) that uttered or wrote the words, and why those words inspire you. Don’t forget to include your complete contact info.

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

APRIL 2012

STUFF HAPPENS NEWS

The Siemens Drive Technologies Division has combined all of its electric motors into one product family with the name Simotics, a move designed to integrate the portfolio and improve clarity for customers when selecting motors. According to the company, Simotics covers applications in almost all areas, and these motors are an essential component of the Division’s integrated drive train. The range includes low-voltage induction motors, motors for motion control applications, DC motors and high-voltage motors.

PEOPLE PEOPLE...

Rockwell Automation’s Blake Moret has been elected Vice Chairman of the Manufacturing Institute’s Board of Trustees. In this role, he’ll spend the next two years helping marshal research, innovation and education efforts to produce a high-quality manufacturing workforce and support U.S. competitiveness. He succeeds Ronald Bullock, Chairman of Bison Gear & Engineering. Moret is currently Vice President of Rockwell’s Control Products and Solutions biz. Among other things, he also serves on the Advisory Board of Georgia Tech’s School of Mechanical Engineering, from which he received his Bachelor’s degree.

BIZ BUZZ

Motion Industries says that its “YES” printed product catalog can now be ordered online at www.motionindustries.com. Over 44,000 items covering 20 categories are available in the catalog, searchable by product or manufacturer. A total of 4.8 million items are accessible through Motion Industries’ branch network.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH SOUND-OFF: Tell us what you think. . . Really. . .

What job-specific screening processes do your operations follow with candidates for maintenance positions? Go to MT-online.com/question with your answer.

MAxIMUM INNOVATION. MAxIMUM EFFICIENCy. MAxIMUM SUSTAINABILITy.

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UPTIME

Bob Williamson, Contributing Editor

Learning From Sinking Ships And Aircraft Mishaps “Human error” is an often-cited cause or contributing factor in accidents and failures. We routinely see this with our plant equipment. Without a structured process for identifying and quantifying the underlying human factors associated with specific incidents, however, eliminating human error can be quite challenging. Let’s look into a couple of historical examples for some valuable insight. Just the tip of the iceberg On April 15, 1912, the new and grand RMS Titanic, at the time the world’s most technologically advanced steam ship, struck an iceberg and sank, taking over 1500 souls down with her. We could truthfully state, “If it weren’t for the iceberg, the Titanic would have had a glorious maiden trans-Atlantic voyage.” That would be an oversimplification. One of the technological marvels the Titanic sailed with was the Marconi wireless radio, which was operated exclusively by Marconi Company employees, solely as a service to the ship’s passengers. When icebergs were spotted in the shipping lanes by other ships in the area, their captains sent radio messages to the Titanic. Unfortunately, critical radio warnings from the SS Californian were later ignored in favor of a backlog of passenger messages. But, “If it weren’t for the iceberg…” Fred Fleet, a surviving Titanic crewman, was in the vessel’s crow’s nest the evening of April 14. Although he didn’t have binoculars with him, Fleet was serving as a lookout for ice. It seemed that the binoculars had been stowed away in the telephone locker—to which nobody on board had a key. But, “If it weren’t for the iceberg…” Second Officer David Blair, who had been bumped from the ship at the last minute by bosses at the White Star Line, had forgotten to hand off the locker keys to his replacement, a more senior Second Officer Charles Lightoller. But, “If it weren’t for the iceberg…” When asked during the disaster investigation how much sooner the iceberg could have been spotted with binoculars, the lookout Fleet replied, “Well, enough to get out of the way.” The Titanic disaster 100 years ago led to substantial changes in ship design, radio communications and other navigational breakthroughs. The most signifi10 |

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

cant, yet preventable, contributing factors leading to the ship’s demise, though, could not be eliminated by design: They were the human factors. Human fallibility, at multiple levels, had gone largely unnoticed during this much-heralded, but ill-fated, voyage. Given the technology of 1912, what must happen to prevent future collisions with icebergs? Flying on the ground The Airbus A340-600 “super-stretch” aircraft is known for its new manufacturing techniques, stateof-the-art technologies, its extended range, fuel efficiency, unrivaled interior comfort and amenities, and reduced maintenance cost. The A340-600, powered by four Rolls Royce engines each generating 56,000 pounds of thrust for a take-off weight of over 400 tons, is the longest passenger aircraft flying today. Only 96 of these aircraft are currently in operation worldwide. On November 15, 2007, a new Airbus A340-600 crashed during a ground engine test, at the Airbus facilities at Toulouse International Airport in France. The $250M plane—about to be delivered to Etihad Airways, in the United Arab Emirates—was a total loss after less than 13 seconds of movement. The aircraft had just finished a static ground test, and the technician started the engines again for a full-power run to find the origin of oil leaks. The calculations had shown that “the parking brake was designed to hold under full engine power.” After about three minutes of running, though, the aircraft began to move. The technician applied the brakes, which released the parking brakes. Then, with the aircraft continuing to move in the direction of a testpen wall, the technician turned the nose wheel, causing it to skid sideways as the plane accelerated. But, “The parking brake was designed to hold…” The 242-ton aircraft hit the wall at 35 miles per hour, causing the forward fuselage to break off and fall forward down the other side of the wall. Engines 1 and 2 were damaged when they hit the wall. Because the throttle controls were severed, Engines 3 and 4 could not be shut down immediately. Engine 4 shut down after two-and-a-half hours—when water and firefighting foam snuffed it out. Engine 3 continued running for nine hours, until it finally ran out of fuel. APRIL 2012

UPTIME

The idea that preventable equipment failures can be eliminated by design doesn’t always hold true when human factors are involved. The cause of this A340-600 aircraft mishap was summed up as “a lack of detection and correction of violations to test procedures.” You guessed it: human factors, again. But, “The parking brake was designed to hold…” Coming to the rescue What can we learn from these two examples of human factors in preventable mishaps and failures? The first step in eliminating problems is to identify contributing factors—human factors being the most elusive. Alas, we often refer to this situation as “human error” (another oversimplification). Let’s see how the U.S. Department of Defense (USDOD) has identified and categorized contributing human factors. In a May 2003 memorandum, the U.S. Secretary of Defense proclaimed, “World-class organizations do not tolerate preventable accidents. Our accident rates have increased recently, and we need to turn this situation around. I challenge all of you to reduce the number of mishaps and accident rates by at least 50% in the next two years.” This memorandum resulted in the formation of the “Department of Defense Safety and Oversight Committee” and a powerful emphasis on human factors engineering (HFE). The Committee’s statistics revealed that 80 to 90% of all mishaps were caused by human errors at some level. The result was the “Human Factors Analysis and Classification System” (HFACS). The HFACS included the following four tiers and associated factors to help understand why a mishap occurred and how it might be prevented from happening again. n Organizational Influences (20 factors) n Management/Supervisory Conditions (19 factors) n Preconditions (92 factors) n Acts Committed by Operator (16 factors) This original four-tier HFACS structure was later adapted for “maintenance events” and called “HFACS-Maintenance Extension” (HFACS-ME). The “maintenance” framework included these four tiers and associated factors: n Management/Supervisory Conditions (24 factors) n Maintainer Conditions (27 factors) n Working Conditions (27 factors) n Maintainer Acts (24 factors) Note how both the HFACS and HFACS-ME have identified the “Acts” of the Operators or Maintainers as the APRIL 2012

category with the fewest causal or contributing factors. They have looked beyond the person at the controls or on the tools for causes and potential solutions. Human-factors lessons from the Airbus mishap Using the HFACS to assess and classify the contributing factors of the November 2007 Airbus incident resulted in the following report summary: n Unsafe acts ◆ Errors: The technician was fixated on applying the brakes and steering the nose wheel instead of reducing power. ◆ Violations: Procedures require full power for only two engines at a time—the one leaking and one on the opposite wing. The use of wheel chocks is required for engine tests. n Preconditions for unsafe acts ◆ The Airbus technician was unaware the aircraft was moving until the on-board customer representative told him so. The technician also testified he often carried out this test, but with higher aircraft weight. n Unsafe supervision ◆ The technician admitted that some tests were conducted outside the scope of the Customer Acceptance Manual, due to the pressure of the on-board customer representative. n Organizational influences ◆ There were oversights in safety processes shown in video recordings from several days prior to the incident. Some tests were performed with wheel chocks and others without wheel chocks, even though procedures require the chocks during engine tests. The lack of detecting procedural violations and taking corrective action was cited as promoting the test outside of the established procedures. Application for capital-intensive businesses and industries… What can we learn and put into practice based on the HFACS and HFACS-ME? The USDOD’s expressed goal: “To identify and eliminate the causes of aircraft mishaps and failures.” The same could be said with regard to equipment-intensive industries: “To identify and eliminate the causes of critical equipment mishaps and failures.” In other words, it means improving equipment performance and reliability. mt-online.com | 11

UPTIME

Human factors in equipment-reliability improvement… We should be able to identify and classify human factors that contribute to equipment failures and mishaps in our plants and facilities. Then, given those factors, we should be able to establish countermeasures to eliminate causes of such failures and mishaps in the future. Here’s a starting point based on the HFACS-ME factors that could easily apply to industrial plants—or any equipment-intensive operations: Organizational influences/work culture n Resources and policy deployment n Organizational climate n Organizational policies, procedures and work processes Management/supervisory conditions n Inadequate supervision n Planned inappropriate operations n Failure to correct known problem n Supervisory violations

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Preconditions n Environmental factors/working conditions n Condition of individuals involved n Personnel factors: operators and maintainers

“Sustainable industrial production” means long-term, holistic thinking. Key examples include minimal unplanned downtime, less friction and reduced lubricant consumption. The effect: lower energy consumption, less CO2 emission, longer maintenance intervals and longer component lifetime. To keep up with your sustainability goals, we are continually improving our environmentally-friendly lubricants.

Acts committed n Errors n Violations Consider these points First, bad decision-making can overcome the best of technologies. Second, a technology is only as good as the people using it. And third, complex systems rarely fail without warnings. Understanding the impacts of any “human” factor is key to improved performance. Think proactively. When developing maintenance procedures, operating procedures, training programs and rootcause analysis methods, always take into account human factors that would contribute to flawless human and equipment performance in your plant. When investigating causes of equipment failures, always identify contributing human factors and evaluate the effectiveness of policies, procedures and work processes. Making an HFACS model work in our plants and facilities has many powerful benefits. Among them is improved reliability (reduced breakdowns and equipment failures) plus improved workplace safety, product quality and on-time delivery. Stay tuned for more details on “Human Factors for Industrial Equipment-Reliability Improvement.” MT

Klüber Lubrication: Innovation for ecologically and economically efficient solutions. Klüber Lubrication North America L.P. info@us.kluber.com www.klubersolutions.com/sustainability2 your global specialist

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RobertMW2@cs.com APRIL 2012

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

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FOR ON THE FLOOR An outlet for the views of today’s capacity assurance professionals Rick Carter, Executive Editor

Salary Satisfaction? GE’s Jack Welch is quoted as saying, “If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and put compensation as a carrier behind it, you almost don’t have to manage them.” Most would agree, in principle if not always in practice. This month, our Reader Panelists report on how satisfied they are with their own compensation. While we didn’t ask for compensation details— focusing instead on salary trends and the factors that impact them—most Panelists, encouragingly, feel fairly compensated and that their salaries and wages generally align with those of similarly titled and tenured peers. This could be taken as corroboration of the government’s current (as of December 2011) Employment Cost Index (ECI) of 114.7 for the manufacturing sector, which suggests most manufacturing employees probably make more today than they did several years ago. The ECI indicates that manufacturers, in fact, are spending almost 15% more on their employees’ compensation (wages, salaries and benefits) than they did in the 100-level base year of 2005. In a category the size and breadth of manufacturing, however, anomalies are to be expected. Comments from those who are less positive about their compensation serve as a reminder that when it comes to salaries, a rising tide does not automatically lift all boats. Here’s what our group had to say: Q: Regarding your salary history with your current employer (or recent past employer), how has your pay changed from when you started with the company? “My salary has increased much more quickly with my current employer than it did with previous employers. I’m up over 75% in seven years. One increase is from a promotion, all others were for performance and cost-of-living increases. In the last year I’m up 6%.” … Maintenance engineer, West

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MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

“I went from a union pay scale, which was not a bad salary, to management. The starting salary was a raise and is very competitive with my peers in the industry.” … FME site coordinator, Northeast “I am at the industry average, but I have held different positions within my company over the years, and those positions did come with a pay increase. Within the last year I received a very modest salary increase.” … Production support manager, Midwest “My salary is about average for skilled trades in our area, but it was hit fairly hard after we [recently] came out of bankruptcy and were then sold. At that time, we took an $8-per-hour pay cut, so the wage I get now is the same I received when I hired into [the original company] in 1999.” … PM leader, Midwest “My pay scale is average-to-low for my experience level and position. My salary has not changed since I was hired due to the economic conditions of my employer, a start-up company. We were told we would begin to get salary increases when we became profitable. We expect that to happen this year, but we’re not there yet. Also, we have no 401K match until we are profitable.” … Maintenance supervisor, South “My salary is below average for my position and education. My salary adjustment was curtailed by 30% [several years ago] and was followed by minor adjustments of up to 3%, except in 2008 when we all took freezes, though management continued to get their large bonuses. The excuse was that they were all under contract and could sue the company if they did not get their bonuses. I believe that I and my peers in this company are under-compensated by at least 15%, according to the market surveys I have seen.” … Maintenance manager, New England

APRIL 2012

FOR ON THE FLOOR

Q: What opportunities does (or did) your company offer to make money above your original pay? “We have a profit-sharing program, which paid the maximum after the [company] sale, but I have not heard if we will see anything for the last half of 2011. But overtime is pretty much available on a daily basis.” … PM leader, Midwest “Once a year we get a performance bonus, depending on our job evaluations. This amount isn’t a great deal, especially if you compare it to senior management, but it is nice and it is appreciated.” … FME site coordinator, Northeast “I received stock options offered at hire for the first four years, now vested, which have since become de-valued due to the current economic condition of the company.” … Maintenance supervisor, South “My bonus has dropped progressively, and is now 35% down from four years ago. The reasons have been consistent: pricing pressures and a decline [in] the economy. In my current position, the end-of-year performance bonus is the only way to make money above my salary.” … Production support manager, Midwest Q: How does your current workload compare with your average workload over your career: higher, lower or about the same? “Our workload has increased because we have lost a lot of trades people that have not been replaced. We are so busy now, you can make almost the same wage with overtime as we did with the higher pay.” … PM leader, Midwest “We have to do more and work longer hours for the same pay. That is getting to be common throughout the world today.” … Maintenance manager, New England “My workload has increased, but that is partially because of me. I am actively involved in our industry group and tend to accept projects no one else has time for. All of these projects are necessary, so anything I can do to further them along is a plus.” … FME site coordinator, Northeast

APRIL 2012

Compensation quality We also asked Panelists if they felt their compensation adequately reflected their personal experience and specific talent, as opposed to simply being in line with trends or time in service. An aspect not reflected in official stats, the topic elicited several strong responses. The maintenance supervisor in the South, for example, who pegs his salary as “average-to-low” was originally “excited about being part of a start-up,” but when his company’s stock options lost value, he found he was making a greater-than-expected sacrifice: “With my 30 years of experience, plus accreditations (CRMP, CPMM, Six Sigma Black Belt), I believe I could fairly easily move to other employment in a similar position and earn 10% more at minimum.” The inequities typically found between compensation levels for management and workers are also on Panelists’ minds: “As the economy improves I believe that companies that practice [inequitable] compensation methods will have a difficult time retaining employees and recruiting new employees,” says the maintenance manager in New England. “There is very little loyalty today displayed by employers or employees. All the greed that is going on will undoubtedly hurt our country’s future if it does not subside soon.” Interestingly, at least one Panelist is inspired by what he sees as the potential inherent in such inequities: “I do think I am fairly compensated,” says this Panelist in the Midwest. “But when you see the public disclosures of the company’s executive management team getting huge bonuses and base pay, it just makes me want to do better so I can get to that compensation level some time in my life.” MT The Maintenance Technology Reader Panel is comprised of approximately 100 working industrial-maintenance practitioners and consultants who have volunteered to answer bi-monthly questions prepared by our editorial staff. Panelist identities are not revealed, and their responses are not necessarily projectable. Our Reader Panel welcomes new members: Have your comments and observations included in this column by joining the Reader Panel at www.mt-online. com. Click on “Reader Panel” under the “MT Resources” header, and follow instructions. If accepted, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a cash prize after one year of active participation.

MT-ONLINE.COM | 15

Planned Work Predominance:

Contribution To The Bottom Line Mike Shekhtman P.E., MBA, CMRP Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. North American Tire Manufacturing

The method presented here can help bring some much-needed clarity to your objectives.

t’s common knowledge that increasing the share of planned maintenance over the time spent on breakdowns should be a top priority for forward-thinking maintenance organizations. The financial benefits of that strategy, however, may not be readily apparent.

Modern industrial operations put great emphasis on planned maintenance. We all are big proponents of preventive maintenance. We put much effort into capturing preventive tasks in CMMS, then tracking, changing, improving and scheduling them, as our equipment systems require. Many of us implement and expand predictive ways of managing our assets. And planned reactive work is always the preferred way of addressing equipment problems, as opposed to fighting fires of unplanned downtime. In other words, anything is better for business than trying to manage unexpected failures. While we all recognize the importance of and work toward minimizing time spent on machine breakdowns, quantifying the results of what we do is often problematic. Yet, trying to 16 |

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

assign a number to what good those precious man-hours of planned work do for us should not be an exception. To that end, let’s explore how some well-known assumptions of “scientific” maintenance can help us measure the benefits of planned work. Planned work share and resource-availability benefit A logical place to start is with the important fact that planned maintenance work costs organizations less than trying to mange breakdowns. This is true in more ways than one: If the production delay is planned, the machine operators can be reassigned ahead of time and ripple effects on the operating flow downstream from the machine can be managed better. APRIL 2012

CAPACITY ASSURANCE STRATEGIES

Another assumption is that unacceptable, acceptable, desirable or world-class levels of planned-to-breakdown man-hour ratios can be quantified. Some sources claim a 5 to 95% balance of unplanned-to-planned work to be worldclass. Some state that less then a 75% share of planned work is intolerable. For the purposes of this discussion, let’s agree that for an average shop, an 80% planned-maintenancework to 20% breakdown ratio is highly desirable and makes for a nice long-term goal. In a 2007 presentation entitled “The New Approach to Plant Maintenance,” ABB Reliability Services suggested that one hour of properly performed planned maintenance avoids three hours of repair work. Depending on maintenance productivity or planned-work “wrench time” effectiveness, the ratio can probably be better than that. At least temporarily, let’s agree on an understatement that every ONE plannedmaintenance hour is worth TWO breakdown hours. Consider the hypothetical example of a rather average maintenance shop with the relatively challenging planned-tobreakdown man-power allocation ratio illustrated in Fig. 1.

Challenging Example

Goal

Planned Maintenance Reactive Maintenance 36% Planned 64% Breakdown

80% Planned 20% Breakdown

ONE Planned Maintenance hour is worth TWO Breakdown hours Fig. 1. Hypothetical maintenance shop objectives example

At the present time, our hypothetical maintenance shop spends only 36 out of every 100 man-hours on planned work. Say the leadership decides to shift that balance by either hiring more technicians or arbitrarily reassigning some of the existing staff to bump the planned work number up to 37 out of 100 hours. With that additional hour buying a two-hour reduction in breakdown work, the shop suddenly finds itself spending 98 man-hours on what used to take 100 hours to do. If the process of incrementally increasing the planned-work share continues in the same manner, the reduction in breakdown will continue to accumulate (Table I). That way, with each one planned-work hour reducing the breakdown hours by two, by the time the shop arrives at the 80% planned-work share, there are only 66 man-hours spent doing 100 man-hours worth of work. Our hypothetical shop has found resources it didn’t know it had. APRIL 2012

Total

Maintenance Hours Unplanned Planned Reactive

100 98 96 94 92 90 88 86 84 82 80 78 76 74 72 70 68 66

36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53

64 61 58 55 52 49 46 43 40 37 34 31 28 25 22 19 16 13

% Planned Work 36.00% 37.76% 39.58% 41.49% 43.48% 45.56% 47.73% 50.00% 52.38% 54.88% 57.50% 60.26% 63.16% 66.22% 69.44% 72.86% 76.47% 80%

Table I. Planned Work-Share Increase and Resulting ResourceAvailability Gains

Quantifying the gains… Total maintenance man-hours after planned work-share increase… Let’s take things further. We want to see if there’s a way to quantify the effect of the planned work share increase on the maintenance costs. As David Geaslin of The Geaslin Group correctly states on www.geaslin.com, "Just because a maintenance manager cannot predict future maintenance costs does not mean that they cannot produce the lowest maintenance cost per unit of production possible." Here, we’ll use very basic algebra to come up with some dollar values. The conventions we’re going to start with are listed in Table II. Designation TMH1 TMH2 PMH1 PMH2 BDMH1 BDMH2 ML1 ML2 TML1 TML2 X W K

Description Total Maintenance Man-hours before Planned Hours Increase Total Maintenance Man-hours after Planned Hours Increase Planned Maintenance Man-hours before Increase Planned Maintenance Man-hours after Increase Breakdown Maintenance Man-hours before Increase Breakdown Maintenance Man-hours after Increase Maintenance Labor Costs Per Unit Produced before Planned Hours Increase Maintenance Labor Costs Per Unit Produced after Planned Hours Increase Total Maintenance Labor Costs before Planned Hours Increase Total Maintenance Labor Costs after Planned Hours Increase Number of Units Produced Hourly wage Proportionality Factor between Planned Work Increase and Breakdown Work PHM2 - PMH1 = Increase in Planned Maintenance Hours

Table II. Conventions for Cost Reduction Calculations

Note, in the following calculations, that we’re generalizing more with regard to what every additional hour of planned work buys us than we did in our previous hypothetical shop example. Let’s state that: 1 Hour Planned = K Hours Breakdown where K is the proportionality factor between planned man-hours increase and breakdown man-hours decrease MT-ONLINE.COM | 17

CAPACITY ASSURANCE STRATEGIES

The planned work-hours increase and corresponding breakdown-hours decrease can be expressed as: Planned Hours Increase = (PMH2-PMH1)

(1)

Maintenance labor costs can be expressed in two ways. First, we'll use hourly wage that is not affected by anything we do with the work-type balance and total man-hours worked. Then with the Table II conventions, for both before and after the planned-work increase we can say:

Breakdown Hours Decrease = (BDMH1-BDMH2) (2) The proportionality factor defined above as K gives us the relationship between the two: Breakdown Hours Decrease = K • Planned Hours Increase K • (PMH2-PMH1) = (BDMH1-BDMH2)

TML1 = W • TMH1

(8)

TML2 = W • TMH2

(9)

Secondly, if we multiply the maintenance costs per unit produced by the number of units we get same values:

(3)

The total number of man-hours before and after the plannedwork improvement is the sum of all hours worked:

TML1 = ML1 • X

(10)

TML2 = ML2 • X

(11)

TMLH1 = (PMH1+BDMH1)

(4)

Now, we can respectively equate (8) and (10), and (9) and (11):

THLH2 = (PMH2+BDMH2)

(5)

W • TMH1 = ML1 • X

Thus, the overall reduction in maintenance man-hours is:

W • TMH2 = ML2 • X

TMLH1 – TMLH2 = Total Decrease in Maintenance Man-Hours

Deriving the wage value from both equations:

Plugging in formulas (4) and (5) for the total decrease in manhours and manipulating equation members algebraically, we get:

• W = ML1 X TMH1

TMH1 – TMH2 = (PMH1+BDMH1) – (PMH2+BDMH2)

• W = ML2 X TMH2 Therefore:

TMH1 – TMH2 = (BDMH1-BDMH2) – (PMH2+PMH1) (6) Substituting in formula (6) for breakdown-hours decrease (2) with what we agreed on in formula (3), we get: TMH1 – TMH2 = K • (PMH2-PMH1) – (PMH2-PMH1) Shifting the members around a bit and giving a name to the planned-hours increase (1) per conventions in Table II, we can derive a new expression for the total maintenance man-hours after the planned-work share was increased:

TMH1 – TMH2 = (K-1) • (7)

Quantifying the gains: Expressing total man-hours in terms of either wage or cost per unit and the consequent maintenance labor cost per unit decrease expression... 18 |

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

ML2 = ML1 • TMH2 TMH1

(12)

Substituting in (12) for the value of the total maintenance man-hours after the planned-work increase TMH2 as derived in the formula (7) ML2 = ML1

TMH1 – TMH2 = (K-1) • (PMH2-PMH1)

TMH2 = TMH1 – (K-1) •

ML1•X = ML2•X TMH1 TMH2

• TMH1-(K-1) TMH1

(13)

We have thus found the way to express the new maintenance costs per unit of product in terms of initial costs—but without using either the hourly wage or the number of units produced. Quantifying the gains: Expressing the decrease in maintenance labor costs per unit produced in terms of the increase in planned maintenance work hours as the percentage of total man-hours prior to that increase… APRIL 2012

Now, by subtracting the new maintenance labor cost per unit produced as per formula (13) from the initial one, let’s see how the improvement can be expressed: MLC/unit decrease = ML1 - ML2 MLC/unit decrease = ML1 - ML1 • TMH1-(K-1) TMH1 Then, after some simplification: MLC/unit decrease = ML1 • ( 1- TMH1-(K-1) TMH1

)

MLC/unit decrease = ML1 • (K-1) TMH1 Expressing the improvement in maintenance labor cost per unit produced as percentage of that cost before the planned-work hours increase: MLC/unit decrease (%) = (K-1) • But per the definition of

TMH1

(14)

TMH1

from Table II: = (PMH2-PMH1) TMH1

(15)

If we look closely at what’s on the right side of the equation (15), it shouldn’t take long to recognize that it is the increase in planned maintenance work hours PMH2PMH1, expressed in terms of the percentage of TMH1, the total man-hours prior to that increase. That being the case, the equation (14) can be expressed as follows: MLC/unit decrease (%)=(K-1) •

(

) (16)

Planned maintenance work hours increases share of total pre-increase man-hours (%)

Formula 16 can be expressed in a verbal statement, as shown in Fig 2. An increase in planned maintenance work hours causes a reduction in maintenance labor costs per unit produced that is directly proportional to the share of that planned work increase in terms of total man-hours prior to that increase. The relationship factor equals (K-1) where K is the planned work “wrench time” effectiveness. That value constitutes the proportionality factor between planned man-hours increase and breakdown man-hours decrease.

Fig. 2. Reduction in maintenance labor costs per unit due to planned maintenance work hours increase (Copyright Mike Shekhtman, 2012) For more info, enter 71 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

APRIL 2012

MT-ONLINE.COM | 19

CAPACITY ASSURANCE STRATEGIES

Quantifying the gains: Numerical examples of the decrease in maintenance-labor costs per unit produced in terms of the increase in plannedmaintenance work hours, as the percentage of total manhours prior to that increase… Let’s go back to the previously-mentioned hypothetical maintenance shop with only 36 of every 100 man-hours allocated to planned work and the shop’s leadership effort to boost the share of the planned work. Our newly developed method enables us to estimate the maintenance labor-costs reduction in the shop’s journey to reach the 80/20 balance. We agreed initially that every ONE planned maintenance hour in the shop is worth TWO breakdown hours. That renders the planned work “wrench time” effectiveness K proportionality factor as 2. An assumption will have to be made as to where the shop stands with the K planned-work-effectiveness value of equation (16), that proportionality factor between planned man-hours increase and breakdown man-hours decrease. Let’s try three various scenarios, starting with our already reviewed example of K =2, then continuing with K=3 and K=1.5. The results are shown in Table III. The bottom row of Table III shows that by the time our hypothetical shop with K=2 reaches the 80/20 plannedversus-unplanned maintenance-work balance, its maintenance- labor cost per unit will cumulatively decrease by 20.52%. Had the effect of the planned-work increase on the reduction in breakdown hours been more pronounced with

the K factor of 3, then the cumulative decrease of maintenance labor cost per unit of product would have been at 41.04%. If the shop’s planned work had been a bit less effective with the proportionality factor K conversely equating to 1.5, it would result in a cumulative 10.26% reduction of those costs. Building your own business case It’s no secret that if we find the way to translate our technical team’s effort into the language of dollars and cents our company leadership will be more receptive to investing more into that effort. Consequently, with the method and the hypothetical assumptions described above—or without them—marketing “scientific” maintenance is a must. It becomes more or less a daily task to understand and communicate to decision-makers the connection between lifecycle costs of equipment, the equipment’s performance and its consequent throughput with the costs of maintenance per unit of production. As business people, we need to make it clear to our leadership and ourselves that to reach optimal levels of both costs and performance, additional spending above regular labor and material will be needed. Lecturers from IDCON, Inc., often speak of a “maintenance-costs curve” and its initial hump. That hump and delay of the downward slope can be easily seen in Fig. 3, which depicts what dependency of both 80/20 planned-work-share effort and the hypothetical machine uptime curve from maintenance costs may look like.

Maintenance Hours Total

Planned

100 98 96 94 92 90 88 86 84 82 80 78 76 74 72 70 68 66

36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53

% Planned K=2 % maintenance work Maint Labor Cost Cumulative Maint Planned hours increase share Unplanned/ Work of total pre-increase per unit decrease Labor Cost per per formula (16) unit decrease Reactive man-hours 36.00% 64 1.00% 1.00% 1.00% 37.76% 61 2.02% 1.02% 1.02% 39.58% 58 3.06% 1.04% 1.04% 41.49% 55 4.13% 1.06% 1.06% 43.48% 52 5.21% 1.09% 1.09% 45.56% 49 6.32% 1.11% 1.11% 47.73% 46 7.46% 1.14% 1.14% 50.00% 43 8.62% 1.16% 1.16% 52.38% 40 9.81% 1.19% 1.19% 54.88% 37 11.03% 1.22% 1.22% 57.50% 34 12.28% 1.25% 1.25% 60.26% 31 13.57% 1.28% 1.28% 63.16% 28 14.88% 1.32% 1.32% 66.22% 25 16.23% 1.35% 1.35% 69.44% 22 17.62% 1.39% 1.39% 72.86% 19 19.05% 1.43% 1.43% 76.47% 16 20.52% 1.47% 1.47% 80.00% 13

K=3 K = 1.5 Maint Labor Cost Cumulative Maint Maint Labor Cost Cumulative Maint per unit decrease Labor Cost per per unit decrease Labor Cost per per formula (16) unit decrease per formula (16) unit decrease 2.00% 2.04% 2.08% 2.13% 2.17% 2.22% 2.27% 2.33% 2.38% 2.44% 2.50% 2.56% 2.63% 2.70% 2.78% 2.86% 2.94%

2.00% 4.04% 6.12% 8.25% 10.43% 12.65% 14.92% 17.25% 19.63% 22.07% 24.57% 27.13% 29.76% 32.46% 35.24% 38.10% 41.04%

0.50% 0.51% 0.52% 0.53% 0.54% 0.56% 0.57% 0.58% 0.60% 0.61% 0.63% 0.64% 0.66% 0.68% 0.69% 0.71% 0.74%

0.50% 1.01% 1.53% 2.06% 2.61% 3.16% 3.73% 4.31% 4.91% 5.52% 6.14% 6.78% 7.44% 8.12% 8.81% 9.52% 10.26%

Table III. Planned-Work-Share Increase and Resulting Resource Availability Gains

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MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

APRIL 2012

CAPACITY ASSURANCE STRATEGIES

The stronger the funding for best practices, the sooner an operation will achieve that noble goal of 80/20 maintenance, the hypothetical goal of 1% equipment downtime and the lowest obtainable maintenance costs. So, build the business case for your planned-maintenance work contribution to the bottom line, prove your point to management and secure the needed resources. Then, all you have to do is assure that the planned work is as effective as possible—and deliver on the premise. MT

Fig. 3. The successful shift from breakdown to planned maintenance will require additional spending above regular maintenance labor and material.

Saying “yes” to this approach… ■ Yes, “scientific” maintenance over time will increase our equipment uptime. What that optimally obtainable uptime is will depend on the age of our machines, age, level of general machine decay and whatever time has elapsed since the last major upgrade or overhaul. ■ Yes, the arbitrary, forced and continuous shift from breakdown maintenance to planned maintenance will affect how quickly our organization reaches that optimal uptime of the equipment. ■ And yes, maintenance costs will eventually decrease with the continuous increase of planned work-share on our shop floor, along with the improvement of our machines’ performance. But to reach the optimal levels of reduced costs, greater planned work-share and improved equipment performance, an organization company needs to invest in planned-maintenance Best Practices (i.e., boosting both the resources allocated to planned maintenance and the effectiveness of planned-work “wrench time”). That investment might be hiring more craftsmen to do the planned work or paying more for predictive tools and services. It might be putting in place just the right number of well-trained and dedicated planners and giving them the right (modern) tools to help assure optimal planned-work “wrench time” effectiveness. Or, the investment might simply be taking a leap of faith to increase maintenance planned man-hours and temporarily accept potentially greater levels of downtime as personnel are reassigned from “watching machines run/waiting for them to go down” to PM, PdM, running inspections or other planned work. APRIL 2012

Mike Shekhtman is a Regional Manager of Maintenance and Reliability for the North American region of Goodyear’s tire manufacturing operations, based at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s headquarters in Akron, OH. He spent 24 years in the manufacturing industry in various capacities in maintenance management and engineering. A licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional, Shekhtman holds an MSME degree from St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University in Russia, and an MBA from Cleveland State University. Telephone: (330) 796-7245; 3.3750mike_shekhtman@goodyear.com. x 4.8750_Maint Technology_Ad v4_Layout 1 3/23/12 3:02 PM email:

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Road TO

At NSK, ‘Low Friction’ Equals Sustainability

The Japan-based bearing maker equates the low-friction, energysaving qualities of its products with its aggressive campaign to cut waste and pollution. Its NSK Americas group is a strong part of the team. Rick Carter Executive Editor

22 |

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

Led by President and CEO Brian Lindsay, NSK Americas, headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, oversees 2500 workers at production plants and support facilities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

t the back of NSK’s 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, the Tokyo-based bearing manufacturer includes a sampling of opinions about the company’s CSR efforts from some of its 26,000 global employees. Asked to finish this sentence, “Our CSR is…,” their comments range from lighthearted (“Our CSR is to share delight”) to thoughtful (“Our CSR is an activity which unifies a company and employees with its environmental goals”). One makes a simple connection between the company’s fundamental product mission and its CSR goals: “They are about ensuring that our products reduce friction, which means less wasted energy.” APRIL 2012

ON THE ROAD TO SUSTAINABILITY

That last comment captures the essence of a company best known for its automotive bearings (but also produces other automotive components and linear motion products) and whose value proposition includes the impact its main products have—from design through manufacture and use—on the world at large. The statement also gives dimension to the plant-level efforts that drive the company’s environmental gains. In Japan, for example (in fiscal year 2010), these gains include a waste-recycling rate of 99.3% (92.3% outside of Japan), CO2 emission reductions of 5.8% from FY06 levels and the creation of 16 new environmentally friendly products and technologies. The CSR Report also includes a third-party opinion of these accomplishments, which states that they have brought NSK “nearly to a first stage” of environmental and sustainable maturity. The opinion, offered by a member of the Japan Research Institute, continues with the suggestion that NSK is ready to take the next step, such as “creating a vision of the future world.” NSK in the USA Franklin, Indiana… NSK employees at the company’s seven U.S.-based production sites believe they are already hard at work on that vision. The recycling rate at the corporation’s Franklin, IN, plant for example, “is probably as close to 100% as anyone could be, 99.9% easily,” says Kevin Dodds, Engineering Manager and Environmental Team Leader at the facility, a producer of automotive hub and transmission bearings. The 20-year-old plant was relatively efficient from the start regarding sustainable benchmarks, but in the past decade undertook a new push in this direction. One of its first steps was to become certified to the international environmental standard, ISO 14000, in 2002. Dodds’ unfamiliarity with ISO 14000 at that time didn’t stop the plant manager from asking him to lead the certification effort. “As an electrical engineer, I didn’t think this applied to what I would normally be doing,” he says, “but I took it on and over the last 10 years have gotten to really like it.” He credits the plant-wide cooperation required to obtain the certification for opening the plant’s culture to the possibilities and importance of sustainable actions. “ISO 14000 certification is not something the cross-functional team can just go out and do,” he says. “If you don’t have everyone’s participation, you can’t meet the requirements.” Like those of other ISO standards, ISO 14000 requirements are a framework for a management system. To choose and define the tasks needed to create the framework at Franklin, plant workers had to think about the plant’s environmental issues in a new way. Existing systems had to be measured and benchmarked. Existing procedures—processes, byproducts, what was shipped out, what was taken in—had to be redefined with regard to the environmental impact of each. Certification (achieved in APRIL 2012

This new NSK production equipment uses high-powered air jets to remove excess rust-prevention oil from balls that are being packed into bearings.

10 months and before NSK Americas’ other operations followed suit) has meant that “now everybody in the plant has certain responsibilities, which are continuously reviewed,” says Dodds. “Ask anyone on the floor what their responsibility is with ISO 14000, and they’ll explain it to you.” Working toward ISO 14000 certification took time to gain momentum, but not because the plant’s 250 employees were unaware of its importance. “They understood the big picture,” says Dodds, but the from-scratch benchmarking process could not be rushed. Once the benchmarking showed them where they stood, however, “people could see that with very little effort, positive results occur. Then it was easy to get people motivated and keep them involved.” Landfill waste and recycling were two areas where the Franklin plant had rapid success. Before certification, it had landfilled up to 38 tons of waste each month, “which was even a surprise to me,” says Dodds. The first year after certification, this amount was halved, and has continued to drop ever since. “When you slap that up in front of everybody and they see the charts, they feel good about it and feel a part of it.” The plant’s focus on recycling was inspired by “a corporate initiative to get to a 98% recycling ratio,” he says, “which meant that the goal for any byproduct was to have 98% of it reused or recycled.” Even cafeteria and miscellaneous paper waste, which once accounted for 2% of the plant’s total waste material, is now reused by a local company, which incinerates the waste to generate steam for the downtown Indianapolis steam loop. “And they have pollution controls in place,” says Dodds. MT-ONLINE.COM | 23

ON THE

Road TO What’s next for Franklin’s sustainability program? “Training and awareness,” says Dodds, “and making sure everybody is on board.” More system refinements are on the agenda, too, along with “continued reduction of utilities and VOCs, maintaining compliance and working toward the total elimination of pollution.”

A newly designed spindle for grinding parts uses grease instead of oil mist for lubrication, reducing compressed air needed for the process by 75%.

The only reasons the plant now falls just short of 100%, says Dodds, is that the mop-water used to clean production floors— which is sent out for separate treatment—may contain solids that require landfill disposal, and a small amount of inert ash remains from the incineration of cafeteria and paper waste. The Franklin plant’s attention to sustainable detail also includes refinements to manufacturing processes and building systems, such as: ■ Installation of a reverse osmosis system that enabled the plant to eliminate a deionized water system requiring the use of hazardous chemicals. ■ Reduction in kerosene usage for parts cleaning. ■ Decreased electrical usage from switching to electronic ballasts, installing more-efficient lighting and eliminating air-system leaks.

Dyersburg, Tennessee… NSK’s sprawling 200,000 sq.-ft. plant in Dyersburg, TN, manufactures steering columns and electronic powersteering systems for the major Japanese automakers. This not-quite-five-year-old facility is, like all NSK Americas’ operations, ISO 14000-certified. Both new and newly enlarged (an expansion completed in January doubled its size), the site is poised to take NSK’s sustainability numbers higher. “As a green-field plant, there’s an opportunity to do a little better than your sister facilities,” says Arlene Brown, Dyersburg’s Safety & Environmental Manager and Human Resources Manager. Dyersburg started with a single assembly line, she says, and now includes machining, heat-treating, robotic welding and soldering, all of which raise its environmental impact. Having been at the plant since it opened, however, Brown says she is confident the Dyersburg culture can meet new challenges. “We started immediately recycling paper and cardboard to get that culture in the very beginning,” she says. “Then we added plastics. And when we started machining, we recycled aluminum, steel, used oils and used coolants.” The plant also recycles plastic bottles from cafeteria vending machines, gloves (which are laundered and returned) and shop towels. “The only thing we don’t recycle is general paper trash,” says Brown, and they’re working on that. When general trash is recycled, the plant’s recycling rate will match that of the Franklin facility: nearly 100%. Motion-sensor lighting, touchless faucets and upgraded lighting in the plant’s new addition,

NSK Main Initiatives to Reduce CO2 Emissions: Plants and Distribution Heat Treatment Production Equipment Compressors

Reducing Electrical Usage

CO2 emitted from power plants and regarded as generated by the user of electricity

• Optimization of operating conditions

Reducing Fuel Usage

Directly emitted CO2 from the plant by combusting fuel (petroleum and gas)

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MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

• Control by inverters • Streamlining • Improvement of production efﬁciency • Reduction of defects • Downsizing • Development of new technology

• Conversion to cleaner energies • Streamlining • Improvement of insulation efﬁciency • Optimization of operating conditions

• Prevention of pressurized-air leaks • Reduction of pressurized-air use • Reduction of pressure used • Control by inverters • Optimization of operating conditions • Upgrading to highly efﬁcient equipment • Development of equipment that does not use pressurized air

Source: NSK CSR Report 2011

Air Conditioning • Selection of models suited to conditions • Optimization of running conditions • Upgrading to highly efﬁcient equipment • Control by inverters

• Conversion to cleaner energies • Selection of models suited to conditions • Optimization of running conditions

Lighting

Distribution

• Upgrading to highly efﬁcient equipment • Control by inverters • Optimization of illumination • Turning off lights

• Improvement of load efﬁciency • Joint transportation • Modal shift

APRIL 2012

along with the commonizing of coolants and reduction of air-system losses, all contribute to shrinking the plant’s carbon footprint. According to Brown, a second expansion at Dyersburg is planned, and it’s expected that another fulltime Safety & Environmental person will be hired. This individual will report to Brown, allowing her to focus on the personnel issues that another expansion will bring. Brown knows more growth will mean more training and more chances for her team to sharpen their environmental edge. As a new plant, she says, “We’ve had to dig a little deeper to find things to go after,” an effort that has led her team to a stronger focus on internal auditing and training, as well as on programs that spread the word outside the plant. “The education of our people and broadening the spectrum to assist the community by sharing things we’ve done here” are a big part of ongoing efforts at Dyersburg, notes Brown. The plant already celebrates Earth Day “in a big way,” she notes, and conducts other outreach efforts that include “educating people about specific things they can do at home” as well as participation in county-wide recycling drives where the plant helps its workers and local citizens properly dispose of used computers, batteries, used oil and other materials. As new ways to save energy and cut waste become harder to find at Dyersburg, Brown is clearly unafraid to continue the search, regardless of where it leads. “I plan to take my environmental team dumpster diving,” she says, “just to see what kinds of things we still have in there.” Sustainability is the ‘S’ in NSK NSK’s environmental goals originate in Japan, but it’s up to individual plants to determine the strategies that work best for each and pursue them successfully. This does not happen in a vacuum. Thanks to tireless workers

like Marcia Fournier, Manager of Environmental Health and Safety, based at the NSK Americas headquarters in Ann Arbor, MI, all NSK Americas plants—the seven U.S. operations and one in Brazil—are regularly updated on

each other’s environmental best practices and lessons learned. “I travel extensively to visit all of our facilities,” says Fournier. “And the environmental managers at each site have a dotted line to me for communication, so

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ON THE TO

Road Sustainability we’re very active with each plant. Next week, for example, I’m NSK’s Franklin facility. “We benchmarked that one to see how going to Brazil to support their ISO 14000-recertification audit. they manage their environmental targets,” recalls Fournier, The biggest part of my job,” she notes, “is the support mecha“and we took some of their ideas.” One of these was to join nism: raising the awareness, raising the education, working with EPA’s WasteWise program, which, she says, “is what gives us our changing the culture of the sites to ensure that the sites that were sustainability numbers with regard to how many trees and how new to ISO 14000 understood the benefits associated with it and much water we’ve saved.” to show people what they accomplished. And for sites that have Fournier and her colleagues say the regular strategy a mature process, we keep the momentum going.” meetings reflect the heightened emphasis on sustainA 10-year NSK veteran, Fournier brings her formal training ability within NSK Americas. The emphasis coincided with as a chemist to her a recent influx of job, along with 17 new management years of experience members that, she working in a steel says, brought in mill. “Even though the concept of I was intended to accountabilit y, be working in the as well as reportlab [at NSK],” she ing, sharing and says, “we saw there analyzing data. was a lot of activity The President and outside the lab that CEO of NSK Amerneeded a chemist’s icas, Brian Lindsay, attention, such as (appointed in 2009) chemical managewas part of the new ment and managteam. He is clearly ing environmental committed to the needs specific to company’s continuchemicals.” So her ous improvement in position “grew over sustainability. As he the years,” as did describes it,“I underNSK’s emphasis on stand that environthe environment. mental stewardship Today, each NSK needs a focus, and Americas site has part of that focus is ENGINEERED an environmental to create and estabPRODUCTS,INC management rep, lish a position within most of whom the Americas that To learn more visit: have an assistant, env ironmental explains Fournier. excellence is paraWith the encourmount.” agement and the With 35 years of For more info, enter 74 at www.MT-freeinfo.com approval of NSK, experience working in and running industrial operations around the globe, Lindsay these leaders meet on a regular basis to sharpen their environsays he’s happy to be “proactively seeking out the right thing mental skills. “We get everyone together at headquarters or a different to do [environmentally] rather than focused on avoiding facility twice a year and we talk about any difficulties people doing the wrong thing.” He has already overseen the complete may have, we talk about best practices at their facilities, we revision of NSK Americas’ environmental policy to make it share ideas and we support each other regarding managing function as a road map to excellence that also carries enough KPIs.” Some meetings are special events, such as a recent gathweight to allow the company to make what he calls the “right” ering Fournier calls a “week-long environmental boot camp” environmental actions, even in challenging economic times. conducted by a third party. “We made the investment to ensure “It will surprise some skeptics who believe the cost of envieveryone had a baseline knowledge of our environmental ronmental stewardship has no financial benefits,” says Lindsay, requirements,” she says. Team meetings sometimes involve “that it is possible to turn this perceived cost challenge into a benchmarking, such as a recent one that involved a plant near win/win for the company and the environment.”

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