Machinery & Equipment MRO June 2012 by Annex Business Media

MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT

Point-and-shoot: Tips for inspecting drives Toolkits reorganized for efficiency with 5S method Explaining dust explosions in mills

Vol. 28, No. 3

JUNE 2012

Finding weak points in your equipment Bearing distributors fête association’s veterans

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SPECIAL SECTION

INDUSTRIAL LUBRICATION

Lube equi

Lube program boosts equipment reliability

How corr

How to choose the correct compressor oil

Tips lubr

Tips for selecting lubricant additives

Extending the life of

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Ultrasonic detector has affordable pricetag

Durable flap disc means fewer disc changeovers

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Inching drive option keeps equipment running during maintenance

Rexnord is now offering an inching drive option for the Falk V-Class gear drive. This optional standard package enables the V-Class gear drive to provide a reliable full-load inching movement, allowing slow-speed operation of equipment for inspection and maintenance purposes. It can also be run continuously to prevent freeze-up of components in harsh and cold weather environments when facilities may be temporarily not in production. The inching drive uses a Falk Ultramite gear drive that is integrally mounted to the main gear drive unit, coupled via an

The First Name in Power Transmission

The SDT200 ultrasound detector from SDT International pinpoints compressed air leaks through miles of twisting air lines with laser-point accuracy and quickly inspects hundreds of steam traps. Primarily focused on energy conservation and environmental applications, the instrument provides a robust solution at an affordable price. Features include a standard internal ultrasound sensor, internal temperature sensor, internal laser pointer, one external sensor connection to attach optional sensors, internal memory with 400 node locations to store static measurements, and a standard USB connection for data-dump software. SDT International

Walter Surface Technologies launched an improved, longer-life EnduroFlex finishing disc for metalfinishing applications at the Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show in May. It features a totally new design and flap configuration with an exclusive cloth and abrasive composition. The backing can be trimmed down, adding longevity to the product. This innovation offers a more consistent surface finish, and most importantly, removes more material. A 5-in. disc with Grit 40 removes up to 2,500 grams over its lifespan. The longevity results in fewer disc changeovers as well as less waste over the long term. It’s designed for finishing steel and stainless steel, aluminum and other alloys. Walter Surface Technologies

June 2012

overrunning clutch. This allows it to be automatically disengaged when the main motor is operating. Rexnord Online Reader Inquiry No. 350

New combination wrench won’t slip

The Joker, a new combination wrench from Wera, not only does everything that a combination ratchet wrench needs to do, but more. It offers a practical holding function that allows nuts and bolts to be held in the jaw and easily positioned where they are needed. Fastening onto the thread can then be done quickly and precisely. It also prevents slipping off of the fastener head with an integrated limit-stop – no longer is the thumb needed to act as a depth stop. This allows significantly more force to be applied during fastening jobs. Double-hex geometry delivers a positive connection with nuts or bolts. An exchangeable, hardened-metal gripping plate in the Joker’s mouth bites into the bolt with extremely hard tips. Both features combine to prevent any slipping. Finally, where conventional wrenches with a 60° return angle have to be turned over and over to tighten or loosen bolts and nuts in confined spaces, the Joker offers a 30° return angle, due to its double-hex design. Along with its straight neck, this means that flipping the wrench has become a thing of the past. The ratcheting mechanism at the ring end of the Joker has a fine tooth design with 80 teeth, enabling operation even when the space is very confined. Wera Tools North America Online Reader Inquiry No. 349

Laser shaft alignment system cuts operating costs

Prüftechnik’s Rotalign Ultra iS intelligent laser shaft alignment system, comprising the Rotalign Ultra computer and the seven-axis SensAlign sensor, facilitates quick, easy and precise machinery alignment, enhancing machine efficiency, and reducing energy consumption and operating costs. The infinite measuring range is capable of handling gross

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misalignments and measuring long couplings, while the intelligent sensor detects and eliminates errors automatically. Measurement of vibration has been integrated in the sensor, enabling the user to perform vibration check measurements before, during and after the alignment process. The Bluetooth module transfers data directly from the sensor to the operating computer, and sensor and laser communicate via an individual laser pulse telegram. Prüftechnik Alignment Systems Online Reader Inquiry No. 353

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C O N T E N T S

Machinery & Equipment MRO

June 2012

in this issue columns

Case study: Tool Tamers / 11

A complete reorganization of its toolkits using 5S methods brings new efficiency for a Montreal-area maintenance team. Point-and-shoot troubleshooting / 13

Using thermal imagers to inspect electric motors and drive systems. Cover story: Extending the life of chain drives / 15

How to tell when worn sprockets have to be replaced.

departments

Supervisory Suggestions: Getting your staff fully engaged / 17

Having an engaged workforce – one that is enthusiastically willing to give more than just what is required to hold on to their jobs – contributes to better workplace performance. The Safety File: Explaining dust explosions in mills / 18

BC’s recent sawmill blowups draw attention to the ways explosions start and how they can be prevented in the future. Maintenance 101: Finding the weak points / 20

p11 Diamond in the rough / 16

Saskatchewan oilfield service company’s safety practices are featured in a new video.

Editor’s Notebook / 6 Industry Newswatch / 8 Business Briefs / 10 Mr. O, The Problem Solver / 10 Supervisory Suggestions / 17 The Safety File / 18 Maintenance 101 / 20 Maintenance Management / 21 MRO on the Road / 33-34 Product News Product Spotlight / 2

This is the part two of the fourth set of activities in an eight-stage program on achieving world-class maintenance. It explores the countermeasures you can take against weak points in machines and examines how to increase the lifespan of equipment.

Focus on Lubrication / 28

Maintenance Management: Getting recognition for success / 21

Focus on Fluid Power / 32

Follow along with Step 45 in a journey to world-class maintenance at the Plentya Paper Company. This is the final step, thus concluding this popular series by Cliff Williams.

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Focus on MRO Components / 29 Focus on Hand & Power Tools / 30 Focus on Drives / 31

MRO on the Road / 33-34

NSK Canada gathers its teams; Fluke Electronics lets us peek into its research and production facilities; Jason Industrial expands its Montreal warehouse; Distributors fête association veterans at BSA’s annual convention.

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editor’s selections ‘The time required for a dust explosion to develop fully is only about 50 milliseconds.’ Simon Fridlyand / 18

‘Ideas that come from the workers themselves are easier to implement.’

Special Section: Industrial Lubrication

Peter Phillips / 20

How to choose the correct compressor oil / 23 Tips for selecting lubricant additives / 23 Lubrication fundamentals / 23

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‘I’ve seen death and I’ve seen serious injury. I’ve seen friends get hurt. If safety can correct that and I don’t have to go to somebody’s house ever, then that’s the message.’ John Kennedy / 16

Fuel consumption up? Perhaps your hydraulic fluid is to blame / 24 Lube program boosts equipment reliability / 26 What’s new in lubrication / 28

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Cover image: ©Sascha Burkard/iStockphoto/Thinkstock

‘Time was being gobbled up trotting back to the shop to fetch the right tools.’ Pierre Gagnon / 11

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E D I T O R’ S

N O T E B O O K

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MRO magazine garners more award nominations

ust before going to press with this issue, Machinery & Equipment MRO received two award nominations for articles published in 2011 in a prestigious competition for business and trade magazine journalism. The start of summer is when we hear about the list of nominees for the two award competitions we typically enter each year, and not to sound too boastful, but we’re usually on both lists – one that judges us against hundreds of other Canadian trade and business magazine entries in English and French, and another against thousands of international entries. The Kenneth R. Wilson (KRW) Awards are presented annually by the Canadian Business Press and Maga-

zines Canada – this will be the 58th year of the awards. Regarded as one of Canada’s top business writers, Kenneth R. Wilson wrote with clarity and authority. His opinions were widely sought and respected. In spite of his busy career, he was active in a number of editor and journalist associations. A tragic airplane crash ended his distinguished career in January, 1952. He was 47 years old. It is the memory of Kenneth R. Wilson, his example and his achievements in business press journalism that are honoured each year with these awards. The KRW competition sees the best work of various magazines submitted in 20 different written, visual and special categories, and nominees are named from

the top entries in each category. Over 600 entries from 57 different publications were received in the 2011 competition. The Gold, Silver and Honourable Mention awards are presented at The Carlu in Toronto on June 7, 2012 (bad timing for us, as we’ll have been in Victoria, BC, attending the Canadian Conference of the Power Transmission Distributors Association). This year, senior contributing editor Carroll McCormick has received a nomination in the Best Technology/Industrial/Manufacturing Article category for his feature story, ‘Dead in the Water’, an examination of the maintenance operations at Halifax Wastewater following a flooding disaster. It appeared on page 12 of our December 2011 issue (mromagazine.com/issues/de.aspx?id=6444). Also, Bill Roebuck – that’s me, the guy responsible for all of the editorial content in each issue – received a nomination for my Editor’s Notebook column, ‘Can Maintenance Be a Profit Centre?’

It appeared on page 8 of the February 2011 issue (mromagazine.com/issues/ de.aspx?id=6439). If you’re interested in reading them, both articles are archived on our website at www.mromagazine.com, and can be found by using the search function on the home page or by viewing the digital editions using the links above. In previous years, this magazine has received countless nominations and won a total of 10 KRW Awards, including three Gold (first place) Awards. We also have received a total of five APEX Awards for Publication Excellence in another, international publishing competition, in its ‘magapapers’ category, and hope to increase that number to six when its winners are announced in July. But win or not, we’ll continue to strive to provide you with interesting, practical, well-written information that you can use in your work every day. Bill Roebuck, Editor & Associate Publisher

MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT

MAINTENANCE, REPAIR AND OPERATIONS

JUNE 2012 Volume 28, No. 3 Established 1985 www.mromagazine.com www.twitter.com/mromagazine EDITORIAL Bill Roebuck, Editor & Associate Publisher 416-510-6749 broebuck@mromagazine.com Ellie Robinson, Art Director Contributing Editors Richard G. Ensman Jr., Simon Fridlyand, Carroll McCormick, Peter Phillips, Angela Webb, Cliff Williams

machine tools x foundries x metalworking machinery x lawn & garden x speed reducers medical x instruments x transmissions x kilns x mining x pharmaceutical x HVAC x hoist transportation x agriculture x washdown x construction x gear box x pumps x steel mills railway x band saws x aggregates x pulp & paper x spindles x grinders x textiles x vibrating screen x hand tools x electric motors x power generation x compressors x automation x idlers

Just some of the places you’ll find Koyo bearings. wind turbines x automotive x conveyors x aerospace x stamping x recreation vehicles blowers x food & beverage x winches x cranes x excavator x fans x robotics x sander x mixer back-up roll x paver x printing press x debarker x head pulley x dryer x track roller x planer oil & gas x clean room x extreme environments x forestry x return rolls x traction motors x tunnel boring x rock crushers x rolling mills x work rolls x smelting x sawmills

BUSINESS Nick Naunheimer, Publisher 416-510-6868 nnaunheimer@mromagazine.com Eric Achilles Cousineau, Adv. Sales Manager 416-510-6803 eachilles@mromagazine.com Kimberly Collins, Advertising Production 416-510-6779 Melinda Marasigan, Subscription Enquiries 416-442-5600 x3548 Machinery & Equipment MRO is published six times a year to help improve the effectiveness, productivity and practical knowledge of maintenance professionals in Canada’s manufacturing, utilities and resource industries. AWARD-WINNING MAGAZINE

Editorial & sales office: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9; tel: 416-442-5600, 1-800-268-7742; fax: 416-510-5134. Subscription rates. Canada: 1 year $58.95, 2 years $94.95. United States: 1 year $85.95. Elsewhere: 1 year $87.95. Single copies $10 (Canada), $16.50 (U.S.), $21.50 (other). Add applicable taxes to all rates. On occasion, our subscription list is made available to organizations whose products or services may be of interest to our readers. If you would prefer not to receive such information please contact us via one of the following methods – phone: 1-800-668-2374, e-mail: privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca, fax: 416-442-2191, mail to Privacy Officer-Business Information Group, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. ©2012. Contents of this publication are copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without written consent of the publisher. The publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of claims in items reported or advertised. Machinery & Equipment MRO is published by BIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. Bruce Creighton, President, BIG; Alex Papanou, Vice-President, BIG. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240. Return postage guaranteed. ISSN 0831-8603 (print). ISSN 1923-3698 (digital). Return undeliverable Canadian addresses and change of address notices to: MRO Circulation Dept., 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9.

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I N D U S T R Y

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Study examines job-related training of older workers Almost two-thirds of the increase in the training participation rate of older works was attributable to changes in educational attainment and workplace characteristics. However, this study suggests there was also an increase in training participation among older workers regardless of personal, job or workplace characteristics. Older employees responding to the 2008 survey were less likely to perceive the presence of barriers to training than their younger counterparts. However, certain barriers related to personal attitudes were more prevalent among older workers than among core-age workers. For example, among older men, 24% perceived lack of confidence, interest or motivation as important barriers compared with 15% of core-age men.

Ottawa, ON — Older workers are significantly less likely to participate in job-related training than their counterparts in the core working-age population, according to a newly released study from Statistics Canada. Overall, younger employees reported receiving more job-related training than their older counterparts. In the year from July 2007 to June 2008, 45% of workers aged 25 to 54 took at least one job-related course or program, compared with 32% of those aged 55 to 64. This age gap persisted even after certain labour market factors and personal characteristics were taken into account. Several factors were linked with significantly lower participation in training among older workers. These included lower annual income, low educational attainment, temporary employment and work in blue-collar or service jobs. Workers in the private sector, particularly those in goods-producing industries, were also less likely to take job-related training. ©Jupiterimages/Thinkstock

SASKATCHEWAN SAFETY CONUNDRUM: TIME LOSS RATE DOWN BUT INJURY RATE UP

Younger employees report receiving more job-related training than their older counterparts.

Employer-sponsored training is job-related training paid for or otherwise supported by the employer. Employer-sponsored training data have been consistently collected in surveys dating back to 1991. Over that period, the employer-sponsored training gap between older and core-age workers shrank appreciably. Between 1991 and 2008, the participation rate in employer-supported training among workers aged 55 to 64 more than doubled from 12% to 28%, while the training rate for workers in the core-age group, those from 25 to 54, increased from 29% to 38%. In other words, in 1991, core-age workers were about 2.5 times more likely to receive training than older workers. By 2008, this ratio had declined to about 1.4 times more likely.

Regina, SK — 2011 marked the ninth straight year that Saskatchewan has seen a drop in time-loss injuries. The province’s time-loss injury rate was 3.05%, a decrease of 2.3% from 2010. As the time-loss injury rate went down in 2011, however, the total injury rate increased from 8.70% in 2010 to 8.73% in 2011. “The increase in total injury rate is disappointing,” said Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) chairperson David Eberle. “Overall, there were more people working in Saskatchewan in 2011 than 2010, and we know there are workers and employers across the province striving for Mission: Zero, but we as a province have to stop accepting injuries as ‘accidents’ and an inevitable part of work.” The WCB and Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety (LRWS) forged the WorkSafe Saskatchewan injury prevention partnership in 2002, through which they have developed a broad-based provincial prevention strategy. The WorkSafe goal is to eliminate workplace illness, injury and death. Since its inception, Saskatchewan’s total injury rate has improved by 24%. “Employers and workers must always be alert to workplace hazards,” deputy minister of LRWS Mike Carr said. “Injuries don’t just happen. These are predictable and preventable events. While we should be proud of the achievements to date, there is still much work to be done to eliminate illness and injury in the workplace.”

PTDA MEMBERS PREDICT 11% GROWTH FOR 2012 Chicago, IL — The Power Transmission Distributors Associations’ PTDA Business Index indicates that the first quar-

ter of 2012 was the eighth consecutive quarter for business growth among PTDA members, with a reading of 75.4. Compared with a reading of 67.3 for the fourth quarter of 2011, the first-quarter results indicate the power transmission/ motion control industry is expanding at a faster pace than before. Both distributors and manufacturers saw strong growth in the first quarter of 2012. The index reading indicates the rate of change compared with the previous period. For example, a reading of 50 indicates no change from the prior period, while readings above 50 indicate growth and below 50 indicate contraction. The further the index is above or below 50 suggests a faster or slower rate of change. PTDA members participating in the Business Index expect 2012 to be another year of growth with an average forecast of 11% growth, up from 9% in the fourth quarter 2011 survey. The PTDA Business Index full report is available through PTDA’s website at www.ptda.org/BusinessIndex. It includes US and Canadian breakout data in addition to historical data. Conducted jointly by PTDA and Cleveland Research Company, the index was modelled after the Purchasing Managers Index and tracks change in business activity, new orders, employment, supplier deliveries, inventories, prices and backlog in the PT/MC market to arrive at an overall index.

QUEBEC FIRM OPENS LARGER LUBRICANTS PLANT By Carroll McCormick

Longueuil, QC — Crevier Lubricants, a division of Group Crevier, opened one of the largest lubricants plants in Quebec on April 19, 2012. A consolidation of two formerly separate operations, the 62,000 sq ft plant in Longueuil, near Montreal, has double the floor space for warehousing up to 3,500,000 litres of bulk and packaged lubricants. The plant includes a bottling line for packaging products in containers from 500 millilitres to 10 litres in size. Among other plans, says Peter Trepanier, sales manager, Crevier Lubricants, “We plan to bring in TerraCair diesel exhaust fluid in bulk and repackage it.” Group Crevier officials also announced the name change from Saint-Laurent Lubricants at the plant inauguration. Of the company’s new plant, BioBlend president Sam Burkett comments, “We can deliver more products to them and they can stock more products and in different containers.” BioBlend provides finished products to Crevier for repackaging, including greases, hydraulic oils, drilling fluids, and chain and cable lubricants. Crevier Lubricants holds the exclusive Eastern Canada product distribution rights for Chevron Lubricants. It also represents Irving and carries its own private LSL brand. The plant is sited next to a railway

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There are 110 tanks inside the plant for storing ingredients used to manufacture lubricants.

spur line. Rail delivery will lower transportation costs and help open new markets. For example, the company plans to build a loading rack for transferring bulk lubricants from the rail cars directly into tanker trucks. “This is a big plus for us,” Trepanier explains. There is an increasing demand to re-supply customers with bulk quantities of lubricants. There are 110 tanks inside the plant for storing ingredients used to manufacture lubricants and plenty of storage racks for finished products. At the rear of the plant is a laboratory where a chemist compares the chemical signature of every bulk product received with stored profiles and tests finished products.

PT INDUSTRY TO GATHER IN DALLAS IN OCTOBER Chicago, IL — Executives in power transmission and motion control (PT/MC) will converge at the 2012 PTDA Industry Summit in Dallas, TX, Oct. 18-20, 2012. With a theme of ‘Big Ideas to Steer Your Business’, the event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas. The PTDA Industry Summit is where the industry association’s members can devote time to growing their businesses through networking, listening to keynote speeches and workshops, and targetting business development opportunities. The Industry Summit’s signature event, the Manufacturer-Distributor Idea Exchange (MD-IDEX), brings together existing and potential channel partners to plan for the upcoming year. “Each year, so many people come together at the PTDA Industry Summit,” said Jim LaHaie of W.C. DuComb Co. Inc., a Detroit-area distributor. “It is a chance to reconnect, refresh and recharge as an industry. It’s amazing how powerful it is to be able to make connections that can help you all year long in business.” With a workshop schedule and special programs that deliver business solutions that can be immediately implemented, the Industry Summit offers participants access to the latest thinking and newest technologies. “As a new member of PTDA, I found attending the PTDA Industry Summit helped us identify distributors who were interested in our product line and meet key contacts at those distributorships,” said Tom Fechter, Uni-Lift global product leader at Enerpac, a Menomonee Falls, WI-based manufacturer of mechanical actuators. “PTDA has programs, specifically the first-timer program, that really helped me navigate the Industry

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Summit and reach out to people much quicker than I could do on my own.” By offering multiple sessions, PTDA encourages Industry Summit participants to customize their experience. The 2012 Industry Summit will include the following events. • Focusing on PTDA’s core membership, the Distributor Forum is an open exchange of ideas designed to assist CEOs and leaders of small-to-mid-sized distribution firms in managing their businesses more profitably. At the same time, manufacturer members have their own forum in which to discuss issues of importance to them. • The Motion Control Showcase is a wellattended PTDA event that allows manufacturers the opportunity to showcase and demonstrate motion control products. • A Market Briefing from the oil and gas industry will give participants ideas for addressing challenges and increasing sales and service offerings in this arena. Presenting the Market Briefing is Mike Watts, director of fracture stimulation affairs, Haliburton Energy Services Inc. • Keynote addresses from economist Alan Beaulieu, Institute for Trend Research, and technology pioneer and entrepreneur Scott Klososky, will keep participants informed on the direction of the economy and the latest over-the-horizon technology trends, respectively. • Scott Klososky will deliver a workshop on ‘The Changing Sales Model’ to help PTDA Industry Summit participants use social technology tools to increase sales. • Jeff Gusdorf, CPA and managing consultant, Brown, Smith Wallace Consulting Group, presents ‘What Can Cloud Do

For You?’ His workshop will aid participants in evaluating cloud computing opportunities with respect to scalability, agility, integration, customization, security, cost and return-on-investment. • ‘Knowledge Transfer and the Emerging Generations’ is a workshop to be presented by Bob Wendover, director, Center for Generational Studies, designed to call attention to a looming mass retirement in industry and discuss how to prevent institutional knowledge cultivated over decades from retiring too. For more information or to register, visit www.ptda.org/IndustrySummit.

STRETCH PROBLEM RESULTS IN UNEXPECTED SOLUTIONS AT CANADIAN FLUID POWER CHALLENGE By John Bachmann

Toronto, ON – Public school students building devices at this year’s Canadian Fluid Power Challenge, a competition held on May 17, 2012, in Etobicoke, ON, needed to pick up a wooden block and deposit it in one of the designated areas along an annulus. The greater the arc covered to the drop-off point, the greater the number of points earned. “I was amazed at some of the designs that the students conceived for getting the blocks to the high point drop-off areas,” noted Steve Rogers, facilitator of the Challenge. “Some of their solutions I had never thought of or seen in previous competitions!” The team from Hodgson Senior Public School was the overall winner of this year’s Challenge, with a low-profile device that moved through 120 degrees of rotation with impressive speed. The

Top: The team from Hilltop Middle School demonstrates its device – (l to r) Samia Hassen, Phoebe Bhagoutte, Jesse Ibanez and Ben Sprenger. Bottom: The winners from Hodgson Senior Public School (back row) — Kayley Jacobs and Keira McMaster; (front row) Tammy Tiedeman, Andy Wu and Matthew Pryor.

award for the best portfolio went to Hollycrest Middle School. This year, for the first time, the teachers were formed into teams and given a different problem to solve. They demonstrated their devices after the students had done theirs. The Challenge, which is a partnership of the Canadian Fluid Power Association (CFPA) and the Toronto District School Board, is intended to provide Grade 8 students with hands-on experience building a mechanism with real-world applicability and to open their eyes and those of their teachers to the world of technology careers. At a minimum, the organizers hoped that the Challenge would encourage students to select more mathematics

and science courses in their high school curricula to keep their options open for technology-based post-secondary studies. This was the twelfth year for the Canadian Fluid Power Challenge (previously known as the Hilltop Tech Skills Challenge) in Toronto. The CFPA’s Western Chapter also holds a Challenge in Edmonton that involves both high-school and middle-school students. For more information, contact: John Bachmann, CFPA education co-chair at bachmann.johnh@rogers.com or 905-607-9852. More detailed versions of these stories, along with many additional news items, can be found online at www.mromagazine.com.

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Business Briefs

News and views about companies, people, product lines and more. • O.W. Eric Nowlin, 51, has been named president, AcklandsGrainger Inc., Richmond Hill, ON. The company is Chicagobased W.W. Grainger’s Canadian subsidiary. Nowlin joined Grainger’s US business in 2006 as a regional branch services vice-president. He was later Eric named vice-president, business Nowlin development and most recently served as vice-president, customer service. Prior to joining Grainger, he spent more than 20 years with Maytag, holding various roles in sales, field operations and business development. • An ITT Goulds Pumps product serving the mining industry took top honours at this year’s Pump Industry Awards presented by the British Pump Manufacturers’ Association. The XHD Extra Heavy Duty Lined Slurry Pump was chosen from among eight finalists as the “most innovative pump, pumping system or other pump related product introduced onto the market within the last 12 months, with effectiveness being demonstrated via application details.” Announced last November, the XHD pump is designed to allow mines and related operations to move heavy slurries with improved reliability at lower operating cost. It can be maintained even while running, and requires less downtime for service procedures with parts that are more accessible and adjustable than in other slurry pumps. • KSB Pumps Inc., Mississauga, ON, the Canadian subsidiary of the global KSB Group, has appointed Calgarybased Waste ’n WaterTech Ltd. as its exclusive distributor for the municipal water and wastewater markets in Western Canada. For more information, visit www.watertech.ca. • ClydeUnion Pumps of Glasgow, Scotland, an SPX Brand, has relocated its Canadian works to a new facility in Burlington, ON, almost doubling its manufacturing footprint. The new site provides increased regional production capacity, allowing larger between-bearings-style pumps to be manufactured on site. The operation’s new upgraded pump test facilities means pumps can be proven locally in what is now North America’s highest power test facility for ClydeUnion Pumps. The 6,500 sq m (70,000 sq ft) facility will manufacture single and multistage centrifugal pumps. For more information, visit www.clydeunion.com. • Gray Tools Canada Inc., Brampton, ON, the only industrial-quality manufacturer of hand tools in Canada, has announced that president Gary Nuttall and marketing director Frank Dominguez have purchased the company from

Alex Gray, who was the third-generation owner of Gray Tools. Gray, 70, will remain as chairman and will continue to play an active role with the company. Gray Tools is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary. It has been manufacturing hand tools since 1912. The company currently offers more than 6,000 industrial product solutions and operates two warehouses in Canada. For more information, visit www.graytools.com. • In 2012, Walter Surface Technologies, Montreal, QC, is celebrating its 60th year in business. Specializing in surface treatment technologies, the company has been providing high-productivity abrasives, power tools, tooling, chemical tools and environmental solutions for the metalworking industry. Founded in Montreal in 1952 by Walter J. Somers and a few colleagues, the company is now established in seven countries in North America, South America and Europe. For more information, visit www.walter.com. • Gorman-Rupp Canada, a global manufacturer of pumps and pumping systems, has appointed Robert Furneaux as general manager for its Canadian operations, based in St. Thomas, ON. He will succeed Gary Creeden, Gorman-Rupp Canada’s current vice-president, Robert upon his retirement Furneaux July 1, 2012. Furneaux began his career with the CIBC and has held various senior management roles with Pella/Hunt, Romaco, Herman Miller, CanWel, Weston Forest and PTM Industries. • NSK Ltd. of Tokyo has acquired a 10% stake in Gongzhuling Bearing Co. Ltd. of Gongzhuling City, Jilin Province, China. At the signing ceremony for the acquisition agreement, Tsutomu Komori, executive vice-president in charge of NSK’s Automotive Business Division headquarters, said: “NSK has the top market share for bearings in China. We are aiming to double our current level of sales in China to 200 billion yen by NSK’s centenary in 2016. NSK is the third largest bearing manufacturer in the world. • Grundfos Canada, Oakville, ON, celebrated its 20th year in business on May 1, 2012. To commemorate this milestone; customers, partners, and industry representatives gathered with employees on March 27 for dinner and speeches in Oakville. “With roots in Denmark, Grundfos continues to show itself as a well-established Canadian

company that has shown great success in applying its energy-saving products to the advantage of society, the environment and the bottom line,” said His Excellency Erik Vilstrup Lorenzen, the Danish Ambassador to Canada. • The Timken Company will close its bearing manufacturing plant in St. Thomas, ON, within a year. During the next 12 months, the company will be centralizing its support for Canadian customers, and moving its customer service function together with its sales and engineering professionals, to form one, integrated team based in Toronto, very near to its CoLinx shipping facility in Brampton, ON, said Frank Mascia, general manager of Timken Canada LP, Mississauga, ON. “In the same timeframe, we are consolidating bearing operations in North America, closing our plant in St. Thomas and moving that production to plants in Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina. We anticipate a smooth transition that will result in even stronger service to the Canadian market,” he said. • In other Timken news, the company recently began work on a US$225-million expansion of its Faircrest Steel Plant in Stark County, OH. The investment by the specialty alloy steel and industrial components manufacturer is expected to improve the Faircrest plant’s productivity, expand its product range and increase capacity to serve growing demand for Timken specialty alloy steel bars. • Veyance Technologies Canada, Owen Sound, ON, a supplier of power transmission belts for industrial and automotive applications, struck a deal with its unionized workers to begin to close its plant in Owen Sound, ON, on April 1, 2012, putting almost 40 people out of work. Fairlawn, OH-based Veyance (formerly known as Goodyear Engineered Products) blamed the closure on an excess of plant capacity in product lines manufactured in Owen Sound. • The SKF Group, Gothenburg, Sweden, has announced the launch of the SKF BeyondZero portfolio that enables SKF customers to reduce their own environmental impact. The environmental improvements provided by solutions within the SKF BeyondZero portfolio are validated through a life-cycle assessment methodology developed by SKF sustainability engineers. Results will be reviewed yearly by KPMG. For more information, visit: beyondzero.com. • As well, the SKF Group has completed the integration of Société Nouvelle de Fabrication Aéronautique (SNFA) into the SKF Group and consolidated the SNFA brand under the SKF brand. This means that super-precision bearings packaging, sales material, engineered solutions and services will be offered under the SKF brand only. • In other SKF news, the company has developed a range of informational and calculation-focused apps that enable

users to experience the world of SKF knowledge engineering on their iPhone and iPad. The apps make it easier for users to analyze, calculate and determine the correct solution, as well as learn more about SKF’s products and solutions. SKF also is developing apps for Android smartphones. The apps are free. • V.J. Pamensky Canada Inc., Toronto, ON, has launched the first of a series of smartphone apps. The first app, a fault and alarm analyzer for WEG Automation products, allows users to quickly get troubleshooting information without the need for a user’s guide whenever they are faced with an error or alarm code on a WEG variable frequency drive or soft starter. The initial diagnosis information is quickly accessible even without a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. The app provides a look-up utility to quickly identify the code, its description and some possible causes for the error or alarm. The free WEG Automation Error Code Analyzer is available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry smartphones. • Amazon.com Inc., Seattle, WA, has introduced a new business called AmazonSupply. It is a website dedicated to offering a broad selection of parts and supplies to business, industrial, scientific and commercial customers. Customers can shop for items by product, material and brand across 14 categories. AmazonSupply (www.amazonsupply.com) is owned and operated by Amazon.com. More detailed versions of these stories, along with many additional news items, can be found online at www.mromagazine.com. Mr.0 The Practical Problem Solver

Dealing with hidden equipment Problem: Sometimes it is difficult to get a direct view of the component you want to inspect with a thermal imager, such as a motor or gearbox mounted high up on the top of a machine. Solution: Try using a thermal mirror to see a reflection of the component. An aluminum sheet (1/8-in. thick) works very well. Either carefully slip it temporarily into place or mount it permanently in a location that facilitates your inspection. The aluminum does not have to be highly polished to be effective. If you are trying to secure true (as opposed to comparative) temperature readings, you must learn how to ‘characterize’ the mirror and adjust your emissivity readings accordingly. However, for this technique to work, the surface of the mirror needs to be clean, since oil and other coatings will alter its reflective properties. This tip was provided by Colin Plastow of Fluke Electronics Canada.

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A COMPLETE RETHINK OF ITS MOBILE

TOOLBOXES WAS THE FIRST 5S PROJECT FOR A MONTREAL MAINTENANCE TEAM. BY CARROLL MCCORMICK

hen the maintenance staff responsible for the domestic and international baggage handling system (BHS) at the MontréalPierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport gets the call to fix a problem, time is of the essence, as breakdowns can cause baggage to miss their flights. (The airport, located west of Montreal in Dorval, was formerly known as the Montréal-Dorval International Airport.) The technicians take special toolkits with them when doing corrective maintenance on the system, which has 1,600 pieces of equipment, including four kilometres of belt conveyors and 980 motors. As a first project carried out under a way of organizing and operating in the workplace called 5S, maintenance reorganized those toolkits last year. This resulted in having superbly organized mobile tool chests; only necessary tools, each in a designated location, are carried in the toolkits. An easy auditing system helps keep the toolkit intact and clean. Cofely Services Inc. of Montreal, which maintains and services the BHS, introduced 5S last year to complement its SixSigma continuous improvement program. Simply put, 5S is a methodology developed in Japan that organizes workspaces, eliminates unnecessary equipment and then makes sure the workspaces stay that way. “5S is allowing us to be more efficient, therefore to provide world-class service levels and objectives for our customers,” says Pierre Loyer, director, airport services, Cofely Services. Pierre Gagnon, site manager, Cofely Services, adds, “It is the simplest method or concept to do improvements that gives the biggest return on investment. It is also very easy to measure those improvements.” Montreal-based GSS Inc., a Six Sigma consulting firm, gave the 15-member maintenance team an eight-hour training program in 5S. They learned about Sorting equipment, Setting it in order, Shine (keeping the equipment clean), Standardizing work methods and Sustainability (how to keep up a 5S system once it is implemented). During the training, which involved a classroom meeting in the morning and a hands-on session in the afternoon, scheduled maintenance was put on hold for the day, although service calls were answered as needed. A key feature of 5S that GSS taught the team is that changes are not imposed on the group. It decides for itself what it will do and how, with management sup-

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port and occasional guidance. “During the training, the instructor likes to get management to voice its view of 5S – how far it will let people go in implementing 5S. I gave our crew carte blanche; anything, as long as you can justify it with documentation,” Gagnon says. After the morning of training, the instructor asked the group where it would like to apply 5S first. “The maintenance crew chose the mobile toolkit and the instructor told them how to go through the 5Ss for it,” Gagnon recalls. The 5S program was launched in December 2011, and was implemented – part time – over the next two months. “The nice thing about 5S is that I am not forcing the team. The idea came from the team. There is team participation and cohesion. A team of two leads the project, but the whole team decides what they want and don’t want.” Maintenance is divided up into five crews. Each had a big handheld toolbox and a tool bag – one for mechanical tools and the other for electrical tools. There was no standard for what the 10 toolkits had to contain and no way to know if any tools were missing. “One team’s toolbox

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Fig. 1: This disorderly tool chest is next up for a 5S makeover. Fig. 2: Maintenance used to have five such pair of toolboxes and bags for callouts, but no consistency in what they might contain. Fig. 3: Site manager Pierre Gagnon shows off the mystery jumble in the old toolkits. Fig. 4: Reliability manager Ghislain Reindeau demonstrates the temptation to climb this cubbyhole. A 5S makeover is the cure. Fig. 5: 5S says that if a tool is irredeemably dirty, retire it.

was full, another team’s toolbox was half full,” Gagnon says. Time was being gobbled up trotting back to the shop to fetch the right tools. Sometimes crew damaged equipment by using the wrong tool. One man broke his elbow when the wrong tool slipped. There are other safety issues, Gagnon points out. “You can hurt yourself digging through a toolbox or crawling out from underneath equipment to get a tool.” The first 5S step (the team used five handy French words beginning with ‘s’) was ‘sélectionner’: sort through the tools and select only the ones required for most jobs that might come up. The rest went into a ‘not sure’ standby bin. All this was a group decision by the team. 5S does not work if someone outside the user group tries to do a 5S intervention. This must be

avoided for 5S to succeed. Giving up tools is not always easy, says Ghislain Riendeau, the reliability manager for Cofely Services. “Some people want to keep stuff that is useless because it is expensive or because it has sentimental value.” Each ‘not sure’ tool was tagged and retired if it was not used within three months. The number of different tools was slashed from 358 to just 109. Step two was ‘situer’: setting the tools in order. The edited tool collection now fit into two identical wheeled tool chests the team agreed to purchase. Each drawer was lined with foam, with depressions that are the exact shapes of each tool cut into the foam with a Dremel tool. One chest has a green handle, the other continued on page 12

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continued from page 11 a red one. Each tool was either green or red, or colour-coded with green or red tape. Yellow tape signifies metric tools. The most-used tools are in the top drawer of the chest, the lesser-used ones further down. Step three was ‘scintiller’: shine. Dirty tools are a no-no under 5S. Maintenance cleaned those that could be rescued and retired those that were irredeemably filthy. Step four was ‘standardiser’: standardize. The placement of each tool in each chest is identical, eliminating the frustration of not being able to find a tool. The custom-cut depressions force staff to return tools to the right place every time. The ability to rapidly locate tools improves BHS performance: the maintenance teams can fix problems faster and therefore bring systems back up more quickly.

June 2012

Always having the right tools for the job on hand has another benefit, Riendeau notes. “If you are not breaking tools, you can afford to buy higher-quality tools.” The fifth step is ‘soutenir’: sustainability. Using a simple audit system, someone on each shift is responsible for making sure the tools are accounted for and clean before handing off the tool chests to the next shift. A monthly audit determines whether any tools need replacing. It is done by someone who does not use the tools. This ensures that no one hangs on to favourite tools that nonetheless need replacing. “Sustainability is also about occasionally asking what new tools we might need,” Riendeau says. “It is also about ease of use; for example, the audit is really easy to do. It takes a minute or less. The

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Fig. 7

Fig. 6: New torque screwdrivers (these are made by Wera) mean no more overtightened or snapped screws and bolts. Fig. 7: This orderly setup leaves no doubt about where tools belong or what is missing. Fig. 8: This Cadillac is one of the identical pair of tool chests that the maintenance team created using 5S methods. Fig. 9: Automation technician Simon Couturier with an armload of the 249 tools that were put in a standby bin, then permanently retired later.

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handover is becoming second nature.” For infrequent tasks, the team also made up special tool kits that can be popped into the tool chests; e.g., torque screwdrivers for tightening down the thousands of screws in the electrical panels. Cofely Services has a good baseline of data on how long it takes to complete tasks on the BHS. It has not yet collected enough task-time data under the new tool chest regime to wave numbers around – but, says Gagnon, “We know the guys come back much faster than they used to.” The maintenance team is already chipping away at its next 5S project (projects are typically done in pairs, and as one project is completed, a new one is added to top up the number of projects underway concurrently to two). The second project involves a 19-drawer shop tool chest filled with everything from power tools to fartoo-many nearly identical bottles of lubricants. Shop renewal is project number three, where the question will be: Reorganize the shop or move to a larger one? The risk when doing 5S is getting ahead of yourself, Riendeau warns. “What is dangerous for me is not finishing a project before starting the next one.” The reward is that there is no end to the possible projects that can fall under the simple, but so effective spell of the 5S system. “The number of projects is endless,” Gagnon says. MRO

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Montreal-based Carroll McCormick is the senior contributing editor for Machinery & Equipment MRO.

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BY COLIN PLASTOW

Point and shoot troubleshooting Using thermal imagers to inspect electric motors and drive systems.

lectrical motors are the backbone of industry. In North America alone, there are well over 40 million motors operating in industry, and the fact that those motors use 70% of the electricity consumed by industry indicates their importance. With many of those motors occasionally having problems, thermal imagers have proven useful for both troubleshooting, as well as for condition monitoring. Using a handheld thermal imager, you can capture infrared measurements of a motorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s temperature profile as a two-dimensional image and reference it over the long term. Thermal images reveal the surface temperature of electric motors, a key component of their operating condition. Such condition monitoring is important as a way to avert many unexpected motor malfunctions in systems that are critical to manufacturing, commercial and institutional processes. When a critical system fails, it inevitably increases

Unlike an infrared thermometer that only captures temperature at a single point, a thermal imager can capture temperatures at thousands of points at once.

costs, requires the reallocation of workers and materials, reduces productivity and, if not corrected, can threaten corporate profitability and, possibly, the wellbeing of employees and customers. What to check? Ideally, you should check motors when they are running under normal operating conditions. Unlike an infrared thermometer that only captures temperature at a single point, a thermal imager can capture temperatures at thousands of points at once, for all of the critical components: the motor, shaft coupling, motor and shaft bearings, and the gearbox. Remember: each motor is designed to operate at a specific internal temperature. The other components should not be as hot as the motor housing.

impending bearing failure, shaft coupling problems, and insulation degradation in the rotor or stator in a motor. In general, it is a good idea to create a regular inspection route that includes all critical motor/drive combinations. Then, save a thermal image of each one on a computer and track measurements over continued on page 14

What to look for? All motors should list the normal operating temperature on the nameplate.

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While an infrared camera cannot see the inside of the motor, the exterior surface temperature is an indicator of the internal temperature. As the motor gets hotter inside, it also gets hotter outside. Thus, an experienced thermographer, who is also knowledgeable about motors, can use thermal imaging to identify conditions such as inadequate airflow,

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continued from page 13 time. That way, you’ll have baseline images for comparison, which will help you determine whether a hotspot is unusual or not, and, following repairs, help you to verify if the repairs were successful. What represents a red alert? Equipment conditions that pose a safety risk should take the highest repair priority. After that, consider that each motor has a maximum operating temperature that usually appears on its nameplate and represents the maximum allowable rise in temperature of the motor above ambient. (Most motors are designed to operate in ambient temperatures that do not exceed 40°C.) Generally speaking, each 10°C rise above its rated temperature cuts a motor’s life in half. Regularly scheduled infrared inspections of electric motors will identify those that are starting to overheat. Even an initial thermal image will reveal whether a motor is running hotter than a similar motor doing a similar job. What’s the potential cost of failure? For a specific motor, you could do an analysis of the cost of a failure based on the cost of the motor, the average amount of time a line is down from a motor failure, the labour required to change out a motor, and so on. Of course, productivity losses from downtime vary from industry to industry. For example, lost production from a papermaking machine can be as much as $3,000 per hour, while in the steel casting industry, losses can be as high as $1,000 per minute!

Left: The temperature of a motor’s surface is an indication of its inside temperature. Right: A troublesome high-resistance connection in the switchgear, disconnect or motor connection box can typically be pinpointed by a thermographic inspection.

Follow-up actions If you suspect overheating is the result of one of the following conditions, consider the action described. • Inadequate airflow: If a brief shutdown is possible without affecting the plant process, shut off the motor long enough to perform minor cleaning on the air-intake grilles. Schedule a thorough motor cleaning during the next planned plant shutdown. • Unbalanced voltage or an overload: The usual cause – a high-resistance connection in the switchgear, disconnect or motor connection box – can typically be pinpointed by a thermographic inspection and confirmed using a multimeter, clamp

meter or a power quality analyzer. • Impending bearing failure: When the thermal images indicate an overheating bearing, generate a maintenance order to either replace the bearing or lubricate it. Vibration analysis or ultrasound testing can often help you determine the best course of action. • Insulation failure: Generate a work order to replace the motor as soon as possible. If required – and if it will not too greatly affect production – de-rate the replacement motor in accordance with NEMA standards. Alternatively, consider installing a high-efficiency motor. • Shaft misalignment: In most cases, vibration analysis will confirm a mis-

aligned coupling. If a shutdown is possible, dial indicators or laser-alignment devices can be used and the misalignment can be corrected then and there. Whenever you discover a problem using a thermal imager, use the associated software to document your findings in a report that includes a thermal image and a digital image of the equipment. It’s the best way to communicate the problems you found and the suggested repairs. MRO Colin Plastow is the industrial product manager for Fluke Electronics Canada. He may be contacted at colin.plastow@fluke.com. Online Reader Inquiry No. 416

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How to tell when worn sprockets have to go Both alignment and lubrication are important for long chain & sprocket life.

corrosion and aid in the initial bedding in. There are some industrial applications on which standard chain won’t offer the performance and wear life users might expect. Factors like the inability to lubricate, hostile environments, regular washdowns and arduous conditions will reduce

the performance of standard chain and cause it to wear rapidly. In this case, specialty chain is what’s needed. MRO This technical tip was provided by the engineers at Renold Canada, Montreal. Online Reader Inquiry No. 417

Depth of wear

Y X= 10 D PC

PCD

Y Fig. 1: A good-quality sprocket should last through the life of several chains.

©Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock

prockets that have worn beyond a certain point will cause rapid chain wear and should be replaced as soon as possible. But how much wear is too much, and what sort of visual inspection can you carry out to determine this? If you look at the faces of the sprocket teeth, you’ll see an indication of the amount of wear that has already occurred. This will be seen as a polished worn strip, about the pitch circle diameter, on each of the teeth (see Figure 1). If the depth of the wear, X, has reached a value equal to 10% of the dimension Y, then the sprocket has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced. It’s worth pointing out that using lowcost, poor-quality sprockets on most industrial applications is a false economy. A good-quality sprocket should last through the life of several chains before anything like the amount of wear shown in Figure 1 will have occurred. Check alignment When changing sprockets, it’s a good time to check the alignment of both the sprockets and the shafts to which they are fitted. Sprocket misalignment is another factor in premature chain wear. Accurate alignment of shafts and sprocket tooth faces provides a uniform distribution of the load across the entire chain width and contributes substantially to achieving maximum chain life. Also, use a straight edge across the machined faces of the sprockets in several different positions, if possible, as a check against wobble. A nylon line or laser sight tool is a good substitute for a straight edge, particularly for drive systems with long centre distances. Should end-wise float of shafts be present, make due allowance so that the sprocket alignment is correct at the midposition of the float. When alignment is correct within the closest practical limits, drive the keys home and make a final check of the sprocket alignment. Lubricating the chain If you’re fitting new chain at the same time, don’t forget to correctly lubricate it. The lubrication that’s on the chain when it comes out of the box is only sufficient to prevent

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Diamond in the rough proves a gem Saskatchewan oilfield service company’s safety efforts featured in new video.

ormed in 1996, Diamond Energy is a growing oilfield service company headquartered in Swift Current, SK, with an office and shop facilities in Medicine Hat, AB. Diamond provides service rigs, coiled tubing units and swab rigs to Saskatchewan and Alberta. John Kennedy, general manager of corporate development, says, “Our goal is to be as productive as possible. Injuries

JOHN KENNEDY Diamond Energy Services

John Kennedy talks safety in the WorkSafe video.

reduce our ability to do this. We must operate safely to avoid the costs and pain. Safety is not something extra added to the job – it’s the result we enjoy from doing things properly.” Diamond recognizes safety as a priority, and promotes methods and practices that improve safety. The company summarizes its standards in a corporate promise they call the Loss Control Program. For Diamond, a loss is not a loss due to equipment.

Any injury is a loss to the entire company. The company standard is that proper work procedures may sometimes take longer, but they are not a waste of time. To sacrifice safety for speed defeats its goals. When WorkSafe Saskatchewan launch ed its Health and Safety Leadership Charter, Diamond recognized its own values in the charter principles, and so became a Charter signatory. Kennedy adds, “The Charter wasn’t a new idea for Diamond; it

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was more a public acknowledgement confirming our commitment to safety.” Diamond’s commitment and injury record stand out in a dangerous industry. This is why WorkSafe Saskatchewan chose to feature the company in its newest Mission: Zero video. “Mission: Zero is important. The commercials are a great way to get that message out,” says Kennedy. “It’s not just certain types of businesses who are involved in safety – it’s everyone.” Diamond Energy promotes safety and injury prevention in the office and in the field. But most of the danger is around the oil patch. The men in the field are aware of the danger they face and the risks that their work carries. “The guys in the field are all friends,” says Kennedy. “They don’t want to see anyone get hurt, and they look out for each other.” When asked about his personal commitment to safety, Kennedy comments, “I’ve seen both sides. I’ve seen death and I’ve seen serious injury. I’ve seen friends get hurt. It’s not fun. I don’t like it. If safety can correct that and I don’t have to go to somebody’s house ever [to report an injury or death], then that’s the message.” Doing a job properly is using proper procedure, according to the company’s guidelnes. This does three things: It uses a minimum of effort, it consumes a minimum amount of time, and it creates a minimum of risk to people and equipment. To achieve success in its safety program, it is the company’s policy to: Identify hazards and avoid or eliminate them through the selection of work procedures and equipment requirements; assign personal responsibility to supervisors and workers for the use of proper work procedures within their control; select capable personnel willing to contribute to the success of an accident prevention program; and provide personnel with formal training in the skills and knowledge needed to work in, and supervise a low-risk operation. MRO To view the Diamond Energy safety video, visit www.worksafesask.ca.

Principles for worker safety

Over 500 locations More than 4 million products Industrial maintenance training courses Call. Click. Visit.

1-800-526-9328 for the location nearest you MotionIndustries.com

Here are highlights of guidlines adopted by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Services. Responsibility: The operating company, when acting as prime contractor, is responsible for coordination and general supervision of all activities at the worksite, including activities carried out by contractors, subcontractors, service companies and suppliers. The operating company recognizes its leadership role in promoting worker health and safety on the basis that it is the greatest power to influence worksite situations. Priority: Activities will be conducted on the basis of the safety of all personnel that are employed by an operating company, a contractor, a subcontractor, a service company or a supplier. Recognition: The process of selecting contractors, subcontractors, service companies and suppliers, and the administration of contracts, will include recognition based on good safety performance. Improvement: Companies will promote methods and practices that have potential for improving safety performance.

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S U P E R V I S O R Y

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Getting your staff

help those individuals see the higher purpose in their work and that an organization is measured, through the eyes of the customer, on every single activity, regardless how big or small. Everyone, therefore, is depending upon them to do their job with excellence or else the whole organization could fail. This needs to be explicitly stated. It’s also a good idea to regularly solicit ideas from employees for improving the organization and then acting on the best ideas. By doing just these two simple deeds, manufacturers can help everyone in their organization see that what they do truly matters and that everyone’s ideas and opinions count. It’s also an excellent way for demonstrating respect.

ENGAGED BY DR. CHRIS BART

Having an engaged workforce – one that is enthusiastically willing to give more than just what is required to hold on to their jobs — contributes to better workplace performance.

Leaders should show they really are interested in their associates as human beings.

which an employee knows and clearly understands what’s specifically expected of him/her at work and how it is meaningful to the company’s mission and vision; giving rewards for good work that are actually valued by the employees receiving them; and having leaders who show they really are interested in and care about their (subordinate) associates as human beings and their development (and not just as instruments of production). In addition, consider the following tips. Act 1: Say ‘thank you’ and mean it! At the top of the list of practices that increase an organization’s level of employee engagement is the simple act of regularly and sincerely thanking employees and praising them for their work. Publicly acknowledging exceptional work is considered especially important, though rewarding the routine is also encouraged. One company I know gives each of their team leaders $100 per week for undefined team-building activities – with the only restriction that the activities must occur outside normal working hours. The idea is that if a team leader can strengthen the personal non-work bond between team members during offhours, then asking for job-related favours at work will not seem as such an imposition, because it’s now a friend — someone you’ve grown to like — asking for help. Act 2: Make sure they know what to do and why Being extremely clear about organizational goals and showing employees how their work contributes to the organization’s success – especially its mission and vision —

is another high-value contributor to employee engagement. Everyone wants to feel important and to feel that what they do matters. Those feelings are not always so easy to obtain, however, especially for persons performing those boring, routine and repetitive front-line jobs. But it is the responsibility of the nearest leader (i.e., the immediate supervisor) to

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business strategy can be pretty straightforward — find an unmet need in the marketplace and develop a plan to satisfy it better than every competitor. For most manufacturers, this means providing outstanding service at a competitive price relative to their nearest competitors. But in the grind of the real world, delivering on that strategy day in and day out in a manner that will build customer loyalty is a completely different matter. Every manager believes they lead in a manner that engages employees. No one goes to work thinking they want to manage poorly. Yet, we all know a manager that acts in a way that makes us – and their employees – cringe. But this article isn’t about the manager that will one day be the source of a brutal article in an human resources magazine. No, this article is about good managers that do a good job relating to their employees, yet who know they could do better. Come on – even the greatest golfer has a swing coach! Research shows that regardless of the economic circumstances, having an engaged workforce – one that is enthusiastically willing to give more than just what is required to hold on to their jobs — contributes to better business performance. Consistent, flawless execution requires a dedicated and committed workforce that is passionately focused on achieving the aims and aspirations noted in the company mission statement. Conceptually, this all makes sense. But practically, as experience has shown, it can be very difficult to do. Why? Because, according to a 2010 survey by The Conference Board, 55% of employees stated that they are dissatisfied with their jobs. And according to the Gallup Organization, 80% of employees surveyed say they dislike going to work and 40% of those dread showing up. Hewitt Associates has found in its annual survey of employees in client companies around the world that, since the onset of the economic recession in 2008, for those organizations having less than 40% of their workers ‘engaged’, shareholder returns were 44% lower than the average. In contrast, when 65% or more of employees were engaged, shareholder returns were 19% higher than the average. So, why are there such dramatically better results for firms with engaged employees? It’s because engaged employees are both passionate about their jobs and the work they do, as well as being emotionally bonded to their organizations. They are willing to give that elusive ‘discretionary effort’. Companies that engage not just the minds but also the hearts of their employees have a more intense strategic focus, higher efficiency and better productivity. They execute better by beating out those competitors that aren’t able to produce the same level of human – some say, ‘spiritual’ — commitment. It’s for these reasons that eliminating workplace alienation and creating an engaged workforce has become the new mantra for firms climbing their way out of the latest recession. While creating and maintaining a high level of employee engagement can be a challenge, it’s also not that complicated. After two decades of research on how companies can better execute their missions and visions, I shared the five essential practices to capturing the holy grail of employee engagement in my book, A Tale of Two Employees and the Person Who Wanted to Lead Them. At their heart, these practices concentrate on three themes: the degree to

Machinery & Equipment MRO

Act 3: Development and training Finally, most employees want to know that they have avenues for advancement in their organizations – if they want them. This means that there must be career development and training opportunities available at every level in the company. Supervisors should be required to regularly discuss ways to help interested employees achieve them. Nowhere is this more important than for employees at the bottom of the ladder. With more and more organizations searching for ways to get the competitive edge, especially as the economy is beginning to improve, many are overlooking an effective strategic weapon that is standing right in front of them – their workers. However, creating an inspired and engaged workplace that leverages the talents and passion of everyone will not occur by happenstance. It requires a leadership team — from the shop floor supervisor to the top boss — who understands and values the importance of a cohesive workplace culture and who is prepared to work diligently to achieve it. When you create this culture of engagement, it won’t be long before your good reputation spreads, and you may find the best skilled workers knocking on your door.. MRO Dr. Chris Bart, F.C.A., is the author of A Tale of Two Employees and the Person Who Wanted to Lead Them, which has been on the Books for Business best sellers list for eight consecutive years. He can be reached at www.corporatemissionsinc.com.

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T H E

S A F E T Y

F I L E

Machinery & Equipment MRO

June 2012

EXPLAINING

BC’S RECENT SAWMILL BLOWUPS DRAW ATTENTION TO THE WAYS EXPLOSIONS START AND HOW THEY CAN BE PREVENTED IN THE FUTURE.

BY SIMON FRIDLYAND

he worry over plant and mill explosions has increased this year because of at least two recent sawmill blowups in Canada. A wood dust explosion occurs when a fine dust in suspension in the air is ignited, causing a very rapid burning and then a release of gaseous

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DUST EXPLOSIONS

products. This leads to a subsequent pressure rise of explosive force that will damage a plant, a property and people. This is exactly what has happen recently in two British Columbia sawmills. Dust explosions can be categorized into two types — primary and secondary. A primary explosion takes place in a enclosed atmosphere, such as a dust collector or specific part of a manufacturing plant. A post-mortem investigation can probably identify exactly where an explosion began. The resulting shock wave will damage and often rupture the plant, allowing the products of the explosion (burning dust and gases) to be expelled into the surrounding area, disturbing any settled dust and initiating a larger secondary explosion. The secondary explosion can cause severe damage to the surrounding plant and buildings. All large-scale dust explosions, including the ones at the BC sawmills, result from chain reactions of this type. There is always a concentration of dust inside dust collectors, cyclones or other wood dust handling machinery, as well as in confined enclosures. So a source of ignition could come from overheated bearings, sparks, electric arcs and such. In principle, these are all the components needed for the primary explosion to take place. If ignition of a combustible dust cloud takes place in an enclosed area (e.g., machinery or the plant) there will be a rapid build-up of pressure, with resulting damage to the plant and building. Means must be provided for the early release of this excess pressure so that damage to the plant can be minimized. The most convenient way of providing explosion protection is to install explosion reliefs such as vents, bursting panels or explosion doors. The relief must be capable of operating almost instantaneously, as usually there is only a very small safety time factor between the operation of the vent and the bursting pressure of the plant. When the vent opens, the products of the explosion are discharged from the plant or mill, keeping the explosion pressure at a lower level than the design strength of the building and protecting it from the worst effects of the explosion. Care should be taken in the placement of such explosion reliefs, and the products of the explosion must be vented to a safe place in the open air. The equipment must also be designed to prevent the transfer of energy to upstream and downstream areas. This is usually achieved by installing isolation devices, such as chemical isolation, high-speed gate valves, abort dampers, and so on. There are also explosion detection and suppression systems designed to identify the explosion at an early stage and suppress it before it gets out of control. Since implementation of all of these systems is not a simple matter; it must be handled by a professional engineer specializing in this field. In Ontario, dust collection systems, as well as potentially explosive processes, must be covered by Pre-Start Health and Safety Reviews (PSRs). A PSR is a report signed and sealed by a professional engineer and states the status of the plant and equipment related to the dust collection system and potentially explosive processes. The primary explosion usually has enough energy to bring into suspension the dust that has accumulated on flat surfaces such as ducts, beams, equipment, etc., and ignite the dust-air mixture. The time required for a dust explosion to develop fully is only about 50 milliseconds.

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June 2012

19 Machinery & Equipment MRO

‘There was guys with their skin hanging off’

Prince George, BC — Evening shift workers at a “I can’t tell what caused the explosion,” said Croy. Prince George, BC, sawmill ran for their lives after an “All I know is that there was no warning, no nothing, earth-shaking explosion and massive fire sent walls because we’d walked through the mill and stuff to crumbling down on top of them, killing two people and come up to that lunchroom and didn’t smell no gas, critically injuring at least six more. no nothing.” The explosion occurred at the Lakeland Mills site In January 2012, an explosion and fire killed two BY THE CANADIAN PRESS on April 23, 2012, and resulted in a fire that completely workers at Babine Forest Products in Burns Lake, destroyed the sawmill, operated by Sinclar Group ForBC, about 230 km northwest of Prince George. est Products Ltd. of Prince George. The mill was flattened and 250 people were thrown “It was quite gruesome,” said Brian Croy, first vice-president of the United Steelworkers Local out of work. WorkSafe BC is investigating the cause of both mill explosions. 1-424, in an interview from his home. “When you walked out, there was guys with their skin hangBC Labour Minister Margaret MacDiarmid said she would “send an order out to all the sawing off their arms and stuff from being burned.” mills in the province asking them, telling them, instructing them to inspect from top to bottom Croy said he was among six people inside the mill’s lunchroom talking about training when their mills, to make sure all steps are being taken to address current safety policy. the explosion happened. “That thing came up so fast, so quick. I don’t know where it came from, “There’s a common factor here and we’re all aware of it and it’s sawdust. So although we but it was almost like a cannon going off. It blew through there. It ended just that quick,” he said. don’t know what caused the initial fires or explosions, we know that sawdust may be a factor.” “It’s almost like you were coming out of the war zone. Everything was levelled. I met that one This article is an edited compilation of stories by The Canadian Press. For more fellow. I think his fingers were blown off, and his clothing, a lot of it was gone. It was burned off information, see our guide to understanding, preventing and controlling dust exploand his hair (was too).” sions, Part 1, ‘Dust, Dangerous Dust’, which was published in Machinery & EquipIn all, Sinclar Group Forest Products said 24 people were in the sawmill when the blast ment MRO’s September 2011 issue. Part 2, ‘Great Balls of Fire’, appeared in the occurred, a further 16 were in the planer mill next door and four were working in the yard. The mill’s November 2011 issue. Both are available online www.mromagazine.com, as are the primary products are premier-grade, kiln-dried studs. The mill also supplies fibre for two bioenergy original news stories about the BC mill explosions. systems, including the district energy plant.

There may be several secondary explosions going on, one after another, resulting in the complete destruction of building complexes. The explosions of facilities such a sawmills are also followed by fires. The strategy for mitigating secondary explosions lays with the removal of dust from the facilities, including dust accumulated on beams and other hard-to reach areas. A layer of accumulated fugitive dust exceeding 1/8th of an inch over 5% of the area or 2,000 sq ft, whichever is smaller, is enough to cause a secondary explosion. Therefore, housekeeping becomes an important measure in the explosion mitigation process. WorkSafeBC recently issued the following directive to sawmill employers: “In the past three months, explosions and fires at two sawmills in British Columbia have resulted in fatalities and serious injuries to workers. This employer is ordered to, without undue delay, at its sawmill and any related facility: - undertake a comprehensive risk assessment with respect to hazards created by combustible dusts, which assessment must include a thorough inspection of the employer’s facility, and - develop and implement an effective combustible dust control program based on the risk assessment.” WorkSafeBC said a prevention officer would be conducting a follow-up inspection on site no later than May 9, 2012, to evaluate the employer’s actions taken immediately to fully comply with the order in the Inspection Report. “Failure to comply with this order without undue delay will result in further action, including possible sanctions and stop work orders. A WorkSafeBC officer will follow up on this order to evaluate compliance.” In my opinion, in order to investigate the potential primary causes of an explosion in a sawmill, specialized knowledge of applicable codes and standards, as well as experience in this area, are required. With all due respect to the people who run sawmills, the explosion mitigation issues of plant equipment may not be their cup of tea. This type of work should be done by a professional engineer specializing in this field. However, the housekeeping aspect of a combustible dust control program must be developed immediately by the sawmills’ employers. MRO Simon Fridlyand, P.Eng., of SAFE Engineering Inc., specializes in industrial health and safety concerns and PSR compliance. For more information, visit www. safeengineering.ca.

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Machinery & Equipment MRO

June 2012

Finding the

Japan a leader in equipsign or use a substitute part during ment reliability, quality the actual improvement plan. It is and productivity. imperative that the plan is carried For the past decade or so, out as intended. Any alterations some North American companeed to be discussed by the team. nies also have embraced these pracCharting data is important tices. By identifying problems and for improvements that will take equipment weak time to yield results. points, a team of This data will be BY used in the next production staff, suPETER step, ‘Act’. pervisors, maintePHILLIPS Act : You may nance staff and enneed to request or gineers develop corperform corrective rective actions to actions on signifisolve problems on cant differences bethe factory floor. tween actual and Teams are planned results. You formed in different need to analyze the areas of the plant to differences to deteraddress important mine their root issues. They meet cause. (Refer to the to discuss the issue Stage 3 article on and decide the best Breakdown Analysis path to take. They in MRO Magazine’s may use various Febr u a r y 2 01 2 tools and methods issue). Determine to systematically where the changes drill down into the need to be applied, problem. One meththen follow the od they can use is PDCA cycle again. the PDCA cycle to Another method implement and monof continuous equipitor their solution. ment improvement PDCA is an inable with breakdown analysis methods Fig.1: Equipment operators use is called Tagging. teractive four-step like the 5 Whys. tags to flag faults. Equipment operators method used to conNow that the equipment is running are given paper tags designed to withtrol the continuous improvement process. more reliably, we have some time to stand the production environment. PDCA means: P-Plan, D-Do, C-Check develop countermeasures to increase Operators fill out the tags, describing and A-Act. Let’s take a look at these four the life span of the equipment. Identifaults or weak points in their area. The steps the improvement team will follow. fying equipment weak points and imtag (see Figure 1) is fastened directly or Plan: Establish the objectives and plementing countermeasures vastly as close as possible to the problem. A typprocesses necessary to deliver the eximproves equipment reliability and ical tag carbon copies onto a second half. pected outcome. What is the target or life expectancy. One copy stays on the equipment the goal that we want to improve? At this stage in world-class mainteother goes to the maintenance departDo: Implement the plan or execute nance, we need to be focusing on conment’s continuous improvement team. the process. It may be a design change, a tinuous improvement. Many industries The tags are entered into a database process change, or a change in the way have taken on the Kaizen approach. The — usually a computerized maintenance we do things. word Kaizen is Japanese and means immanagement system (CMMS) — to be Check: Study the results and meaprovement or change for the better. processed. The tag system works very sure the effects of the ‘Do’. Compare After the Second World War, W. Edwell as it gives operators a communicathese with the expected results from wards Demings implemented these tion tool to identify and report abnorThe Plan to ascertain any unexpecttypes of strategies in Japanese factomalities. These tags are not used for ed results. ries. We all know the quality we enjoy breakdowns. Often a plan is made in a meeting and from their automobiles, electronics and Depending on the complexity of the other people are responsible for the execuso on. This philosophy of continuous, issue, the tag may go through the contion. Someone may decide to alter the denever-ending improvement has made tinuous improvement process to be analyzed and to initiate a PDCA process. The defect identified by the tag could be anything from a loose or broken bolt to a vibration in the equipment. Addressing these issues regardless of their severity improves equipment incrementally over time, thus increasing equipment efficienERGONOMIC CASTERS cy, effectiveness and lifespan. • Up to 1,500 lbs capacity In conclusion, Kaizan’s PDCA im• Polyurethane round tread mechanically provements are based on many small bonded to an aluminum center changes rather than radical changes. As • Round tread facilitates the swivelling the ideas come from the workers them• Precision ball bearing selves, they are less likely to be radically facilitates the different, and therefore are easier to imstart off plement. Small improvements are also • Kingpinless CANADIAN less likely to require major capital investWHEELS swivel fork ments compared to major process and MANUFACTURER SINCE 1971 equipment changes. Management should be encouraging employees to seek ways to improve performance. It encourages people to take ownership for their work and can help CATALOGUE reinforce teamwork, thereby improving AVAILABLE: everyone’s motivation and resulting in improved performance by both man and TEL 819.537.8881 TOLL FREE 1.800.567.9493 machine. MRO

WEAK POINTS Countermeasures to take to increase the lifespan of your equipment. This is the part two of the fourth set of activities in an eight-stage program on achieving world-class maintenance. Part 1 of Stage 4 appeared in the April 2012 issue of Machinery & Equipment MRO. This part explores the countermeasures you can take against weak points in machines and discusses how to increase the lifespan of equipment.

previous stages of this program, we evaluated our equipment and put steps in place to stop deterioration. We also made repairs to bring machinery into a good running condition. By now, we have plans in place for periodic maintenance and our spare part inventories are under control. We should also be analyzing breakdowns at this point and taking corrective actions to keep them from happening again. Maintenance staff should be getting comfort-

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M A I N T E N A N C E

M A N A G E M E N T

June 2012

Machinery & Equipment MRO

This article is the conclusion of an ongoing series. The introduction appeared in Machinery & Equipment MRO’s February 2005 issue and the series has run in every issue since. Previous instalments are archived online at www.mromagazine.com. This month, we pick up where we left off in the April 2012 edition, as maintenance manager Bob Edwards wonders, “Where do we go from here?”

RECOGNIZING

SUCCESS BY CLIFF WILLIAMS

©Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Thinkstock

he week of the visit of our corporate executives, along with the team from the supermill in Wisconsin that we had modelled, finally arrived. Joe Davis, our plant manager, insisted that everyone run through the presentations we had developed. “I want everything to go off perfectly, so, please, no spelling mistakes or anything!” “Joe, don’t forget that they didn’t really have any presentations when we visited them,” I reminded him. “But they weren’t expecting the president of the company!” “Good point, but still Joe – I think less is more in this case – the whole focus of what we’ve done is to include everyone, so it would be odd if all of a sudden we’re back to managers doing all of the talking.” “Oh no, you’re right, Bob. Maybe we should be getting some of the guys to do the presentations.” “Calm down, Joe. Our reliability manager, Carol, will do most of our presentations, but we have to make sure that they are not the focus of the meeting – not that I think Alan and Chuck from Wisconsin will let it be.” (Chuck is the supermill’s maintenance manager and Alan is the mechanical team lead.) Finally it arrived – the day of the visit. First to arrive were Alan and Chuck from Wisconsin, but just as I was introducing them to our team, Tom Waters, the president of Plentya Paper, along with Monte, the vice-president of finance and Scott, the vice-president of operations, made their entrance. “Let’s all go to the boardroom so we can make the introductions and we can talk about what we have planned for the day,” I said. And Joe led the way. Once Joe had explained what was planned, it became apparent that not only Alan and Chuck wanted to get out and see what was happening on the shop floor, but Tom was also eager to talk with more people. “Thanks Joe, but maybe we’ll do the presentations later – if we have time after we’ve talked with everyone. I really want to get a feel for atmosphere on the mill floor and hold the town hall meeting.” “Okay, Tom. We want to make sure that you see whatever it is you want to see. Maybe Bob could take Alan and Chuck to meet the maintenance department and we could start by heading out to the control rooms?” “Fine Joe, but remember, I’m not look-

Follow along with Step 45 in a journey to world-class maintenance at the Plentya Paper Company. This is the final report in this long-running series. ing for rehearsed speeches – so if you have any planned, you should cancel them.” “No, it was only the presentations that we prepared – the only thing we’ve told everyone is to be honest and answer any questions they’re asked.” As we walked to the maintenance department, we agreed that I would offer

Alan and Chuck the same opportunity they had given me in Wisconsin – we would leave them with the guys for a couple of hours to ask whatever they wanted without worrying about the influence of having the management team in the room. Joe took Tom and the VPs to each control room and allowed them the

same opportunity. It was lunchtime before we all got back to the boardroom, where Tom was the first to speak. “Well, Alan and Chuck, not to put you on the spot, but how does what you’ve seen so far compare to what you’ve done in Wisconsin – and don’t pull any punches.” continued on page 22

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Machinery & Equipment MRO

June 2012

continued from page 21 Chuck took the lead. “I’ve got to admit that I am impressed with what you’ve done. I think that you’ve done even more than we have with involving your people. They all really believe that they have input into their work lives. We know from experience that when this happens, change becomes a lot easier. In fact it doesn’t have to be driven – you just need to give direction and it evolves. We’d like to bring some of our maintenance guys here to see it first hand, if that would be possible.” “I’m sure that will be okay – won’t it, Joe?” Tom offered. “And I’ve got to say that we found the same sort of atmosphere in the control rooms – some of the guys told us that they have friends who work in other paper mills and they don’t believe the involvement and engagement that our guys see. Can we take a look at some of the presentations, Joe? Anything that shows the results you’ve achieved.” “Okay, Tom. Maybe we’ll have Bob go over the improvements in maintenance, as this was where it all started.” “Carol will do the presentation, if you don’t mind. To be honest, she has put more work into this than anyone.” Carol reviewed the improvements in downtime, costs and inventory, but she definitely caught everyone’s attention when she presented the slide that showed the total benefit versus the costs. “That’s impressive, to see the gains you have made with virtually no costs,” Tom commented. “Well, that’s really the point of doing what we’ve done,” I replied. “This is now our way of operating and what we’ve re-

ally changed is decision-making – who, when and where. If we didn’t believe that it would dramatically increase our profitability, we wouldn’t have started out.” I could see Alan and Chuck smile as I shamelessly stole the comments they made to me when we visited the Wisconsin mill. “I’m looking forward to the town hall meeting this afternoon,” said Tom. “Based on what I’ve heard this morning, I don’t mind if you and your management team are in there, Joe. I was afraid that people wouldn’t ask questions, but now I have every confidence that they will.” We had converted the cafeteria into a meeting hall and every seat was filled, plus people were standing around the walls. Joe stood and introduced the group. “And last but not least is the president of our company, Mr. Tom Waters.” “Thanks Joe. It has been a great pleasure visiting with you today and I can honestly say that I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve seen so far. When I first heard that this plant wanted to make some dramatic changes in the way it operates, I have to admit I was a little skeptical. But when Joe mentioned that you were visiting a mill in Wisconsin, I became a little more interested, as we knew that the results coming out of that mill were far better than any other in the industry. When Joe started to talk about some of the more radical changes he wanted to implement, I then decided to get in touch with the CEO in Wisconsin. “Alan and Chuck, I have to tell you he is extremely proud of what you’ve done. I was quite envious when he talked about you guys with such glowing praise. Today,

I can understand a lot more of what he felt as I walked and talked with all of you. I’ve seen what you’ve achieved so far and took a look at what you intend to achieve. “There’s no other way to say it than I’m proud to have a plant like this in our company. Not only for the financial results, but to see people take pride and have a feeling of belonging – it really is inspirational. “As far as the community program is concerned, I’m happy to say that Monte, Scott and I will be with you when you start the decorating project tomorrow, and I look forward to hearing more about the upcoming projects. “I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that we want to replicate this operating model across the company, so be prepared for lots of visitors. More than that, though, we will be looking at people from this mill to actually lead that effort, so if you’re interested, just let Joe know. “We will recognize each and every one of you, although from what I’ve heard today, a lot of you believe that allowing you to play a bigger part in the success of the company is reward enough. “I had planned on a question-and-answer session, but I’ve certainly got the answers I wanted already – though I will answer any questions any of you may have.” After 30 seconds of silence, Joe stood up. “Thanks, Tom. I’ll check to make sure we’ve got some coveralls that will fit you for tomorrow – we don’t want paint on your suit.” Joe was obviously a lot more confident now. “We all appreciate the support you’ve given us along the journey and I think it is safe to say that we’ve not reached the

end, by any measure. I don’t think it would be appropriate to end today without recognizing that none of this would have been possible if not for Bob and his maintenance group’s courage and determination in trying to change the way they do things. Everyone else has certainly joined in with as much energy and commitment, but I know that everyone would join me in thanking Bob and his team for constantly challenging us to leave our comfort zone.” “That’s a good point, Joe,” added Tom. “And that really brings me to something I meant to share with you over dinner this evening. As you all know, we make an award for the Manager of the Year across the company each year. Well, I’m sure it would not come as a surprise to you to learn that this year’s recipient will be Bob Edwards, maintenance manager of the Toronto Mill.” MRO Author’s note: Over the past 45 editions of Machinery & Equipment MRO, we have followed the journey of Bob and his maintenance team and during that time, I have met a number of this magazine’s readers, who insist that they know some of the characters I have written about. Whereas the story is somewhat autobiographical and the people are fictitious, the personalities and challenges are very real. Cliff Williams is the corporate maintenance manager at Erco Worldwide in Toronto, ON, and a consultant with TMS – Total Maintenance Solutions Inc., Markham, ON. He can be reached by e-mail at williamscliff@rogers.com.

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Industrial Lubrication June 2012

Lubrication, Tribology and Hydraulics

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How to choose the correct compressor oil

Corrosion control and water separation are also important, and oil compatibility is definitely an issue. Many compressor fluids are compatible, says Roy Hoppe, a technical advisor for fuels and lubrication at Shell Canada Products. For instance, mineral oils are compatible with PAO and diester synthetic fluids. But the addition of mineral oil has an adverse effect on the performance of synthetic fluids. Mineral oils and PAO synthetic fluids are not compatible with with PAG and silicone-based fluids. Make sure that cleaning and flushing is performed thoroughly before chang-

ompressed air is a commodity found in any manufacturing or processing plant. It is produced by various types of compressors, well-designed precision machines that deliver compressed air for air tools or gas for refrigerants. They all require delicate care and proper maintenance to ensure optimum performance. One of the first things to pay attention to is the lubrication oil used in compressors. It serves three distinct purposes: lubricating, sealing and cooling. Compressor lubricants are exposed to high temperatures, compression of reactive gases such as sour gases, lubricant dilution, condensation and abrasive contaminants. It is therefore imperative that air compressor fluids are of proper composition and contain the correct type and amount of additives to ensure long fluid life and smooth operation that will provide the three essential lubricant functions mentioned above. Additives have to be specially selected to provide maximum benefit to highly processed mineral or synthetic compressor oils, which must endure stresses from the work environment, equipment use, and maintenance practices. Synthetic hydrocarbons, silicones or polyglycol oils prolong compressor service life. The advantages of synthetics include high

oxidation resistance, high natural viscosity index, low pour point, increased film strength, lower volatility and lower carbon-forming tendencies. In a presentation about considerations for air compressor fluid design and development to the Toronto Section of the STLE, the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers, PetroCanada Lubricants Inc.’s product and fluids specialist, Dr. Inga Kuksis, stressed that good compressor lubricants depend on the selection of appropriate lubricant base stock and additives, correct application and diligent monitoring. The service life is influenced by composition, operating temperatures, film thickness, viscosity, volatility and shear ability. Mineral oils that meet these requirements are base oils such as polyalphaolefins (PAO), polyalkylene glycol (PAG) industrial gas compression esters, polyol esters and silicone diesters. Phosphate esters are often added for fire resistance. Bear in mind that oxidation stability demands on lubricants increases as plant operations expand, because of hotter discharge temperatures and higher cooling requirements, and that high ambient air temperatures can reduce the cooling ability of oil.

Tips for selecting lubricant additives BY STEVE GAHBAUER

Lubrication fundamentals I

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depletion, it is necessary to either use a more stable fluid, a more stable thickener, or synthetics. Another safeguard is to re-lube frequently. In selecting the right lubricant for the job, the most critical consideration is the viscosity of the base oil. Every lubricant has unique properties and must be compatible with the application and, in some cases, with other lubes, such as refrigerant lubricants. Suppliers can help with charts that facilitate proper selection and can provide intelligent and experience-based advice. IL Sources for material on this page: Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) Toronto Section and Hamilton Section, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and Eco Fluid Center Ltd.

©Hemera/Thinkstock

BY STEVE GAHBAUER t cannot be overstressed how important lubricants are for healthy machine life, how vital it is to make the right choice for a given application, and how to use lubricants correctly. Machine lubricants are available as oils, greases or solids. They are either natural (petroleum- and vegetable-based) or synthetic. Each has specific advantages; petroleum fluids are low in cost, vegetable-based lubes are environment-friendly, synthetics are useful for a very wide temperature range, etc. The life of a lubricant is affected by temperature, speed, and the general operating environment, such as vacuum, dust, moisture, etc., explains Peter Drechsler, a senior tribological specialist with The Timken Co. in Canton, OH, holder of two US patents, and publisher of several technical papers on lubrication technology. He says lubricant depletion is caused by evaporation and oxidation. To forestall lube

Steve Gahbauer is an engineer and Toronto-based freelance writer. Reach him at gahbauer@rogers.com.

o ensure optimum lubricant performance it is necessary to choose additives carefully. The prime functions of an oil are lubrication, protection, cooling and cleaning. Additives are materials that impart or reinforce a desirable property of the lubricant. Some are chemically active, others are inert. But they all have an impact on how oil performs. In a recent presentation to the STLE, the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers, Don Johnston, regional manager for Lubrizol Canada, explained the functions of the nine most common oil additives – detergents, dispersants, anti-wear agents, extremepressure agents, foam inhibitors, friction modifiers, oxidation inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors and viscosity modifiers. Detergents clean internal engine parts, neutralize combustion acids, and inhibit corrosion and oxidation. They contain metals that produce ash, and they are based on various substrates. Certain types of detergents can react with water or acidic contaminants to cause the oil to thicken and ultimately gel. Dispersants function by stabilizing colloidal dispersions and preventing them from agglomerating and coming out of oil as dirt. They also help to keep parts clean at lower temperatures, and they protect against contaminant particle growth. But dispersants can interact with other additives and can affect the viscometrics of the oil, making it difficult to meet certain lowtemperature criteria. Anti-wear and extreme-pressure agent additives are effective under mixed film and boundary lubrication conditions. They produce an easily sheared boundary film on the metal surface to prevent seizures under conditions of high temperature, heavy loading or extended periods of operation. But because they typically

©Top Photo Group/Thinkstock

©iStockphoto/Thinkstock

BY STEVE GAHBAUER

ing oil or adding new lubricant. There are various laboratory tests to assure that compressor oils are compatible and meet high standard requirements. These tests check pour point, shear stability, anti-wear, volatility, flash point and corrosion resistance. Hot room tests and field trials are also available. It is a good idea to request a list of these test results before buying compressor oils. Choosing the right compressor fluid is a complex business, as the above remarks show. But due diligence pays off. To ensure maximum reliability, top performance and smooth operation of air compressors, paying careful attention to the lubrication of these precision machines goes a long way toward longer service life and minimum maintenance. IL

contain phosphorous, sulphur, chlorine and/or boron, they can cause corrosion to soft metals, such as copper or lead in the equipment. Anti-oxidants contain oxydation inhibitors and often enhance performance by inhibiting synergism. Rust and corrosion inhibitors are designed to prevent or mitigate ferrous, yellow metal and lead corrosion and decomposing metal conditions in engines and equipment components, such as bearings and seals. Foam inhibitors are compounds of poor oil solubility. They break foam bubbles by adsorbing on the surface of the bubbles and changing surface tension. Friction modifiers combat heat and high power consumption, but remember that friction can never be totally eliminated. They are used to reduce friction and wear and align in regular patterns, acting to reinforce the fluid film. They adsorb on the metal surface rather than chemically reacting with the surface as extreme pressure agents do. They exhibit a strong anti-compressive behaviour that helps to separate contacting surfaces. They also remove heat from metal-to-metal contact regions. Viscosity modifiers provide thickening at high temperatures and minimum thickening at low temperatures. That allows the formulation of multi-grade oils. IL

12-05-31 8:06 AM

I N D U S T R I A L

L U B R I C A T I O N

Machinery & Equipment MRO

June 2012

Fuel consumption up? Perhaps your hydraulic fluid is to blame.

Volumetric efficiency: If oil is thicker at high operating temperatures, it prevents internal pump leakage and loss of pressure, so the pump can run more efficiently.

BY JENNIFER LAI

hiropractors say that problems with the 6T vertebra nerves affect the stomach and can include heartburn, nervousness and indigestion. How is that possible? How can your spine be related to your stomach? We all know that the foot bone is connected to the leg bone and the leg bone is connected to the knee bone, but your spine to your stomach -- really? This example is surprisingly similar to hydraulic systems. Here’s how. Just like the human body, a hydraulic system is a complex structure that comprises integrated components. These components are interconnected, relying on each other to perform very impor-

tant tasks, and if a problem exists in one area, it can be due to an issue or complication in another. Fuel consumption is a great example – it has a direct correlation to energy efficiency and hydraulic fluid performance. With today’s fuel costs, it behoves you to really examine your fuel consumption and to take measures to protect your bottom line. Operating costs associated with fuel consumption are substantial. Hydraulic systems are becoming smaller, resulting in the fluid running at higher temperatures. The systems have to work harder to maintain a constant pressure in the hydraulic pump, therefore they require more energy and

Mechanical efficiency: If oil is thinner at low startup temperatures, the pump doesn’t have to work as hard, resulting in better pump efficiency.

Overall efficiency: The dotted line shows the overall efficiency of the hydraulic pump when taking into account both volumetric and mechanical efficiencies.

This chart is used with permission from Evonik RohMax.

Figure 1: Maximizing hydraulic pump efficiency.

fuel to provide the same output. But relax, there is a way to significantly improve your fuel consumption without sacrificing productivity and performance: upgrade your hydraulic fluid. Mediocre hydraulic fluid can be a contributing culprit to increased fuel consumption. How is your fluid performing? Perhaps it’s not maintaining optimal fluid viscosity. Maybe it’s hindering system performance. Is it one of the root causes for your fuel consumption woes? If so, then it’s definitely time to switch to a higher-quality multi-grade hydraulic fluid – one that can provide pump and energy efficiencies.

Can it handle the heat? Viscosity is the most important factor when selecting a hydraulic fluid and it’s imperative that you select the grade based on the system’s temperature operating window (TOW). Also remember that a typical hydraulic pump converts approximately 20% of its horsepower into heat, therefore most fluids run at elevated temperatures. A hydraulic fluid that maintains optimum viscosity at these higher temperatures will maximize hydraulic pump efficiency. As shown in Figure 1, maximizing hydraulic pump efficiency is achieved by having optimal fluid viscosity and by resisting changes in viscosity throughout wide temperature changes and over time. Your hydraulic fluid must be able to provide an ideal balance between mechanical efficiency and volumetric efficiency. Simply put, the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid must be thin enough for the pump to start easily, especially at low temperatures, and to prevent it from working too hard (mechanical efficiency), but be thick enough to prevent internal pump leakage and loss of pressure, and to provide effective lubrication (volumetric efficiency). A case study was conducted to show just how much fuel could be saved simply by using an energy-efficient hydraulic fluid. The case study was based on a medium-sized excavator with a dual piston pump feeding three piston motors (running at 90% throttle). When used in conjunction with an integrated maintenance protocol, a higher-quality hydraulic fluid can help increase pump efficiency, lower diesel fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, increase equipment productivity and more. Not to mention that the cost of fuel is a substantial expense relative to the cost of hydraulic oil. The good news for those of you experiencing nervousness and indigestion – maybe it isn’t your 6T vertebra after all. Maybe the stress caused by an underperforming hydraulic fluid is to blame. You should really get that checked out. IL

Online Reader Inquiry No. 137

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Jennifer Lai is category manager, hydraulic fluids at Petro-Canada Lubricants. For more information, visit www.lubricants.petro-canada.ca.

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Online Reader Inquiry No. 138

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I N D U S T R I A L

L U B R I C A T I O N

Machinery & Equipment MRO

June 2012

Lube program boosts equipment reliability A

lthough plants spend billions of dollars annually on equipment reliability initiatives, many overlook lubrication as an area of opportunity worthy of renewed focus. One notable exception is the NewPage paper mill in Duluth, MN, which views lubrication as a foundational component of its equipment reliability and best practices program. The company is enhancing plant performance with an approach to lubrication that provides benefits and efficiencies that extend well beyond traditional approaches such as using spreadsheets or the PM (preventive maintenance) capabilities of CMMS (computerized maintenance management software) or ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems. Lubrication is often viewed as nothing more than a quick series of simple, repetitive tasks, like hitting a grease point or topping off a reservoir. However, a single plant can have hundreds to thousands of pieces of equipment, each with multiple lubrication points. In turn, each lubrication point can have multiple tasks, all performed at differing intervals. From daily lubing, to semi-annual oil sampling, to yearly tank draining/replacement, the total of lubrication tasks to perform can surprisingly number into the hundreds of thousands annually. To address this issue, many plants use spreadsheets or CMMS systems in an effort to manage lubrication. Unfortunately, although CMMS systems work very well for managing PM and corrective jobs at the equipment level, most are not built for detailed tracking of individual lube tasks.

Above: Details for each lube task are available via paper-based lists or rugged mobile computing devices so lubrication tasks that need to be completed are clear each week. Top left: Although technicians armed with a grease gun and human memory to track lube points do a stellar job with the tools they are given, lube points can be missed.

Yet the information contained in these details – when properly structured to the specifics of lubrication – enables best practices to improve machine condition, extend life and uptime, identify equipment issues proactively and boost employee productivity. All of this can be done in a way that both experienced and inexperienced personnel can easily follow.

Bottom left: As the limits of existing lubrication tracking methods become more apparent, seperating lubrication from traditional PM efforts to focus on lubrication reliability is increasingly being adopted as a solution.

Case in point: NewPage paper mill “With the volume of activities that need to be performed and the complexity of managing all these different types of activities with different lubricants, time frames and procedures, we have to be able to store and easily access detailed information on each lube point,” says Tammy Needham, machinery lubrication technician at NewPage’s Duluth Plant. NewPage is a producer of printing and specialty papers, with a total annual mill production capacity of about 3.5 million tons of paper. (NewPage had operated a paper mill in Port Hawksbury, NS, but closed it in September 2011.) Needham oversees all aspects of lubrication, including lube tasks, inventory and testing for the Duluth Paper Mill’s paper machine. Along with 25 years of experience, Needham has continued her education, and is certified as a Machinery Lubricant Technician (MLT) and Machinery Lubricant Analyst (MLA). “When I started in lubrication, I immediately realized the benefit of handling all the lubrication tasks on time and getting the right amount of grease into the right place every

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time to increase the longevity and reliability of our equipment,” says Needham. A number of years ago, Needham’s manager decided it was time for the Duluth plant to upgrade to comprehensive lubrication tracking and management software. After investigating several options on the market, they selected Lube-It from Issaquah, WA-based Generation Systems. With Lube-It, each lube point is inventoried as to component type, location, capacity, number of fittings and the lubricant to be used. Each lube point is then associated with the individual tasks required. Details for each task include the activity to perform, frequency, duration of each task, route, procedures and shutdown requirements. Using this essential information, the software continuously manages lubrication throughout the plant by tracking the status of each individual task. This is in contrast to outmoded approaches such as spreadsheets, or tracking collections of tasks across an array of CMMS PMs. Each week, the system’s automatic work planning process evaluates every task, individually releasing only those that are appropriate. Tasks not previously completed are highlighted as ‘past due’ and included within the current week’s work. For Needham, the advantage of this approach is to reinforce a culture of excellence and to protect the accumulated knowledge and best practices of the lubrication program at NewPage’s Duluth Plant – instead of reliance on human memory. With all of these details documented in the system, plant personnel and management also have one-click access to the history of any lubrication point, which can be invaluable for failure analysis. This includes when individual tasks were completed, a reason if not completed, the number of weeks past due, who was assigned, the lubricant used, and notifications of equipment issues identified during the lubrication activity.

Route optimization

Tel 1.800.668.5458 Fax 905.671.2358 sales@flocomponents.com www.flocomponents.com

Components by:

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Optimized lubrication routes are another benefit of having detailed lube-point information and can dramatically increase the speed and efficiency of maintenance. Using the information in the system, the program sets up a labour-efficient, step-reducing route from a start to an end point assigned to specific personnel. Each lube task along that path – incorporating all tasks due to be completed regardless of frequency – and the various types of lubricants that will be required,

are outlined in a logical walking sequence. “You can move from a pump to an agitator to a hydraulic system all in walking sequence with detail information on each lube point on the route, what lubricant is required, and so on,” says Needham. Needham finds the routing feature useful to remind of tasks that are required less frequently, such as semi-annual or annual lubrication activities. The routing system is so efficient that basic care tasks not related to lubrication are often incorporated, such as cleaning a piece of equipment or adjusting a shim along the route. Although many lubrication tasks might have minimal safety implications, some can have very serious implications if proper procedures are not followed. With Lube-It, safety-related procedures and requirements can be associated with a specific task and clearly presented to personnel prior to performing the task. “If there is a safety procedure that needs to occur before the lube task, a technician can look at the sheet and see exactly what steps need to occur first,” says Needham. “I want to make sure that nobody is going to get hurt.”

Feedback from management According to Needham, NewPage management now has access to detailed reports and KPI (key performance indicator) information relating to the lubrication effort that it never had before. The feedback she has received from management has been extremely positive. Although Needham has been working with Lube-It for over a decade, the capabilities and detail in the program have dovetailed nicely with NewPage’s recent corporate initiative to improve efficiency and equipment reliability in all of its seven plants. “There has been a big push lately to really get everything documented,” says Needham. “Management felt that by really looking closely at the lubrication aspect of all its plants, they could discover some cost savings and ensure the equipment lasts longer. We were able to accomplish many of our lubrication goals because of the support we received from management.” Needham’s success with Lube-It was instrumental in NewPage’s decision in early 2012 to purchase the software for additional plants. “Being able to put down all this detailed, documented information in one place that was easily accessible is a tremendous benefit to our company,” adds Needham. “It is so foundational to our entire lubrication effort that I don’t believe you could put a price tag on it.” IL For more information, visit www.generationsystems.com. Online Reader Inquiry No. 418

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Online Reader Inquiry No. 140

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I n d u s t r i a l

L u b r i c a t i o n

Machinery & Equipment MRO

June 2012

What’s new in lubrication products Food-grade lubricant performs in extreme conditions PristineFG food-grade lubricant from Sullair is a long-lasting synthetic lubricant for rotary compressors. Designed to maintain food, beverage and pharmaceutical product quality, it has been formulated to provide enhanced lubrication at high and low temperature variations and under extreme conditions often found in processing plants. Its low volatility and non-foaming characteristics improve lubricity and extend bearing life, even in high-humidity atmospheres. With recommended change intervals of 6,000 hours, the lubricant helps operators reduce downtime and maintenance costs. Sullair Corporation Online Reader Inquiry No. 356

Anti-friction metal treatment, cutting fluids extend equipment life Prolong Super Lubricants offers a full line of industrial lubricants designed to help equipment run dependably and efficiently, limiting downtime, extending equipment life and reducing operating overhead. The line includes Prolong AFMT

multi-purpose lubricant concentrate, Ultra Cut 1 water soluble cutting fluid, Extreme High Performance EP-2.5 multi-purpose grease with AFMT, and Prolong SPL100 super penetrating lubricant spray. The products are available in gallon-size bottles, 5-gal buckets and 55-gal drums to meet various plant needs. Prolong Super Lubricants Online Reader Inquiry No. 379

Multi-service, high-temperature grease performs in tough conditions Precision Synthetic Heavy 1500 grease from Petro-Canada Lubricants is an NLGI #1.5 grade grease that provides protection to equipment under the most challenging operating conditions. Formulated with a very high viscosity base oil to provide heavy load capabilities and good high temperature performance for plain and slow rolling element bearings, the grease is suitable for use in mining, construction and forestry applications. Petro-Canada Lubricants Online Reader Inquiry No. 369

Re-lubrication calculation software is available for smartphones SKF has developed two English versions of its DialSet software for iPhone and Android. The software helps technicians set up SKF automatic lubricators, enabling them to easily calculate bearing re-lubrication quantities and intervals based on SKF lubrication theories. Calculated lubrication intervals depend on the properties of the selected grease, thereby minimizing the risk of under- or over-lubrication and optimizing grease consumption. SKF Canada Online Reader Inquiry No. 357

Food-grade lubricants receive Halal certification

Lubricant prevents equipment freeze-ups Air tools, valves, cylinders and hoists can begin to freeze at 5ºC. Polar-Lube antifreeze lubri-

Ultrachem has received certification that its Omnilube foodgrade synthetic lubricants, oils and greases meet the requirements of Halal Certification as established by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America. This certification, adding to the company’s NSF, Kosher and Russian GOST-R endorsements, provides an independent, thirdparty quality step, assuring food processors that a company’s products meet stringent hygiene and sanitation standards in their manufacture. Ultrachem Online Reader Inquiry No. 358

Clear tube grease gun offers quick identification and re-load Plews/Lubrimatic UltraView clear, polycarbonate shatterproof barrel grease guns allow proper identification of the grease type inside the grease gun. When bulk loading the gun, the amount of grease remaining also can be seen. Equipped with a CNC-machined, high-tolerance aluminum headcap, a heavy-duty follower spring and large rolled threads for quick, clean re-loading, the lever action grease gun delivers 1.5-oz per 40 strokes and develops 8,000 psi, while the pistol grease gun dispenses 1-oz per 40 strokes, produces 5,000 psi and easily operates with one hand. Clear tubes are sold separately in seven colours (on the end caps) to help ensure the proper grease is used on the correct equipment. Also available in seven colours, the grease gun, grease and grease fittings can all be matched to avoid cross-contamination. The barrel holds one pint and comes with a 12-in. clear hose. Plews & Edelmann Online Reader Inquiry No. 361

Nanoceramic grease packaged for high-volume users DayLube high-performance grease, which uses nanoceramic particles that act as sub-micro-

Online Reader Inquiry No. 141

scopic ball bearings to provide continuous lubrication to steel surfaces, is available in 1-gal and 5-gal pails. These easy-carry containers make the product suitable for highervolume applications, especially conveyors, but also for the protection of bearings, bushings cables, cams, chains, conveyors, gears, lifters, machine parts, robotics, slides, wear plates and more. Featuring a low coefficient of friction at all temperatures, the chemically inert, NSF-H1 food-grade-certified grease operates in temperature range from minus 40°F to plus 800°F, and the nanoceramic particles remain intact to 2,500°F. The grease also is available in 16-oz tubes and 16-oz jars, as well as cases of 12 each (jars or tubes). Dayton Progress Online Reader Inquiry No. 362

cant prevents compressed air freeze-ups in pneumatic equipment down to minus 60°C (minus 50°F). The product is used in existing airline lubricators to prevent air-operated equipment freezing in any cold indoor or winter outdoor applications. It instantly absorbs the water in the compressed airline and carries it through to the exhaust. Adding Polar-Lube to the inlet also can unfreeze frozen tools. Suitable for use in industry, mills, oil rigs, pipelines, mines and more, it can be used with all manufacturers’ pneumatic lubricators and will not affect polycarbonate bowls or sight glass. Alex Milne Associates Ltd. Online Reader Inquiry No. 363

Food-grade lubricant helps keep compressors up and running Ingersoll Rand has released Ultra FG, a long-life, food-grade lubricant for rotary air compressors that offers long maintenance intervals and protection from damage due to deposits, corrosion and degradation. It is both Kosher and Parve certified and is compliant with NSF International for use in the food and beverage industry. The lubricant contains an antimicrobial agent that helps protect the compressor lubricant against bacteria, yeasts and moulds, and also against contamination caused by food-borne microorganisms. The combination of anti-wear agents, rust inhibitors and antioxidants permits change intervals of as long as 6,000 hours. Ingersoll Rand Online Reader Inquiry No. 364 IL Obtain free additional information about any of these items by using our online reader reply card at www.mromagazine.com/rsc.

P R O D U C T

N E W S

June 2012

Machinery & Equipment MRO

What’s new…

Configuration options are added to connector series

in products, systems, components and accessories for machinery and equipment MRO (maintenance, repair and operations).

Intelligent control panel wiring system simplifies panel complexity

Online Reader Inquiry No. 390

Wind turbine bearing line helps reduce energy costs

Online Reader Inquiry No. 391

Cabinet stores flammable liquids safely and securely

Lyon Workspace Products has introduced its redesigned flammable safety cabinets for safe storage of flammable liquids. Designed to protect workers as well as property, the cabinets are available with manual- or self-closing doors and meet NFPA Code 30 and OSHA standards. They feature fully welded, 18-gauge double wall construction with 1.5-in. insulating airspace, and all steel parts are manufactured from cold rolled steel. The flushmounted paddle handle design allows easy fingertip operation, features a double key set and can be padlocked. The latch on the self-closing doors holds the door open when in use, and releases to close the door automatically when temperatures reach 165°F. Lyon Workspace Products Online Reader Inquiry No. 395

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tronics from hot, dirty locations, such as in foundries, glass plants and steel mills. Available with cooling capacities of 4,000, 4,800 and 5,600 BTU/hr, this UL-listed, CE-compliant system incorporates a vortex tube that cools ordinary compressed air to cold air without the use of refrigerants. Applications include variable frequency drives, programmable controllers, industrial computers, motor controls, microprocessors and robotics. Exair Online Reader Inquiry No. 397

Multi-orifice flow meter helps keep compressors operating efficiently

SKF has introduced an extended range of SKF Nautilus bearings designed for the wind industry. The bearings provide designers with the freedom to develop a wide variety of turbines, including direct drive, equipped with a gearbox, with outer or inner ring rotation, and mounted on shafts or directly bolted on to the surrounding structure. Features include the option to incorporate a bolted inner ring, eliminating the influences of fits and tolerances of the structure surrounding the bearing, reducing pre-load variation and resulting in higher operational reliability and safety. Another feature is the integrated seal and pre-greasing to provide optimized lubrication while reducing the risk of contamination and leakage. SKF Canada

Exair’s dual high-temperature Cabinet Cooler system for large enclosures purges and cools overheated electrical control panels in harsh environments up to 93°C (200°F). It keeps electrical enclosures cool with air as cool as minus 7°C (20°F) to eliminate high-temperature malfunctions and protect sensitive elec-

Online Reader Inquiry No. 394

Anti-spatter solution is formulated for welding industry

Designed to reduce panel wiring complexity, improve system reliability, save installation time and reduce panel space, Eaton’s SmartWire-DT panel wiring system replaces the myriad of wires found in the control circuit into a single, durable, 8-pole cable, connecting motor control components to customers’ PLCs. It streamlines testing, and reduces commissioning and troubleshooting, saving time and money. In addition, the flat cable connections safeguard the control panel from unauthorized wiring changes. The network directly integrates the I/O level in the switching devices, and communication-enabled modules are attached to standard Eaton motor control components. The system can function on a network length up to 2,000 ft, and can connect up to 99 devices per gateway. Connecting is as simple as adjust, crimp and connect. Eaton

System provides air-conditioning for electrical enclosures

Harting has given its Han-Yellock heavy-duty industrial connector series added functionality and convenience with such configuration options as a universal hood and socket housings to fit both sizes of this self-contained interface. Designed for easy assembly, the connector series features an integral locking system with pushbutton technology that makes it easy to install while reducing the risk of unauthorized access. The universal hood design provides enough space for a range of cable entry combinations. Using the mixed adapter frame can extend the range of wiring combinations, allowing for the use of a wide range of Han-Modular modules to create a compact interface that can reduce the number and size of connectors on a panel. Harting North America

The great majority of today’s industries use compressed air in some aspect of their operations. With rising energy costs, compressed air has become among the most expensive utilities in the plant. The LP multi-orifice compressed air flow meter from Compressed Air Management Impact RM allows the user to quantify air leaks and determine compressor performance, all within 2% accuracy. The meter is easy to install and use, with virtually no maintenance or calibration required. The standard range allows testing of compressors from 10 cfm to 3,000 cfm. All units are ASME coded and CRN certified. Custom units above 3,000 cfm or in stainless steel are available upon request. Impact RM Inc.

Simple Green Anti-Spatter from Sunshine Makers is a solvent-free, spatter release solution for the welding industry. It is designed for use around welded surfaces that are being prepared for painting and plating, as it is non-flammable, non-corrosive, non-hazardous, and readily biodegradable. It also contains no silicon and is safe for aluminum and steel nozzles, diffusers, tips and other surfaces adjacent to welding. Requiring no dilution and very easy to use, the product is just sprayed on areas to be protected from spatter, then rinsed with water after welding and dried thoroughly before painting or plating. Sunshine Makers Inc.

tem is available in 5-ft lengths and can be installed end-to-end for any length conveyor. It includes a Liner-Lock system, which prevents liners from lowering and contacting the belt due to impact and vibration. Nelson Williams Linings Online Reader Inquiry No. 400

Pressure/temperature sensor simplifies control systems

A pressure/temperature sensor and pressure/temperature transmitter that provide both pressure and temperature outputs from a single process point have been introduced by American Sensor Technologies. This dual-output configuration reduces process penetration points and leaks in critical systems such as hydrogen, oxygen, heavy

Online Reader Inquiry No. 392

Conveyor containment system enables fast liner maintenance

The Ez-Access Pivotable conveyor containment system from Nelson Williams Linings allows inside liner maintenance from the outside of the conveyor fast, safely and easily. The skirtboard and chutework systems are easily installed and can be retrofitted to existing conveyor systems. Liner maintenance then can be done by one worker. Also, by avoiding confined space entry, cramped work spaces and heavy lifting, injuries are reduced and money is saved. The pre-engineered modular sys-

oil processing, hydraulics, analyzers, offshore, pipelines and ammonia systems. The model AST20PT stainless steel media isolated pressure/temperature sensor and model AST46PT explosionproof pressure/temperature transmitter also are suitable for low-power systems. Both units can be constructed in a wide range of wetted materials, including high-quality stainless steels and superalloys, and are available in various temperature ranges from minus 40°C to +125°C (minus 40°F to +250°F). American Sensor Technologies Online Reader Inquiry No. 393 MRO Obtain free additional information about any of these items by using our online reader reply card at www.mromagazine.com/rsc.

Online Reader Inquiry No. 354

TAKES THE HEAT.

AND THE DUST, WATER AND 3-METER DROP. Dust resistant. Water resistant. Drop resistant. The new IR thermometers from Fluke.

Completely redesigned. Small in size, easy to use. IP54 rated for dust and water resistance. Details at: www.flukecanada.ca

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Online Reader Inquiry No. 142

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Machinery & Equipment MRO

What’s new in hand and power tools Versatile pipe fabrication machine performs three jobs in one

Online Reader Inquiry No. 405

The Hilti SFC 18-A CPC compact cordless drill driver features all-metal gears for long tool life and reliability. Its lasting power, compact ergonomic design and low weight of 3.7 lb make it suitable for large-diameter screws in the most demanding screwdriving jobs, such as repetitive overhead use in plumbing and air conditioning system installation work, or for jobs in particularly tight corners. The high-performance motor delivers 1,800 rpm, while the LED lights help illuminate the application area. Casings for the batteries and tools are glass-fibre reinforced and protected by rubber sections, giving them the ability to withstand tough everyday jobsite use. Hilti

Online Reader Inquiry No. 406

Powerful core drilling system for metal is built for long life

Combining the benefits of a powerful hand drill with those of a carbide drill bit, the hand-held Fein KBH 25 core drilling system enables easy, fast and convenient drilling of holes up to 25 mm in diameter in metals up to 20 mm in thickness. It

Auto-retracting utility knife protects workers from injury

Company adds full slate of screwdriver bits to its product line

Ideal Industries has announced the addition of more than 60 industrial-grade screwdriver bits engineered of S2M tool

can be used on all common metals, on curved, painted and uneven surfaces as well as in hard-to-reach places. The carbide core bit features a cut width of only 2.8 mm, ensuring rapid work progress combined with reduced feed pressure. In addition, the company offers a carbide core bit line with titanium aluminum nitride surface coating. These bits are extremely heat resistant and have good glide properties, giving them a longer service life and faster work progress than uncoated carbide core bits. Fein Online Reader Inquiry No. 408

Durable mallet is designed for both heavy- and light-duty work

The PB 304 multipurpose mallet from

Online Reader Inquiry No. 143

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Online Reader Inquiry No. 402

PB Swiss Tools has been introduced by Count On Tools. These extremely robust tools feature wooden handles made of FSC-certified hickory, and their dimensions are adapted to the weights of the hammer heads. Cushioning the recoil by weights in the mallet body allows full and precise strikes. The mallet features two differently shaped heads made of durable, wear-resistant polyamide. The hardened head features a steel plate covering for a flat striking surface best suited for heavy-duty applications. The soft head features a crowned striking surface for precise, fine striking and gentle or light-duty applications. Count On Tools Online Reader Inquiry No. 407

Armstrong’s electronic torque wrench is designed for strength and productivity. The thin profile sealed teardrop ratchet head improves access, increases strength and improves resistance to dirt infiltration. The LCD screen with backlight, enclosed in a shock-resistant housing, makes it easy to read torque values. A buzzer and red, yellow and green lights alert users when the target torque value

is reached. Features include 60-tooth gear with a six-degree ratcheting arc, knurled aluminum grip that resists slipping and 40 hours of continuous operation (using four AAA alkaline batteries). Armstrong Online Reader Inquiry No. 412

Cordless screwdriver works fast to improve efficiency

Panasonic has added a cordless screwdriver to its line of cordless assembly tools. Lightweight and fast, the 7.2-V tool features torque accuracy of plus or minus 5%, providing consistent tightening even

as the battery reaches the end of the charge cycle. The screwdriver can achieve a high speed of 900 rpm, 1.5 times faster than its predecessor. Weighing just 1.38 lb, the tool features a highcapacity 1.5 Ah-Li-ion battery that can be charged for use in 35 min. and achieves a full charge in 60 min. Two versions of the screwdriver are available. Model EYFEA1N2S includes two battery packs, a charger and a clutch-lock cover, while model EYFEA1N includes the tool body and the clutch-lock cover. Panasonic Online Reader Inquiry No. 409

Hand tool line is greatly expanded

GearWrench, a division of Danaher Tool Group, has announced the extension of its industrial line of hand tools to include more than 700 additional products. Designed to minimize downtime and improve productivity for industrial tool users, the line includes socket sets, ratchets, accessories, impact sockets, pliers and wrenches. Additional wrenches include the indexing ratcheting wrench and open end ratcheting wrench, while 400 additional impact sockets range from 1/4-in. up to 3/4-in. drive impact sockets and include standard, deep, universal and hex bit models. Also, the company has introduced the GearWrench XL industrial-strength tool storage series. Several configurations are available to meet almost any need, including hand boxes, carts, top chests and roller cabinets. Danaher Tool Group Online Reader Inquiry No. 410

Interchangeable end attachments allow tapes to handle multiple applications

Online Reader Inquiry No. 404

Milwaukee Tool’s M18 Fuel 1/2-in. drill/driver (2603-20/22) and 1/2-in. hammer drill/driver (2604-20/22) integrate three cordless technologies. The company has combined its Powerstate brushless motor, Redlithium battery pack, and Redlink Plus Intelligence to manufacture drills that deliver high power, long life and long run-time. The motor provides up to 725 in.-lb of torque, reduces noise and cools rapidly for maintenance-free performance, while the battery performs in extreme conditions, even in climates as low as minus 0°F, with fade-free power. All M18 Fuel products include a multi-voltage charger to allow users to charge all M12 and M18 batteries with one charger. Milwaukee Tool

Electronic torque wrench keeps dirt out

Online Reader Inquiry No. 403

Designed to improve safety throughout the workplace, the Wiss auto-retracting utility knife automatically retracts its blade the moment it loses contact with the material being cut, reducing the likelihood of injury. This safety feature engages even if the user is still holding the blade slider forward in the open position, and the auto-retract mechanism cannot be overridden under normal use. Blade changes are quick and easy, and the tool accepts all standard utility knife blades. Apex Tool Group

Drill/driver/hammer tool packs a powerful punch

Compact cordless drill driver thrives in busy working conditions

Weldwide Solutions has introduced the Axxair range of pipe cutting, bevelling and welding machines. By simply exchanging motors, these machines can cut pipes, then bevel pipe ends and weld parts, thus giving more value for money. This family of pipe fabrication machines cuts stainless steel, mild steel and other alloy pipes with a thickness between 0.5 and 15 mm, and a pipe diameter ranging from 5 mm to 1,000 mm, and bevels pipe thickness between 0.5 mm and 8 mm. Weldwide Solutions

steel and custom heat-treated for strength and durability. The bits are manufactured to tight tolerances to ensure the most accurate fit and full fastener engagement. Both insert and power type bits are available in standard size, Phillips, slotted and square designs, along with the company’s Combo Head bit for combination fasteners. Torx, double-ended and tamper-proof bits also are available. Their 1/4-in. hex bodies fit most multi-bit screwdrivers, insert bits feature a retaining ring notch, while the power bits have a power locking grove. Ideal Industries

June 2012

The Lufkin Pro Series Fiberglass Long Tape from Cooper Tools includes three quickconnect end attachments, allowing users to make measurements in many different situations. The standard end hook is for general measuring and can also be closed to take inside measurements, the longer, rubber-coated appraiser’s hook provides extra grip on hard or smooth shapes, and the ring attachment hooks on to the included 8-1/2in. anodized aluminum stake for easy one-person long-distance measuring. All three end attachments store conveniently in the handle, and the stake stores securely on the back of the tape. The tape is available in 100-ft, 200-ft and 300-ft lengths. Cooper Tools Online Reader Inquiry No. 413 MRO

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Machinery & Equipment MRO

What’s new in belts, chains and drives Roller chain enhancement increases service life

An improved generation of Elite Everlast Plus black-coated, low-maintenance roller chains has been introduced by Iwis Drive Systems, incorporating advanced

Two-speed motor starter offers two overload set points

ameters ranging from 5.73 mm to 23.87 mm, and bore sizes ranging from 2 mm to 5 mm. Pulleys with 18 to 45 grooves have one set screw, while the others have two. Stock Drive Products Online Reader Inquiry No. 373

Chain’s lubricant will not come into contact with product

sintered metals for reduced friction wear and extended working life. The oilsoaked sintered bushes and a slightly modified bolt specification showed an improvement in wear lifespan of more than 300%, according to the company. Available in sizes 06B to 16B and ANSI 40 to 160, the chains fulfil all requirements of ISO 606, DIN 8187 and DIN 8188. Iwis Drive Systems

Renold Syno chain is a nickel-plated, selflubricated, dry-to-the-touch chain that is used in applications where lubricant on the outside of the chain can present a problem. These applications include food processing, bottling, packaging, paper handling, cardboard or wood handling and textile han-

Cerus Industrial has announced the release of a starter for twospeed motors, the MCS multi-contactor motor starter, designed to control two-speed, two-winding, and two-speed, one-winding re-connectable motors. The built-in timer and control functions reduce the number of separate components needed for the typical installation. The starter features class 5-30 electronic overload and wide-range voltage operation (120 VAC to 480 VAC). It allows for two overload setpoints, eliminating the need for adding a second overload sensor in systems that require two setpoints. Operation is simple, with a Hand-Off-Auto keypad plus LCD display, as well as a motor circuit protector disconnect, which eliminates the need for fuses. Cerus Industrial Online Reader Inquiry No. 375

dling. Since the chain has no lubricant on the outside, it will not stain the product that it contacts. The chain is lubricated only through the sintered bushing, and the lubricant is FDA approved. The chain’s plates and pins are nickel-plated for corro-

sion resistance. Available sizes are ANSI 40 to 100 and British Standard 06B to 24B single and double strand. Also, attachments are available on the outer links. Renold Canada Online Reader Inquiry No. 371

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Online Reader Inquiry No. 370

Motor base provides savings in belt-drive maintenance costs

The Rosta elastic tensioning motor base compensates continuously for all stretching, hopping, fluttering and excessive pull

when starting, thanks to its preloaded suspension system with high self-damping. Designed for all belt drives from about 0.75 kW to 45 kW power rating, the motor base offers significant maintenance cost savings, savings in downtime and added reliability. Using this device, the belt tension of the maintenance-free device does not have to be periodically checked, and the suspension is self-adjusting and compensates for the aging elongation of the belts. In addition, the alignment of the belt pulleys always remains parallel during any subsequent belt change. Rosta

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Online Reader Inquiry No. 372

Small-pitch timing belt pulleys are for miniature applications

Built for miniature applications, the A 6A18M series of 1-mm-pitch timing belt pulleys from Stock Drive Products is

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available in 17 sizes ranging from 18 to 75 grooves. The clear anodized, aluminum alloy pulleys are designed for 3-mm- and 6-mm-wide belts and are offered with double-flange and no-flange options, pitch di-

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Machinery & Equipment MRO

Polypropylene braided hose resists chemical attack

Online Reader Inquiry No. 381

Variable-area flowmeter for liquids has rugged construction

Dwyer Instruments has announced the re-

Sure-Tuff BYCS series butterfly valves from Hayward Flow Control offer an economical yet corrosion-resistant alternative to cast iron butterfly valves. Available in sizes 2 in. to 8 in. with hand lever or gear operators, the valves feature a maximum pressure rating of 10 bar (150 psi) for all sizes, and a service temperature of up to 60°C (140°F). Features include an ergonomic red handle with a lockout feature, a wafer body design, a PVC body with PVC disc, 410-grade one-piece stainless steel stem and an EPDM-booted seat. Options include electric or pneumatic actuation, and monitoring controls such as LHB manual limit switches for critical service applications. The valves fit ANSI 125 or PN10 flange patterns. Typical applications include marine and corrosive environments, water/theme parks, aquariums, aquaculture and irrigation systems. Hayward Flow Control Online Reader Inquiry No. 387

lease of its series DTFW variable-area flowmeter for liquids. The compact series allows for the accurate measurement of compatible gases at an affordable price.

Poly propylene bra ided PTFE hose assemblies from Page International Hose, a Parker Hannifin division, are lighter than stainless steel braided hoses and much more flexible, making them easier to route through tight spaces. In addition, these hoses will not conduct electricity and can handle many of the chemicals that attack stainless steel. Since polypropylene braid is a plastic, rather than a metal, the burn risk for operators working around

this product is much lower. Typically supplied in light blue, polypropylene braid is available in convoluted assemblies in either natural or static-dissipative tubes. Sizes range from 1/4-in. O.D. up to 4-in. O.D. The hoses operate in temperatures up to 100°C (212°F). Parker Hannifin/Page

Butterfly valve withstands aggressive environments

What’s new in fluid power products

June 2012

To ensure reliability, construction consists of a rugged brass or optional stainless steel to help withstand system pressure of up to 206.7 bar (3,000 psig). For added versatility, the Series DTFW is available in a wide variety of ranges up to 30 gpm. Dwyer Instruments Online Reader Inquiry No. 382

Germ-free hoses offer cleanliness for food and beverage industry

Your Piece of the Sales Pie Is Ready

ContiTech has introduced two hoses that ensure a high standard of hygienic safety. The Fluoropal Food + Drink is a sturdy, multi-purpose hose developed for use both in the food and beverage industry, and in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Its white, smooth, non-porous inner lining, made of high-grade Teflon, is especially well-suited for the passage of liquids with a high grease or oil content. Resistant to most cleansing agents, disinfectants and virtually all chemicals, the hose can withstand temperatures up to 150°C. The flexible Purple Snake beer and spirits hose features optimized cleaning and disinfecting properties, and is also resistant to mechanical loads. ContiTech

10+ Million Executive Contacts Available To You In a Fully Customizable Format

Online Reader Inquiry No. 383

Hose fitting line achieves higher operating pressures

Eaton has expanded its Everflex E-Series line of one-piece, crimp-type hose fittings. When coupled with Everflex hoses made from Teflon resin, these fittings allow customers to achieve up to 33% higher operating pressures than current Eaton and competitive hoses. The fittings and higher pressures have been validated on the company’s 2807, FC465, S-TW

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and SC-TW series hoses. The carbon steel offering now includes hose fittings for -8, -12 and -16 size hoses, while the stainless steel offering covers -4 through -16 size hoses. The fittings are available in both male pipe and female 37-degree swivel-end configurations in both materials. The steam-compatible hose features good flex life, high-temperature resistance and chemical resistance. Typical applications include those in steel mills and foundries. Eaton

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Online Reader Inquiry No. 384

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Machinery & Equipment MRO

Fluke provides peek inside production and research facilities BY BILL ROEBUCK

Among the not-yet-released products revealed at the event were an entry-level vibration meter and an affordable infrared thermometer. The new Fluke 805 Vibration Meter is a portable multi-function vibration screening tool that provides quantifiable information on bearings and the overall health of motors and other rotating

Photos: Bill Roebuck

Everett, WA – Optimization and efficiency were the keywords of the theme of the first-ever Fluke Press Summit 2012, held at Fluke Corporation’s headquarters in Everett, WA, in April. The company invited more than 80 publication editors and journalists from around the world, including representatives from Canada, Australia, the United

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test tools that are dust-, water- and drop-resistant, making them ideal for the harsh conditions faced by technicians in electrical, service, HVAC, process, industrial and facilities maintenance applications. Ruggedness was seen as an important characteristic for the new meters because “These are the most misused tools in industry,” according to Duncan Kearlley, a senior mechanical engineer at Fluke. The Max+ also features dual, rotating lasers to accurately identify the size of the spot being measured. Fluke spokesperson Leah Friberg commented that, after time, temperature is the second most measured quantity. “The entire world is about temperature – we just don’t think about it a lot,” added Mike Stuart, a senior product manager. “We try to make the invisible visible,” said Jim Cavoretto, Fluke’s chief technology office and a senior vice-president. He also discussed how simple operation of the company’s devices is important. “Our customers are ‘in the moment’ when

troubleshooting – they don’t have time to read the manual.” Fluke has 583 active patents today, and has received 60 product innovation awards over the past two years alone, Cavoretto noted. Jeff Gust, chief corporate metrologist for Fluke (“No, I’m not the weatherman,” he joked), discussed the science of measurement and why measurements matter. The latter includes issues such as fair trade – for example, measuring the weight of an ounce of gold correctly so you know you are getting what you paid for. Another measurement issue is safety, said Gust, explaining the need for measurements – say voltage — to be accurate so technicians can work safely. Other issues include legislated standards, traceability of reference points, consistency and quality, and operability within global markets. MRO More details from this story can be found on our website at www.mromagazine.com.

Jason Industrial continues to grow in Canada ogy officer. Centre: Fluke plant electrician Steve Ottman gave a demonstration of a thermography tool to find electrical hotspots. Right: The toolbelt on this mannequin showed how easily compact test instruments can be carried.

Kingdom, Brazil and the US, so it could show off its operations, unveil some new products and provide a peek into the ongoing development of new technology at the company. The company also invited a small number of customers from both the US and Canada to discuss their practical applications of the company’s test and measurement products. They included Leigh Copp, engineering/business unit manager at Linamar in Guelph, ON, and Mike Phifer, preventive maintenance manager of Giant Cement Company in Harleyville, SC.

equipment. It’s designed for front-line mechanical troubleshooting teams that need reliable and repeatable measurements of rotating equipment to make imperative go/no-go maintenance decisions. If the tool detects anomalies, then a more powerful diagnostic tool can be called into action for detailed problem analysis. “Vibration can tell you about problems nine months before a failure,” said Demi Namli, Fluke’s marketing manager. “The 805 takes the hassle out of vibration screening.” The new Fluke 62 Max and 62 Max+ infrared thermometers are easy-to-use

BY ERIC ACHILLES COUSINEAU

Photos: Eric Achilles Cousineau

Left: “We try to make the invisible visible,” said Jim Cavoretto, Fluke’s chief technol-

Dorval, QC — Jason Industrial, a manufacturer and distributor of timing belts, synchronous belts, power transmission belts, belt drives, urethane belts, pulleys, and industrial hose and coupling products, has expanded its warehouse in Dorval, west of Montreal. Louise Adams-Parrino, administrator for the facility, recently gave Machinery & Equipment MRO a tour, where she said the bigger warehouse means Jason can carry more products and more inventory, so it is able to give better service to its customers, thus making it a more viable company in Canada. Jason offers over 30,000 different types of products, including belt products that come in sleeves, giving the warehouse the ability to cut to multiple belt sizes in-house, as well as do splicing. The investment in technology in the

NSK Canada motivates its troops BY ERIC ACHILLES COUSINEAU

Photos: Eric Achilles Cousineau

Mississauga, ON — NSK Canada held a four-day National Sales & Kick-Off conference at the Delta Meadowvale Resort and Conference Centre in Mississauga during the week of May 7, 2012. The theme of the meeting was ‘Coming Together is the Beginning. Staying Together is Progress. Working Together is Success.’ The meeting focused on challenges, success stories and growth plans for the coming years. The delegates worked on es-

tablishing goals to exceed customer expectations by holding commercial and technical workshops, and through effective planning and time-management sessions. Motivational speaker Mike Lipkin was featured at a company dinner, which had the theme ‘Keeper of the Flame’, and again at the conference’s ‘Live Above the Line’ closing session. All divisions and business units across the Americas and Japan joined

the meeting, from departments including OEM, Automotive, Aftermarket, Field Services, Outside and Inside Sales, Engineering, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Human Resources and Finance. As Michael St. Jacques, general manger of NSK Canada pointed out, “We want to make sure that our organization focuses on the same goals, and that we approach and deliver quality work at all levels, while exceeding customer expectations.” MRO

Far left: Delegates from across the Americas and Japan attended the sales conference hosted by NSK Canada. Left: Motivational

Top: Employees gather in front of the new facility in Montreal. Above: Belts are cut to size in the shop.

new facility includes Wi-Fi throughout and smart televisions for accessing Skype online, making meetings and training seminars between offices a more economical and time-efficient solution. The company prides itself on the loyalty of its employees and its commitment to superior products and services. Jason started in Canada in 1971 with one salesperson on the road and three others working in a 5,000 sq ft office in Montreal. It moved to its current location in 1980 and now has over 31,000 sq ft of space and has grown to a total of 15 employees. MRO

speaker Mike Lipkin spoke twice at NSK Canada’s event.

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More photos from MRO On the Road can be found on our website, www.mromagazine.com/gallery.

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June 2012

Bearing distributors fête association’s veterans BY BILL ROEBUCK

Photos: Eric Achilles Cousineau

Bonita Springs, FL — The Bearing Specialists Association (BSA) has elected Linda Miller of Bearings & Drives Inc. as its president for 2012-2013. The industry association’s elections were held in conjunction with the its 2012 Annual Convention, held April 29-May 1 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, FL. In addition to Miller, the following people were elected to serve BSA in 2012-13: James Webster, DXP Enterprises Inc., as chairman of board; Jack Simpson, Applied Industrial Technologies, as vice-president; and Brian Negri, Jamaica Bearings Company Inc., as treasurer. BSA also elected the following people to serve three-year terms on the board of directors: Brian Davis, Bearings & Drives Inc.; Mitch Bouchard, General Bearing Service Inc.; and Tom Armold, Applied Industrial Technologies. During the annual convention, Bill Stevens, president and CEO, Motion Industries, reported the results of BSA’s An-

nual Distributor Survey, which represented 90% of the value of bearings sold through BSA members. It revealed aggregate sales volume increased 14.7% in 2011 over the 2010 volume. Additional survey results revealed that in 2011, the aggregate number of employees increased 3.5%. In 2010, the number of employees rose 1.8%. The BSA Distributor Survey is facilitated by the Profit Planning Group to assure complete confidentiality. In another industry update, Pete Eich, president of NTN Bearing Corp. of America and the chairman of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA), presented that association’s industry report. In 2009, he said, the Fredonia Group estimated the world bearing market to be US$50.5 billion. By 2011, some estimates put the market as high as $60 billion. This number includes both rolling bearings and plain bearings. The majority of usage is in the Asia/

fast in his support of BSA and the industry. (More details on him can be found at www.mromagazine.com.) During the past year, honorary memberships were awarded to the following BSA members who recently retired: Dave Hooser, BDI; Cam Lawrence, BDI Canada Inc.; Robby MacPherson, BC Bearing Engineers and John Timble, Bearing Headquarters Company. BSA is an international service and educational organization of distributors representing a total of almost 100 companies distributing factory-warranted, antifriction bearings and invited manufacturers of bearings and related products. For more information, visit www.bsahome.org. BSA’s 2013 event is planned for May 5-7 at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa on Hilton Head Island, SC. MRO Visit www.mromagazine.com/gallery to view additional photographs from BSA’s convention.

Pacific Region at 50%, followed by Europe at 26% and North America with 17%. The meeting also saw the presentation of BSA’s 10th Lifetime Achievement Award to Peter Negri, president and CEO of Jamaica Bearings Company Inc. During Peter’s tenure at Jamaica Bearings, annual sales have grown from approximately $1.8 million to exceed $100 million. The company that once employed 15 people at a single location in Jamaica, Queens, New York, now employs over 135 people at locations in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and California, with employees around the world, including Canada, Singapore, China, Italy, Great Britain, France and Australia. (More details on Negri can be found at www.mromagazine.com.) In a second presentation, BSA recognized Gus Kontonickas as an active BSA participating manufacturer for more than 20 years. Although he changed manufacturer hats more than once during that period, Kontonickas was stead-

10 1. Cam Lawrence, BDI Canada; Frank Mascia, Timken Canada; Tom Karch, SKF Canada; and Michael St. Jacques, NSK Canada. 2. Dermot Strong, Motion Industries (Canada), with Chip Myer and Ceil Diaz, Oilite Bearing. 3. Russel Grant, Wajax Industrial Components; Mitch Bouchard, General Bearing Service; and Dan Killory, Dichtomatik Americas. 4. Marc Joanis and Yvon Goudreau, Wajax Industrial Components. 5. Ben Nations, Bearings & Drives; Brian Negri, Jamaica Bearings; Chris Curran, Climax Metal Products; and Brian Davis, Bearings & Drives. 6. Taka Fukuda and Shota Mamiya, Fukuda Corporation. 7. Lorna and Gregg Robinson, RotoPrecision Inc. 8. Olga and Paul Meo, NTN Bearing Corp. of Canada. 9. BSA board members were presented with branding irons after the association’s annual business meeting by outgoing president James Webster, DXP Enterprises. Linda Miller, Bearings & Drives (far left) was elected president of the BSA for 2012-13. 10. This ten-foot-long resident of the convention hotel’s golf course kept participants in BSA’s golf tournament on high alert.

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We see less downtime in your future. At NTN, we are dedicated to help you get the most out of your rotating machinery. Our people contribute to this vision every day. Invite us to roll up our sleeves with you.

Online Reader Inquiry No. 145

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Online Reader Inquiry No. 146

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