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CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL

KEVIN PARKER, Editor

KParker@CFEMedia.com

JACK SMITH, Managing Editor JSmith@CFEMedia.com

AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Director of Research 860-432-4767, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com

KATIE SPAIN NAREL, Art Director KSpain@CFEMedia.com

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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

H. LANDIS “LANNY” FLOYD, IEEE Life Fellow H.Landis.Floyd@gmail.com

JOHN GLENSKI, President, Automation Plus jglenski@processplus.com

SHON ISENHOUR, Partner, Eruditio LLC sisenhour@EruditioLLC.com

DR. SHI-WAN LIN, CEO and co-founder,Thingswise, LLC Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) board member shiwanlin@thingswise.com

JOHN MALINOWSKI, Senior manager of industry affairs (retired), Baldor Electric Company

DAVID SKELTON, Vice president and general manager Phoenix Contact Development and Manufacturing dskelton@phoenixcontact.com

BILLY RAY TAYLOR, Director of commercial and off-highway manufacturing The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Billytaylor@goodyear.com

LARRY TURNER, President and CEO, Hannover Fairs USA lturner@hfusa.com

MARK WATSON, Senior director, manufacturing technology, IHS Markit Mark.watson@ihsmarkit.com

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INSIGHTS

By Kevin Parker, Editor

Features

Features that reflect the facts

The June issue of Plant Engineering includes two features meant to support the maintenance function in its efforts to improve productivity. The first is the annual Lubrication Guide and the second is the annual Maintenance Study.

If the wheel were one of the first technologies ever than the lubrication that greased the wheels couldn’t have been far behind.

Finding the right products for diverse lubrication applications calls for collaboration involving maintenance teams and their lubrication suppliers. They work in concert to apply the right solution to the right challenge and to recognize and apply breakthroughs in industrial lubrications – and in component materials.

The 2021 Plant Engineering Industrial Lubrication Guide, sponsored by Lubriplate Lubricants Co., and supported in partnership with the Society for Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), a CFE Media content partner, is evidence of continuing gains in materials sciences, leading to innovations for oils and greases that keep manufacturing plants humming. The guide provides manufacturers with an understanding of the market options available.

Lubricant labor

The costs of any lubricant must be considered in the context of the costs of downtime and safety. We consider what happens when lubricants fail, often because they were not properly monitored or measured. We don’t always consider the potential costs of a catastrophic failure in a gearbox or motor when it comes to safety issues.

The continuing partnership between manufacturers and lubrication suppliers — and working in consort with organizations such as STLE, which provide the technical research and in-

depth analysis of industrial needs — keeps these issues at the forefront of any preventive maintenance programs. As sensors become more attuned to the issues of gear-based systems, this data will also better inform the plant maintenance team to potential issues before they become a productivity or safety issue.

The Plant Engineering maintenance study, an annual survey sponsored by Advanced Technology Services, Inc. (ATS), points to changes in the maintenance function that have only been exacerbated in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic.

As with most challenges today it involves a mix of people and technology concerns, each one feeding off the other.

Computers supporting people

First comes the skills gap, wherein those being trained in the diverse knowledges needed to ensure reliability in industrial environments are not of sufficient number to replace those being lost through retirement and other attrition types. In fact, there is wide recognition that manufacturing today faces a severe skills shortage.

Second, while computerization in the industrial workplace may have begun in the 1970s, its impact has been ongoing and pervasive. While computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) and enterprise asset management systems continue to be introduced into factories and plants, the technology base has expanded to include mobility, smart sensors, IIoT, robotics and even machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Finally, this year, the Lubrication Guide included an editorial contribution from The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI), a Plant Engineering content partner. It’s much appreciated.

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STUDY

STUDY

The maintenance function, like manufacturing itself, is a rapidly changing environment

Facilities

Results of this year’s Plant Engineering maintenance study, an annual survey of the brand’s readership, sponsored by Advanced Technology Services (ATS), aren’t radically different from previous years, even though the year itself was quite different from anything that came before.

Unlike many other workers, during the COVIDrelated restrictions imposed by local and state governments, manufacturing personnel couldn’t work from the relative safety of their homes. They were deemed essential in a way others weren’t. And during the direst moments of the pandemic, manufacturers had a three-fold mission to fulfill: a) protect the workforce, b) manage risks so as to ensure business continuity and c) drive productivity at a distance.

It would be great if the essential nature of manufacturers’ work were recognized more broadly and more often.

Dealing with the aftershocks

The pandemic delivered a shock to U.S. production and supply chain systems. Slowdowns and shortages continue today. And rising prices for materials are not far behind. Steel prices, for example, are rising precipitously. Increases in input costs have added approximately $200 to $250 per ton to steel making costs.

It is traditional in the wake of such a shock that preconceived notions from the past come into question. That will happen. But at the moment, what everyone sees is a labor shortage, without much clear understanding of the reasons for it.

“What types of labor are not in demand in manufacturing right now?” said Jim Freaner, senior director, ATS. “A related issue is how companies want to contract for that labor. Amidst COVID restrictions, most manufacturers took a short-term perspective on how to fill gaps in their organizations. They find a hole and they plug it, short term.”

Further change is coming, though. The changes in workforce demographics and the resulting skills gap in

the manufacturing industries predate the pandemic. The introduction of new technologies into manufacturing environments, although undoubtedly welcome, only exacerbates the issue.

“Once we’re out of COVID, things will be less unpredictable. We’re taking a longer view and are prepared to help manufacturers address what is a severe lack of skilled labor,” said Freaner.

Already, 88% of facilities outsource some or all maintenance operations, with the average facility outsourcing 23% of those operations, the Plant Engineering maintenance survey found.

Freaner sees demographic change combined with technology advance blurring the lines of responsibility when it comes to maintenance procedures.

“Historically, when there was an issue with a machine, we’ve had clear delineation between what the operators in the plant were responsible for and what the maintenance folks, or our folks, were responsible for, and what the equipment manufacturer might do. Those lines are blurring. Over the next few years, traditional roles and job descriptions in manufacturing plants are going to change,” he said.

The road ahead

The economic recovery in the U.S. will continue for the rest of 2021, say the nation’s purchasing and supply executives in the Spring 2021 Semiannual Economic Forecast issued by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

Expectations for the remainder of 2021 have strengthened somewhat, compared to December 2020, as there is hope the corner has been turned on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; both manufacturing and services sectors are signaling expansion, ISM said.

Manufacturing revenue for 2021 is expected to increase, on average, by 7.2%. This is 8.5 percentage points higher than the 1.3% decrease reported for 2020 over 2019. With operating rate at 88.3%, an expected capital-expenditures increase of 8.7%, an expected increase of 8.1% in prices

2021 MAINTENANCE STUDY

paid for raw materials and an expected employment increase by 2.8% by the end of 2021, ISM concluded that manufacturing continues its comeback from the turmoil of 2020.

Survey highlights

Highlights of the 2020 Plant Engineering industrial maintenance study include the following:

• Eighty-eight percent of industrial facilities follow a preventive maintenance strategy; 52% have a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and 51% use a run-to-failure method.

• Forty-six percent of facilities allocate up to 10% of their annual operating costs to maintenance processes; 41% devote more than 10% of this budget to maintenance. The average facility spends 33 hours each week on scheduled maintenance, up from 20 hours over 2020 data.

• Production equipment, rotating equipment (motors, power transmission, etc.) and fluid power systems (air, hydraulic, etc.) are the three areas where facilities dedicate the most maintenance support, followed by material handling equipment and internal electrical distribution systems.

• Eighty-eight percent of facilities outsource some or all maintenance operations; the average facility outsources 23% of their maintenance operations. Leading causes for outsourcing are an existing agreement with a manufacturer or supplier, lack of skills among current staff and lack of time/manpower to dedicate to maintenance.

• Maintenance teams are mostly trained on basic mechanical and electrical/electronic skills, as well as safety. Other types of training include motors, gearboxes, bearings and lubrication.

• The most common technologies facilities use to monitor and/ or manage maintenance are CMMS, in-house created spreadsheets/schedules and automated maintenance schedules.

• The leading cause of unscheduled downtime within industrial facilities remains aging equipment, followed by mechanical failure, operator error and lack of proper training. More than half of facilities are planning to upgrade their equipment to decrease unscheduled downtime.

• The top challenge for improving maintenance at industrial facilities is aging equipment. Other obstacles include a lack of understanding of new options and technologies, lack of resources or staff and outdated technology.

• Forty-eight percent of facilities allow the use of connected devices when monitoring production equipment for machine data capture, analysis and improvements across maintenance, engineers and/or operational technology/information technology (OT/IT).

• The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and related technology have helped facilities better understand machine health, improve reliability and better predict and prevent equipment breakdowns.

INSIGHTS

By Plant Engineering editorial staff

The current state of the maintenance function

Urgent Issues face the manufacturing industries amidst resurgence

The results of the maintenance survey detailed in the preceding pages profiles the current state of one of the most essential functions in the manufacturing enterprise. It does so at a moment of inflection with manufacturing resurgent in the wake of COVID, yet facing production and supply chain constraints. Moreover, to fully recover, the industry must address a number of longer-term issues, most notably a shortage of skilled labor.

Plant Engineering recently spoke with Jim Freaner, senior director at Advanced Technology Services (ATS), the provider of outsourced industrial maintenance and MRO services to learn how it sees manufacturing enterprises addressing both shortterm and long-term issues involved.

Q: Please talk about the growing use of managed services, for industrialequipment maintenance, but more generally as well.

JIM FREANER: In the world that ATS lives in, manufacturers need to be sure that mission-critical production equipment runs at high levels of performance and reliability. The traditional world of outsourcing services, and that includes things like production equipment maintenance, facilities maintenance, or other kinds of services in a manufacturing plant, is changing. Traditionally, it has been very much a labor-based model about the outsourcing of people and staff.

The change is technology driven, but most service providers still have that labor-base mindset, ignoring the fact that

Jim Freaner, senior director at Advanced Technology Services (ATS).

for production equipment reliability, there’s been a great surge of innovation. Solutions are available in the market that weren’t there five years ago. Manufacturers need a partner that delivers the right combination of supplemental labor services and technologies to fit their facility.

Q: What are some of the relevant technologies?

FREANER: First, the enterprise asset management (EAM) system or computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). Most plants have one today, but so many of them are under-utilized, either because they are antiquated, no longer supported or no longer adequately reflect work-process changes.

Another area of advance is analytics, based on data derived from the CMMS or production data. Devices and intelligent software applications are used to find insights that improve effectiveness. The advantages are proven.

On the hardware side, what’s exciting is the ability to tie into actual real-time machine performance to determine when and how maintenance should be conducted on that asset. Most companies do maintenance on a calendar-based schedule, while perhaps adjusting it based on production volumes or production schedules.

It can be challenging to make the shift from calendar-based to true condition-based maintenance. But available sensing technology enables companies to optimize maintenance activities for a true condition-based maintenance strategy. For some time now, ATS has been deploying sensors in our customers’ plants, where we maintain mission-critical assets for them. We’re in the process of launching the next iteration of our sensing technology.

INSIGHTS

We maintain more than 100 plants and have 36 years of experience solving these kinds of problems. It’s going to be interesting to see where that goes in the next 12 months.

Q: How complex do relationships become in this new data-driven environment, between the equipment user, the equipment supplier and a services provider?

FREANER: Historically, we’ve had clear delineation between what the operators do for equipment in the plant and what maintenance folks, or our folks, do when there’s an issue on the machine, and what the OEM or the equipment manufacturer might do. Those lines are starting to blur. Over the next few years, traditional roles and job descriptions in manufacturing plants are going to change.

We are already stepping out of traditional roles. We help clients optimize processes by looking at equipment setup procedures, machine diagnostics and data that aren’t necessarily a result of a failure, but relevant to throughput or quality. We can solve problems before a machine failure occurs.

Due to increasing complexity, it’s critical to have good communications between production and maintenance personnel and support functions at OEMs, integrators and automation suppliers. At ATS, technology is also assisting with this.

Q: CFE Media surveys of our readers indicate plants execute a combination of preventive, reactive and predictive maintenance. Is that your sense of where the industry is?

FREANER: Every plant uses different strategies to maintain mission-critical assets, whether it’s preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance and in some cases, even run to failure, based on the needs of that particular asset and how it fits within the production system. Manufacturers invest in preventive and predictive maintenance programs because of the high cost of downtime.

Most PM strategies, ours included, probably lean on the side of spending time, effort and resources making sure the machine doesn’t fail, as opposed to optimizing its activity. It’s a tradeoff, do I take the machine down for maintenance or keep it running? As predictive maintenance and machine sensing evolve, we will get better at optimization as well.

The cost to implement predictive maintenance is falling and the technology enables connectivity to scarce, highly skilled individuals who can interpret results.

Q: If you look at small to midsize manufacturers, how is their approach to enterprise asset management different than the largest enterprises?

FREANER: Small- to medium-sized manufacturers might have as many as five plants and still that’s relatively small. The secret is not in the software. The key is optimizing the processes the software is meant to automate. Make sure you have the right work execution management procedures behind it.

When a team member goes to work on a particular asset, do they have the technical information they need? Do they have the parts they need? Do they have the tools they need? Those fundamental things make them effective when they go to do that work. A CMMS ensures the maintenance workforce is effective, productive and not spending time running back and forth to a storeroom or looking for information from the engineering department.

In addition, the CMMS is a repository of data and information, but it should also be a set of metrics to support team and leadership decisions. Older or less comprehensive CMMS may lack that business intelligence aspect, like that which is included in our cloud-based system.

Q: What categories of labor are most in demand today?

FREANER: I would almost say “What types of labor are NOT in demand in manufacturing right now?” It’s also about how companies want to contract for that labor. Amidst COVID restrictions, most manufacturers took a short-term perspective on how to fill gaps in their organization. They find a hole and they plug it short-term. That has accelerated the growth for what we call surge support.

As the pandemic subsides, things will be less unpredictable, and we’ll be taking a longer-term view and address what is, for manufacturers, a severe lack of skilled labor.

Our clients need skilled trades folks that understand how to troubleshoot, diagnose and identify root causes of failure. We see organizations swapping parts out but never learning the root cause. They keep replacing parts. That’s not sustainable over the long term.

Q: What are some of the most effective ways to decrease that unscheduled downtime?

FREANER: To reduce unplanned downtime, you need to look at the fundamentals. We talked about the CMMS. We talked about having a good PM plan and good work execution management procedures around how that work gets done. You have to have a very robust MRO and spare parts process to make sure you know what you have and if you can get it when you need it.

Too often an issue is only recognized so late in the failure process it requires a complete component change out, which requires more time, is more expensive and can involve collateral damage as a result of that failure. If we can catch those indications of impending failure earlier, we can address the issue before it impedes production.

Q: Coming out of the pandemic, there’s been much discussion about enabling remote operations.

FREANER: As a service provider, we saw a pretty significant increase in requests for remote maintenance and short-term support. It forced us and forced manufacturers to rethink service models.

We expect continued investment in capabilities to make maintenance less of an onsite activity and more readily adaptable to support from offsite. Maintenance is always going to be a people-centric activity, but the ability to leverage technology and tap into remote resources will be where the biggest transformation happens.

Q: It’s almost a restructuring of the industry so as to allow more efficient sharing of scarce resources.

FREANER: Very much so. We have a couple of pressures bearing down on the industry. We talked about the manufacturing index being on the rise. And pre-COVID we were dealing with 40- or 50-year historical unemployment levels. Now what we see is a resurgence in manufacturing coupled with demographics indicative of a retiring workforce. Manufacturers will continue to face these challenges as we move forward.

Our Reliability 360 Technology Center provides a solution for manufacturers – continuously monitoring the health of their critical assets and providing prescriptive actions to eliminate unplanned downtime. Historically, if a maintenance person on site couldn’t resolve an issue and there was no one else onsite with the knowledge needed, they’d go to an OEM. That was the next logical step in getting support. Now what we’re doing is engaging

the entire enterprise, the whole organization of people we have across one hundred plants, to find the expert who knows that particular asset or that particular problem and can resolve the problem before going to an OEM.

The OEMs are in the same boat. They’re dealing with the same scarcity of skilled labor. Most OEMs are finding it more difficult than ever to respond to customers’ maintenance needs.

Q: What areas of training are your clients most interested in providing their people?

FREANER: When you look at training, specifically for skilled trades in the market segments we operate in today, it is applied using the peanut butter strategy. I say that tongue in cheek, obviously. Maintenance training is spread around evenly, and eventually everybody gets their share, right?

Unfortunately, a one size fits all strategy seldom works. You have to frame your training regimen around the technology and the assets in the plant that you’re supporting. You have to understand the current technical skill sets and aptitude of the team. If you don’t have both of those elements, it’s tough to put together a training plan.

We lean heavily on a tool we use to assess the aptitude of the technical team we have onsite at customers’ plants. We use that coupled with the information we have on the assets in the plant to build an individual-based training plan for the technicians that support the business.

Unfortunately, most manufacturers use an asset-specific or OEM-specific training solution as opposed to looking at the fundamentals of troubleshooting, whether it’s hydraulics, pneumatics or mechanical systems.

To have that training really stick and for it to be sustainable, your people need those fundamentals. We go into plants all the time where an individual knows an asset well but can’t support the rest of the facility because they’ve become a specialist.

It’s difficult for most manufacturing entities to take on the asset management system, the technology strategy, the training, the hiring and the leadership of those teams, and do all of that as well as somebody like us can when that’s all we do. That’s our core business. And it’s a fundamental outsourcing argument, whether it’s maintenance or for other activities. Ultimately, customers choose to partner with us for maintenance for the same reason companies choose to outsource other functions, whether it’s logistics or other business processes. PE

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Mike Wrocklage

Manager

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SOLUTIONS

INDUSTRIAL LUBRICATION GUIDE

By Dr. Yulia Sosa

Review lubricant and grease storage and handling practices

Following safety protocols and procedures while handling lubricants is extremely important

Figure 1: Elements of a progressive lubrication program. Courtesy: Petro-Canada Lubricants

Proper lubricant storage and handling is an essential organizational task that is often unknowingly underestimated by service and maintenance personnel. Whether making gadgets, producing steel or manufacturing food items, companies become proficient in their top-line objectives, but often overlook the importance of a progressive lubrication program (see Figure 1). Establishing storage and handling processes is one of the key elements of this program, which, if implemented well, will result in economic and operating benefits as they help prevent damages, errors and occurrences of unnecessary costs while ensuring equipment reliability and uptime. Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) member Manuel A. Garcia, senior technical services advisor for Petro-Canada Lubricants LLC, said in a recent webinar presented by STLE Education, “We can add value to any business by assisting with good storage and handling practices.” This article is based on an STLE Education Webinar presented Oct. 14, 2020, by Garcia.

Good storage and handling practices begin with safeguarding product packaging identification and labeling, which is not only important for plant personnel health and safety, but also is necessary to prevent environmental pollution. Other key elements of good storage and handling practices include:

• Establishing proper handling and storage of lubricants when containers are being delivered and received on premises

Degradation of lubricants during storage

Product Maximum recommended storage

Oils

Greases

Five to 10 years

Two to three years

Table 1: Degradation of lubricants during storage. Courtesy: Petro-Canada Lubricants.

• Separation of new products from used oil containers

• Utilization of separate pumps, hoses and transfer containers by product family

• First-in and first-out (FIFO) product rotation

• Immediate disposal of lubricants that have exceeded their shelf life

• Establishing a color-coding system and product identification symbols

• Contamination avoidance and prevention.

In addition, practicing proper lubricants storage and handling techniques has economic and operating benefits. Economic benefits are associated with waste prevention due to:

• Leakage or spills from damaged containers

• Contamination due to exposure to dust, metal particles, fumes, moisture, etc.

• Degradation due to prolonged storage

• Residual product in containers at the time of disposal or return

• Mixing of different brands or types of lubricants that are incompatible

• Leakage, spills and drips when charging a reservoir or lubricating a machine.

Operating benefits are associated with improved uptime due to:

• Reduced downtime and cost of repairs

• Reduced material handling time and labor

• Systematic housekeeping.

SOLUTIONS

products, resulting in equipment failures. It is important to prevent contamination and safeguard cleanliness. “The single greatest opportunity for increasing component life and lowering operating costs is to effectively manage fluid cleanliness,” Garcia said.

Typically, contamination is external (foreign particles, other substances) or due to mixing oils of different viscosities. Any contamination might cause wear of critical parts and increase the oxidation of the lubricants, which ultimately reduces their life and can severely damage equipment.

Container storage and handling

Figure 2: A state-of-theart oil storage department.

Courtesy: Lubrigard Ltd.

Handling methods of 55-gallon drums

Following safety protocols and procedures while handling lubricating oils and greases is extremely important as negligent management can result in hazardous circumstances. Most packaged lubricants are sold in 55-gallon drums worldwide, and their drum weight can reach more than 400 pounds. These drums must be moved with caution and assistance of special equipment.

Basic storage and handling techniques must be met to implement a world-class lubricants program. “It does not matter how great our predictive and preventive maintenance practices are in any plant if we can’t assure the right clean oil at the right time and in the right amount in the machines,” said Garcia. As previously stated, a lubricants program should begin with receiving products in a proper manner, ensuring cleanliness and a contamination-free environment. All lubricant containers must be properly marked, and color/symbol coded to reduce any risks of misapplication.

Figure 3: A mini-bulk oil system with filtration of the oil in and out of the storage containers.

Courtesy: Lubrigard Ltd.

Most often, forklift trucks are used to transport drums in large quantities or over long distances. There are a variety of attachments available to handle 55-gallon drums by forklifts. For example, drum grabbers and clamp attachments enable operators to move single or multiple drums quickly and safely. In addition to having forklifts, some large facilities might install systems such as portable stackers, chain hoists, trolley on I-beam bridge, etc., which are optimal for handling a larger number of drums efficiently.

When forklifts are not available to assist with unloading drums, truck unloading is convenient with truck ramps or manual portable elevators (manually propelled elevated platforms). Hand pallet trucks, manual barrel trucks and triangular dollies can be used to haul drums manually from an unloading area to storage. A drum rolling method can be an alternative option. However, it is important to use a two-person buddy system for worker safety.

Contamination

Improper handling might lead to lubricant contamination, which affects the life and performance of

In Figure 2, a state-of-the-art oil storage department is shown that uses a color-coded program with matching lube tags on the transfer containers, locked cabinets and a temperature-controlled environment with sealed floors. Excellent housekeeping practices can be observed, which lead to a top-tier maintenance program. In Figure 3, a mini-bulk oil system with filtration of the oil in and out of the storage containers is shown, along with proper fluid identification and built-on spill containment for employees’ safety. Desiccant breathers are shown, which effectively remove head-space moisture and clean the air of any potential airborne particles.

Containers that must be stored outdoors must be labeled so as to withstand environmental conditions. Common guidelines to ensure error-free processes include:

• Properly labeled oil dispensers with the correct lubricant and color-coded lids

• Symbol(s) coded

• Lube tags on equipment oil-fill reservoirs.

Outdoor lubricant storage

Garcia said, “Drums stored upright and outdoors with standing moisture will breathe — hence, the drums will let air out of the head space area when they warm up during the day and will entrain air and moisture during the cooling process at night.” (See Figure 4) If the lubricants are stored outdoors, it is preferred to have drums sheltered and placed in a horizontal position

so the drum bungs would be at nine and three o’clock parallel to the ground (see Figure 5). “This prevents moisture from getting into the oil as these drums will breathe with change in temperature,” Garcia said.

Common rules when storing 55-gallon drums outdoors include:

• Store containers clear off the ground

• Cover the drum storage facility

• Place the drum bungs horizontally at nine and three o’clock positions

• Ensure appropriate labeling as labels do not weather well

• Drum lid covers should be used when drums are unsheltered.

Common rules when storing bulk containers include:

• They must be properly marked for easy identification

• Individual pumps and hoses must be segregated by product family

• Desiccant breathers should be used

• Fluid containment might be required.

Properly identified dispensing tools can prevent contamination ingress. There are varieties of dispensing tools available to use to transfer products from pails, drums, bulk, or otherwise. Such tools may include a drum faucet, rocker-type drum rack, hand-operated drum pump or pneumatic (air operated) pump, lever operated bucket pail pump, metal containers, pistol oilers, filter pumping units, filtration carts, or others.

Lubricant degradation during storage

The lubricant storage area should be organized in a safe and controlled manner that fulfills local health/ safety regulations and requirements. Long-term storage at moderate temperatures and humidity, and in other proper storage conditions as instructed by a lubricant producer, has a minimal effect on product quality. A guide outlining the approximate maximum typically recommended storage times for products that might degrade is shown in Table 1. However, it is important to consult with the producer of the specific product for precise storage guidelines.

All lubricants have a manufacturer suggested shelf life listed on the label, which is typically based on the chemical composition of the product and the additives used to make it. For example, automotive oils with many additives (such as motor, transmission, etc.) might have a shelf life of around five years. Conversely, some products such as cutting oils might have a shelf life of around one year for water soluble compositions and three years for a neat product. Soft greases

such as NLGI Grade 0 and softer might be shelved for around one to two years, whereas NLGI Grade 1 and stiffer for around three years. Other examples are base oils, oils with light additives and industrial oils (such as hydraulic, vacuum pump oils, etc.), which can be shelved for approximately three years.

As previously outlined, it is essential to establish FIFO rotation to prevent expiration. Optimally, products should always be stored according to the manufacturer’s shelf-life recommendation. In addition, there are general guidelines that should be followed to achieve a good storage and handling program:

• Discard expired inventory products and any product not being used or “not identifiable.”

• Create wall labels for drum storage, color coding by product category.

• Create a used oil (properly marked) disposal containment with an easy access to pick-up removal by a recycler.

• Proper lighting in the lubricant storage area and a temperature-controlled environment is desired.

• Use color-coded and dedicated transfer pumps for each lubricant.

• Purchase color-coded transfer containers to match pumps and equipment tags.

• Ensure continuous personnel training.

Ensuring proper lubricant storage and handling is an essential task of every site, but for it to be wellexecuted, leadership within an organization must take ownership of it. PE

Dr. Yulia Sosa is a freelance writer based in Peachtree City, Ga.

This article first appeared in Tribology & Lubrication Technology (TLT), the monthly magazine of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), an international not-for-profit professional society headquartered in Park Ridge, Ill., www.stle.org.

Figure 4: Moisture breathing in an upright drum.

Courtesy: Petro-Canada Lubricants

Figure 5: Drum bungs at nine and three o’clock positions parallel to the ground.

Courtesy: Petro-Canada Lubricants

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SOLUTIONS

INDUSTRIAL LUBRICATION GUIDE

By Dr. Nancy McGuire

Intermediate storage and handling of lubricants

Cleanliness, inventory management and safety precautions ensure ef cient operations

How effectively lubricants do their job, and for how long, depends on what they encounter between the supplier’s delivery truck and their destination in bearings, gears and other mechanical components. “We need to take the lubricant delivered to our facilities with extreme care and precision to make sure the integrity of the product, the labels and other factors stay intact and that the lubricant is as clean — or even cleaner, in many cases — than what is delivered from our suppliers,” said Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) member Manuel A. Garcia, senior technical services advisor for Petro-Canada Lubricants LLC, in a recent webinar presented by STLE Education. This article is based on an STLE Education Webinar presented Oct. 14, 2020, by Garcia.

TABLE 1:

Cumulative oil loss from hydraulic leaks (in gallons)

Leakage rate Daily loss Monthly loss Yearly loss

1 drop/10 seconds 0.112 3.36 40

1 drop/5 seconds 0.225 6.75 81

1 drop/second 1.125 33.75 405

3 drops/ second 3.75 112.5 1,350

Drops form a stream 24 720 8,640

Figure 1:

Color-coded grease cartridges and fill port caps.

Good storage and handling practices reduce oil usage by minimizing leaks, spills and drips from improperly closed containers and during transfer from containers to machine reservoirs. Contamination is reduced because lubricants are not exposed to dust, metal particles, fumes and moisture. Tracked and rotated lubricant inventories are less likely to degrade by being stored past their “use by” dates. Environmental contamination is reduced if residual oils and greases are cleaned from containers before they are disposed of. Proper labels, maintained in a legible condition, and a color-coding system reduce the likelihood that incompatible lubricants will be mixed in a machine.

The results are measurable in economic and opera-

Courtesy: Petro-Canada Lubricants

tional terms. “It costs 10 times as much to clean dirty oil as it costs to keep it clean in the first place,” Garcia said. “The single greatest opportunity for increasing component life and lowering operating costs is to effectively manage fluid cleanliness. It does not matter how great our predictive and preventive maintenance practices are in any plant if we can’t assure the correct clean oil at the right time, in the right amount, at the machines.”

Making sure the right lubricant goes into the right part of a system and avoiding unintentional mixing of lubricants pays off in reduced repair costs. Critical systems are less likely to fail if they are protected by lubricants with the right formulation for their operating temperatures, loads and speeds. The right lubricant formulation, uncontaminated by other lubricants, particulates and moisture, can prevent catastrophic failures of expensive systems, eliminate critical backstop repairs, reduce the overall budget for repair parts and reduce labor costs and downtime.

Oil room design

Oil storage rooms should be customized to suit the application (steel mill, food processing plant, etc.) as well as the size of the plant

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ure 1). Unopened drums are received and stored in the outermost room, which also can be used for filter cart storage.

Between the receiving room and the office is a “clean room,” a controlled-access space where lubricants are transferred from drums into smaller containers for transport to various parts of the plant. Because sealed containers are opened here, this room should have filtered air and temperature control. Sealed floors and walls make it easier to clean up spills. Lubricants should be segregated by product family, with a color-coding system to prevent crosscontamination or using the wrong lubricant.

Figure 2: Opportunities for contamination. Courtesy: STLE

they serve. The first rule of setting up an oil storage room is “location, location, location,” Garcia said. Plant workers must be able to get to the products effectively and efficiently, and the oil products should be close to the equipment where they are used. The overall layout, as well as storage containers and cabinets, should be planned with fire and worker safety in mind.

Records are kept in the office area. A designated person — an operations manager or a plant staff person — oversees receiving deliveries, billing and paperwork. This person also can manage record keeping and monitor storing and dispensing procedures.

Figure 3: A three-room storage facility. Courtesy: STLE

Lubricant containers should be stored in a way that makes it easy to rotate the stock. The general rule is “first in, first out” (FIFO) to keep older containers from being stranded past their expiration dates in the back of the storage room. Lubricant suppliers can provide date information corresponding to batch codes, and these codes can show which slow-moving products are nearing their expiration date.

One simple oil room layout uses three separate areas to reduce the risk of airborne contamination (see Fig-

In a one-room oil facility, unopened drums and empty drums are stored separately in designated areas (see Figure 2). Smaller transport containers are stored in lockers or cabinets, color coded according to the type of lubricant stored there. An HVAC system with air filters provides temperature control and minimizes the amount of dust and other particulates in the air. An air-lock door further limits the amounts of airborne contaminants entering the room.

Large operations might require satellite oil rooms, where lubricants are kept closer to the equipment (see Figure 3). These rooms can be freestanding sheds or inside rooms, but they must maintain best practices regarding cleanliness, storage procedures and documentation and color codes.

Shelves, cabinets, lockers and tank stands keep lubricants clean and organized, and they can reduce spills and worker injuries by making it easier to dispense lubricants into smaller containers for transport to the point of usage (see Figure 4). Storage cabinets of various sizes must have locks or other access control and fire safety ratings appropriate for the type of lubricants or equipment stored in them.

Storage tanks should be clearly labeled with the identity, vendor information, delivery date and use by date of the product inside. Color-coded labels, tags or container lids provide a quick check to avoid mix ups. Printed tags are easier to read than handwritten tags, which also tend to wear off easily.

CASE STUDY: Investigating a contamination situation

Proper storage and handling of lubricating oils and greases requires managing them “cradle to grave.” Garcia said, “A service call can serve as an opportunity for best-practices training. A technical representative on a walking tour of the plant floor and storage facilities with the end users, asking questions along the way, can identify the causes of most issues related to contamination control.”

He referred to an example of a customer who routinely found contaminant deposits at the bottom of his turbine generator oil barrels. These contaminants were not apparent when the containers were new, and the manufacturer had not reported problems, so a technical representative and a sales representative from the supplier scheduled a site visit to assess the problem firsthand.

The representatives found oil and grease containers stored in a dark, dirty, damp basement room (see Figure 5). New oil drums sat next to used oil drums, and various lubricants were stored in open, unmarked containers. Kerosene and gasoline containers shared the space with oily rags and open oil and grease containers. Funnels and pumps were covered in dust, dirt and rust. Beads of water condensation and leaking oil covered container lids. A board, used as a worktable, had been placed on top of several new oil drums, blocking off the breathers.

When plant operators needed to top off an oil reservoir, they inserted a drum pump into a large bulk drum. They transferred the needed amount into a metal bucket, which could have been releasing rust or dissolved

The oil coming out of clean room tanks should be at least as clean as — if not cleaner than — the way it was received from the vendor. Oil should be filtered when it is transferred from the vendor’s containers into storage containers in the clean room and filtered again when it is transferred into smaller containers for transport into the plant. Desiccant breathers, which might need to be upgraded from the ones supplied by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), help keep moisture and particulates as small as 0.5 micron out of a tank’s headspace. Portable filter carts are another effective tool for extending fluid life and reducing the amount of fluids purchased.

Because grease cannot be filtered in the same way oil can, it is more susceptible to particulate contamination. Grease containers must be stored in a dust-free locker, and anything that comes into contact with the grease, from containers to machine parts, must be kept dust-free

metals into the oil. Between refills, the pump was stored in the bucket, which was never cleaned. They typically used one or two gallons a week, so by the time the drum was empty, the pump had been inserted into the drum more than 20 times. Each time, the pump transferred some of the dirt, dust and oil residue from the bucket into the drum, and the contaminants built up in the drum over time. The portable filter cart was covered in dust, and the heavy dirt buildup on the hose and wand assembly was transferred into the generator’s oil reservoir every time the filter cart was used.

The supplier’s representatives reported their findings to the customer’s maintenance management team. They also provided hands-on training to the maintenance team on duty, showing them the proper procedures for keeping contaminants out of the oil barrels. They emphasized that following these procedures in the future will help the customer keep the oil in the turbine generator contaminant-free.

Doing it right

Garcia pointed out the importance of plant operators and managers working together with mechanics and maintenance personnel to prevent and remedy problems. Oil analysis from samples taken regularly from the same points using recommended procedures also can yield valuable information that can be used to identify and fix problems. Color coding and tagging equipment, good storage and handling techniques, desiccant breathers and portable filter carts, used consistently and correctly, can prevent problems from happening in the first place. The goal is a clean and organized storage area.

as well. Auto-greasers reduce the risk of particulate contamination by dispensing a shot of grease from a sealed reservoir to a component at prespecified intervals. These dispensers, which are especially good for electric motors or hard-to-reach bearings, have evolved from springloaded designs to “activate when needed” types, and they reduce over- and under-greasing of components.

Record keeping and controls

“Oil rooms and procedures must be designed to facilitate record keeping,” said Garcia. “Fluid deliveries and usage must be accurately metered and recorded. Record keeping not only saves costs by keeping track of the amounts and ages of your lubricants inventory, but it also helps to locate equipment leaks by comparing monthly consumption and comparing it to expected amounts.”

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Figure 4: A one-room storage facility.

Courtesy: STLE

Lubricant record keeping can be as simple as recording orders and deliveries on a clipboard or a computer spreadsheet, along with dates when plant workers take lubricants out of the storage room, how much and where it’s going. Periodically examining these records helps track which machines and departments use more oil than others and which applications are the most critical. Tracking lubricant use and storing containers in an organized fashion also ensures that there aren’t multiple partially used containers of fluid sitting around the storage room.

TABLE 3:

Satellite storage facilities.

Courtesy: Noria Corp.

Product consolidation — using a few multipurpose lubricants rather than many specialized products — can simplify and reduce lubricant purchasing cost, reduce and simplify storage requirements and reduce the risk of using the wrong lubricant or cross-contamination between products. For example, if a plant uses ISO 32, 46 and 68 hydraulic oils for various applications, it

TABLE 2: Recommended micron ltration levels

Equipment type ISO cleanliness code

Variable vane pump* 18/16/14

Variable piston pump* 17/15/13

Fixed gear pump* 19/17/15

Servo valves* 16/14/11

Proportional valves* 18/16/13

Ball bearings 15/13/11

Roller bearings 16/14/12

Journal bearings (less than 400 rpm) 18/16/14

Gearbox 17/15/13

*2,000 to 3,000 psi for pumps and valves

Courtesy: STLE

might be possible to use the ISO 46 oil for all of these. An oil analysis might reveal plant operators are already mixing these oils inadvertently. Before implementing a product consolidation plan, testing or advice from the vendor can help prevent costly mistakes. Product consolidation might not be feasible when specific lubricant types are required for equipment under warranty.

The effects of fluid leaks

If your records indicate a particular piece of machinery is going through oil much faster than it should, chances are some components are leaking. “In North America alone, an estimated 100 million gallons of fluid could be saved annually by eliminating external leakage from hydraulic machinery and other lubricated equipment,” Garcia said.

Leaks can increase fluid consumption, cause machinery to operate inefficiently, cause environmental damage and pose safety and accident liabilities (see Table 1). Leaks also contribute to premature machinery component failure and can result in poor manufactured product quality (e.g., discolored fabrics or off-flavor food). They increase capital costs and fluid disposal costs, and they contribute to ancillary costs like floor dry and pig products to sop up leaks.

The hydraulic fluid index (HFI) is a convenient way to monitor monthly fluid consumption and schedule leak inspections. The HFI is the ratio of fluid consumption to reservoir capacity, and it can be monitored on the facility, department or machine scale. “The average industrial plant,” Garcia said, “has an annualized HFI of about 3:1, but plants that are especially diligent about identifying and

repairing leaks can achieve an HFI of 1:1 or less.”

Going through an entire plant and finding all the leaks is a daunting task. Garcia said, “Significant savings can be achieved by applying the Pareto principle: Find and repair the 20% of your systems that account for 80% of your leakage. If your HFI numbers decrease over time, that means you’re operating your facility more efficiently.”

Housekeeping practices

Plant workers should be trained to observe best practice guidelines for keeping lubricants cool, clean, dry and free of dust. Dust acts as an insulator that traps heat inside machinery. It’s essential to wipe dust from gearbox housings and other components where it is prone to collect. Dip sticks and funnels should be wiped with a clean rag to remove dust and residual oil before they are inserted into a reservoir. Tank breather filters should be inspected, maintained and replaced regularly, and they should be wiped down with a clean rag to remove dust. All oil dispensing containers and equipment (funnels, grease guns, oil cans, etc.) should be kept clean and dry and stored in clean conditions.

Before injecting grease into a bearing or other part, all grease fittings must be wiped off with a clean rag. This not only ensures that dust doesn’t enter the component, but it also helps prevent oil from contaminating the grease. “No level of oil contamination (even down to the ppm level) is allowable in any oil or grease system,” Garcia said. Critical manufacturing equipment should have regular oil analysis to spot potential problems before they get out of hand.

safety

storage cabinets

other

fire

Clean, dry oil extends equipment life

Clean rooms, locked cabinets and color-coded systems might sound like they belong more in a hospital than in a manufacturing plant but keeping lubricants clean and segregated can save significant time and money on equipment replacement and repair.

ISO cleanliness codes quantify the amounts of various sizes of particles in a lubricant. Three numbers indicate 4-micron, 6-micron and 14-micron particle counts per milliliter of fluid. For example, an ISO cleanliness code of 18/16/13 indicates 2,136 particles counted greater than 4-microns, 463 particles counted greater than 6-microns and 63 particles greater than 14-microns per milliliter of fluid. Comparing ISO codes for current lubricant conditions with recommended levels provides an idea of how running cleaner fluids can extend service life for various types of systems (see Table 2).

In Table 3, initial ISO cleanliness levels are shown in the tan boxes in the left column. Improving ISO cleanliness values in the red boxes in the top row extends service life by the factors indicated in the white boxes where the row and column intersect. The legend at the bottom left indicates the types of parts for each number in the white boxes. For example, going from 22/20/17 to 17/15/12 extends the service life of hydraulics and diesel engines by a factor of 4. Table 4 shows similar information for the benefits of reducing moisture contamination. For example, reducing the moisture level in a mineral-based oil from 2,500 ppm to 156 ppm extends service life by a factor of 5. PE

Nancy McGuire is a freelance writer based in Silver Spring, Md.

This article first appeared in Tribology & Lubrication Technology (TLT), the monthly magazine of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), an international not-for-profit professional society headquartered in Park Ridge, Ill., www.stle.org.

TABLE 4: Custom lube tank dispensing stand. Oil is filtered going in and coming out. Courtesy: Noria Corp

SOLUTIONS

INDUSTRIAL LUBRICATION GUIDE

By Andrea R. Aikin

Predictive maintenance best practices

Best practice strategies involve reducing maintenance costs and improving equipment performance

Industry used to rely on two primary equipment maintenance strategies or philosophies: reactive and preventive. Reactive maintenance is simply fixing things when they break down. However, that concept is nearly inconceivable with today’s complex equipment. The next strategy is preventive maintenance, which involves following a scheduled maintenance program.

Following World War II, industry went beyond the ideas of reactive and preventive maintenance to predictive and proactive maintenance strategies. Predictive maintenance uses sample data to allow coordinating maintenance programs to predict and respond to equipment failures before they occur. The benefits of this approach include minimizing equipment downtime while reducing maintenance costs by eliminating unnecessary scheduled maintenance. The key is performing the right tests on the right equipment at the right time to predict when maintenance is needed.

KEY CONCEPTS

• Condition monitoring is the process of measuring equipment parameters that can include vibration, temperature and oil condition, among other things.

• Predictive maintenance uses the data resulting from condition monitoring techniques to predict equipment health and identify when maintenance is needed to prevent expensive equipment failure.

• Effective predictive maintenance programs reduce needed maintenance, while increasing reliability and reducing costs.

Proactive maintenance involves the use of processes like root cause analysis and failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) to determine why an asset failed so the cause might be eliminated and risk can be managed effectively. Some aspects of predictive technologies also can be used to identify the presence of failure root causes prior to equipment damage taking place. Using the technologies and taking appropriate action prior to equipment damage falls into the proactive domain.

Predictive maintenance

“Condition monitoring” is the process of measuring equipment parameters (e.g., vibration, temperature, lubricant analysis, etc.) to identify changes that could predict impending equipment failure. Predictive maintenance analysts act on those measurements by using them to predict when maintenance is necessary.

By identifying and detecting equipment failure modes and predicting the failure progression rate, effective condition monitoring programs allow preventive action to be taken without unplanned downtime. This amounts to predictive maintenance, which uses different technologies, including vibration analysis, lubricant analysis, infrared thermography and ultrasonics to achieve that goal.

Predictive maintenance strategies can lengthen a machine’s lifespan by addressing issues before they develop into expensive failures, while reducing unnecessary maintenance. Condition monitoring programs are becoming more common as organizations recognize how they can increase reliability and reduce costs.

Failure mode and effect analysis

ASTM D7874 standard defines FMEA as, “an analytical approach to determine and address methodically all possible system or component failure modes and their associated causes and effects on system performance.” Effectively applying the FMEA process hinges on an understanding of machine design requirements and equipment operating conditions, which lead to the identification of potential failure modes.

STLE member Lisa Williams, technical solutions specialist at Spectro Scientific in Chelmsford, Mass., notes the first step in applying FMEA is selecting the components to test, then identifying the possible failure modes associated with those components. For each component, the causes and effects of each failure mode are identified. Each

TABLE 1: Types of data trending analyses

Type Technique Analysis Best use

Cumulative trending Monitor a linear trend with the sample data.

Rise-over-run trending

Look at current versus previous data points while factoring in time on equipment and the standard sample interval.

Percent change Calculate the change of the current data point over the previous data point as a percentage change.

Differential trend

A data point on the current sample is viewed against the previous sample for a visual increase/ decrease.

Most used method and most useful on equipment frequently sampled with consistent sample intervals.

Best at detecting abnormal data points and when sampling intervals are consistent, as variable sample intervals can produce uncertain results.

Most effective when equipment is used continuously. Works well for real-time data where there is a high sample rate, such as online sensors.

Used to trend wear data like ppm iron, copper, lead or tin, where the concentration is important, along with the time required to meet that concentration.

Effective with certain data points evaluating large groups of the same equipment with approximately the same sample interval. Not effective with data showing concentrations greater than 10 ppm.

Simplistic approach that does not consider other factors.

Used in measuring viscosity, remaining useful life and rotating pressure vessel oxidation test (RPVOT), where the test values cannot increase or decrease beyond a certain percentage.

Commonly used for additive metals using and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) or rotating disc electrode (RDE) spectrometer, where a baseline oil value is compared against samples. When values become too low, other methods should be used to con rm additive depletion (e.g., oxidation, viscosity increase, remaining useful life.

Adapted from Ed Eckert and Lisa Williams.

failure mode is given a severity number (S) and an occurrence frequency number (O) to allow calculation of a criticality number (S x O). The criticality number permits prioritization among the different failure modes and allows determination of whether lubricant analysis can be applied to detect the failure mode.

ASTM D7874 states, “The FMEA methodology prioritizes failure modes based on how serious the consequences of their effects are (S) and how frequently they are expected to occur (O).” ASTM D7874 includes a ranked-number scale for S and O for in-service fluid analysis.

If lubricant analysis can identify the failure mode, the next step is identifying the required test. A detection ability number (D) is used to rank how easily and reliably the failure mode can be detected using the chosen lubricant test.

To cross-check calculations, a comparison of the criticality number and the detection ability number should indicate that the failure modes with the highest criticality numbers also have the highest detection ability numbers. Williams said, “This

means the likelihood of catching failure modes with the selected fluid analysis test(s) is high.” In contrast, a mismatch between the two numbers could indicate a weakness in failure mode detection, requiring adjustments to enhance the program.

Test methods and sampling frequency

According to Williams, the most intimidating part of developing a condition monitoring program can be selecting the test programs and sampling frequency.

Williams identifies three key points to help develop this part of a condition monitoring program: 1. Determine which assets are critical. “Critical” can be defined as a certain dollar amount per hour or through safety regulations or other concepts. Whatever are chosen to be critical will be the routinely tested assets.

2. Consider what typically goes wrong on these machines. This will clarify what tests should be run. Williams said, “80% of machine failures are due to dirty oil,” meaning that a starting

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point is likely filtration. Moisture (i.e., ppm water) also is a common issue for many applications. A slate of tests can be built over time as process knowledge is developed. Simple screening tests can indicate a need for more advanced tests when the data warrants a deeper investigation.

3. Consider testing frequency. “In general, sample intervals should be short enough to provide at least two samples prior to failure,” Williams said. Establishing the sampling interval requires data, which can come from a previous failure mode or be generated through a sampling study. Initially, more frequent sampling is the most conservative approach, but sampling frequency can be adjusted over time as more data is gathered.

As not all failure modes can be found through lubricant analysis, it is important to go through the initial steps of identifying all failure modes, applying a criticality number, then deciding if lubricant analysis testing can help with those modes. “The highly analytical process of FMEA can really help identify all failure modes and provide clear direction on appropriate actions that need to be taken,” Williams said.

Oil analysis testing

Williams said, “When applied correctly, lubricant analysis can be the earliest indicator of impending machine failures.” To develop an effective lubrication program, FMEA can be used to select the correct equipment to test and the right tests to use to evaluate the specific failure modes.

TLT editor Evan Zabawski, senior technical advisor at TestOil, headquartered in Strongsville, Ohio, said that determining which oil analysis testing method and frequency should be employed for specific equipment depends on the oil analysis program’s goals. Zabawski said that common goals, and the corresponding tests to measure those goals, include:

1. Reducing oil consumption by extending drain intervals. Possible tests for effective timing between intervals include testing for fluid

properties with acid number, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and viscosity.

2. Extending component life by monitoring wear. Wear tests include elemental spectroscopy and analytical ferrography to test for wear metals.

3. Increasing reliability by predicting impending failures. This can be tested by measuring contaminants by particle count in the oil.

Ed Eckert, technical sales for Burkett Oil Co. in Norcross, Ga., said that oil analysis laboratories have standard test packages designed for different types of equipment and can assist in determining appropriate sampling intervals. “Some original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have branded programs contracted with oil analysis labs, which have specific test packages and guidelines for sampling of their equipment,” Eckert said. Most oil companies also have programs with their preferred oil analysis lab and can assist in identifying the appropriate testing and sampling intervals.

Testing frequency hinges on several variables (e.g., criticality, expense, reliability, efficiency, environment, operating conditions). When testing does not occur frequently enough, problems can be missed, while too frequent testing can make abnormalities difficult to spot or lead to “analysis paralysis” from too much data. Zabawski said, “The most common starting point frequency is either monthly (common in mobile applications) or quarterly (common in stationary applications), with adjustments as deemed necessary,” based on relevant variables.

Zabawski notes that the acquired data must be useful. For example, if oil degradation is being measured, but the oil drain interval is on a short schedule, that test might not provide value. In other words, if the oil drain interval is 500 hours and the expected life of the fluid is 1,500 to 2,000 hours, testing the oil degradation is not helpful information for that equipment and process.

Williams notes that successful oil analysis programs have the common theme of having an employee champion who is dedicated to the pro-

“ If lubricant analysis can identify the failure mode , the next step is identifying the required test. ”

gram and has taken the time to learn about the subject and establish the program within the organization. Without a champion, these programs are difficult to maintain over the long term. Specific training around tribology, failure analysis, oil analysis and ferrography can make the champion successful.

Setting alarm limits

Alarm limits are intended to notify the operator that action needs to be taken. The goal of a limit is to funnel data down and free the operator from laboriously wading through data to find the exceptional situations.

Sometimes OEMs provide information on how to set alarm or condemning limits for fluids. However, Williams and Zabawski note that the OEMs’ recommendations usually do not include all the parameters needed and might not be useful to a particular application. Zabawski said, “Lubricant supplier limits frequently focus on physical properties and contaminants, but the limits represent the level of contaminants the lubricant can handle and not necessarily the machine, and are affected by operating conditions, predominantly oil drain interval.”

When alarm limits are not set by OEMs, equipment operators can determine alarm limits either statistically based on manufacturer, model or oil type, or they can be trend based. Combining statistical and trend-based approaches is synergistic. For example, Zabawski notes that a limit tends to be static, only applying as a threshold near the endof-drain interval, while trend-based limits can spot abnormalities during all the mid-interval samples as well as at the end-of-drain samples. A rule of thumb is to set alarms lower when the oil volume is greater, the drain interval is shorter and/or if the speed or load is lower. However, there is no one limit fits all generalization.

According to Eckert, ASTM D7720 is the most common method for determining alarm limits and “is a good reference to use when developing alarm limits with in-service oil analysis data populations.”

Regardless of how the limits are developed, Eckert said, “The best method is the method that accurately represents a ‘normal’ operating condition and does not produce false alarms.”

Williams said, “The calculation of alarm limits should initially be developed based upon a review of a statistically acceptable population of pertinent data along with data associated with failures (if available).” Williams recommends “a sampling study where the machine is under normal operat-

ing conditions and gathering at least four or five samples over time to develop a trend.” This data permits the development of averages for normal machine behavior to permit establishing alarms and condemning limits using simple standard deviation techniques. Williams offers the following example: “If the sample data point falls outside of one standard deviation from the average but still within two standard deviations, the sample would be considered marginal — more than two standard deviations away from the average, the sample would be considered critical.”

An initial sampling study is important to understanding a machine’s normal operating conditions. Alarms can then be set through statistics, then refined by applying trending rules to the sample

set to permit the recognition of a problem worth addressing. Williams notes that the ASTM D7720 and D7669 standards provide more information on how to establish “normal” operating conditions.

Zabawski said that the usefulness of static alarm limits is limited, as they are based on statistical analysis of a common grouping of machines under similar operating conditions. This means the limit has merit if the “machine is operated under similar conditions (e.g., load, speed, temperature, ambient environment) for a similar sampling and drain interval.” When any variable changes, that limit loses relevance. Additionally, over-reliance on alarms shifts focus from identifying underlying trends that might truly predict a failure before it occurs, regardless of alarm state.

“ One of the oil analysis program’s common goals is reducing oil consumption by extending drain intervals. Possible tests for effective timing between intervals include testing for fluid properties with acid number, FTIR spectroscopy and viscosity. ”

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Statistical process control

Statistical process control (SPC) is a statistical technique that can be applied to condition monitoring and alarm limits. Zabawski said that SPC evaluates the distribution of a data set (e.g., the bell curve, where most data points are close to the mean of the whole group). Following ASTM D7720 guidelines, Zabawski said, “The model is based on plus-or-minus three sigma or standard deviations — 68.27% of the data set falls into the first sigma, 95.45% within the second and 99.73% within the third.” Following these guidelines, the first warning limit would be set at the value of the second sigma, with the upper control limit set at the value of the third sigma.

While SPC can work well when one sample is taken per drain interval with results about the same value, Zabawski said that when multiple samples are taken throughout the drain interval, the calculation is less useful.

approach will provide the best available data to establish “normal.” Zabawski said, “Consistency is the key, because inconsistencies add noise to the data and make it harder to interpret.”

Eckert notes the saying: “The trend is your friend.” He said the best data for trending hinges on “taking the sample from the same place and the right place on the equipment, as close as possible with time on oil (e.g., every 250 hours oil time), to provide the best data for trending.” Eckert notes that trending data has benefits over just alarm limits as trending “will provide the operator the time to recognize an issue (e.g., wear, contamination, oil condition) before a flag will be raised with set alarm limits.”

When interpreting sampling data, Eckert said the cumulative trend, which uses a simple plot line on a graph, is likely the most common analysis method (see Table 1). This method allows the user to visually see a notable increase or decrease in the trend of a single data point or in grouped data. Eckert has found that oil analysis laboratories usually have web-based software available to graphically represent the sample data to permit trending analysis. When there is a high level of confidence in the sampling technique, Eckert finds trend data evaluation more useful in detecting potential problems than set alarm limits. However, when sampling technique confidence is low, trend data might be questionable.

Strategies for trending data analysis

ASTM D7669 provides different strategies for trending data, including cumulative trending, riseover-run trending, percent change and difference (delta) trending.3 Table 1 summarizes the four different types of trend analysis and their best uses.

Zabawski said, “Deviations from the normal trend have a far better chance of identifying faults at their earliest stages than any static limit.” According to Zabawski, the most important thing to ensure the success of an oil analysis program is to establish “what is normal” and then observe when it is not “normal.” This means that the program hinges on proper sampling, which is “pulling from a representative, consistent sample point using a proper, consistent procedure at a consistent interval.” This

When a good representative data population is established and consistent sampling occurs, Eckert finds trend analysis can be used to determine the optimal drain interval, allowing maintenance to be scheduled at the optimal time. With historical data trends and maintenance records, an operator can use trends to identify when an excessive wear event is happening in a piece of equipment. This information also can be used to determine which equipment part is the source of the wear.

Final thoughts

Predictive maintenance programs reduce the need for equipment maintenance, while increasing reliability and reducing costs. However, establishing an effective program requires investment in the process and an understanding of the principles to identify the type of data to collect, as well as the frequency of collection, to arrive at the best possible program for the piece of equipment. PE

References

1. ASTM D7874 (2018), “Standard guide for applying failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) to

“ The usefulness of static alarm limits is limited, as they are based on statistical analysis of a common grouping of machines under similar operating conditions. ”

in-service lubricant testing,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa. DOI: 10.1520/D787413R18, www.astm.org.

2. ASTM D7720-11 (2017), “Guide for statistically evaluating measurand alarm limits when using oil analysis to monitor equipment and oil for fitness and contamination,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa. DOI: 10.1520/D7720-11R17, www.astm.org.

3. ASTM D7669 (2020), “Standard guide for practical lubricant condition data trend analysis,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa. DOI: 10.1520/D7669-20, www.astm.org.

4. Zabawski, E. (Sept. 25, 2017), Oil Analysis Trending vs. Alarm Limits. https://testoil.com/programmanagement/trending-vs-alarm-limits/.

Additional resources

1. https://www.roadtoreliability.com/reliabilitycentered-maintenance-principles/.

2. https://www.machinerylubrication.com/ Read/28520/setting-oil-analysis-limits.

3. ASTM D6224 (2016), “Standard practice for inservice monitoring of lubricating oil,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa. DOI: 10.1520/D6224-16, www.astm.org.

4. ASTM D4378 (2020), “Standard practice for inservice monitoring of mineral turbine oils for steam and gas turbines,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa. DOI: 10.1520/D437820, www.astm.org.

Andrea R. Aikin is a freelance science writer and editor based in the Denver area.

This article first appeared in Tribology & Lubrication Technology (TLT), the monthly magazine of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), an international not-for-profit professional society headquartered in Park Ridge, Ill., www.stle.org.

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SOLUTIONS

INDUSTRIAL LUBRICATION GUIDE

By Lynne Peskoe-Yang

Basics of used oil analysis

Used oil analysis (UOA) is a series of physical and electrochemical tests on an oil sample used to learn about the oil performance and the condition of the rest of the machine. Typical tests include using a spectrograph, which detects and measures specific elements in the sample; a ferrograph, which pumps the sample across a magnetic field and sorts iron-containing wear particles by size; and various means of pH and viscosity testing to analyze the quality of the oil.

The telltale lubricant

The purpose of used oil analysis is to examine the effect of usage on the oil. Oil itself has a limited lifetime and shows characteristic signs when it nears the end of its peak performance. A lubricant’s most important quality is its viscosity, which tends to decrease over time with use, overheating and contamination, leading to potentially disastrous results. “If the oil is too thin, loss of oil pressure and metal-to-metal contact will occur,” said Edward Eckert, tribology diagnostics manager at ALS Global. Used oil analysis also can point technicians to oil-related maintenance issues including the tendency to wait too long between oil drains.

The secondary purpose of UOA is to provide information about the less accessible components in the asset. “UOA also can pick out issues related to environmental ingress, coolant leaks, fuel system concerns, overheating [and] cross-contamination with another lubricant,” said STLE-member Roger L. Young, a senior field technical advisor for Imperial Oil. As the oil moves through the system, it picks up debris including metals from internal wear and contamination from other systems or from the outside environment. These events leave characteristic traces in the used oil. By testing the pre-circulated fluid, technicians can diagnose many engine issues, as well as minimize oil wastage and overuse.

A diagnostic battery

Elemental analysis, a key component of used oil analysis, can reveal problems throughout the machine long before they become emergencies. Technicians use spectrographs to determine the relative presence of trace elements in the sample and to identify residue from various internal problems including component break-

down, intrusion from internal systems like coolants and other fluids and contamination from the environment.

Each problem leaves traces in the used oil sample. Elevated iron, aluminum and chromium levels, for example, “would indicate cylinder wear and possible piston scuffing,” as many pistons are made from these metals, Eckert said. Other combinations must be compared to data from the rest of the engine. High levels of lead and copper together, with or without elevated tin, suggest bearing wear, while the presence of excessive aluminum and potassium is difficult to read without insight about the age and condition of the engine.

To diagnose external contamination, UOA technicians look for the hallmarks of the most common and destructive contaminants first including soot, fuel, coolant and oxidation byproducts. But the most dangerous substance that finds its way into the sample is more familiar. “Dirt is the most severe type of contamination, as dirt is abrasive and will ‘dust’ the engine in no time,” Eckert said. The composition of dirt varies by location, typically a 3-4:1 ratio of silicon to aluminum, depending on geography. Thus, even the location of the engine’s operation is essential information for proper UOA.

Sample etiquette

“There are many factors that can affect accuracy such as workforce experience, training, technique, work environment and even proper tools and resources to do the job correctly,” Young said. “Depending on how the sample was affected, it can make the results slightly unreliable or a total loss.” The most common problems with UOA samples include mislabeling, contamination and mistakenly sampling filtered oil or oil from the wrong place in the system. “If the sample is contaminated by the environment, the results could indicate false positives for contamination,” said Young.

However, “it is easy for a seasoned individual to recognize when a sample is a bad sample,” said Eckert. For example, the sample might be too clean, the results might not fit the trends for this machine, or there might be traces of brand-new chemicals in the oil, which would suggest a mislabeled sample. All these insights depend on full knowledge of not only the materials involved but the effects of usage on previous oil samples.

Oil behavior in different applications can vary widely, even if the lubricants are the same. “Knowing the make and model of the engine is extremely important in the evaluation of an engine sample,” said Eckert. Problems like fuel dilution, overheating and excessive soot leave characteristic traces in the UOA sample depending on the way they manifest in a particular engine, providing more clues to the technician seeking to diagnose the issue.

Baseline measurements, like an analysis of an unused sample of the same oil in the UOA sample, also can help technicians isolate and diagnose problems that might otherwise be hidden by quirks of the machine or its environment.

Customer education

Unfortunately, the measurements are only useful if they come from consistent samples. For engine diagnostics, change over time is an important metric. The best UOA insights come from technicians who have all available information on the specific machine application, the oil used and the trends from previous UOAs on an accurate timeline. As Eckert tells customers, when analyzing the results of a UOA, “The trend is your friend.”

The OEM has the final word on where, how and how often each oil should be sampled, but other information can supplement the manufacturer’s knowledge to help customers care for a specific application. Young and Eckert regularly direct customers to explanatory videos and articles to show how professionals conduct UOAs in similar settings. As a technical advisor, Young also gives seminars on lubrication technology where sample best practices are discussed and demonstrated.

For Eckert, education is the key to correct sampling practice. “When samples are not taken properly, it is due mostly to lack of training and education in how to properly take an oil sample. Being consistent, taking the sample from the same place and practicing good sampling techniques will ensure quality and reliable data from the lab.” PE

Lynne Peskoe-Yang is a freelance writer based in Tarrytown, N.Y.

This article first appeared in Tribology & Lubrication Technology (TLT), the month-

ly magazine of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), an international not-for-profit professional society headquartered in Park Ridge, Ill., www.stle.org.

SOLUTIONS

INDUSTRIAL LUBRICATION GUIDE

By Chuck Coe

What’s different about grease?

Greases lubricate about 90% of all rolling element bearings

Many myths and misconceptions exist about what grease is, what it’s used for and how it works.

You’re no doubt familiar with oil lubricants like hydraulic oils, turbine oils, gear oils and so forth. They have one thing in common; they are composed of base oil(s) and performance additives. The oil keeps the moving surfaces separated and the additives improve protection from wear, seizure, rust, and many other detrimental factors.

How is grease different? It’s like an oil lubricant but adds a third component called a thickener. The thickener is a semi-soluble material, which when dispersed uniformly in the oil, provides body and structure to the lubricant. The oil (and additives) do most of the lubricating and the thickener keeps the lubricant in place. That is what grease is all about – staying in place. An oil does a great job at lubricating and removing

Figure 1: The thickener of a grease is a 3D network of fibers or particles that forms a framework for the oil.

heat, but requires a closed system, which may include a pump, filter, heat exchanger or other equipment.

Due to their inherent lubricating abilities, greases lubricate around 90% of all rolling element bearings!

What is grease?

The thickener in grease plays a key role. It makes grease have a semi-solid form that allows it to stay in place in an application and resist leakage. For the same reason, grease forms a seal against contaminants such as dust and moisture in the environment. It can stay in place because it resists water spray and centrifugal forces.

How do thickeners work? The thickener is a 3D network of fibers or particles that forms a framework for the oil. The thickener does not dissolve in the oil, and it does not separate from the oil. The thickener is dispersed in the oil. There are 3 main types of thickeners 1) soaps – formed by reacting fatty acids with alkali metal salts, 2) non-soaps – formed by in-situ chemical reactions in oil, and 3) dispersions of solid particles of clay, silica, pigment, or polymer in oil (See Figure 1).

Soap-based greases make up the majority of greases, somewhere around 90%. Soap-based greases include aluminum, aluminum complex, anhydrous and hydrated calcium, calcium complex, lithium, lithium complex, sodium, and titanium. Non-soaps include polyurea, clay, calcium sulfonate and sulfonate complex.

Greases are typically composed of somewhere in the range of 80% – 90% base oil, 2% – 20% thickener and zero – 15% additives. The type and amount of thickener are what determines the grease consistency, or “stiffness.” Grease consistency is measured by a penetrometer which evaluates how far a weighted cone penetrates into a sample of grease in tenths of a millimeter. The most common consistency is an NLGI #2 grade, which means the grease is soft like butter (see Figure 2). A #2 grade grease’s penetration would be 265 – 295. Stiffer greases include #3 grade, which is 220 – 250, and softer greases include #1 grade, which is 310 – 340. These are the most common consistencies, but the full range runs from #000 (semi-fluid) to #6, which is block grease. Grease consistency is an important property, as it affects how easily it can be pumped and how tenacious the grease is in staying put.

Grease specification

Many people think that a grease’s consistency and the thickener type (e.g., #2 grade lithium) define the grease. However, the thickener type and consistency only affect inherent properties like grease mobility, water resistance and temperature range.

Figure 2: Grease consistency is measured by a penetrometer which evaluates how far a weighted cone penetrates into a sample of grease in tenths of a millimeter. Courtesy: NLGI

What they don’t define is the lubrication capability. Since the base oil, plus additives, do most of the lubricating, we need to know what the right base oil viscosity should be to meet the bearing or other lubricated part requirements based on speed, load, temperature and environment. We also need to know what environmental challenges the grease will face to determine what type additives may be needed.

Therefore, a description such as “#2 grade lithium grease” does not tell you much about how well a grease will lubricate a given application!

A good start when selecting a grease for an application is to consider the new NLGI High-Performance Multiuse (HPM) grease specification and go from there. This grease specification offers a core set of testing standards as well as four performance enhancement tags. For more information, please visit www.nlgi.org or contact NLGI at nlgi@nlgi. org or 816-524-2500. PE

Chuck Coe has been involved with the technical and marketing aspects of lubricating grease for more than 40 years and sits on The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) board of directors. Over the next year, the NLGI will be contributing content to Plant Engineering about grease, a critical but poorly understood lubricant and protector of assets.

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Past System Integrator of the Year winners—Class of 2021, Class of 2020, and Class of 2019—are not eligible to enter the 2022 System Integrator of the Year program.

What’s in it for the winners?

The chosen System Integrator of the Year winners will receive worldwide recognition from Control Engineering and Plant Engineering The winners also will be featured as the cover story of the Global System Integrator Report, distributed in December 2021.

How will the competition be judged?

Control Engineering and Plant Engineering’s panel of judges will conscientiously evaluate all entries. Three general criteria will be considered for the selection of the System Integrator of the Year:

Business skills

Technical competence

Customer satisfaction

SOLUTIONS

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

By Mo Abuali, PhD and Isaac Bennett

Smart manufacturing: Five strategies for smashing silos

The concept of smart manufacturing, including the many technologies and solutions that transform and optimize manufacturing, isn’t new. It’s been around for more than two decades. However, even with its relatively mature status, many manufacturers find it to be a target that remains beyond their reach.

One might want to blame the continually evolving technology landscape, which requires regular evaluation and investment, or the reliance on old ways of doing business that still serve some manufacturers reasonably well.

While these barriers to running smart factories carry some weight, often, the biggest inhibitor is the people side of the people, process and technology three-legged stool. Manufacturers can get processes in place following industry best practices. They can explore the advantages of low-cost, smart technology options. Most internet of things (IoT) devices cost in the hundreds of dollars, not thousands. But “fixing” the people part, well, that’s another story.

Fortunately, for manufacturers who want to make 2021 the year to embrace smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 technologies, there are people-centered strategies that can mend the wobbly or broken third leg of the stool.

How to break through silo walls

In many manufacturing businesses (and other industries, too), the organization is structured to support a siloed way of doing business. People in the silos — whether they work in information technology (IT), finance, sales or on the production floor — have been taught to do things in a particular way (see Figure 1). They often can’t shake the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” or “management doesn’t want our input” mindsets, which stymies change.

These perceptions and others are what makes it so challenging to get people to think beyond the walls of their departments, but there are proven strategies for breaking through.

To keep the businesses’ eye on the smart manufacturing prize:

1. Focus on the value of data

2. Foster a culture of innovation

3. Establish a smart manufacturing steering committee

4. Empower digital change champions

5. Make internal communications a change management priority.

1. Focus on the value of data, from shop floor to top floor

Smart manufacturing’s foundation is rooted in Big Data — “smart data” that doesn’t just exist in one place but is connected to other organizational data and offers actionable insights for the business, including what can be done faster, cheaper, better or more safely.

Data from the shop floor, which might be thought of as raw data, needs to permeate throughout the entire company. Understanding the full set of data is eye-opening and can sometimes scare people. For example, knowing what’s happening on the plant floor whether it’s related to downtime, inventory issues or the volume of scrap — brings a level of transparency to the table required for transformative change.

If departmental data needs to flow in the proper way and “collaborate” with other data, the people who work throughout the organization must collaborate too. Senior leaders and plant supervisors who can help their managers and teams understand data’s cumulative value and how it benefits the organization will find more support for their smart manufacturing initiatives.

2. Foster a culture of innovation

One of the best exercises to light the smart manufacturing fire in a company is to regularly bring people together from every department to share their areas’ obstacles and discuss what’s possible if problems are addressed.

Smart manufacturing, by nature, is about innovation. An IT person won’t have the same viewpoint as a person from production or finance. They will have their own processes and biases and thoughts about innovation. When multiple perspectives are brought together, problems are aired and solutions are raised

’That’s the way we’ve always done it’ is not ‘smart manufacturing’

(hopes, too). This is when the seeds of innovation grow and thrive, and the full vision of smart manufacturing begins to take hold.

Innovative thinking will expand when one looks beyond the company as a silo, too. Consider bringing in outside perspectives to foster change and new ways of thinking and working. Bring an innovation expert in to lead a workshop or ask a representative from a peer manufacturer or respected industry supplier to speak to teams. Look to supporting technologies such as innovation software where people can use an internal portal to post and discuss ideas related to innovation.

3. Establish a steering committee

A firm-wide mindset focused on innovation and smart manufacturing principles is a great foundation. But smaller groups are necessary to keep the focus going forward.

One method for doing so is to establish a digital steering committee on smart manufacturing made up of representatives from all departments (see Figure 2).

If you run more than one plant location or do business in multiple regions or countries, include representation from those facilities, too.

Your steering committee’s should include::

• Finding change champions throughout the organization

• Vetting smart manufacturing use cases and collecting ideas for change

• Evaluating short-term costs that can yield longterm gain

• Strong decision-making, including allocating the right business resources

• Regularly and clearly communicating what changes are being considered and which are coming.

Make sure your people know the steering committee’s virtual door is always open and they understand the process for providing input and the committee’s role in evaluating submitted use cases and ideas.

4. Empower digital change champions

Change champions are the people in the organization who are vital to the success of smart manufacturing initiatives. They carry the “smart” flag for change in their respective areas and can collect ideas, feeding them up to the steering committee.

Have at least one champion per key department and facility, maybe more. Be sure to include people on the shop floor, so input on obstacles and how to innovate come from more than just your management.

5. Make internal communications a priority

Despite best intentions, change management efforts don’t always transform company culture as quickly or as completely as organizations hope (see Figure 3). This happens with adopting smart manufacturing processes and technology as well; people don’t fully support what all is needed for change.

In IT, we find ourselves regularly in the role of getting people to adopt the new technologies we invested in. But while we can force technology on people, we can’t get them to adopt it unless they understand and accept it — and that’s why effective communication plays a huge role in any transformation effort.

Figure 1: Organizational silos provide needed

structure, but they can inhibit collaboration and innovation.

Courtesy: IoTco

Figure 2: The most effective steering committee structure includes individuals from not just the C-Suite and senior management but representatives from all key business areas.

Courtesy: IoTco

SOLUTIONS

between the needs of corporate and the needs of the plant. Then, the organization must intelligently map the needs, making sure smart manufacturing technologies can address these and be scaled across other locations.

Celebrate small wins

Figure 3:

The change management conundrum: Technology changes at an exponential rate, while changes in human behavior and organizational culture take more time. Courtesy: IoTco

We believe there’s no such thing as too much communication. Helping people understand how smart manufacturing efforts can make their jobs easier or can make the company more money, so that they can make more money, is a recurring and worthwhile task.

It’s more than just ‘technology’

As manufacturing consultants, what we often see when starting to work with a company is they often want to look at technology first. We see their IT organization leading the initiative and discover the effort’s detachment from the factory floor and the people running the machines.

We also see turf wars and communication gaps. When IT doesn’t get operation technology’s buy-in or technology is pushed top-down from leadership, initiatives stall or don’t find enough traction. IT can recommend and implement smart manufacturing technologies all day. But if no one fully understands or uses the technology — or if users and other stakeholders feel left out of the decision in any way — the impact reverberates across the entire organization.

Challenges are similar

Manufacturers of all sizes can benefit from smart manufacturing technologies and the power of a collective mindset that supports them. Whether your organization is large or small and no matter where you are in your smart factory transformation journey, you likely experience the same people-problems as others do — how to get people together, encourage collaboration and focus on innovation while leaving old ways behind.

Differences do exist, however. Smaller manufacturers may find themselves dealing with less internal politics, which means they could find quicker traction agreeing on smart manufacturing’s benefits.

In larger organizations, Industry 4.0 discussions can be more difficult. First, there needs to be a link

We like to say, “Think big, start small and scale fast.” That’s because there is real business value in identifying quick wins and working to solve a particular problem that smart manufacturing technology can address. Small initiatives add up over time, and the lessons learned can often be translated to other use cases, departments and plant locations. With these wins, comes the momentum to do even more.

At the end of the manufacturing day, smart initiatives of any size require a multi-disciplinary approach and relentless collaboration, and they must pass the “sniff test.” If senior leaders chant, “We’re an innovative company,” and it rings hollow with your rank and file, you have a problem. Your people will keep doing what they’ve always done, heads-down and your smart manufacturing initiatives will have trouble taking flight.

Often, the hardest part of organizational change is getting people in the same room and talking — and doing so on a recurring basis. We believe if you engage the right people, you can break down silos, inspire your people to embrace (and your leaders to fund) smart manufacturing processes and technologies.

Your people are the key to smart manufacturing success, and this is the year to put the focus on them. PE

Mo Abuali, PhD is the CEO and managing partner at IoTco, the internet of things company. He is a strategic and transformative technology and business management leader with a 20-year record of driving achievement and sustaining change in manufacturing. Abuali serves industrial and manufacturing clients in automotive, aerospace and defense, and others, providing digital transformation, industrial IoT (IIoT), and predictive analytics technology and services, as well as the IoT Academy for Industry 4.0 training.

Isaac Bennett is the digital transformation and IT director at Wright & McGill Co., the only manufacturer of fishhooks in the U.S. He comes from an automotive manufacturing/IT background having worked as the IT director of Detroit Manufacturing Systems (DMS), and previously the global IT innovation manager for Maxion Wheels, both tier-1 automotive suppliers.

SOLUTIONS

AT THE EDGE

By Ryan Smith

Managed services close the gap in adopting new technology

Today, many industrial organizations face a common question when considering how to adopt new technology, “To be successful, what is the best way to install, manage, monitor and maintain technology?” which quickly leads to the related question, “If I embrace new technology, should the information technology (IT) or operations technology (OT) function be responsible for it?” And finally, “Do we have the knowledge and expertise to do so?”

These questions apply to new or existing technology. Edge computing, i.e., deploying computing platforms to industrial equipment on the plant floor or in geographically remote, understaffed locations, brings additional complexity to maintaining these systems. These are not the immaculate, well-lit data centers and server farms of the traditional computing infrastructure. Instead, most edge locations are demanding settings such as a manufacturing shop floor, an oil refinery or a remote, field-based drilling operation.

The promise of edge computing is to bring computing power to where it is needed to solve challenges of bandwidth, data latency and downtime. It also offers end users flexibility to run multiple software workloads concurrently through virtualization, thereby reducing costs and improving efficiency. Industrial organizations are therefore turning to managed services from vendors as a practical solution to solve limited staffing and adding extra assurance to their investment.

Who owns the edge?

Industrial companies cannot tolerate suboptimal performance or downtime —no matter how brief these periods may be. Any outage or failure introduces unacceptable business risk and threatens the company’s ability to keep manufacturing lines running, utilities and pipelines operating

and customers happy. Their success at the edge is predicated on a reliable edge computing infrastructure that does not fail.

The traditional approach of having IT take responsibility for all network systems and infrastructure is not always ideal in edge environments due to cost and resources issues that may arise. On the other hand, technology and systems at the edge have been the domain of operations teams and operational technology.

Companies are looking to tighten the IT-OT gap by selecting technologies that are more OT friendly — interoperable and easily managed by OT. This approach has eased demands on both IT and OT professionals where organizations are constrained for resources and face challenges in relation to maintenance time and skillsets.

COVID-19 has introduced additional pressure, as manufacturers and industrial companies look to monitor critical systems remotely to maintain uptime and business performance for operational resiliency. This combination of uptime, limited skillset and resources issues has led to more organizations outsourcing maintenance and monitoring to the vendor through managed services.

Managed services for edge performance

Outsourcing edge performance to the system vendor provides a range of advantages related to monitoring, patching, maintenance, upgrades and more. This way, teams with specialized expertise support edge platforms. Edge vendors can field dedicated experts in areas such as virtualization, hardware, networking and application and database management, which fills end user gaps in expertise and skillsets.

Outsourcing managed services takes the responsibility away from IT and OT teams, which enables them to focus on what they do best: ensuring critical industrial systems and infrastructure are running at peak efficiency.

A practical solution for limited staf ng adds assurance at the edge

Using managed services from vendors offers expertise and scale that many industrial companies do not have on their own. It also enables documentation of governance and compliance procedures from an audit standpoint, where companies must validate how systems are maintained, patched and updated to secure data and processes.

For edge platforms already providing “five nines” (99.999%) performance, managed services provide the extra assurance of no downtime. In this respect, many end users view managed services as an investment in process uptime.

“Follow-the-sun” support teams based in key geographies around the world enable 24x7 monitoring. Action can be taken before a small issue becomes a larger one. Teams monitor data and alerts in hundreds of performance categories to find the rare needle in the haystack indicator. Some alerts are obvious — actual failures or outages — yet some are not. For example, monitoring elements such as CPU performance can avoid a domino effect of applications and systems degradation. Edge computing services teams quickly

investigate issues, find the cause and take the right steps to address it, without burdening the company’s IT or OT teams.

After such a turbulent year, many companies in the industrial sector may be looking for new ways to empower remote teams and free IT and OT staff to focus on their core responsibilities. Partnering with edge vendors and outsourcing managed services may now be the right model to take advantage of the advantages these companies are looking for. PE

Ryan Smith is director of solution services at Stratus Technologies.

“The promise of edge computing is to bring computing power to where it is needed to solve challenges of bandwidth, data latency and downtime.”

SOLUTIONS

CONTROL VALVES

By Brent Baker and Jordan Mandernach

Advanced valve diagnostics drive savings

When coupled with diagnostic software, smart positioners reduce maintenance costs and outages

F or years, process plant personnel have pursued the elusive goal of predictive maintenance. Rather than running to failure or servicing too frequently, plants try to monitor their equipment status, note developing problems and address issues proactively. Such techniques cut maintenance cost significantly while providing dramatic production and profitability improvements.

Unfortunately, most maintenance crews have had limited success in their quest. Predicting impending problems is often quite difficult to achieve in practice, with the biggest impediment to success usually a lack of information. How can one easily determine when a critical control valve is starting to fail?

Data is the critical component

position controller is uniquely placed to monitor the control valve and detect abnormal conditions as they develop.

When issues are detected, the smart positioner can communicate this information to an asset management system to alert personnel so they can inspect the valve prior to failure. In some cases, plants already have diagnostic-capable equipment installed on their valves but are failing to take advantage of the data it can provide.

Figure 1: Smart positioners employ an array of sensors to detect air, actuator, packing, and valve problems well in advance of total valve failure. Courtesy: Emerson

The painful reality is that for many control valves, it is almost impossible to tell if they are developing problems. The control loop is in automatic, so as valve performance degrades, the proportionalintegral-derivative (PID) controller compensates and obscures the issue. The loop continues to function until the valve fails completely, often upsetting the process, or forcing a shutdown of the unit, or even the entire plant.

An alternative to avoid unexpected failures is to pull valves out of service routinely and inspect them. This method usually detects problems before they get too severe, but the cost is high. Often, a valve is pulled and serviced, only to find it is fully functional and requires little or no maintenance. In other cases, valve internals are reworked incorrectly, creating new problems that did not exist before.

Fortunately, there is another option, made possible by advances in smart positioner diagnostics (see Figure 1). Armed with an array of sensors, a digital

Knowledge is power Embedded valve diagnostics drive savings in several ways. At a base level, a smart positioner offers selfcalibration features that make control valve setups quick and efficient. However, some models offer more advanced capabilities that go beyond the basic valve positioning function.

In an offline mode, a digital positioner can be used to create a valve signature for a new valve (see Figure 2). This signature captures details on packing friction, air usage, valve travel and other parameters — all of which can be compared to future valve signature test results. Often, a comparison will quickly highlight developing issues such as instrument misalignment, air supply issues and actuator leaks.

More advanced units add the ability to monitor valve performance while the valve is online and controlling the process. In this case, asset management software can run scheduled monitoring sessions to observe performance in normal operation. If a valve is failing to reach commanded states or is exhibiting excessive air usage or abnormal friction, for example, this information can be transmitted to an asset management system to alert the maintenance staff of developing issues. In many cases, the diagnostic software can offer a list of possible causes, helping technicians quickly isolate and resolve the problem (see Figure 3). These types of indicators translate directly into reduced downtime and higher control valve reliability.

Some advanced digital position controllers also can detect trigger events, and capture valve profile

Figure 2: Valve signature information can be captured when a control valve is commissioned and compared against future stroke performance to highlight developing problems and troubleshoot failing components. Courtesy: Emerson

and performance data before, during and after the event. This data may not keep an event from happening, but the information is often critical to quickly isolate the root cause of the problem, and to identify any failed components so they can be repaired quickly.

Top tier smart positioners are used on anti-surge and safety interlock valves. These valve controllers incorporate all of the features described above and enable partial stroke testing (PST) to ensure the valve will perform as required during surge or trip conditions.

Develop a diagnostic program

The first step to take advantage of positioner diagnostics is to evaluate what information and equipment the plant already has in place. Many existing control valves may have unused diagnostic capabilities. If possible, digital valve signatures of each valve should be captured as a valve is commissioned or serviced so that future performance can be evaluated.

The second step is to prioritize control valves based on their impact on the process. Critical valves, such as safety interlock valves, anti-surge valves, boiler feedwater valves and the like, pose the greatest risk to plant operations. Focusing efforts on these valves will have immediate and significant positive impact on plant productivity and profitability.

Starting with the most critical control valves, plant personnel should evaluate the level of diagnostics available, and enhance that capability if necessary. Online diagnostics are often warranted for critical control valves. Some smart positioners can be field upgraded to provide a higher level of diagnostics than currently provided.

If it is not already in place, the necessary software and communication networks should be procured and installed so diagnostic alerts can be automatically routed to maintenance support staff and other relevant personnel (see Figure 4). This software can be used to schedule automated diagnostic tests and set alert thresholds, a critical component of any control valve reliability program.

Diagnostic data can be valuable when planning shutdown work. Often, diagnostics can provide a strong indication of which control valves need repair and which do not. By focusing efforts on problematic valves, plants can shorten outages and reduce turnaround budgets significantly. Diagnostics also can flag failing valve components. Long lead parts can be ordered to be on hand in time for the outage.

Real world savings

Control valve diagnostic program implementations have generated significant savings for end users.

An herbicide plant in Iowa reduced annual maintenance costs by $230,000 by using advanced control valve diagnostics to transition its plant from reactive to predictive maintenance. In one case, the plant saved nearly $100,000/hour by detecting and addressing a developing control valve issue before it shut down the unit.

A paper mill in Louisiana was suffering routine boiler trips due to damper positioning problems. Upgraded smart positioners with advanced diagnostics eliminated these trips, avoiding losses of $18,000/hour due to unscheduled outages.

A combined cycle power plant was reworking all critical valves during every outage to maximize uptime when the plant returned to service. After

Figure 3: Advanced positioner diagnostic data and software can detect developing problems and provide troubleshooting support to maintenance staff. Courtesy: Emerson

SOLUTIONS

Figure 4: Diagnostic data is only useful if alerts are transferred to the correct personnel and acted upon quickly. Courtesy: Emerson

installing several upgraded digital valve positioners and implementing diagnostic alert software, the plant was able to focus its outage repair efforts more efficiently. The plant saved $68,000 in one outage, and it has experienced year-to-year cost reductions of $33,500. Similar programs in other plants have generated average savings of $1,200 per valve by focusing repair efforts on valves that have problems, and by leaving the rest of valves alone.

Looking ahead

Predicting the future is not easy, but the advanced diagnostics available in smart, digital positioners can go a long way toward helping a maintenance staff do exactly that. In many cases, plants may find they already have the necessary components and networks in place, and they only need to gather the data from these components and make it accessible to support personnel. In other cases, existing valve positioners may be capable of a simple field upgrade to provide higher levels of diagnostic support.

Programs to take advantage of advanced control valve diagnostics have repeatedly created significant positive impacts on plant uptime and reliability, while reducing maintenance costs.

If your plant is suffering from unexpected shutdowns and high maintenance costs during outages, an investigation into the power of valve positioner diagnostics may prove to be a worthwhile and profitable endeavor. If you’re not sure where to start, consultation with an experienced valve vendor or manufacturer will put you on the path to a successful valve maintenance program. PE

Brent Baker is a product manager for Fisher Instrumentation at Emerson with 14 years of experience. He spent 12 years as an instructor and content developer for Emerson Educational Services, focused on training customers and Emerson personnel on the installation, operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of Fisher control valves and instrumentation.

Jordan Mandernach is a software product manager for Fisher Instrumentation. He has eight years of experience in the process control instrumentation and software industry. His background is in new product development and software marketing.

Cloud‐Based Inventory Management SaaS Platform for IoT

The BinCloud® platform is an integrated cloud foundation for data monitoring of inventory contained in bins, tanks, and silos. BinCloud® allows on-site and remote workers to securely access inventory data from BinView® SaaS using a phone, tablet, or PC via the internet. It decreases dependency on local IT resources and eliminates the need for storing data and managing servers.

This IoT solution is compatible with non-contact radar, SmartBob, 3DLevelScanners, guided wave radar, ultrasonic, or laser level sensors with a 4-20 mA, Modbus, or HART output. Scalable for many vessels or sites, program features include real-time monitoring, automated alerts via text or email, integrated ordering, and historical reporting.

BinView® is suitable for any processing operation including plastics manufacturers, concrete and cement batch plants, feed mills, grain elevators, fertilizer and chemical plants, and biofuel production. Plants using pressurized vessels can use BinCloud® to monitor tank pressure. PropaneView™ enables LNG liquid propane, NH3 anhydrous ammonia, or other liquid tank monitoring using R3D sensors. CementView™ can manage truckload deliveries to easily determine how many trucks of material are needed and optimize schedules and prevent overfilling.

Demonstrations and pricing are available by calling 800-478-4241 or emailing info@binmaster.com.

ABB provides solutions.

ABB provides solutions for efficient production, safe and reliable operations, and digital remote condition monitoring across most industrial plant equipment and systems.

ABB Ability™ Smart Sensors: Always know how your equipment is feeling

The ABB Ability Smart

Sensor monitors the health of your low voltage motors, bearings, gear reducers and pumps by gathering data on vibration, temperature and other parameters that can be used to gain meaningful information on condition and performance, enabling users to identify inefficiencies within their system and to reduce risks related to operation and maintenance. Maintenance can now be planned according to actual needs rather than based on generic schedules. This extends equipment lifetime, cuts maintenance costs, and reduces or prevents unplanned downtime due to breakdowns.

EC Titanium: High performance. Flexible solution.

As energy regulations require higher total system efficiency, achieve IE5 efficiency in smaller spaces and with less maintenance by relying on the Baldor-Reliance® EC Titanium™ integrated motor drive. The EC Titanium is a highly efficient integrated motor drive that combines synchronous reluctance and permanent magnet technologies for a sustainable, wirelessly connected solution that improves your bottom line. This sustainable, IE5 solution runs out of the box, minimizes installation costs and increases facility safety.

Breakdowns eating up your profit?

ABB offers a full line of food safe products that include stainless steel NEMA and IEC motors, mounted ball bearings and gear reducers. The entire line is designed with food safety guidelines in mind, ensuring they will operate reliably no matter the conditions.

AutomationDirect

The company provides online tutorial videos through their web store at www.automationdirect.com as well as their YouTube channel. They also provide FREE online PLC training to anyone interested in learning about industrial controls. A Customer Forum utilized by tens of thousands of automation professionals provides peer support on technical and application questions.

Company headquarters located just north of Atlanta, GA

A well-recognized name in the industrial automation market, AutomationDirect provides quality products with FREE award-winning in-house sales and technical support. AutomationDirect provides customers with quick order and delivery through an online store and toll-free number. Prices on most products are well below the industry average and a 30-day money-back guarantee is offered on nearly all items.

With close to 30,000 part listings, new products include the 2020 Product of the Year Grand Award Winner ProductivityOpen Arduino-compatible controller, CLICK PLUS PLCs, and DURApulse GS20 AC drives. These products represent many years of design and development by AutomationDirect’s own engineering team as well as their strategic partners. The company also offers motors, sensors, pushbuttons, enclosures, circuit protection, cut-to-length cable, pneumatic supplies and more.

The state-of-the-art headquarters facility near Atlanta is designed throughout for maximum performance. The majority of items are instock and ready for fast shipping; orders over $49 ship for FREE. Some exclusions apply.

AutomationDirect’s customer support team has been rated top-notch by its customers and has received numerous industry accolades/awards for providing the best service and support on various products. To ensure their service and support remains superior, they continuously survey customers and have consistently outranked other suppliers.

Orders ship quickly from our state-of-the-art warehouse

For an in-depth look at products offered, visit: www.automationdirect.com.

Safely Collecting and Containing Combustible and Toxic Dusts

Camfil APC is the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial dust and fume collection systems. The company’s flagship product is the Gold Series X-Flo industrial dust collection system. It handles all kinds of toxic and combustible dusts/fumes, including fine, fibrous and heavy dust loads, and features high capacity filter cartridges that are safe and easy to change out.

Combustible Dust Collection

Camfil APC compliance experts can recommend dust collectors with explosion venting and isolation equipment that satisfy all OSHA and NFPA guidelines. Camfil offers a full range of technical services to test dusts and analyze specific operating conditions. They carry a variety of products to mitigate dust collector explosions, including explosion vents and ambient fume collection systems with HEPA grade filters.

Toxic Dust Collection

Pharmaceutical and chemical processing industries require systems that can safely collect toxic dusts, potent compounds and active ingredients. The Gold Series Camtain® collectors are ideal for high-efficiency filtration that doesn’t require re-use. They protect workers from exposure and combustible dust risks. The Quad Pulse Package collector is compact enough to be placed on the production floor or suite. It includes a secondary HEPA filter and uses a segmented cleaning process to keep the primary filter cartridge operating continuously.

Replacement Filter Cartridges

In addition to equipment, Camfil APC offers a full range of replacement filter cartridges using HemiPleat® technology that fit most other dust collector brands. Replacing standard filters with HemiPleat filters increases any dust collector’s performance, and the filters last much longer.

Industry-Leading Customer Support

Camfil filtration experts help customers improve the air quality in their facility. They make site visits to evaluate the dusts, assess needs and recommend the most cost-effective equipment to solve problems and comply with OSHA and NFPA standards. Most Camfil dust/fume collection systems feature extended filter life, easy filter change-out, energy efficiency, and a 12-year warranty.

Manufacturing Excellence and Testing Services

and needs and collection systems and warranty.

The corporate headquarters in Jonesboro, Arkansas includes a state-of-the-art test lab to simulate full-scale testing, including ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 199 testing. This testing provides comparison data on emissions, pressure drop, compressed air usage, energy consumption and emission readings, taking the guesswork out of equipment selection to help identify the best dust collection equipment, size and design for each specific application.

LOGO

Workplace Safety in the Age of COVID

The workplace has changed significantly during the last year in response to the pandemic. Automation has enabled contact tracing, social distancing, and additional new protocols to create a safe environment where pre-pandemic workloads can be maintained while still protecting the workforce.

The use of LoRaWAN badges protects both workforces and work flow. Each badge is assigned to an employee and records to a cloud-based platform when it is in close proximity to another badge. When an employee is diagnosed with COVID, data can quickly be pulled from their badge to identify other workers who were in close proximity to the infected employee.

Automation has also improved safety in common spaces such as break rooms and meetings rooms by monitoring headcounts to maintain social distancing. An occupancy monitoring system wirelessly and actively maintains a total headcount using photo-eye sensors that count persons entering and exiting a room. The sensors send a count to a controller, which then signals at the door entry if it is safe to enter the room.

Touchless technology enables employees to communicate compliance to new safety procedures. An RGB switch notifies a factory line worker when it is time to clean their work area. Once the task is complete, the employee simply waves a hand over the switch which changes color to indicate that the workstation has been cleaned and signals a coordinator that the work has been done.

To help prevent the spread of COVID in their expansive warehouse, Digi-Key designed and installed a UV light tunnel on their conveyor system that every tote passes through multiple times each day. The tunnel irradiates the entire tote with UV light as it passes through, protecting both employees and customers from the virus.

COVID has had a significant impact on each of our lives. The lessons we learn from this fight must be remembered so we are prepared to protect employees, workflow, and customers during the next public health emergency.

Eric Halvorson, Partnership Marketing ManagerStrategic Programs

Dynics and Veracity Partnership Launches New SDN Controller for OT

Veracity Industrial Networks’ (www.veracity.io), in partnership with Dynics, Interstates Control Systems, and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, began envisioning a product that would address reliability, visibility, data traffic control and deny-by-default security. From Veracity staff’s R&D and extensive experience, we’re providing cutting edge software defined networking (SDN) for OT environments. The product is called the Veracity SDN Controller and it addresses the demanding needs of OT Network Security.

ICS networks control processes including factory floor automation, food processing, water and waste systems and electric power distribution. ICS networks differ significantly from information technology networks and, unfortunately, most existing Ethernet networking-related technologies are based in IT practices. ICS-Defender and the Veracity SDN Controller are designed and developed by teams which are OT centric, many having started their careers in the industrial space.

The Veracity SDN Controller is architectural networking that separates network configuration (control plane) from the switch (data plane) allowing micro-segmentation of traffic within the ICS network. ICS designers and operators gain significant control and visibility into their networks with the Veracity SDN controller.

The beauty of our popular perimeter security product, Dynics’ ICS-Defender, is that it provides exceptional security for today’s traditional networks, and can migrate to support SDN networks deployed tomorrow. It’s important to protect and future-proof the investment our customers make in Dynics Security Solutions today when moving to our SDN solution in the future. All of this using standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet.

Jeff Smith, Chief Technology Officer Dynics

Flexicon stand-alone bulk handling equipment to engineered, plant-wide systems

Choose from a broad range of reliable, high performance equipment:

Flexible Screw Conveyors

Volumetric Feeding Conveyors

Tubular Cable Conveyors

Pneumatic Conveying Systems

Bulk Bag Fillers

Bulk Bag Dischargers

Bulk Bag Conditioners

Weigh Batching Systems

Manual Dumping Stations

Drum/Box/ Container Dumpers

growth required the company to recently double the size of its US headquarters.

Flexicon provides an unparalleled level of service through its administrative, engineering and manufacturing capabilities on four continents, and extensive worldwide network of Applications Engineers and factory-direct Regional Sales managers—a unique consolidation of bulk handling specialists with hundreds of years of combined experience.

An extensive research and development program continually sets new standards for bulk handling equipment performance with entirely new designs, product improvements and equipment that complies with chemical, food, dairy and pharmaceutical requirements nationally and internationally.

Flexicon’s design engineering staff devises efficient solutions to the most unusual problems with highly custom equipment, endowing the company with a depth and breadth of bulk handling experience unequalled by any other manufacturer.

Equipment overview

Flexicon is a world leader in the design and manufacture of bulk handling equipment and customengineered and integrated plant-wide systems that transport, discharge, fill, weigh, blend, deliver and/or feed a broad range of powder and bulk solid materials.

Products range from individual equipment to automated systems that source bulk material from interior and exterior plant locations, transport it between process equipment and storage vessels, weigh it, blend it, feed it to packaging lines, extruders, molding machines and storage vessels, and load it into railcars and trailers.

A separate Flexicon Project Engineering Division manages large-scale bulk handling projects across the chemical, mineral, food, dairy and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.

Supervised by dedicated Project Managers, these custom-engineered, automated systems integrate Flexicon equipment with bulk handling and process equipment of other manufacturers including:

Gravimetric/Volumetric Feeders

Silos & other storage vessels

Dryers/Coolers

Mixers/Blenders

Screeners

Crushers/Grinders

Packaging Machines

Other bulk processing equipment

Basic, stand-alone machines to automated plantwide systems, all Flexicon equipment components are backed by Flexicon’s Lifetime Performance Guarantee.

S.sensing CS®

Kurita’s S.sensing CS system represents cutting edge advancements in automation technology for the control and dosing of liquid/solid separation chemicals in wastewater applications. The S.sensing CS system ensures correct dosage of treatment, reduces operating costs and maintains consistent effluent quality.

Lumyn™

Lumyn is a unique digital platform that enables intuitive and proactive system management to put actionable information in the hands of the people when and where they need it 24/7. Lumyn users can visualize program performance, and address issues before they jeopardize operations.

Cetamine®

Our innovative Cetamine technology is designed for complete protection of steam generators, hot water boilers, and closed systems. Cetamine forms a hydrophobic protective film which creates a continuous barrier between water and metal, effectively inhibiting corrosion without affecting the heat transfer. The use of Cetamine has proven to reduce both fuel consumption and water use.

Phoszero™

PhosZero, a non-phosphorus corrosion inhibitor, contains E-FeX ™ technology which is comprised of a synergistic blend of ingredients that replace the most common use of phosphorus in cooling water applications. This technology supports discharge compliance, reduces operating costs, enhances scale and corrosion protection, and increases plant safety.

Kurita America’s innovative technologies are changing the way water solutions are designed and delivered.

Lubriplate’s Complimentary ESP Extra Services Package helps maximize your lubrication maintenance program

A Toll Free Technical Support Hotline and E-mail

You can call Lubriplate’s technical service center toll free at 800-347-5343 for quick answers to tough lubrication questions by phone, or you can e-mail questions to LubeXpert@lubriplate.com seven days a week.

Complete Plant Surveys and Lubricant Inventory Consolidation

Complete plant surveys by Lubriplate’s professional staff of lubrication engineers are also available to determine your exact lubricant requirements and identify opportunities for lubricant inventory consolidation.

Color Coded, Lubricant Specification, Machinery Tags

Lubriplate offers customized, color coded machinery tags to help prevent lubricant misapplication and ensure that the proper lubricant is used when servicing a particular piece of equipment. Based on a complete plant survey, tags can be provided for each piece of equipment in your plant.

Lubrication Maintenance Software

Lubriplate offers a PC based computer software program that puts your entire lubrication and maintenance schedules at your fingertips. This service is based on a complete survey of your entire plant. Contact Dan Moroses (Newark office) for details at 973-589-9150.

No-Charge Follow-up Oil/Fluid and Grease Analysis

Lubriplate’s Oil|Fluid and Grease Analysis Program is offered at no-charge on all Lubriplate products. Tests include: Viscosity, Acidity, Contamination (% sediment and % moisture,) Spectrochemical (PPM of wear metals and additives) ISO Cleanliness (optional). An interpretation of the results is included along with suggested actions to take.

In Plant User Lubrication Training Programs

We offer training programs tailored to your needs. These educational training sessions focus on all facets of machinery lubrication and are not a sales presentation. Seminars are graphically presented with overheads and other support material. Available on-site at your facility or in a local conference room. Contact us at 800-733-4755

information.

Innovations and New Technologies in Distribution

2021 marks Motion Industries’ celebration of 75 years in the industrial distribution business. As we looked back over the history of the company, we quickly realized that not a lot had changed at Motion in the way that we handled products in and out of our distribution centers and our branches. Additionally, not much was different in the way that we interact with our supplier partners. The funny thing about this is that at Motion, we are in the business of selling innovation in processes and products to our customers on a daily basis to help them run their businesses better, but we were not taking advantage of innovation in our own operations. Well, that is all changing today!

Just over a year ago, we began reimagining how we serve our customers. We challenged ourselves to use new technologies and innovations to improve the employee experience, deliver greater customer value while creating productivity improvements and operating cost reductions in our logistics and supply chain activities.

With those objectives in mind, we launched into a process of utilizing innovations in procurement forecasting, data analytics, material handling and last mile delivery. The biggest physical change we made, however, was in our distribution centers. We installed the first of several “goods-to-person” automated material handling systems (Figure 1), using innovation and technology to improve inventory accuracy, increase the rate of putaway and removal of products, as well as automatically managing slow-moving products within the system.

The speed and accuracy of the robot shuttles in the machine are staggering. And the ongoing algorithms allow for improved inventory management for all products being housed in the “goods-to- person” machine. By combining this technology with innovations in vertical lift inventory management systems, we have revitalized a 75-year-old process that will set a new standard of logistics and operations efficiency.

Investing in innovation with new technology doesn’t come without a hefty price tag or change management initiatives. But one thing we know for sure: Doing things the same old way with the same old technology will only produce the same old results. And, that’s not going to take Motion where we want to go, or provide us the ability to better serve our customers! So, we’ve changed the game, utilizing technology and innovation to continue investing in our business and keep relevant for another 75 years.

If you are intrigued and want to learn more, please give us a call. We’d be happy to show you how innovation and technology have changed our business and how it could change yours too!

Randy Breaux

Randy Breaux is President of Motion. His career as a strategic leader in industrial manufacturing and distribution spans over 30 years, including 20+ years at ABB/Baldor Electric Company and the last ten with Motion.

Technology

SEW-EURODRIVE — Much More Than Gearmotors

Our team of (MAXOLUTIONS) automation engineers provides the expertise, project planning, software, commissioning, and worldwide support for your most challenging motion control projects. They can serve as a valuable extension of your engineering team, reducing the stress and demanding workload.

Our experts provide a solution of perfectly matched SEW components that work together seamlessly — because we designed them that way!

MOVIGEAR® and MOVI-C® for Decentralized Installations

MOVIGEAR is the mechatronic drive system that combines the gear unit, IE4 motor, and electronics in one compact unit. Recent updates include fully integrated Ethernet/IP communications and digital motor integration. This advanced single-cable technology carries power, feedback information, and control signals along a single hybrid cable between decentralized devices. MOVI-C modular automation system is a one-software, one-hardware, automation platform that combines fully integrated components, control electronics and software.

Complete Drive Maintenance and Management

SEW-EURODRIVE now offers a full complement of drive maintenance and management services. Our CDM ® Maintenance Management service provides a 24/7 online portal as well as a complete overview of your drive components, the condition of your units, drive usage, and service details. Plus, our new on-site Pick-Up Box Service will free up your maintenance team for other tasks. Just place your drives that need repair in the supplied box and we’ll handle the pick-up and return of your units.

About SEW-EURODRIVE

Engineering excellence and customer responsiveness distinguish SEW-EURODRIVE, a leading manufacturer of integrated power transmission and motion control systems. SEW-EURODRIVE sets the global standard for high performance and rugged reliability in the toughest operating conditions. With global headquarters in Germany, its U.S. operations include a state-of-the-art manufacturing center, five regional assembly plants, more than 63 technical sales offices and hundreds of distributors and support specialists. This enables SEW-EURODRIVE to provide local manufacturing, service and support, coast-to-coast and around the world.

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Nothing gets in but you get everything out

You get everything you need to know about the health and performance of your motors, such as vibration, bearing condition and speed, securely out, while the IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certified IP66/67 stainless steel and reinforced PBT case lets nothing in, be it water, dust or corrosive chemicals.

The new high-performance ABB Ability™ Smart Sensor for hazardous areas.