SKF Reliability Systems - Library

Vol 23 No 3 AMMJ 25
What Is Asset Management
process? What do you need to do to have a living program? The review and development of strategies is a
critical component of Asset Management.
Condition Management/Predictive Maintenance.
The most efficient and effective maintenance organisations will maximise their condition-based maintenance.
After all, why overhaul equipment when it is not showing any signs of wear? There are two specific components
to condition management. The first is based on inspections that are not intrusive. E.g. Check for wear, check
for end float, check for burning, check it spins freely. Where possible this type of inspection should include
acceptable parameters, such as worn by 3mm or more. The second is based on the use of technology such as
Thermography, Oil analysis, Vibration analysis. The key to using technology is having the skill to understand the
early warning signs and the systems to act on them. Often a condition-based strategy will reduce the amount of
overhaul work saving material and labor costs as well as reducing the instances of early life failure.
Reliability, process and practices audits.
There is a very common saying in reliability circles these days being, “You can’t manage what you don’t
measure”. If you don’t know the reliability level of your equipment how can you possibly improve it? How
do you know that the practices you have in place are being followed and are they correct to begin with?
Auditing your processes and practices is a must so you can acknowledge your reality. This becomes the
starting point for improvement. Involving your people in a positive manner during the Audits will grow ownership
and improvements.
Root Cause Analysis.
The key to performing proactive maintenance well is being proficient in root cause analysis processes. To gain
this proficiency it would normally require some formal training and regular use of the process. It is ideal to have
some of your more analytical minds trained in the process and use it regularly. Businesses that apply Lean
principles use an RCA process called Practical Problem solving on a daily basis which gives excellent results
for the majority of issues, but it can fall short complex issues. This is related to the assumption that 5 whys
will lead to a single root cause of a problem when rarely is a complex failure wholly related to one issue. A two
tiered approach to problem solving is an option to consider. E.g. 5 whys for a simple issue and a more detailed
process for significant issues.