November/December 2019

31 www.drivesncontrols.com November/December 2019 MAINTENANCE n necessity for maintenance work. This way, any damage or faults remain isolated, so that other parts remain unaffected and total equipment failure is avoided. Multiple benefits When it comes to extending the lifespans of machines, predictive maintenance is the clear winner. Moreover, it offers manufacturers other attractions, such as: n Reducing unexpected failures and downtime Because, by its nature, predictive maintenance is anticipatory, it effectively reduces, and may even eliminate, the incidence of unexpected equipment failure. This, in turn, can reduce the incidence of downtime or service interruptions significantly. n Cutting maintenance costs Predictive maintenance helps manufacturers to avoid costly repairs and/or the replacement of parts or machines because faults are detected, isolated and fixed before severe machine damage occurs. Moreover, since preventive maintenance is intended to pre- empt significant damage to equipment, there will be no need for extensive repair work or for emergency servicing. n Reducing repair and overhaul times Machine faults are diagnosed before they deteriorate, so repair work is kept to a minimum, thus eliminating the need for major overhauls which can take several hours, or even days. n Ensuring worker safety Undetected faults in machinery can increase the risk of accidental injury or even death occurring during operations. Predictive maintenance prevents this by detecting problems while they are still minor and can be repaired or addressed easily. n Improving production output Reduced machinery downtime means more efficient production planning. Manufacturing processes stay on schedule which, in turn, affects the bottom line positively, especially in the long term. A report published by McKinsey in 2015 explored the many uses of industrial analytics, including predictive maintenance, and uncovered some significant advantages. It found firstly that predictive maintenance can reduce maintenance costs by 10–40% because it eliminates the need for unnecessary planned maintenance work. Secondly, predictive maintenance can reduce wastage by 10–20% because it essentially uncovers faults before they become issues leading to wasted time, resources and energy. And thirdly, predictive maintenance can increase new opportunities for improvement by 10–50% because data collection and advanced analytics can be used to identify system gaps or inefficiencies. This way, they can be addressed, modified and resolved. Preparing for predictive maintenance If you are gearing up to adopt predictive maintenance practices in your company, be sure to take care of the following: n Get to the root of the problem you have identified and want to fix, and then identify the people in your organisation who will be involved in the project from planning to implementation. Are you concerned about specific machines breaking down, or do you want to focus on preventing unplanned downtimes? Be specific about your goals because you will need to communicate these to the people who will be involved in the preventive maintenance project. They need to be as invested as you are in the importance of adopting preventive maintenance practices. n Check your current status, or come up with baseline data on the performance of your machines. This entails a complete inventory of assets or facility equipment. Keep records of vital information about each machine, including its name, make and model, serial number, and so on. Be sure to evaluate each machine as well as its performance history and maintenance records. n Analyse the data for patterns of breakdowns or failures, and come up with measures that you can use as problem indicators, as well as preventive maintenance procedures. Again, be detailed in showing what steps you need to take regarding different scenarios, as well as the tools and resources to be used in each step. n Devise a preventive maintenance schedule and make a list of high-priority items (your most valuable assets). Based on your list, set a schedule for preventative maintenance for each one, starting from high-priority assets to lower-priority items. Also, make room for the possibility of emergency maintenance incidents still coming up while your preventative maintenance project is still in its nascent stages. n If you have not yet done so, adopt a computerised maintenance management system (CMMS), and ensure that you have staff trained to handle preventive maintenance work. Again, it is essential that the staff involved in the project understand its value and long-term impact on the company so they become invested. Moreover, you also need to invest in their training as a well-utilised CMMS can improve ROI significantly. The work does not stop there, however. You also need to put in place processes for updating data continuously, and to ensure that the data collected is accurate and precise. Keep analysing and refining your system, and be ready to adopt new technology that will enhance your operations and improve efficiency. In the not-too-distant future, as artificial intelligence becomes mainstream and the benefits of machine learning are better understood, more manufacturing companies are likely to invest in predictive maintenance and allied technologies. In the meantime, it should be emphasised that companies that have already adopted predictive maintenance are poised to become industry leaders. The current demands on manufacturing already require its adoption. And although preventive maintenance may still seem to be a viable option when it comes to maintaining your assets, this is no longer the case. The future belongs to visionary companies that embrace predictive techniques. n