Equipment maintenance practices and procedures have certainly improved over the years. In the beginning, we relied on the equipment manufacturers to tell us how often we should perform certain maintenance tasks. These schedules were typically based on some preselected number of operations per piece of equipment. Failure data drove a lot of these schedules.
Next, we moved into the world of time-based maintenance. We set up various tasks and test procedures to be performed at specific times, such as once a month, annually, or every three years. The logic behind this move was that we would catch potential failures long before they created a repair crisis.
Then we took this a step further and incorporated predictive analysis techniques into our regime. By tracking the real-time operating parameters of a piece of equipment, it helps us determine when we have a problem and when we need to perform maintenance. In other words, we moved to a condition-based line of thinking when it comes to maintenance practices and procedures.
Now, if money were no object, we could simply slap sensors on everything in the plant and create a sophisticated online continuous monitoring system. This IT-based system would collect data, monitor trends, and set off alarms when something was out of line with preset parameters. But this level of O&M activity is only available to a lucky few. At the other end of the spectrum, some of you work in really old facilities with hardly any budget. This forces you to work with no continuous monitoring equipment, and you function purely in a “fix it when it breaks” environment. Fortunately, many of you fall somewhere in the middle between these two extremes. You might not have the budget or staffing level to do as much as you’d like, but you’re not so lean that you can’t take advantage of some new technologies. You just have to be smart about the equipment and technology you do purchase and incorporate into your O&M program.
Many maintenance teams still face the problem of taking field measurements, logging this data, transferring this data into a management system of some sort, analyzing the data, and then acting on issues that might catch their eye. But as any maintenance person knows, this process can be quite cumbersome and ineffective. Luckily, new and affordable solutions are available today to help you take your maintenance program to the next level.
Software, smartphones, and sophisticated test and measurement equipment have recently combined to create new options in the world of maintenance, repair, and operation. Here’s one example of how it works. Today, field technicians can take measurements on a piece of equipment, and the readings are automatically compared to historical data points. Software can immediately process this data and generate an alert if there’s a problem. If the technician isn’t quite sure how to handle the situation, he or she can loop a coworker or supervisor in on the situation via on-the-spot photos, real-time waveform signatures, or simple data charts and tables. All of this is made possible by leveraging the power of wireless and cloud-based technology platforms.
For a more detailed review of how technology is currently transforming O&M practices, turn to page 18 and read this month’s cover story, “Moving T&M to the Fast Lane.” As the old saying goes, let’s all continue to find ways to work smarter, not harder.
