A month ago, the plant manager was impressed with your maintenance background, so he hired you. In that month, you’ve solved a few long-standing problems, so now he’s got another one for you.
One area of the plant has three critical production machines. They are critical because even when the machines run at maximum capacity, every widget is sold. Any downtime is revenue lost forever. The problem is the downtime rate is higher than in any other area of the plant. “It’s always something. It’s a good thing our guys are top-notch with the repairs and can get these running again quickly. But I want you to figure out why the failure rate is so high to begin with.”
How do you tackle this problem?
The machines run at maximum capacity; are there thermal problems with the motors, gearboxes, and other equipment? Power quality issues? Bonding problems?
Make a Pareto chart of failure causes. This will help you get a clearer picture. Suppose, for example, motor failure is the single biggest cause. Look for voltage imbalance. And drill down into motor failure modes; if it’s nearly always the bearings, you probably have bonding and/or lubrication problems.
Something that tends to happen with critical equipment is well-intended pressure from operations people can cause repair techs to work fast instead of smart. The plant manager provided a clue that this may be your real problem.
