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on Maintenance Reliability

A listing in reverse chronological order of these article series:


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Top 3 CMMS Blunders to Avoid – A Reliability Engineering Perspective

Top 3 CMMS Blunders to Avoid – A Reliability Engineering Perspective

CMMS overview

A proper Computer Maintenance Management System (CMMS) setup can make a world of difference in an organization’s asset management journey. Conversely, a substandard setup can be a living hell for Reliability Engineers like myself and other analysts. This article highlights some practices to avoid in order to gain the most out of your CMMS in the long run. The examples given are based on my own experience in industry. There could be many more learnings out there. Reader comments and suggestions are most welcome as this will benefit the entire Maintenance and Reliability community.

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Optimizing Spare Parts Inventory: A Step-by-Step Guide to Calculating Minimum Quantities

Optimizing Spare Parts Inventory: A Step-by-Step Guide to Calculating Minimum Quantities

You don’t realise how important it is to get your critical spares holding right until your $50K/hr machine is sitting dead with an emergency part all the way in a different city.

So how does your warehouse ensure you have what you need, when you need it? Who decides how much to stock?
Well… in most cases on mining sites there is no real math behind this number, and that’s a shame considering how much not having spares costs us in lost opportunity.

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Introduction of Machinery and its Management: 1843 Steam Manual and Screw Propellers

Introduction of Machinery and its Management: 1843 Steam Manual and Screw Propellers

The Royal Navy built its first steam-powered ship, the HMS Comet, in 1822. The first generation of steamships normally had both sails and a steam engine. A ship with both sails and a boiler had a long range and was mobile in close quarters. A boiler reduced the tactical importance of wind direction, and allowed maneuvering in disadvantageous winds or when becalmed. Over the next 40 years, the Royal Navy converted many sailing ships to steam by retrofitting boilers. 

The capability came at a cost. A worldwide coal distribution system was required. The ship had to contain a stack, machinery, the boiler itself, and tons of coal. The added weight changed how the ship moved and reduced space for supplies, weapons, and ammunition. Refueling, called coaling, changed operational patterns.

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Reliability Centered Maintenance -Reengineered (RCM-R®)

Reliability Centered Maintenance -Reengineered (RCM-R®)

Article first posted at Conscious Reliability by James Reyes-Picknell, Jesus Sifonte, and team.

by Jesus Sifonte

We have seen that RCM is defined as a process to determine what must be done to keep assets doing what their operators want them to do in their current operating context. What about RCM-R®?  How does it stand when compared with SAE JA1011?

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Stop Being Blind to Risk

Stop Being Blind to Risk

Make Use of a Risk Cost Calculator and Risk Matrix

Risk is probabilistic—a risk event may happen or it may not. The human mind struggles to understand probability until you make a picture.

Here is a simple visual management tool to let you see the impact of changing risk. Combine it with a risk cost calculator and you have an effective way to see how your risk changes with risk management plans and risk abatements

We are blind to risk. Most of us have to suffer a risk event before we know we are in one. We first experience pain and then we realise that we need to stop doing what is causing the pain.

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Mastering Maintenance Leadership

Mastering Maintenance Leadership

The Blueprint for Strategic Business Planning

In the realm of maintenance leadership, strategic business planning isn’t an option; it’s a prerequisite for success. The dynamic interplay of technology, industry standards, and organizational needs demands a clear roadmap for navigating the complex landscape of maintenance and reliability. Here, we delve into the significance of maintenance leadership in business planning and how it paves the way for optimal asset management and operational excellence.

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The reason why your Weibull Analysis is giving a poor fit

The reason why your Weibull Analysis is giving a poor fit

When Weibull analysis is applied to complex, repairable systems – like mining equipment – care must be taken to ensure the analysis is applied to failure data exhibiting a common failure mode on the component-level, not the system-level.

This requires the reliability engineer to review the work order data at times and, ideally, the failed components themselves. Otherwise, the “Garbage In, Garbage Out” principle applies.

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Unique Insights and Thoughts Behind the Plant Wellness Way

Unique Insights and Thoughts Behind the Plant Wellness Way

UNLIKE LEAN AND SIX SIGMA, THE PLANT WELLNESS WAY DIFFERENCE IS IT PREVENTS OPERATING RISKS FROM STARTING WITH A SYSTEM THAT IS BUSINESS-WIDE AND GOES END-TO-END OF THE WHOLE ASSET LIFE CYCLE

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Lean and Six Sigma are point-in-time problem focused methodologies, where as PWW EAM System-of-Reliability uses the whole life cycle to build business and operational systems with processes that continually optimize productivity, minimize risk, and generate maximum operating profits.

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A Systematic Process of Data Collection

A Systematic Process of Data Collection

Article first posted at Conscious Reliability by James Reyes-Picknell, Jesus Sifonte, and team.

Condition Monitoring – A Closer Look

By Jesús R. Sifonte

Condition Monitoring is a broad term referring to the systematic process of data collection for the evaluation of asset’s performance, reliability and maintenance needs with the purpose of planning repair works. Its main purpose is Potential Failures finding. It requires the collection of good asset’s health data which trending is studied. The primary advantage of Condition Monitoring is that it incorporates health indicator monitoring activities performed while the machine is operating. Assets failures are predicted well in advance of their occurrence. It allows for planning repairs safely and economically for the plant. Also, machine parameter data trending allows extending assets operation as close as possible to their actual useful life. Condition Monitoring data provides vital information for taking important decisions affecting plant operation goals. Maintenance decisions are taken based on the actual asset condition avoiding unnecessary repairs leading to start up failures. Catastrophic failures of a critical assets presenting accelerated wear trends can be avoided by using C tasks too. Sometimes operating conditions changes causing components life expectance to reduce as noted by steeper indicators trends leading to unexpected catastrophic failures. This can be detected by CM and earlier planned shutdowns can avoid such disasters.

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Mastering Lubrication Excellence

Mastering Lubrication Excellence

Building a World-Class Lubrication Program

In the industrial landscape, the humble lubricant might seem inconspicuous, but it plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth operation of machinery, reducing friction, and extending the life of critical assets. Achieving lubrication excellence isn’t just a matter of choosing the right oil; it’s about developing a comprehensive program that encompasses the best practices, advanced technologies, and a culture of precision. In this blog, we will explore the methods to build a world-class lubrication program that’s the cornerstone of operational success.

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Introduction of Copper Sheathing

Introduction of Copper Sheathing

Between 1670 and 1700, the Royal Navy installed lead sheets over the hulls of some ships to help preserve them and reduce repairs. (See Failure Modes of Lead Hull Sheathing Explored by the Royal Navy.) Galvanic corrosion attacked the iron bolts holding the hull and rudder together, so the program had to be canceled.  

The British reverted to their previous practice of installing thin wood sheathing on top of the main hull. The wood sheathing was sacrificial and had to be replaced every few years. When the sheathing was stripped for replacement, inspection and repair of the main hull was accomplished. 

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