MAINTENANCE PRACTICES

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 What Is Maintenance and Why Is It Important ?
Maintenance is concerned with keeping an asset in good working condition so that
the asset may be used to its full productive capacity. The maintenance function
includes both upkeep and repairs. The dictionary defines maintenance as “the work
of keeping something in proper condition.
A broader definition is:
• Keep in ‘designed’ or an acceptable condition;
• Keep from losing partial or full functional capabilities;
• Preserve, protect.
This definition implies that the term maintenance includes tasks performed to
prevent failures and tasks performed to restore the asset to its original condition.
However, the new paradigm of maintenance is related to capacity assurance. With
proper maintenance, the capacity of an asset can be realized at the designed level.
 Maintenance Practices
Many organizations have many different practices/approaches. All approaches have at
their basis the requirement to keep their facility’s assets at whatever capacity level is
necessary for their current operational needs. Some practices are based on an RCM
analysis, and some organizations even develop an annual or even multi-year
maintenance program plan to guide their maintenance decisions strategically and
technically. Anytime we fail to perform maintenance activities, we may be shortening
the operating life of the asset. Instead of waiting for assets to fail and then fix them,
maintenance actions are performed to keep assets in good working condition to provide
continuous service.
 Why Have a Structured Maintenance Program
The most important reason to have a maintenance program with a structured approach is to
ensure that assets don’t fail prematurely, that they keep producing or providing service as
intended.
Benefits of a Structured Maintenance Program:
• Increasing life expectancy of assets, thereby eliminating premature replacement of
machinery and asset.
• Reducing overtime costs and providing more economical use of maintenance personnel
due to working on a scheduled basis, instead of an unscheduled basis, to repair failures.
• Reducing cost of repairs by reducing secondary failures.
• Reducing product rejects, rework, and scrap due to better overall asset condition.
• Identifying assets with excessive maintenance costs, indicating the need for corrective
maintenance, operator training, or replacement of obsolete assets.
• Improving safety and quality conditions.
• Reducing production downtime — the result of fewer asset failure.
 Key Terms and Definitions
Asset: An asset is defined as something that has potential or actual value to an
organization.; the physical resources of an organization, such as equipment, machines,
mobile fleet, systems, or their parts and components, including software that performs a
specific function or provide a service; sometimes also referred to as physical assets.

Component: An item or subassembly of an asset, usually modular and replaceable,

sometimes serialized depending on the criticality of its application; interchangeable with
other standard components such as belt of a conveyor, motor of a pump unit, or a
bearing.

Computerized Maintenance Management System / Enterprise Asset Management

(CMMS / EAM):
A software system that keeps record and tracks all maintenances activities, e.g.,
maintenance work orders, PM schedules, PM masters, material parts, work plans, and
asset history. Usually, it is integrated with support systems such as inventory control,
purchasing, accounting, manufacturing, and controls maintenance and warehouse
activities.
 Key Terms and Definitions
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): A technique to examine an asset,
process, or design to determine potential ways it can fail and the potential
effects(consequences); and subsequently identify appropriate mitigation tasks for
highest priority risks.
Maintenance, Backlog: Maintenance tasks those are essential to repair or prevent
equipment failures that have not been completed yet.
Maintenance, Capital Project (CPM): Major repairs, e.g., overhauls and
turnaround projects, valued over a certain threshold are sometime treated as capital
projects for tax purposes. If these projects are essential to restoring the asset back to
the designed capacity — not to add additional capabilities, they should be treated as
maintenance costs.
• Bench Mark: Is the process of identifying sharing and using knowledge and best
practices.
• Best Practices: This is a method, technique, or process that is more effective at
delivering a desired outcome than any other technique, methods or process.
 PREVENTIVE (PREVENTATIVE) MAINTENANCE
This is the act of performing regularly scheduled maintenance activities to help
prevent unexpected failures in the future. Put simply, it's about fixing things before
they break. requires that maintenance or production/operation personnel pay regular
visits to monitor the condition of an asset in a facility. The basic objective of PM
visits is to take a look at the asset to determine if there are any tell-tale signs of
failure or imminent failure. Also, depending on the type of the asset, a checklist or a
procedure with task details indicating what to check or what data to take may be
used, e.g., change filter, adjust drive belts etc.

FOUR MAJOR TYPES OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

a. Usage-based preventive maintenance
b. Calendar/time-based preventive maintenance
c. Predictive maintenance
d. Prescriptive maintenance.
 Examples of Preventive Maintenance in Action

1. Equipment Inspections
2. Clean Equipment Regularly to Minimize Dirt and Dust.
3. Lubricate Rotating/moving Parts to Prevent Premature Wear.
4. Check Machinery Power to Optimize Energy Efficiency.
5. Repair or Replace Equipment Before It Fails.

Four Key action items of preventive maintenance

Inspection
Detection
Correction
Prevention
 Why is preventive maintenance important
A preventive maintenance program is an important part of successful facility
management. It keeps equipment operating efficiently, increases the safety of your
employees, and helps you avoid large and costly repairs down the road.

7 Essential Elements of Effective Preventive Maintenance Plans.

• Asset Inventory. Preventive maintenance is an excellent strategy for keeping
critical assets in good working condition
• Asset Prioritization.
• PM Schedule
• CMMS Software
• Team Communication
• Preventive Maintenance Plan Goals and KPIs. ...
• Upper-Management Support.
 A preventive Maintenance Checklist
A preventive maintenance checklist details the tasks that
the technicians must complete during a maintenance
check. A PM checklist will include both time-based
(routine) and condition-based (non-routine) tasks,
ensuring that critical issues are both prevented and
corrected. A preventive maintenance program detects
and prevents costly and potentially dangerous
problems in the future. Your company will see better
results from your maintenance activities if you develop
and follow a comprehensive plan that includes a
detailed PM checklist.
 Benefits of Using PM checklists.
Well-designed checklists help reduce human
error, improve reliability, and provide other
benefits as detailed below.
• Reduced Incidence of Human Error.
• Workplace Consistency and Continuity.
• Quicker Inspections.
• Improve Troubleshooting Practices.
• Streamline PM Planning.
• Improved Equipment Reliability.
 Six Tips for Creating a PM Checklist

1. Involve the Right People in the Process.

2. Be Detailed, but Concise.
3. Include Pictures.
4. Include Safety Measures.
5. Make Your Checklists Mobile.
6. Update as Needed.
 How to Create a Preventive Maintenance Checklist

There is no “one size fits all” maintenance checklist; rather, the perfect one depends on
what type of equipment or facility you’re using in the first place. Preventive
maintenance checklists can be divided into the following categories.
• Equipment and machines
• Buildings and facilities
• Vehicles and fleets
 How to Create a Preventive Maintenance Checklist
Creating your own checklists is a process involving data, best practices, and
tailoring it to the needs of your business. Fortunately, you don’t have to start
from scratch. Here are some tips for developing your own PM checklist:
1. Have a Clear Objective.
2. Audit Your Equipment.
3. Note Any Applicable Standards and Regulations.
4. Select Assets.
5. Outline PM Tasks for Each Asset.
6. Offer Clear Instructions for Checklist Items.
7. Train Your Personnel.
8. Track the Results and Adjust.
A PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST
 Some of the Benefits of Preventive Maintenance
1. Extended asset Life.
2. AnMaintenance.
Reduce Efficient and Productive Maintenance Activity
3. Boost Productivity.
4. Reduce Unplanned downtime.
PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE PdM/ CONDITION BASED MAINTENANCE
(CBM)

This maintenance approach is also known as condition-based maintenance (CBM)

and is the most preferred maintenance strategy. It is an attempt to evaluate the
condition of an asset by performing periodic or continuous asset monitoring. The
ultimate goal of CBM is to identify proactive maintenance actions to be performed at a
scheduled point in time when the maintenance activity is most cost effective and
before the asset fails in service. The “predictive” component stems from the goal of
predicting the future trend of the asset’s condition. CBM inspections typically are
performed while the asset is operating, thereby minimizing disruption of normal
system operations. Adoption of CBM/PdM in the maintenance of an asset can result in
substantial cost savings and higher system reliability.
90% of all equipment failures can be predicted
90% of all bearing failures can be predicted 6 months before failure
90% of all motor failures can be predicted 6-12 months before failure.
 There are a number of different CBM / PdM technologies that can be used to evaluate
assets condition. A few of the more common technologies (or data) are

• Vibration analysis
• Infrared (IR) thermography.
• Acoustic / Ultrasonic — sound level measurements.
• Oil analysis.
• Electrical — amperage plus other data.
• Shock Pulse Method (SPM).
• Partial discharge & Corona detection.
• Operational performance data — pressure, temperature, flowrates, etc.
 Vibration Analysis
Vibration monitoring might be considered the “grandfather” of condition/predictive
maintenance, and it provides the foundation for most facilities’ CBM programs.
Vibration usually indicates trouble in the machine. Machine and structures vibrate in
response to one or more pulsating forces that may be due to imbalance, misalignment,
etc. The magnitude of vibration is dependent on the force and properties of the system,
both of which may depend on speed.
Four Fundamental characteristics of Vibration
• (a.) Frequency.
• (b.) Period.
• (c.) Amplitude.
• (d.) Phase.
3 Key measures used to evaluate the magnitude of vibrations are:
• Displacement
• Velocity
• Acceleration.

The Units and descriptions are showed below

Displacement measurements is dominant at low frequency and is caused by stress in
flexible members of the machine. It is typically expressed in mils peak-to-peak (p-p).
Displacement is a good measure for low frequency vibration, usually less than 20Hz.
Velocity: is the time-rate change of displacement. It is dependent upon both
displacement and frequency. It is related to fatigue characteristics of the machine.
Velocity is generally used to evaluate machine condition in the frequency range of 10-
1,000 Hz. The acceleration is the dominant measure at higher frequencies that exceed
1,000 Hz. Acceleration is proportional to the force on machine components such as
gears and couplings. Both velocity and acceleration are expressed in PEAK.
• Velocity and acceleration are calculated by the following formulas:
• Velocity (V) = 2f d
• Acceleration = 2f V = (2f)2d
• Where;
• f = frequency in cycles per second.
• d = peak displacement.
With a few exceptions, mechanical troubles in a rotating machine cause vibration.
Common problems that produce vibration are:
• Imbalance of rotating parts
• Misalignment of couplings and bearings
• Bent shafts
• Worn, eccentric, or damaged parts
• Bad drive belts and chains
• Damaged / bad bearings
• Looseness
• Rubbing
• Aerodynamic and other forces
 Vibration Equipment
For permanent data collection, vibration analysis systems include microprocessor-based
data collectors, vibration transducers, equipment-mounted sound discs, and a host
personal computer with software for analysing trends, establishing alert and alarm
points, and assisting in diagnostics.
1. Infrared Thermography.
2. Ultrasonic Testing.
Lubricant (Oil) and Wear Particle Analysis.
• The objective of oil analysis is to determine:
• An asset’s mechanical wear condition.
• Lubricant condition.
• If the lubricant has become contaminated.

The three areas are not unrelated. Changes in lubricant condition and
contamination, if not corrected, will lead to machine wear.
Lubricant Condition: Bad lubricating oil is either discarded or reconditioned
through filtering or by replacing additives.
Standard Analytical Test Types Lubricating oil and hydraulic fluid analysis
should proceed from simple, subjective techniques such as visual and odour
examination through more sophisticated techniques. The more sophisticated tests
should be performed when conditions indicate the need for additional information
and based on asset criticality.
1. Visual and Odour
2. Viscosity
3. Water (Moisture) Test
4. Wear Particle Count
5. Total Acid Number (TAN)
6. Total Base Number (TBN)
7. Spectrometric Metals Analysis
8. Infrared Spectroscopy
9. Analytical Ferrography
10. Foaming
11. Rust Prevention
12. Rotating Bomb Oxidation Test (RBOT)
13. Sampling and Frequency
14. Oil Contamination Program
A basic oil contamination control program can be implemented in
three steps:

1. Establish the target fluid cleanliness levels for each machine

fluid system.
2. Select and install filtration equipment (or upgrade current filter
rating) and contaminant exclusion techniques to achieve target
cleanliness levels.
3. Monitor fluid cleanliness at regular intervals to achieve target
cleanliness levels. It is a good practice to establish a quality control
program for incoming oil. Set up a minimum oil cleanliness standard
(ISO) for all oils, new or old, before they are used in the machines.
 Electrical Condition Monitoring

Electrical condition monitoring encompasses several technologies and techniques used to

provide a comprehensive system evaluation. Electrical equipment represents a major
portion of a facility’s capital investment. From the power distribution system to electric
motors, efficient operation of the electrical systems is crucial to maintaining operational
capability of a facility.

Electrical equipment evaluation can be divided into two categories:

1. online monitoring/testing
2. offline testing.
 Some of the Electrical Condition Monitoring are as listed
below:
1. Motor Current Readings.
2. Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA).
3. AC High Potential Testing (HiPot).
4. Surge Comparison Testing.
5. Conductor Complex Impedance.
6. Megohmmeter Testing.
7. Time Domain Reflectometry.
8. Radio Frequency (RF) Monitoring.
9. Power Factor and Harmonic Distortion.
 Application of Various Technologies to Electrical Assets

Specific electrical assets that can be monitored by CBM technologies are:

• Electrical Distribution Cabling. Megohmmeter, Time Domain Reflectometry, HiPot,
Infrared Thermography (IRT), and Airborne Ultrasonic.
• Electrical Distribution Switchgear and Controllers. Timing, Visual Inspection, IRT,
and Airborne Ultrasonic
• Electrical Distribution Transformer. Oil Analysis, Turns Ratio, Power Factor, and
Harmonic Distortion
• Electrical Motors. Current Draw, Motor Current Spectrum Analysis, Motor Circuit
Analysis, Megohmmeter, HiPot, Surge Test, Conductor Complex Impedance, Starting
Current, and Coast-Down Time
• Generators. Megohmmeter, RF, and Coast-Down Time.

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 Technologies Limitations
The technologies discussed earlier can be divided into two categories:
• Energized: These technologies can safely provide information on energized systems
and require the system be energized and operational. They include IRT, Ultrasonics,
Motor Current Readings, Starting Current, Motor Current Spectrum Analysis, RF,
Power Factor, and Harmonic Distortion.

• De-Energized: These technologies require the circuit to be deenergized for safe

usage. They include Surge Testing, HiPot Testing, Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR),
Megohmmeter, Motor Circuit Analysis, Transformer Oil Analysis, Turns Ratio, and
Conductor Complex Impedance.
Other Miscellaneous Non-Destructive Testing
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) evaluates material properties and quality of expensive
components or assemblies without damaging the product or its function. Typically,
NDT has been associated with the welding
of large high-stress components such as pressure vessels and structural supports.
Process plants such as refineries or chemical plants use NDT techniques to ensure
integrity of pressure boundaries for systems processing volatile substances.

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 The following are various NDT techniques.

• Radiography.
• Ultrasonic Testing (Imaging).
• Magnetic Particle Testing (MPT).
• Hydrostatic Testing.
• Eddy Current Testing.
 Why Have a PdM (CBM) Program.
Condition Based Maintenance can:
• Warn of most problems in time to minimize unexpected failure, the risk and consequences of
collateral damage, and adverse impact on safety, operations, and the environment. It will
reduce the number of pre-emptive corrective actions.
• Increase equipment utilization and life; minimize disruption to mission and schedule. It will
decrease asset and process downtime, resulting in increased availability.
• Reduce maintenance costs — both parts and labour.
• Reduce a significant amount of calendar / run-based preventive maintenance.
• Minimize cost and hazard to an asset that result from unnecessary overhauls, disassembles,
and PM inspections.
• Increase the likelihood that components operate to optimum lifetime. In some cases,
replacement prior to end-of-life is more efficient for meeting operational requirements and
optimum cost.
• Reduce requirements for emergency spare parts.
• Increase awareness of asset condition.
• Provide vital information for continuous improvement, work, and logistic planning.
• Improve worker safety.
• Increase energy savings

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However, CBM cannot:
• Eliminate defects and problems, or stop assets from deteriorating.
• Eliminate all preventive maintenance.
• Reliably and effectively warn of fatigue failures.
• Reduce personnel or produce a major decrease in lifetime maintenance costs without a
commitment to eliminating defects and chronic problems.

CBM is not a “silver bullet.” Some potential failures, such as fatigue, or uniform wear on a
blower fan are not easily detected with condition measurements. In other cases, sensors
may not be able to survive in the environment; measurements to assess condition may be
overly difficult and may require major asset modifications.

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 TROUBLESHOOTING AND ANALYSIS

Maintenance troubleshooting is the process of identifying what is wrong with these

faulty components and systems when the problem is not immediately obvious.
Maintenance troubleshooting usually follows a systematic, four-step approach;
identify the problem, plan a response, test the solution, and resolve the problem.
Steps one to three are often repeated multiple times before a resolution is reached.
Think about it this way: When a conveyor belt breaks down, you may try a few
different methods to fix it. First, you identify which part of the conveyor belt isn’t
working. Once you’ve identified the problem area, you plan a response and test it,
such as realigning or lubricating a part. If this fails to fix the problem, you might
replace the part, which makes the conveyor belt work again. This is troubleshooting.

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FAILURE: Failure is not doing what we say we are going to do. Failure of our
equipment is the equipment not doing what we designed it to do when we
need it. Asset is unable to operate at all, Unable to operate at rate, Unable to
meet quality standards, Unable to meet E, H, & S standards. The only way we
can eliminate or reduce failures is by understanding how equipment fails. We
can then learn and develop ways to predict, prevent, and eliminate failures.

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 HOW IS MAINTENANCE TROUBLESHOOTING USUALLY DONE

Tell me if you’ve heard this story before. An asset breaks down and no one knows why.
You talk to the operator, read some manuals, and check your notes about the asset. You
try a couple of things to get the machine up and working again with no luck. Before
you can try a third or fourth possible solution, you get called away to another
emergency, with the asset still out of commission.
This is often how the process happens when performing maintenance troubleshooting,
especially when a facility relies on paper records or Excel spreadsheets. The process is
based on collecting as much information as possible from as many sources as possible
to identify the most likely cause of the unexpected breakdown. You can never go wrong
when you gather information, but it’s the way that information is gathered that can turn
troubleshooting from a necessity to a nightmare

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 Why does maintenance troubleshooting matter

Unexpected equipment failure is the entire

reason maintenance troubleshooting exists. If
assets never broke down without any clear signs
of imminent failure, there would be no need to
troubleshoot the problem. But we know that’s
just not the case.

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Stacking the Deck

• Explain the rationale for change so that individuals cognitively

understand it
• Allow emotions to be worked out
• Give participants a lot of information
• Help individuals to cope with change

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 Maintenance troubleshooting tips
The following are just a few ways your operation can improve its troubleshooting
techniques to conquer chaos and take control of its maintenance.

a) Quantify asset performance and understand how to use the results: It

probably goes without saying, but the more deeply you know an asset, the better
equipped you’ll be to diagnose a problem

b) Create in-depth asset histories: Information is the fuel that powers exceptional
maintenance troubleshooting for maintenance. Knowing how a particular asset
has worked and failed for hundreds of others is a good place to start a repair.
That’s why manuals are a useful tool when implementing troubleshooting
maintenance techniques. However, each asset, facility, and operation is different,
which means asset machine failure doesn’t always follow the script. Detailed
notes on an asset’s history can open up a dead end and lead you to a solution
much more quickly.

c) Use root cause analysis and failure codes: Effective maintenance

troubleshooting starts with eliminating ambiguity and short-term solutions.
Finding the root of an issue quickly, solving it effectively and ensuring it stays
solved is a winning formula.

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Failure Codes: provide a consistent method to describe why an asset failed. Failure codes
are built on three actions: Listing all possible problems, all possible causes, and all
possible solutions. This process records key aspects of a failure according to predefined
categories, like misalignment or corrosion.
Failure codes are useful when maintenance troubleshooting because technicians can
immediately see common failure codes, determine the best solution, and implement it
quickly. Failure codes can also be used to uncover a common problem among a group of
assets and determine a long-term solution.

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d) Build detailed task lists: Exceptional maintenance troubleshooting requires solid planning and
foresight. Clear processes provide a blueprint for technicians so they can quickly identify
problems and implement more effective solutions.
e) Make additional information accessible: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; great
maintenance troubleshooting techniques are often the result of great information. However, if that
information is difficult to access, you will lose any advantage it provides. That is why it is crucial
for your operation to not only create a large resource centre, but to also make it highly accessible.

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Using CMMS software for maintenance troubleshooting
If it sounds like a lot of work to gather, organize, analyze and circulate all the
information needed to be successful at maintenance troubleshooting, you’re not
wrong. Without the proper tools, this process can be a heavy lift for
overwhelmed maintenance teams. Maintenance software is one tool that can
help ease the load every step of the way. A digital platform, such as a CMMS,
takes care of crunching the numbers, organizing data and making it available
wherever and whenever, so you can focus on using that information to make
great decisions and troubleshoot more effectively.

The Bottom Line

Troubleshooting will always exist in maintenance. You will never be 100

percent sure 100 percent of the time when diagnosing the cause of failure. What
you can do is take steps to utilize maintenance troubleshooting techniques to
ensure equipment is repaired quickly and effectively. By combining a good
understanding of maintenance metrics with detailed asset histories, failure
codes, task lists, and other asset resources, and making all this information
accessible, you can move your troubleshooting beyond trial and error to a more
systematic approach.

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MTBF: MTBF calculates the average period between two breakdowns. In other words,
it’s a measure of reliability—how long an asset typically works until it goes caput.

MTBF Formula:

The MTBF formula divides an asset’s total number of operational hours in a

period by the number of failures that occurred on that asset in that period.
MTBF is most often measured in hours. Before you start calculating MTBF,
you need to understand failure. When most people think of failure, they think of
a completely broken machine—a car unable to drive or a computer with a blank
screen. However, failure isn’t black and white. It occurs in multiple stages.
Basically, failure is when a system or part no longer produces exact and
required results.

MTBF = Number of operation hours ÷ Number of failures

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For example, let’s say you have 10 identical pumps at your facility. The
pumps operated for 100 hours each over the course of a year, totalling 1,000.
The pumps failed 16 times in total over that year. This means that the mean
time between failures for these pumps is 62.5 hours.

MTBF = (10 pumps x 100 operational hours each) ÷ 16 failures

MTBF = 1,000 operational hours ÷ 16 failures
MTBF = 1,000 ÷ 16
MTBF = 62.5 hours
World-class MTBF is difficult to establish as every piece of equipment has
different expectations. It’s best to investigate each asset’s MTBF and the standard
for your industry before setting a benchmark for your team.

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 How to Improve MTBF

1. Improve PM Process

2. Conduct a RC Analysis

3. Work towards condition-based maintenance.

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MTTF: Mean time to fail (MTTF) measures the average time from when a non-repairable
asset begins operating to when it fails. The key phrase is ‘non-repairable asset.’ MTTF
calculates the entire lifespan of equipment. When it fails, it’s replaced. This is how MTTF
differs from MTBF — the former deals with assets that aren’t repairable and the latter
deals with assets that are repairable. There are a number of reasons an asset might not be
repaired, but the most common rationale is that it costs less and takes less time to replace
the asset.
MTTF is calculated by dividing the number of hours assets have operated by
the total number of assets being tracked.
For example, three identical fans run for a total of 60 hours. The MTTF for
these fans would be calculated by dividing 60 by three for a total of 20 hours.
This calculation can tell you many things—the most valuable being how often
maintenance is required and when to purchase inventory.

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MTTD: Mean time to defect (MTTD) measures the average time between identifiable
issues that lead to equipment failure. An asset can continue to run after a defect is
discovered. That’s what makes MTTD and MTBF different: MTTD is a prelude to
failure, while MTBF is the state of failure.

The MTTD formula divides an asset’s total number of defects by its

total number of operational hours. For example, if a piece of
equipment runs for 80 hours and you identify five defects in that time,
the mean time to defect is 16 hours. MTTD is used primarily to
schedule preventive maintenance and establish conditioned based
maintenance,
PF- CURVE: Enter the most useful tool in RCM: The P-F curve. Set on an X-Y axis
where X measures time and Y measures the condition of an asset, the P-F curve
represents the behavior of an asset before it actually fails. In other words, it predicts the
condition of an asset based on what usually causes it to fail and when. The P-F curve is
a key part of condition-based maintenance and allows you to schedule maintenance on
an asset at the best possible time without using unnecessary resources.
 How to read a P-F curve
The “P” in a P-F curve refers to potential failure (when a piece of equipment could fail
based on historical data, or the first point where we can detect that a failure could be
occurring). To use an example, recording failures on a bearing could tell you that it
typically fails after its temperature climbs above 60 degrees.
Conversely, the “F” refers to an asset’s functional failure (when the asset actually fails).
Continuing with the same example, you know that you typically have about four days
between when the bearing’s temperature passes 60 degrees (P) and when it fails (F).
Therefore, you should be inspecting it within that interval (perhaps every two days).
This will ensure that you catch a failure before it actually occurs.

The P-F interval in maintenance

The bread and butter of the P-F curve is the P-F interval. This is the time between an
asset’s potential failure and its functional predicted failure. Your inspection interval
must be smaller than the P-F interval so you can catch a failure after it’s detectable, but
before it actually occurs.
 How to extend the P-F interval

Depending on the asset and its failure modes, there are a number of techniques
that can be used to gauge an asset’s condition and delay failure.
1. Lubricant Sampling and Analysis
2. Corrosion Monitoring
3. Motor Current Analysis
4. Acoustic Emissions Detection (e.g., ultrasound)
5. Vibration Measurement and Analysis
6. IR Thermography
7. Process Parameter Trending (e.g., flows, rates, pressures, temperatures, etc.)
8. Process Control Instrumentation (measurement and trending)
9. Visual Inspection (look, listen and feel).
 How to use the P-F curve to improve maintenance

1. Schedule better maintenance.

2. Assess Risk Severity.
3. Maximise asset life cycle.
4. Create an Optimal mix of maintenance strategies.

Factors that affect the PF- Interval

There are many factors that can cause identified equipment failure modes within the P-F
interval, such as:
1. Equipment Design.
2. Frequency of Use.
3. Manual errors.
4. Equipment component and operational variability.
 Equipment Maintenance Logs
Having logs that track maintenance activities are important for several reasons. The
proper maintenance and tracking of machinery maintenance logs help you conduct
preventive maintenance to ensure your equipment is in good condition, doesn’t
experience unplanned repairs, and runs as efficiently as possible throughout its lifetime.

A maintenance record is also useful to reference when deciding if you should replace
your assets with updated versions and the best time to replace them. The data recorded
over time unveils patterns of failure, expenditure, and repair. This can be used to make
better decisions that will save on costs and time
Equipment maintenance Log
 How to create a great equipment maintenance log

Getting accurate, reliable data from an equipment maintenance log starts with
how you build it. The way you structure your maintenance logs is going to
depend on a variety of factors that are specific to your team and facility, but
any log should keep three key questions in mind:
1. What asset and maintenance information do you need most?
2. How detailed does the information need to be?
3. Who is going to be using this information and how?
Generally, this breaks down into two sections: Information about the asset and
information about maintenance work.

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 How to create a great equipment maintenance log

Best practice is to start with asset information at the top. This can include:

• Equipment name

• Serial number

• Location within your facility

• Manufacturer details (name, part number, contact details, manufacture date)

• Purchase date

• Date in service

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 How to create a great equipment maintenance log
Then describe the work that was done on the equipment:
•
Date of maintenance task
•
Brief description of the task
•
Name of the person who performed the work
•
Date of the next scheduled maintenance
•
Additional observations, notes, or comments
Simplicity is your best friend here. Don’t make it hard for technicians to complete the
log.
It’s best to keep your descriptions short and have all the key details laid out plainly,

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 How to create a great equipment maintenance log

• Above all, make sure you have a process that ensures accuracy. There are three
simple rules that will help you keep the data in your logs are as accurate as
possible:
1. Use a standard template for every asset. Equipment should be tracked and measured
from the same baseline to avoid errors and make data analysis easier.
2. Keep your logs in a designated location. Bonus points for making them available on
a digital plaform for quick access and a lower risk of damaging or losing them.
3. Create a routine for exchanging logs between shift changes. Keep everyone in the
loop on completed or outstanding work, problems, safety risks, and other useful
information.

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 How to maintain maintenance logs
How you maintain a maintenance log depends on if you’re doing it by hand or using
maintenance log software. If you’re manually maintaining maintenance logs like in a
spreadsheet, here are three tips:

1. Create a standardized template for each asset you want to track. Ideally, you want to
try to keep these templates as consistent as possible to streamline your process.
2. Designate a single place to keep the records, so they are easy to find by all
maintenance workers.
3. Define the process for how equipment maintenance logs should be exchanged and
communicated between workers during shift changes.
If you’re using software to create a maintenance schedule, maintenance workers need
to know how the tool works and who they should go to if they have questions. The
best way to maintain logs, in this case, is to create a standard process for entering data
to ensure it is entered consistently and in the same format.

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Six ways to use the data in equipment maintenance logs

1. Maximize equipment ROI.

2. Optimize preventive maintenance schedules and tasks.
3. Track preventive maintenance compliance.
4. Identify opportunities to upgrade your maintenance strategy.
5. Improve accountability and communication.
6. Make training and onboarding easier.

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How to get data from an equipment maintenance log

1. A CMMS, especially a mobile CMMS, allows you to access equipment

maintenance logs on any internet-connected device at any time, from anywhere
2. The software records and syncs data with other systems automatically so the
information is always accurate and up-to-date
3. The CMMS connects to the maintenance calendar, which makes it easier to track
who did what and how efficient the job was
4. Information from equipment maintenance logs are searchable on a CMMS, which
means you can filter work by asset, tasks, date, technicians, and more
5. Data is securely stored in the cloud, so there’s no chance it’ll be lost or damaged,
unlike paper records
6. You can attach pictures or videos to the maintenance log on a CMMS, making
information clearer than just a written description.
 CMMS failure codes
A failure code is a shorthand that can be cross-referenced with a list of reasons for
failure to understand why an asset failed during production. Failure codes can be
displayed as numbers, but are more commonly written as alphanumeric acronyms. If an
organization is using a CMMS Software, a failure code can be applied to a work order
for quick reference. While there are some common equipment failure codes, each
organization typically ends up having its own CMMS failure codes list, depending on
which equipment they have and the industry they operate in.
 Control E, H, S

It is important to train and encourage

employees to conduct their work in a safe and
environmentally responsible manner and to use
proactive programs to identify and eliminate
deviation from accepted EHS practices.
Benefits of using CMMS failure code
The benefits of using failure codes with a CMMS are two-fold. There is an
immediate benefit of assigning a reason for failure, and there’s a future benefit.

• The immediate benefit of using failure codes is that it ensures breakdowns

are given the attention they require.
• The future benefit of failure codes comes in when it’s time to assess and
optimize your maintenance operations.

What can you do with CMMS failure codes

Knowing the failure rate for a failure code can help you do the following:
1. Optimize PM intervals
2. Assess the desirability of additional PM tasks.
3. Eliminate unnecessary PM tasks.
4. Improve failure response.
5. Improve work practices.
 How many CMMS failure codes should you have?

The whole point of having failure codes is to provide your technicians with an easy
way to quickly analyze and categorize equipment failures, problems and faults. For this
reason, effective and accurate code lists are required to identify trends.

On the one hand, having too few failure codes does not enable the level of data analysis
needed, or it results in meaningless, nonspecific data. On the other hand, if there are too
many options, technicians could suffer from “choice overload”, resulting in a number
of “Miscellaneous” or “Other” codes being assigned, which will again render the data
meaningless. Ideally, you should aim for 20-30 failure codes. Thankfully, pop-up
CMMS tables eliminate the need to memorize codes.
 Who should develop failure codes?

Failure codes should, above all else, be easily available and understandable to the people who
request work, to the maintenance personnel that complete the work, and to the engineers who
need to understand what is occurring in the field. For that reason, developing failure codes
requires an integrated approach with these three groups, especially if there is a desire to do some
sort of wide-ranging analysis. Ultimately, the codes have to allow the field personnel a relatively
painless way to provide the information that the engineers need. Unless that occurs, the end
product will not be used.

In general, CMMS failure codes are collected for the purpose of failure modes effects analysis
(FMEA). Analysis, in turn, provides knowledge of patterns in equipment failure with respect to
other external and internal factors. There are endless applications of having knowledge like this,
but in general, it can be used to improve reliability, system availability, and ultimately, the
company’s bottom line.
Example of a failure codes?
Overall equipment effectiveness
What is overall equipment effectiveness:
Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is like
a performance review for assets. It measures
how well an asset is doing its job. In a
manufacturing facility, an asset’s job is to
make things, and OEE is a tool for determining
how well an asset makes those things. In doing
so, it tells you a lot about the efficiency of
your manufacturing process and where it can
be improved
The OEE formula
OEE = Availability x Performance x Quality
The most common way to calculate OEE is by multiplying three factors: asset
availability, asset performance, and production quality.

Availability – How often does the asset function when needed?

Performance – How much does the asset produce?
Quality – How many high-quality items does the asset produce?
Availability = Total run time of an asset ÷ Total planned production time of an asset
Performance = Actual system throughput ÷ Maximum possible throughput
Quality = Number of usable units produced ÷ Number of total units started.
Here’s one quick example. If availability is 92% (0.92), performance is 89% (0.89) and
quality is 97% (0.97), your OEE calculation would look like this:

OEE = 0.92 x 0.89 x 0.97

OEE = 0.794 (79.4%)
In order to get 100% OEE, your facility would have to produce perfect products, as quickly
as possible, with no unscheduled downtime. This is near-impossible to achieve. World-class
OEE is considered to be 85% or better, and the average OEE score is around 60%.

* See RCM Terms

 Benefits of OEE
Availability, performance, and quality are all tied to maintenance, which makes OEE an extremely useful
tool for improving your operation. Conducting an OEE analysis and finding ways to improve OEE helps
you uncover areas ripe with opportunity by connecting the dots between machine performance and
maintenance performance.
1. It gives PM program a boost.
2. Target Inefficiencies and eliminate them.
3. Reduce common causes of equipment failure.
How to Improve OEE
OEE is just a number until you can turn it into insights, decisions, and action. Making an effort to
analyze and improve OEE can help you make a simple change in your maintenance practices, like the
way you order inventory or complete work orders, and lead to big improvements on the production floor.
Improve the following:
1. Availability
2. Performance
3. Quality
 ANALYSIS
For every problem first check if the basic conditions are met before you start any
troubleshooting and problem analysis. Next to defining a problem accurately, root
cause analysis is one of the most important elements of problem-solving in quality
management.
ROOT CAUSE Analysis: Root cause analysis (RCA) is the process of discovering the
root causes of problems in order to identify appropriate solutions.
Core Principle:
• Focus on correcting and remedying root causes rather than just symptoms.
• Don’t ignore the importance of treating symptoms for short term relief.
• Realize there can be, and often are, multiple root causes.
• Focus on HOW and WHY something happened, not WHO was responsible.
• Be methodical and find concrete cause-effect evidence to back up root cause claims.
• Provide enough information to inform a corrective course of action.
• Consider how a root cause can be prevented (or replicated) in the future.
 Benefits and goals of root cause analysis
• The first goal of root cause analysis is to discover the root cause of a problem or
event.
• The second goal is to fully understand how to fix, compensate, or learn from any
underlying issues within the root cause.
• The third goal is to apply what we learn from this analysis to systematically
prevent future issues or to repeat successes.
How to conduct and effective RCA
There are a large number of techniques and strategies that we can use for root cause
analysis, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. Below we’ll cover some of the
most common and most widely useful techniques.
• Pareto Chart
• The 5 Whys
• Fishbone Diagram
• Scatter Plot Diagram
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
 Pareto Chart
The Pareto Principle is a universal pattern that exists everywhere in the world, including in
manufacturing. It’s a simple yet powerful rule that can help you identify waste in your
processes and help you conduct more effective root cause analysis.
In the 19th century, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed that 80% of the wealth in
Italy was held by 20% of the population. While ahead of its time, this concept was later
found to apply to nearly every relationship imaginable:
• 80% of the work in a department is completed by 20% of its people
• 80% of the errors in a production line come from 20% of its machines
• 80% of a firm’s problems come from 20% of the causes
• 80% of bad parts come from 20% of suppliers.
 Pareto Chart
1. Collect your data.
2. Create your pareto chart.
• Steps to create pareto chart
a). Tally your data

b). Re-order your data.

c.) Create your Bar Graph
 PARETO CHART
Bar Graph
 PARETO CHART
Cummulative line
 5 Whys Method
One of the most common techniques in performing a root cause analysis is the 5 Whys
approach.

Developed as part of the Toyota Production System and prevalent in Lean methodologies
today, the 5 Whys method involves asking ‘why’ repeatedly to uncover successive layers of
a problem.

• First, you look at a problem and ask why it happened. Once you answer the first
question, you ask why that happened. Repeat this process five times in total and you will
have typically found your true root cause.
• The 5 Whys is one of the simplest root cause analysis tools available, and is useful for
straightforward problems that don’t require advanced statistics. Let’s look at a detailed
example of how to apply this method and what to do with findings to keep the problem
from coming back.
• Problem Statement
• Why 1
• Why 2
• Why 3
• Why 4
• Why 5
 Acting on the 5 Whys
With root cause analysis complete, you can both solve the problem today and take steps
to stop it from happening again.
At this point, you might take steps such as:
• Having the process engineer that developed the standard work instructions change
them to reflect the correct servicing of this machine
• Adding the problem to a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) or a control
plan to determine if it needs more attention
• Creating an audit question based on the correction to verify the change is in place
and working
 Fishbone Diagram
A fishbone diagram sorts possible causes into various categories that branch off from
the original problem. Also called a cause-and-effect or Ishakawa diagram, a fishbone
diagram may have multiple sub-causes branching off of each identified category. When
tasked with solving a problem, brainstorming potential causes is a good place to start.
However, without a way to organize the information visually, it can be hard to see how
different facets of the problem interact. One visual method of root cause analysis that
helps do just that is the fishbone diagram.

This method allows you to visualize and organize potential causes of a problem into a
useable framework for solving it. Here we look at the basics of how a fishbone diagram
works, as well as some examples of how to apply it in your facility.
Ishikawa diagrams/ fish bone diagrams/cause and effect/ fishikawa diagram
 Process to Make an Ishikawa Diagram
To make an Ishikawa Diagram, a group will need a white board, flip chart, and some marking pens.

1. The group should agree on a problem statement (effect).

2. Write the problem statement at the center right of the flipchart or whiteboard, box it, and draw a
horizontal arrow running to it.
3. Brainstorm the primary categories of causes for the problem. For instance, it might make sense
to start with these generic headings: methods, machines (equipment), people (manpower), materials,
measurement, and environment.
4. Write the categories of causes as branches from the main arrow.
5. Brainstorm possible causes. Ask: “Why does this happen?” As each idea is given, the facilitator
writes it as a branch from the appropriate category. Causes can be written in several places, if they
relate to several categories.
6. Ask the question “why does this happen?” again. Write sub–causes branching off the causes.
Continue to ask “Why?” and generate deeper levels of causes. Layers of branches indicate causal
relationships.
7. When the group runs out of ideas, focus attention to areas in the chart where ideas are thin.
 SCATTER PLOT DIGRAM
A scatter plot is a graphical representation of the relationship between two variables,
offering a look at how closely two features are related.
Let’s say that you have a conveyor belt in your facility that keeps causing downtime,
with maintenance fixing one specific conveyor belt over and over. You use the 5 Whys
method to determine possible causes and find.
• Parts on the conveyor could be too hot
• The conveyor is old and not being serviced frequently enough
• Maintenance is not doing the repairs correctly
• Downtime is being called in error to cover for another problem
 Let’s look at how to use a scatter plot to identify these relationships

1. Choosing Variables: The first step in creating a scatter plot is choosing your
independent and dependent variables.
2. Measuring Variables and Organizing Data: Now that you have chosen your
variables, it’s time to measure them, either via observing the process or pulling
data from a digital source such as part measurement system, maintenance system
or mobile audit software.
 3. Building Your scatter Plot: Once you have your data collected, building the scatter
plot and evaluating correlation is easy in a spreadsheet. In our example, you are looking
at how many work orders happened at each temperature. That means temperature goes
on your x-axis and number of work orders goes on your y-axis.

4. Evaluating the result: In this example, we have a clear pattern. It is obvious that the
data points trend upward. This means that there is a direct correlation between the
temperature of the part and the number of work orders that are cut against the conveyor.
This is solid evidence supporting your hypothesis that the heat of the parts is causing
damage.
 FMEA
FMEA is a structured, empirical approach to understanding the potential impact of
something going wrong in a process. Each individual opportunity to go wrong is called
a failure mode. Each failure mode is assessed for three factors: severity (S), occurrence
(O), and detection (D). These scores combine to produce a Risk Priority
Number (RPN), and that score is the ranking system that you use to determine which
problems to focus on first.

How To Set Up FMEA

An FMEA has two sections:
The first focuses on creating a scorecard for the current state, including potential causes
and existing controls.
The second part focuses on corrections.
•
FMEA
Severity represents how bad the impact of a failure would be, ranging from no
impact to catastrophic
• Occurrence represents how often the failure occurs, ranging from extremely
unlikely to inevitable
• Detection represents how likely you are to catch the failure
 How To Set UP an FMEA
The second half of the FMEA is used to assign necessary corrective actions to the
appropriate people to prevent problems identified in the first section.
Know that not all problems have obvious solutions. Sometimes the action is simply to
determine next steps.
 How To Set UP an FMEA
FMEAs are used before things go wrong to prevent quality failures. In this example,
we apply the FMEA process to a drive into work.
The first step is breaking down the process into smaller bites (although some teams
may prefer to do this as they go). What are some sub-processes of driving into work?
• Backing out of the driveway
• Driving through town
• Merging onto a highway
• Passing through a toll bridge
• Navigating traffic jams
• Parking at the office
.
 Failure Modes
An FMEA allows you to dig into each item in great detail. What can go wrong when
backing out of a driveway?
• Hitting another car
• Running over a toy
• Hitting a person
• Being hit by another car
.
 Populating the FMEA
From here, choose one failure mode and drill down. If you hit another car, what is the
effect? How severe will it be? What might have caused it? How often might you hit
another car? What could you do to prevent it? How likely are you to notice?
Those questions lead through the full FMEA and end with calculating the RPN. Once
you have scored everything, multiply the three numbers together to get the RPN. This
overall score lets you rank potential problems.
 Assessing FMEA Results
Now that the first half is done, it’s time to evaluate and correct. With such a high RPN,
it’s important to contain this problem. The goal is to implement controls that will bring
down any of these scores.
What action can you take to reduce the severity of hitting another car? Sometimes, you
can’t do anything about severity. What can you do about occurrence? Can you reduce
the likelihood that you will hit another car?
Perhaps training could help. Increased awareness and diligence could go a long way.
Every control you add will help bring down the RPN. What could you do to increase
detection? How could you help yourself know when there is another car behind you?
Corrections
At this point, an action can be assigned to a responsible person. From here, the
responsible person should pick up the project, make their changes, and update that
information on the FMEA itself.
 Tips for performing effective root cause analysis
Ask questions to clarify information and bring us closer to answers. The more we can
drill down and interrogate every potential cause, the more likely we are to find a root
cause.
1. Work with a team and get fresh eyes
2. Plan for future root cause analysis
3. Remember to perform root cause analysis for successes too.
 CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE
Corrective Maintenance is another term used in different ways, CM is an action
initiated as a result of an asset’s observed or measured condition before or after
functional failure.
 Two classes of Corrective maintenance

• Planned corrective maintenance.

• Unplanned corrective maintenance.
Types of Corrective Maintenance
This type of maintenance can be categorized in several different ways. However, most
organizations divide the practice into five classifications.
1. Fail Repair
2. Overhaul
3. Salvage
4. Servicing
5. Rebuild
These five categories are commonly divided into two parent classes: unscheduled
(immediate) corrective maintenance and planned (deferred) corrective maintenance.
 How Corrective Maintenance Decreases Equipment Failure

Timely corrective maintenance identifies asset problems before equipment failure

occurs. Whether planned or unscheduled, it catches issues before they lead to downtime
and unnecessary costs. For example, you can replace worn-out brake pads before they
affect the rotors. By replacing the worn-out brake pads (correcting the problem), you
keep the rotor from breaking down and needing to ground the vehicle (downtime).
.However, the downtime for correction is minimal compared to total equipment failure.
Unscheduled corrective maintenance interruptions are intended to restore assets to
optimal performance before failure.
Examples of Corrective Maintenance
Here are a few scenarios when this type of maintenance is used:
• Example of Unscheduled Corrective Maintenance: Water companies
periodically deal with hard water residue build-up in their pipes. This common
occurrence increases water pressure, leading to burst pipes if left unremedied. For
this reason, water companies must immediately replace burst pipes upon
identification to avoid large financial losses.
• Example of Scheduled Corrective Maintenance: It’s a known fact that dusty
HVAC filters negatively affect unit efficiency over time. For this reason, facilities
often replace air filters monthly.
Other examples include replacing a faulty part on a production line after a breakdown,
replacing a clogged nozzle head that is stopping lubricant from flowing, and repairing
road sign damage after a major storm.
 Benefits of Corrective Maintenance
• Reduce emergency maintenance orders.
• Increase employee safety.
• Reduce service interruptions.
• Extend asset lifetime.
• Optimize resource planning.
• Decreases downtime.
• .
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EMAIL: [email protected]
WEB: dexnovaconsulting.com
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TEL:+234 (0) 1 3423761

EMAIL: [email protected]
WEB: dexnovaconsulting.com