View All Lean Maintenance
Using Lean manufacturing at a modular facility
It takes innovation and collaboration to accelerate the design and construction process to bring manufacturing facilities online to produce lifesaving vaccines as quickly as possible.
Introducing Lean manufacturing tools and techniques
Lean manufacturing tools and techniques demands a mental shift among employees, steady elimination of process wastes and perfecting best operational practices.
How Lean methods can improve safety: Creating a safety culture
It is important to create a safety culture that works for the employees and supports client success and satisfaction
How Lean methods can improve safety: Focusing on quality and productivity
By focusing on the three-legged stool of quality, productivity and safety, people can safely find a better way of using Lean methods.
How to develop and motivate employees towards Lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing, when done right, can improve productivity and reduce waste on the plant floor. Successful implementation requires buy-in from workers. See three ways to change workers’ perception of Lean and build trust.
How to avoid COVID-19-related schedule delays using Lean
If implemented effectively, Lean planning practices can help meet critical production start dates and make up for delays caused by the pandemic
Improved productivity through the kaizen multiplier effect
Team-led improvement ideas boost safety, efficiency and uptime for a precision molding operation.
What to look for in a manufacturing operating system
Manufacturing operating systems have come a long way and can aid engineers in many ways. The right operating system will be intuitive, efficient and easy to use.
Six steps toward the factory of the future
A solid foundation is required for any initiative
Mattress company adopts Lean system
Purple deploys L2L’s Lean execution system to great success
Applying Lean tactics in the Factory of the Future
The Factory of the Future can maximize the value and performance of every machine and production unit.
Top 5 Plant Engineering articles September 9-15
Articles about Engineering Leaders Under 40, applying Lean to daily management, improving your skilled workforce, maintaining equipment, and keeping workers safe were Plant Engineering’s five most clicked articles from September 9-15. Miss something? You can catch up here.
Apply discipline to your Lean daily management
Like soccer, a Lean daily management plan on a manufacturing floor requires team discipline to ensure success.
Blockchain benefits for Lean manufacturing
Blockchain can provide benefits to larger manufacturers looking to improve their Lean operations and reduce waste.
How Toyota Kata can transform Lean deployment
Toyota Kata seeks to enable organizations to gain and sustain competitive advantage through a cultural aptitude for process improvement and represents an attempt to correct various failure modes that are believed to have hindered past Lean manufacturing initiatives.
2018 Engineering Leader Under 40: Justin Sturek, 37
Manager of Continuous Improvement, The Raymond Corporation, Greene, NY, United States
AI’s hype hides practical benefits
In the discussion about artificial intelligence (AI) and its uses in everything from video games to shopping trips, the practical applications in the manufacturing realm may get overrun by the hype. As Plant Engineering discussed this month with Kazunobu Morita, chief strategy officer for industry and distribution business unit, Hitachi, Ltd., the use of AI on the plant floor will provide better data to workers and will help bolster the sagging workforce needs in the plant. "It is all about building awareness about the available data and need to unlock the potential of this data to address challenges faced by maintenance teams," Morita told Plant Engineering in the Mid-Year Report that focused on the Plant of the Future.
Linking manufacturing performance metrics to the life of a business
Creating and measuring performance metrics should be well-defined and reflect the goals of the business that focus on delivering value to clients.
Top 5 Plant Engineering articles, July 9-15
Articles about IoT benefits, the 2018 Lubrication Guide, motor repair, and more were Plant Engineering's five most clicked articles from last week, July 9-15. Were you out? You can catch up here.
Top 5 Plant Engineering articles, June 18-24
Articles about the Lubrication Guide, motor repair, maintenance contracting, and more were Plant Engineering's five most clicked articles from last week, June 18-24. Were you out? You can catch up here.
Top 5 Plant Engineering articles, June 11-17
Articles about motor maintenance trends, condition-based maintenance, best practices for compressor storage, and more were Plant Engineering's five most clicked articles from last week, June 11-17. Were you out? You can catch up here.
Top 5 Plant Engineering articles, June 4-10
Articles about motor maintenance trends, best practices for compressor storage, LEED v4 criteria, and more were Plant Engineering's five most clicked articles from last week, June 4-10. Were you out? You can catch up here.
Improving maintenance reliability and sustainability
Maintenance performance alone will not deliver sustainable performance; it has to come from all aspects of a manufacturing organization.
When selecting an ERP system, what’s driving your project?
When selecting an ERP system, organizations often start with a drive to become “Lean” and stay competitive.
Four best practices in spare parts management
A comprehensive spare parts management policy should include identifying critical motors, comparing carry costs to downtime, and maintaining spare parts on hand.
Create a winning culture on the plant floor
Maintenance can be improved if companies focus more on improving their operations rather than maintaining what they have.
Five questions to understand the data that drives business performance
Data crunching enables manufacturers to make better choices when it comes to their operations.
Creating a culture of service and engagement
Cirtronics has grown into a 175,000 square-foot facility with 200 employees and was recently recognized by the New Hampshire Business of Social Responsibility for its people-centric culture.
The other approach to Lean manufacturing
Using data analysis to find out what the dominant products within a facility are and the processes used to create them and how they flow within a plant facility is a useful way to make a company Leaner.
What companies need to know about food processing ERP systems
Companies should look for the food enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that provides the best process visibility.
Finding the right engagement strategy
A Lean-minded board of directors can have an influential impact on the direction of an organization and its future.
Welcome to the summer of innovation
While we take comfort in familiar ideas, what drives are society is innovation and new ideas that allow us to move forward.
Three steps for developing a food manufacturing plan
A food manufacturing plan should include situation analysis, goals and objectives, and function and scope to ensure that the plan goes through smoothly.
Lean manufacturing becoming Leaner
Lean manufacturing has changed the plant floor in many ways and the future promises everything will become Leaner as companies use real-time data to improve operations.
Find a path to compromise on the plant floor
Nolan Lestage, a utilities supervisor for West Liberty Foods in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, shares his story of his manufacturing experience and the pride he has in his work.
Three pillars to a reliability program
Moving toward proactive maintenance requires a foundational change.
Complexity requires simplicity for Lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing and the advent of Big Data have made operations more complex and the company needs to make the operational process as simple as possible to avoid chaos.
Predictive, preventive, and breakdown maintenance tips
Predictive, preventive, and breakdown maintenance are common maintenance programs that provide their own unique benefits and plant managers should know when to employ them.
Manage materials with vending programs
Vending programs can manage materials and provide workers with better access.
Maintenance meant continuous growth, change
A life in manufacturing means adapting to changes and evolving your mindset to fit the times to grow your skillset as well as the company's.
Prepare your maintenance program for the IIoT
Companies looking to implement the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) into their maintenance program need to understand its benefits and how they can take advantage of its potential by implementing reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) and condition-based maintenance (CBM).
Help wanted: More training, equipment upgrades
Maintenance is crucial, but a lack of resources remains an issue according to respondents for the 2017 Maintenance Survey.
Use cable testing to assess a motor’s health
Regular cable testing on motors are designed to help determine if any scheduled maintenance may need to take place and using insulation resistance or polarization index testing can provide some answers.
Four preventive maintenance mistakes to avoid
When building a preventive maintenance (PM) program, it's important to ensure the new program represents an improvement over the reactive maintenance it's replacing and that it includes the necessary supportive back-end systems and processes to ensure the program is efficient.
Throughput is mindset based on passion and process
Rapid changes in the market and in technology require managers to continuously troubleshoot, as throughput is a mindset based on passion and process.
The effect of performance management reviews on Lean manufacturing
Performance management reviews may have mixed results with people, but they can have a very positive effect when trying to apply Lean principles to an organization.
Using CAPEX as part of a maintenance management strategy
When it comes to managing all aspects of maintenance, capital expenditures (CAPEX) remains one of the key priorities.
Diagnose bearing failures beyond root cause analysis
Take a ‘CSI’ approach to root cause analysis to look beyond the obvious to determine why bearings are failing. Six types of failures and 12 tips for determining the root cause are featured.
Dos and don’ts for making permanent process improvements
Making process improvements that stick within maintenance organizations is a long-term commitment that requires a cultural change with a specific plan and a strong mandate from management that encourages workers to keep making positive changes on all levels.
Create a culture of purpose-driven excellence
Building a purpose-driven excellence culture requires leadership to be proactive and engage with their workers and create a culture built on trust.
Six ways to build a manufacturing culture from the bottom up
Companies need to establish an environment and culture where workers are just as active in creating a positive, safe environment as the executives and managers. Consider the six tips below to get started.
How to overcome potential food plant design construction problems
Companies that are able to communicate clearly and be flexible with their clients during a food plant design construction will have the most success in overcoming potential challenges.
2016 Engineering Leader Under 40: George Parada, 34
Business Unit Maintenance & Reliability Leader, Cargill Salt Inc., Newark, Calif.
New product development: How to form and manage your creative team
Focus on growth through new product launch readiness and leadership capabilities.
Oster-size it: How to Lean into daily improvement
The first step in this "make it yours" approach was to make the company's problems visible.
Making the grade: How to implement enterprise-wide Lean system
Neptune Technology Group’s two-year Lean transformation
The quick and dirty about OEE: Key concepts and formulas
Learn these key formulas to calculate overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and assess Lean performances.
2015 Engineering Leader Under 40: Jesse Dorn, 32
Project/Maintenance Manager, Manufacturing; Victaulic; Easton, Pa.; AAS Tool Making Technology & BS Manufacturing Engineering, Pennsylvania College of Technology
2015 Engineering Leader Under 40: Nathan Wingate, 26
Utilities and Technology Manager, Cooper River Partners; Goose Creek, S.C.; BS Mechanical Engineering, University of North Carolina—Charlotte
Sister act
Stacey Bales and Sara Mortensen chart a fresh course for the family business.
Is Lean relevant in today’s economy?
Despite this hurdle to Lean adoption, the reality is that in today’s highly competitive and unpredictable global economy, Lean is still just as relevant, if not more so, than ever before.
5 Ways to Improve Your Plant’s Training Strategy: Your questions answered
Webcast presenter Shon Isenhour answers more viewer questions on new training and devices as well as the best approaches for training and other best practices to consider.
Focus on four strategies for a ‘Super Lean’ operation
CMMS can help companies that utilize lean manufacturing in eliminating waste in inventory, waiting, defects, and underused employee creativity.
Eco-friendly packaging in the food and beverage industry: Types & benefits
The global green packaging market is expected to grow about 8% over the next five years, with the food and beverage market positioned as the largest consumer of green packaging materials.
Optimizing the pick area for shipping operations
Efficiencies gained in shipping can reduce costs, speed products to market, and increase customer satisfaction.
Gas Technology: Craft brewers watch energy dollars
Smaller microbreweries, especially startups, are often located in facilities that were originally designed for other purposes. These might include warehouses, factories, or store buildings. Space is often at a premium, and compromises in energy systems may be unavoidable.
AME: Death by 1,000 Kaizens
Are your employees ready for the Lean journey or suffering from too many Kaizen events? Before you can ever be successful in integrating Lean practices, it’s important to first understand why employees come to work each day.
The mystery of the maintenance backlog explained
There may not be any one correct way to measure backlog, but it is always advised to find that shortlist of backlog calculations that work for you, and measure them consistently. Measuring the size and makeup of your backlog can give you some keen insight into how you are managing your workload in your maintenance organization.
How to eat a chocolate elephant: Step by step method to reduce lead time
To reduce lead time, the first step is to prioritize the operations which will yield the most results, then review transactional history to check actual performance.
Lean’s two key ingredients
Lean programs usually begin with good intentions. But sustaining the effort is the biggest challenge.
The benefits of a data-driven maintenance strategy
Seven steps toward utilizing prognostic data analysis to optimize maintenance schedules.
Don’t let a few rocks end your Lean journey
Unanticipated circumstances test organization's leadership and resilience during the Lean journey. Here is a list of common challenges faced by organizations.
AME announces keynote speakers for Jacksonville conference
Jacksonville conference offers attendees the opportunity to learn from leaders and thinkers in the Lean industry.
Reliability lessons from the aircraft industry
Training, discipline, and maintenance keep things flying along
Global Automation and Manufacturing Summit Webinar series starts July 14
Keynote speakers at 2014 Summit will discuss manufacturing excellence, preview presentations in September.
5 ways to get started with Lean and boost your competitiveness
Lean is about involving people throughout your organization in day-by-day, continuing improvements.
Debunking the myths around bearings
From installation to lubrication, 11 ways to protect your assets
Remote monitoring: 5 ways to modernize your operation
The information needed to diagnose, treat—and even predict—plant-floor issues is now little more than an Internet connection away. Industrial organizations are starting to take advantage of better remote access capabilities.
Webcast: Principles of Lean Maintenance
Lean Maintenance is gaining traction as a sound strategy to keep equipment running and productivity humming. The hardest part is getting started. Plant Engineering presents a Webcast that looks at the steps needed to implement a sound Lean Maintenance strategy on your plant floor and to begin to reap the benefits.
Leveraging practical 5S tools for Lean and continuous improvement progress
Take advantage of existing resources as your organization ramps up its 5S capabilities – a key to lean and continuous improvement progress.
Autonomous maintenance: The peril of eliminating a department
Rick Wheeler, a Principal Consultant with Life Cycle Engineering, explains how autonomous maintenance has a valid role in modern maintenance strategy.
AME unveils workshops, tour details for 2013 Atlanta Lean Summit
Educational experiences provide an opportunity to learn from professionals whose expertise demonstrates the various benefits of lean.
Best and brightest assemble for 29th AME International “Excellence Inside” Conference
The conference features insightful speakers, excellent networking opportunities, fascinating plant tours and presentations sure to provide a fresh look at lean manufacturing.
Plant Engineering Energy Study: Less than half of manufacturers conduct energy audits
According to a energy survey by Plant Engineering, only 47% of facilities conduct an annual energy audit
A well-run storeroom preserves capital, saves time and money
Following best practices and running an efficient, up-to-date maintenance repair and operations (MRO) storeroom can save the company a great deal of money in the long-term with less production downtime and greater use of technical resources
Quality is ingrained, rewarded by top manufacturers
ASQ study finds training, financial incentives help boost quality improvements
GE Aviation expands in Delaware to build engine components
$27 million ‘Lean Lab’ will prove out manufacturing techniques
Modules for accumulation conveyors
ZoneFlex improves material handling efficiency and features clip-in mounting, switch configuration, and LED diagnostics
Fine tuning your preventive maintenance schedule
A good CMMS system can deliver the information users need to better fine-tune their PM schedules. If a less-rigorous PM schedule gets the maintenance team slapped with a corrective work order, it’s time to adjust.
Allied Reliability acquires ABB consulting business
Allied Reliability Group has acquired ABB’s Reliability Consulting business in North America, originally known as HSB RT.
2012 Leader Under 40: Kim Kallstrom, 35
Coordinator II/Program Administrator, The Reliability and Maintainability Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Product of the Year winners honored
ePac software was presented with the 2011 Grand Award at the 2012 Engineering Awards in Manufacturing dinner.
CMMS contributes to total productive maintenance initiatives
When a manufacturing organization embarks on a total productive maintenance (TPM) project, especially maintenance operations, it is critical to get the feedback from any/all people impacted, down to machine operators. So often we hear about utopian desires from upper management related to maintenance operations. TPM would be much more successful if people working “in the trenches” are included in the design, implementation and intended outcomes of the project. This stretches way past the maintenance staff to equipment operators themselves who could be “deputized” to handle elementary quality control and preventive maintenance tasks. CMMS should be the operations management, planning, analysis and audit technology component of any plant TPM strategy.
‘Safety by design’ key topic at global conveyor event
Symposium in Turkey hosted by Martin Engineering focuses on safety, efficiency
Five tips for better preventative maintenance with CMMS
Turn your strategy from reactive to proactive
What does your maintenance audit tell you?
Five things to review when studying your maintenance operation
The challenges of maintenance planning
7 tips to get the most out of your process and people
Scheduling preventative maintenance – timing is everything
CMMS Intelligence allows maintenance teams to reduce preventative maintenance and achieve maximum uptime.
POY Finalist: Vertical leveler dock door
Finalist in Material Handling Systems in Plant Engineering’s 2011 Product of the Year competition
POY Finalist: Curtain wall
Finalist in Environmental Health in Plant Engineering’s 2011 Product of the Year competition
POY Finalist: Performance index
Finalist in Maintenance Software in Plant Engineering’s 2011 Product of the Year competition
POY Finalist: Drum unloaders
Finalist in Manual Material Handling in Plant Engineering’s 2011 Product of the Year competition
POY Finalist: Battery care kit
Finalist in Manual Material Handling in Plant Engineering’s 2011 Product of the Year competition
POY Finalist: Forklift monitoring system
Finalist in Material Handling Systems in Plant Engineering’s 2011 Product of the Year competition
5 total productive maintenance (TPM) myths
TPM has been around industry for over 25 years, and yet is still an new concept to many organizations. There are many myths and misunderstandings about TPM that circulate industry.
2011 Leader Under 40: Anthony Roach, 31
Engineering and Maintenance Manager, FONA International
2011 Mid-Year Report: Question 4
Manufacturing leaders discuss the characteristics that successful manufacturing operations have in common.
In depth: 35 years in a competitive global market
Wildeck Inc. marked its 35th anniversary with a community open house and celebration. Plant Engineering sat down with Keith G. Pignolet to learn more about the plant’s success.
Preventative maintenance – the cost of maintaining equipment
The cost of maintaining equipment can be much higher than we realize. Sustaining equipment for its original design consumes time, labor, materials, tools, facilities, and most importantly lost production.
AME event: Accounting for Lean enterprise
Seminar: June 21-23, 2011; Pensacola Beach, FL
AME event: Set-up reduction, total productive maintenance blitz
Seminar: May 17, 2011; San Antonio, TX
AME event: Sustaining Lean: With a plant tour of NovAtel
Workshop: May 5, 2011; Calgary, Alberta
AME event: A3 improvement process with tour of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
Tour/Workshop: May 3, 2011; Newark, DE
Tank cleaner
TankJet 360 Fluid Driven Tank Cleaner from Spraying Systems Co. is equipped with a dual- or triple-nozzle hub and high-impact solid stream nozzles that rotate 360° in horizontal and vertical planes.
Kaman acquisition of Minarik expands motion control, maintenance link
Company seen as "great strategic fit" for Kaman
The five steps to Lean maintenance
March 5 Webcast features Heinz maintenance manager
Control loop maintenance necessary
he importance of maintaining PID loops cannot be overstated.
An easy off solution to repair a greasy mess
Plant Engineering brings you another item from the Tips & Tricks archive
Sustainability one focus of National Manufacturing Week conference
Green Manufacturing: Business Strategies for Sustainability highlights the conference sessions of National Manufacturing Week and will emphasize concepts such as Lean and green, corporate social responsibility, waste to profit, design for environment, zero waste and environmental sustainability.
NMW opens with five partner shows
National Manufacturing Week arrives at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, Sept. 23-25 as part of the latest Canon Communications blitzkrieg of trade shows.
‘Lean’ doesn’t always mean less
The phrase “Lean maintenance” lends itself to an onslaught of requisite punch lines … “Our maintenance is so lean … Most professional plant leadership understand that Lean maintenance has nothing to do with thinning out warm bodies, or more directly, reducing maintenance resources.
Don’t get grounded by ignoring maintenance
Perhaps no single quote that came out of the Plant Engineering Manufacturing Summit last month in Chicago better summarizes the state of manufacturing right now than this one: “We are so busy trying to meet tomorrow's build requirements that we don't have time to improve.”
Asset reliability drives Lean maintenance
Lean maintenance is the application of Lean philosophies, methods, tools and techniques to maintenance functions.
Global indicators for maintenance and availability performance
When a company wants to compare maintenance and availability performance internally or externally, it needs a common platform of predefined indicators so that it can compare apples to apples.
A Lean journey
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers has released a new book, "Story of a Lean Journey."
Stainless steel take-up frames
MRC stainless steel take-up frames for use in food-industry conveyor systems are designed to provide support for conveyor shafts and deliver correct conveyor belt tension while withstanding frequent washdowns and typically harsh chemicals.
Cleaner, degreaser
Sprayon engine degreaser can remove dirt, grease and varnish from mechanical engines, machinery and tools.
ASQ event links sustainable growth and Lean
Lean Six Sigma experts from around the world will gather at the 8th Annual American Society for Quality (ASQ) Lean Six Sigma Conference February 11-12, 2008, at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix. On tap at the 2008 conference are four of the most noted experts in the implementation of Six Sigma in government, healthcare, manufacturing and the utilities industry.
Are maintenance workers really different than other shiftworkers?
Many maintenance managers will tell you their workforce is different than other shiftworkers – that their attitudes and behaviors are not the same. Recognizing, understanding and accounting for how maintenance personnel evaluate shift schedules are essential to finding a schedule that will satisfy their needs and give you the required coverage to meet your business needs.
Online maintenance testing
More than 50 tests are available online for assessing maintenance and production workers. Designed to complement training program development, the online assessments provide administration, scoring and reporting that helps users determine areas of deficiency for their employees. Reports can be exported to Microsoft Excel for review.
General purpose cleaner
HydroForce Zero VOC general-purpose cleaner is an industrial-strength, aqueous non-aerosol cleaner. It's designed for use on tools, parts, grills, tires, engines and shop equipment. The fluid is non-corrosive with a pH level of less than 11. Biodegradable, nonflammable and non-ozone depleting, the cleaner is available in 32-ounce spray bottles, 1-gallon bottles, 5-gallon pails and 55-gallon drums.
Cleaner/degreaser
Oil Eater cleaner-degreaser cuts through oil, grease, grime and dirt, encapsulating them into a solution that rinses off easily and leaves no residue.
How effective is your maintenance strategy?
New white paper from Lawson explores the concept of Dynamic Reliability-Centered Maintenance
Experts lay out a case for ROI of maintenance
Maintenance has always been a cost center in manufacturing, but experts at the July 19 Webcast presented by PLANT ENGINEERING and sponsored by UNICCO Service Company made a compelling case that a proper maintenance program can drive profits and a return on investment. “All manufacturers have to get to operational excellence,” said Tim Goshert, worldwide reliability and maintenance m...
AME offers seminars for Lean certification
Two upcoming seminars are designed to prepare participants for and give the exam for Bronze Certification in Lean.
AFE offers online classes for maintenance, supervision
The Association for Facilities Engineering offers review classes for Certified Plant Maintenance Manager and Certified Plant Supervisor online to allow plant personnel to take the classes at their desktop, avoiding travel and time away from work. The four-hour CPMM training sessions begin at 12:30 EDT on June 19, and last eight sessions through June and July.
Survey on maintenance and service contracts
Plant Engineering magazine and The Aberdeen Group are seeking feedback from plant management personnel to determine what strategies and approaches top service organizations use to grow service revenues and boost profits with their service and maintenance contract offerings. All respondents will receive a free copy of the benchmark study, “Service and Maintenance Contract Management: Ensur...
SKF acquires Preventive Maintenance Company, Inc.
In a move that strengthens its market leadership in reliability services, condition monitoring products, maintenance strategies and consulting services, SKF USA, Inc. has acquired Preventive Maintenance Company, Inc., Elk Grove Village, IL. Preventive Maintenance Company, Inc. is a market leader in predictive maintenance services for industrial customers in the pulp & paper, metals, food, automotive and other industries.
Survey on service and maintenance contracts
Plant Engineering magazine and The Aberdeen Group are seeking feedback from plant management personnel to determine what strategies and approaches top service organizations use to grow service revenues and boost profits with their service and maintenance contract offerings. All respondents will receive a free copy of the benchmark study, Service and Maintenance Contract Management: Ensuring Service Chain Profitability , due out in February 2007. All individual responses will be kept strictly confidential.
International Maintenance Conference goes to Daytona in December
IMC-2006, the 21st International Maintenance Conference, is an event where maintenance and reliability professionals can learn from each other through a series of presentations, question & answers sessions, networking opportunities and a selection of full-day workshops. Participants will discover exciting new ideas and learn helpful techniques for maintenance and reliability, predictive maintenance and condition monitoring, and maintenance basics like prioritizing, planning, and scheduling work. IMC-2006 will be held Dec.
Lean webinar features Womack and Shook
“Lean Management and the Role of Lean Leadership” is the firstJohn Shook, senior advisor to LEI and the first American to work as a manager in Toyota’s operations in Japan, will share the key characteristics of Lean management and leadership as he learned it at Toyota and other companies. The webinar will address where management begins and ends; how value is created for the customer in the three key processes of any business: design, make and use; the links between a Lean Management System and traditional organizational structures; the role of Lean leaders as change agents; the “right" leadership style to support a Lean transformation; and the vital few leadership principles and practices at Toyota. Interested viewers can go to www.lean.org to register for the webinar.
Why Lean companies stay fat: Lean manufacturing for high performance
Click here for: Why Lean companies stay fat: Lean manufacturing for high performance White Paper Registration Policy By agreeing to register to view this white paper, you agree that we may share your registration information with the white paper sponsor. We do not permit this company to use your personally identifiable information without your permission for any purpose other than to send you information about their own products and services.
InfraMation 2006 to address predictive maintenance
The InfraMation 2006 Conference, sponsored by Flir, is designed for anyone seeking innovative ways to reduce costs, improve worker safety and optimize productivity by averting shutdowns and extending the life of capital equipment through the use of infrared thermography. Learn from experts in the field as they cover a selection of topics, ranging from predictive maintenance, thermal research an...
Techsolve site offers leaner look at Lean
With the launch of a newly redesigned Website, www.techsolve.org, TechSolve has pulled together educational resources on lean manufacturing and machining optimization. The Website includes detailed descriptions of lean and machining applications in the manufacturing industry, client case studies and video media, a thorough explanation of the benefits and levels of membership, and a calendar and...
Scheduling Not Just A Maintenance Thing
Click here to download the pdf on this article .
Welcome to Maintenance Connection!
PLANT ENGINEERING’s Maintenance Connection is a monthly e-newsletter that provides plant and maintenance management with cutting edge ideas to improve maintenance practices in their operation. Each month, we’ll take a look at issues such as maintenance scheduling, safety and reliability, all with the goal of creating value from the maintenance operation. We welcome your suggestions, questions and views on maintenance issues. Contact editor Bob Vavra at BVavra@cfemedia.com and let him know what issues you’d like to see covered in future editions.
Maintenance e-newsletter debuts on March 24
Maintenance is a crucial issue on the plant floor every day, and PLANT ENGINEERING has added new columns and features each month to keep readers informed about the latest trends and products in the rapidly-changing field. Starting March 24, PLANT ENGINEERING offers Maintenance Connection, our new monthly e-newsletter that brings those issues and features right to your desktop.
Battery vent cap a maintenance aid
Dissipater battery vent cap solves many maintenance problems. A patented design dissipates heat and returns water to the battery during charging. Overflow protection holds expanded acid during recharging, eliminating over-watering. A built-in eye indicates the electrolyte level in every cell. A patented filtration system reduces harmful gases by filtering odors and creating a healthy environment.
Gas analyzer reduces maintenance expense
OxyTrak 411 flue gas oxygen analyzer is self-calibrating and requires no reference air. It uses a miniature zirconium-oxide sensor with a sealed internal reference to determine flue gas oxygen content, even with rapidly changing process conditions. Eliminating the reference air piping greatly simplifies (and reduces the cost of) system installation, while the self-calibrating operation reduces ...
Maintenance work-Part 3
This is the third installment in a three-part article about Maintenance Work.
Maintenance Tips & Tricks – 2000 – #8
Terminating wiresProblem: Devices such as switches and receptacles are usually daisy chained to one another to serve multiple locations via a single circuit. What practices are approved to terminate wiring and device connections? Solution: There are three approaches available to perform this task. Approach A uses both terminals of a standard receptacle. Failure of this device can affect other loads downstream on the circuit.
Maintenance software – 2000-03-01
Ivara.EXP is a rule-based expert system that supports proactive maintenance based on equipment condition information. The software predefines the appropriate maintenance program and monitors the overall condition of critical equipment. Ivara Corp.
Conveyor belts come clean
Eliminator H-Type conveyor belt precleaner strips away carryback residue at the head pulley to keep more material in the product stream and reduce cleanup elsewhere.
Save the solvent
Solventsaver is a filtration/treatment/cleansing system that works with any solvent-based parts cleaner using mineral spirits/petroleum-based products. Solvent life is significantly extended, reducing labor and disposal costs.
Software lets users create maintenance programs
EXP offers full support for RCM methodology, manual and electronic gathering and analysis of equipment condition, and a comprehensive equipment maintenance program that consists of predictive, preventive, and corrective activities.
Predictive maintenance system uses web technology
Field Browser predictive maintenance system uses any web browser and internet computer to enable a user to view the status of all control valves on an easy-to-read screen.
Maintenance Tips & Tricks – 1999 – #4
Bridle the bristles Problem: Cleaning parts in the parts washer is aggravating because the bristles on the standard round brush are standing out in all directions. Solution: Borrow a trick from painters — “bridle” the brush. Take an o-ring a little smaller than the brush diameter and roll it down the bristles to get the desired shape. Contributor : Philip J. Soliday, Freeman Products, Knox, IN; 219-772-2129 List of Tips & Tricks Plant Engineering.
Pavement maintenance
A 32-p catalog offers a wide selection of asphalt and concrete coatings; crack sealants; line striping, marking, and stenciling products; color surfacing; tools; and safety supplies. Product prices are listed to aid in budgeting. Maintenance, Inc.
Water jet accessories
A 64-p water jet accessory catalog offers nearly 500 items to clean, cut, or prepare surfaces with high-pressure equipment.
MAINTENANCE TOOLSAND EQUIPMENT
James Morton Group, Serpent & DoveMagWand magnetic cleaner
GENERAL AND MAINTENANCE SOFTWARE – 1999-04-01
Datastream Systems, Inc.MP2 Weblink system
Construction and maintenance
A broad range of single-source field construction, maintenance services, and construction management is presented in an 8-p brochure.
Solvent provides alternative to chlorinated cleaners
C/D Solv RE cleaner/degreaser is a rapidly evaporating alternative to chlorinated solvent products. It is fast drying and quickly penetrates to clean grease and grime without leaving a residue.
Hand cleaners attack dirt and soothe hands
Orange Hand Cleaners offer a natural, citrus-based lotion formula to remove the toughest on-the-job dirt and grease without water. A combination of natural moisteners and lotions help protect hands from chapping.
Water cleaning
Equipment to clean with water and clean or dispose of the resultant dirty water is summarized in a 6-p brochure.
Towels offer on-the-spot cleaning
Premoistened hand towels cut through dirt and grime, such as oil, paint, grease, tar, and ink. A wiper and cleaner in one, the rough side of the towels loosen, trap, and retain grime without smearing the soil back onto hands. New Pig Corp. www.newpig.
Maintenance equipment
A broad array of industrial maintenance equipment is presented in a 102-p catalog. Products include tube/pipe cleaners, vacuums/floor machines, pressure washers, and duct cleaners. Numerous photos are provided. Goodway Technologies Corp. www.goodway.com
From maintenance to stewardship
One of the problems with industrial maintenance these days is that it's, well, maintenance. Maintenance by definition means keeping things the way they are (or in original condition), and that won't hack it any more.
Cleaning products
A 36-p catalog presents a line of cleaning items such as wipers, premoistened wipers, surface liners, hand cleaners, degreasers, and personal protection products. Economic dispensing solutions for the products help control consumption and reduce waste.
Wipes treated with flame-resistant coating
Workhorse TR manufactured rags are nonwoven wipes treated with a flame retardant coating that passes NFPA 701 flammability resistance tests. The wipes clean oil, grease, grime, and solvents and are available on rolls of 740.
Hand cleaning towels
Lifter Wipes premoistened towels remove dirt, soil, heavy grease, oils, tar, wax, and adhesives while conditioning and softening hands. There is no need for rinsing or drying. La-Co Industries, Inc. www.laco.markal.industry.net
Hand cleaner towels
Rough Touch Scrubs combine a high-quality, liquid hand cleaner formula with a heavy-duty, nonscratching, abrasive hand-cleaning towel.
Cleaning filters
A portable ultrasonic system for cleaning liquid filter components is described in this bulletin. The system eliminates messy and time-consuming cleaning alternatives, such as pressure washing and steam cleaning. R-P Products
Maintenance tips
A folder features 100 useful and easy-to-understand tips submitted by maintenance and operations department personnel over the last 50 yr. Kano Laboratories Inc.
Ultrasonic filter cleaner works fast
A portable, ultrasonic system for cleaning liquid filter components eliminates the need for pressure washing and steam cleaning. The system cleans reusable sintered, pleated, bonded, slotted, or multi-layered mesh filter media in 5 to 15 min.
Degreaser gel removes hardened films
GRD gelled remover/degreaser is a high-performance product specifically designed for the removal of aged, hard film, corrosion-inhibiting compounds, particularly cured resins, adhesives, and baked-on grease and oil.
