Downtime Measuring and Reduction
Suppose it’s 2 PM Sunday afternoon, you’re the change production manager, and you obtain a telephone call from the press operator station; “We simply had an overload travel on number four press pump!” You tell the driver, “We had this issue yesterday as well, permit’s obtain maintenance down there and consider that pump”. You believe to on your own, we sure have a great deal of troubles with pumps.
Downtime tracking information is vital to deal with recurring machines problems and deficiencies, and to fine-tune the upkeep and functions administration devices. Several facilities do not measure downtime and if they do, they frequently miss out on chances that could aid the plant in bigger means compared to dealing with one downtime event.
Downtime expenses plants millions of dollars yearly in loss production, downgrade, and reduction of clients. It is essential to understand what is causing the downtime and ways to use this information to deal with the issue.
Downtime Collection
There are numerous methods used to track downtime. The most basic of techniques is where an operator simply fills in a log book noting just what took place, exactly what was done, and just how long they were down. This is where lots of older plants started. Even today, some plants still do not gauge downtime.
As the timber panel plants began to develop in the 1970s, several switched over from using logbooks to adding downtime information on production forms that were collected at the end of the shift. These kinds were continued clipboards and were readily available for plant personnel to read. When the clipboard got full, the forms were submitted. When making use of logbooks and forms, trending was not typically assessed other than for a month end report that provided the overall hrs down. In some cases plants would divide the upkeep from functional downtime, and perhaps also by craft (power vs. mechanical) and, if they were brilliant enough, by equipment area such as press, previous, drying out, and so on. Scheduled and unscheduled downtime would certainly be tracked. It is very important to evaluate both set up and unscheduled downtime to attempt to reduce each.
In the 1980s, the beginning of the pc time, we began to utilize spread sheets and data sources to track downtime. In the very first years numerous plants still gathered downtime from forms filled in by operators and administrative employees would certainly complete the spreadsheets and data sources. This permitted misinterpreted information, which often caused misstatement of root cause.
By the 1990s pcs became a lot faster and more economical. The spread sheets improved and some plants had drivers input data in to home-brewed downtime data sources or they were utilizing software offered by different business. It wasn’t until the mid 90s when pcs were very quick and had large memories that plants truly began to recognize the significance of good downtime data. We then saw plants use more sophisticated data sources to track downtime. By now many plants were additionally evaluating Total Tools Effectiveness or OEE, which is truth expense to the plant. The overall performance of a solitary item of tools (or even a whole plant) is controlled by the cumulative influence of the three OEE factors: 1) availability (or downtime), 2) performance fee (or optimal production prices), and 3) quality fee (or downgrade). OEE is a percent obtained by multiplication of these three elements.
Plants can now purchase online systems that could state actual time OEE or downtime information for instantaneous administration control. Software packages are offered to attach to devices controls to suggest exact time and gadget information. These same controls can additionally track OEE. Some maintenance software application systems have some downtime tracking capability, or they could be tweaked to approve downtime tracking. Some plants still rely on their own data source plans, while there are some wood products plants that still do not also accumulate downtime information.
Advantages of Downtime Evaluation
Downtime monitoring and evaluation is responsive. Something happens, and we do something about it– after the truth. With great maintenance and operations programs established, downtime can be decreased. We have actually not advanced our modern technology and the wood products sector to the point where it is feasible to run without downtime. There are some plants that are pursuing an annual goal of 97 % for 365 days. Presently a timber items plant is taken into consideration to be running well if it has 95 % overall uptime. That consists of all set up and unscheduled downtime. This calculates out at 22.8 hours each day or 18.25 days per 365 days per year. Even at 95 % uptime the tarried during the year stands for a considerable reduction to feasible revenue margin. Short period, repeat transgressors will certainly create downgrade product. Lumber items plants are meant to operate at all times with scheduled, proactive maintenance. If the plant is up and down regularly, not only is there loss in production, but likewise there can be product quality, safety, and environmental issues. Great downtime evaluation will aid both upkeep and operations in figuring out the origin of nagging problems.
Effective Downtime Collection and Evaluation
For downtime information to be reliable, the data should be easy to enter, easy to understand, and should consist of enough detail to enable excellent source analysis. The current automated systems will certainly collect precise information if enough effort is placed into checking the right components, and the functions and upkeep workers add their remarks.
For non-automated devices, the ideal information should be gathered and entered. The operator should add the time that production stopped and started. If this passes by a shift, the following driver must enter into the startup time. Items that should be taped consist of:.
- Stop/start times to the min.
- Operators name, shift, and crew.
- Plant area(s) affected, such as Lathes.
- Plant equipment stopped, such as Lathe # 1.
- Equipment location such as Lathe Spindle, and the tools recognition code or number.
- Sub-equipment, if understood, such as Lathe Hydraulic Pump # 2, and the tools identification.
- The part that fell short, if known, such as the pump itself or even better yet the pump front bearing.
- Failure code, such as: Tripped, Stopped, and Jammed.
- The mentioned problem, such as “The pump overloaded and rejected”.
- The action such as: Soldered, Switched out, Loaded, and Cleaned.
- Shift upkeep review authorization. Somebody from shift upkeep throughout which the event took place examines the downtime entry and accepts the specifics, or has additional remarks.
- Upkeep remark instance: “After resetting this motor overload and restarting, we observed high vibration from the front pump bearing. We inspected the pump bearing temperature levels and vibration level and it went beyond secure operating disorders, so we close down and changed the pump.”.
- Shift administrator review approval.
- Shift manager comments.
- Upkeep management authorization.
- Production management approval.
- Job order number for this event.
- Root cause: Lack of lubrication.
- Origin program failure: PDM.
- Source program failure note: “This pump had not been recognized as calling for vibration evaluation.”.
- Adhere to up called for: “Include pump to vibration evaluation path. Repair pump took out.”.
- Adhere to up job orders. There may be greater than one.
What a checklist! And to think we began downtime tracking by merely entering some specifics in a logbook. Not all these are needed, but they will certainly assist you establish the source much less complicated. When utilizing a data source, drop down choices can be selected to quicken the procedure of picking the numerous alternatives. Choices must be parent/child driven, such that when you pick “pump” as the element, there are limited choices for pump failings. The same is true for tools. When the press location is chosen, just the press equipment and its sub tools must be detailed as drop down options.
Now that you have collected data, what do you finish with it? With any luck not just what we finished with the paper forms we collected previously– when the clipboard acquired also complete we tossed them or perhaps put them in a box to store somewhere. It excels to examine downtime day-to-day and assign a person to fix the concern. Sometimes we obtain so bound in looking at the day-to-day issues, and not finishing what we began yesterday, that we shed track and never ever respond to resolving the root cause of bigger troubles. A minimum of with work orders we have a much better means of tracking these chances. What do we do with the past?
Downtime past is the primary to avoid downtime, as long as the right data is accumulated. We have to know the complying with from the data collected:.
- When did it occur? Date and time.
- Just how long was production down?
- Exactly what plant location, tools, sub-equipment, and element failed?
- Who was involved?
- What was the source and solution?
- What kind of program failed? Was it due to PM, training, management choice, poor engineering, incorrect installation, or inadequate layout? Exactly what created the component to fall short and compelled the plant to stop?
- Is this a repeat transgressor? Have there been a number of events of the same trouble? The number of times, and exists a style?
- Is it occurring at a certain time or season? Exists some common frequency?
By using a database, charts can be established to show styles, which can lead to root cause analysis and solutions. Scheduled downtime ought to not be forgotten as well when examining downtime. Charts should include:.
- Downtime by year.
- By month.
- By day.
- By crew.
- By shift.
- By plant place: Log Backyard, Press Line # 2, Completing.
- By devices: Press Loader, Center Flaker.
- By element: pump, electric motor, button, gearbox, conveyor belt.
- By failure code: overload, tracked off, spark discover.
- Root cause program failure: PDM, Training, Resources, Engineering/Design, etc
With great information on downtime, problems can be fixed and downtime minimized. When a downtime occasion happens such as a pump bearing failing due to imbalance, you require to not only settle that pump/motor problem, yet additionally consider other placement issues with comparable pump/motors, and the positioning program for the total plant. By identifying a potential program failing such as the PM procedure of checking for imbalance (and remedying that for the plant not simply the one pump that failed), you will certainly fix several even more problems and reduce downtime quicker for all products, as opposed to fire battling and chasing after misalignments each time they happen.
Summmary
You could not deal with everything simultaneously. You must prioritize those items that trigger the most downtime hrs and the most activities. Select the leading three for each and then fix them. Select the leading three downtime occasions by hours; and the leading 3 for frequency for the plant, by plant area, by element, and program failure. You might have other downtime issues you deal with as soon as possible to keep running, yet you should have a recurring listing of top priority downtime associated projects in front of you to reduce downtime. When you have actually solved one, add another to the list. Decreasing downtime will enhance the plant profit frame.
GeoViz is a team of experienced technical and business professionals that help our customers to achieve their ‘Operations and Maintenance Performance Management’ goals. Our experts minimize inefficiencies 360 degrees focusing Assets, Processes, Technology, Materials, People, Infrastructure, and Energy. GeoViz serves client inside North America specifically USA and Canada while physically serving clients in the cities of Seattle, Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa, Monreal, London, Kitchener, Windsor, Detroit. Feel free to contact us or Drop us a note for any help or assistance.
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