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Preventive Maintenance: What It Is & How to Set the Right Intervals

Preventive Maintenance: What It Is & How to Set the Right Intervals

In this video, I’ll walk you through the essentials of preventive maintenance – what it is and how to correctly identify the intervals for preventive maintenance tasks. We’ll talk about scheduled replacement and scheduled restoration tasks, and I’ll take you along as I perform three real-life examples: changing my home HVAC filter, getting my hair colored, and an oil change for my Subaru Forester. Each task highlights the importance of scheduling based on “age,” regardless of the condition at the time.

I also explain why preventive maintenance intervals should be set based on the useful life and not manufacturer recommendations, mean time between failures (MTBF), or criticality. Understanding these concepts is key to building a strong Reliability Culture in any organization. If you have any questions about preventive maintenance, drop them in the comments. I’m here to help!

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How Predictive Analytics Can Be Used to Monitor Dosing Pump Performance

How Predictive Analytics Can Be Used to Monitor Dosing Pump Performance

In the dynamic world of modern manufacturing and industrial processes, the reliability and performance of equipment play a crucial role in ensuring operational efficiency and product quality. Dosing pumps, essential for precise fluid control, are no exception. As industries increasingly embrace digital transformation, predictive analytics has emerged as a powerful tool to enhance the monitoring and maintenance of dosing pumps. This article delves into how predictive analytics can be used to monitor dosing pump performance, improving reliability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
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Competing Risks in Failure Time Data

Competing Risks in Failure Time Data
Part of the Statistical Methods for Failure-Time Data article series.

Introduction

In my previous article, I briefly discussed the survival function and the Kaplan Meier method of estimating this function from a given dataset. We applied this method to a vehicle shock absorber dataset to answer questions like “What is the probability that a vehicle shock absorber will last at least 19,000 km?”. The two different modes of failure of a shock absorber (Mode 1 and Mode 2) were ignored and were treated as the same type of failure. In the following post, we will consider the two modes of failures as two competing risks and answer questions like:

“What is the probability that a vehicle shock absorber will experience a Mode 1 failure by 19,000 km and that this failure occurs before it experiences a Mode 2 failure?” [Read more…]

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Improving Wind Turbine Reliability by Removing Component Failure Modes

Improving Wind Turbine Reliability by Removing Component Failure Modes

Successful Wind Turbine Reliability Strategy Requires Proactive Removal of the Causes of Failure

The reliability assessment of wind turbine models is critical when making investment in wind technology. Issues to address include: corrosion, metallurgy, structural integrity, reliability, pressure vessel construction, electrical circuits, communication networks, and more.

Develop a life cycle wind turbine reliability strategy that minimizes operationg costs by maximizing component reliability.

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Waterfall’s Contribution to Agility

Waterfall’s Contribution to Agility

Guest Post by Howard Wiener (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

In the previous article we discussed Waterfall, WaterScrumFall, big-A Agile and business agility.  Dissonance abounds among organizations struggling to transition their approaches to building solutions and maintaining their existing legacy infrastructures while remaking how they evolve themselves.  In attempting to navigate this they often adopt approaches that are destined not to really get them where they need to be.

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Why Predictive Maintenance?

Why Predictive Maintenance?

In this insightful video, we delve deep into the world of Predictive Maintenance and unravel why it’s an absolute game-changer for modern businesses.

Discover:

  • How Predictive Maintenance predicts equipment failures BEFORE they happen.
  • The substantial cost savings it offers through optimized maintenance.
  • The path to maximizing uptime and minimizing downtime and more!
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How Our Choices Shape Equipment Reliability

How Our Choices Shape Equipment Reliability

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭 of my 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 is here! We’re starting with how the 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 we make as asset custodians directly impact our equipment 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. Let’s build a strong foundation together!

Republishing here one week at a time.

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SPC Q&A Part 1

SPC Q&A Part 1

Favorite Questions and Answers from my Course “Statistical Process Control (SPC) Using Microsoft Excel”, Pt 1

Teaching manufacturing-related skills online offers a host of intangible benefits such as:

  • Interacting with professionals around the world,
  • Helping learners take the next step in their careers,
  • Witnessing the “a ha” moments of the learners taking my classes, and
  • Sharing the knowledge I’ve accumulated (and continue to accumulate) in my career.

And in one specific piece of the teaching process, I can experience all four benefits simultaneously, that is, answering student questions.

In this first article of a three-part series, I will share with you some of my favorite questions and answers from “Statistical Process Control (SPC) Using Microsoft Excel”, a course 7,800+ students from 126 countries have taken over the past since I launched it nearly 7 years ago.

[Read more…]

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Key Teaching Principle # 10: Application

As covered in the first article in this series, Principles of Effective Teaching, reliability engineers, FMEA team leaders, and other quality and reliability professionals are often called upon to teach the principles of reliability or FMEA. Whether you are a student who wants to enhance your learning experience, an instructor who wants to improve teaching results, or an engineer who wishes to convey knowledge to another person, this series will offer practical knowledge and advice.

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.  Leonardo da Vinci

Key Teaching Principle # 10 compels the instructor to ensure that each and every student learns how to apply the material being taught, in a variety of realistic scenarios. [Read more…]

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Why Effectively Communicating System Redundancy to Decision Makers Is So Important

Why Effectively Communicating System Redundancy to Decision Makers Is So Important

Effectively communicating system redundancy is important because redundancy touches system performance, risk management, disaster recovery, regulatory compliance, and customer & owner confidence. Getting the redundancy communication wrong produces blind spots and surprises. Getting it right produces a well-oiled, predictable machine. This article provides proven tips for effectively communicating system redundancy.

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Eight Disciplines (8D) in Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Eight Disciplines (8D) in Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Some history:

The executives of the Powertrain Organization (transmissions, chassis, engines) wanted a methodology where teams (design engineering, manufacturing engineering, and production) could work on recurring chronic problems. In 1986, the assignment was given to develop a manual and a subsequent course that would achieve a new approach to solving identified engineering design and manufacturing problems.

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Lifetime Evaluation vs. Measurement. Part 4 – Quantitative HALT

Lifetime Evaluation vs. Measurement. Part 4 – Quantitative HALT

Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth.

Archimedes

Its known HALT is an effective way to find the weaknesses in your product during the reliability improvement program. In doing so, we view HALT as a qualitative test only. We cannot define the reliability and lifetime of the product from its results. So, unfortunately, we cannot use HALT for purposes of Type Certification, confirm the lifetime of Critical Parts, predict the warranty and maintenance costs, which are required, for example, for aviation.

If we could combine the effectiveness of HALT (high acceleration of testing) with the benefits of quantitative testing, we would get a very powerful tool for the Reliability Demonstration and the Reliability Development of the new products.

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