Targeting for improvement

The modern plant floor is a complex place, with maintenance and engineering teams pulled in different directions. Together with productivity and profitability challenges, teams also have to manage obsolescence and workforce skills. The 2012 WM Maintenance Report illustrated this, with 45% stating sustaining ageing plant was their number one concern, closely followed by operator skills and training. Managing these multi-faceted issues can lead to the creation of a raft of initiatives with conflicting goals and complex measures. Successful business is all about focus, concentrating efforts in a few areas rather than spreading precious resources across a multitude of activities. This targeted approach may include: - Few simple targets – measures such as number of breakdowns and breakdown time can be easier for the maintenance teams to both measure and relate to their own jobs - Proactive approach – be prepared for downtime; it always happens. Ensure the right parts are in the right place at the right time - Grow the skills level – avoid the "sheep dip"; if the level is too simple the good ones do not learn, too high and the weaker struggle or tune out. Assess who needs training and supply it at the right level. Fewer measures means clearer targets Ending up with complicated goals is very easy; a bottom-up approach can result in a different target or even measure for each area. This complexity can make it challenging for shopfloor employees to understand or relate to their day job. Focusing on a few direct measures such as downtime frequency and length can draw attention to issues where long-term solutions can prevent multiple short-term fixes. Be prepared for downtime An ineffective spares management process can extend downtime by 15 to 35% and obsolete or legacy products can make this statistic even worse. Maintenance operations are challenged to cut costs, sometimes driving the removal of parts from stores that aren't turning over quickly. While this approach makes intuitive sense, it is the opposite of what should be done, especially with legacy automation equipment. As availability of legacy parts begins to dry up on suppliers' shelves, firms that rely on them may need to manage their inventory better. When parts become in short supply, some production managers have been known to consider purchasing unverified spare parts on eBay. Allowing a machine's health and, ultimately, the company's profitability to depend on someone's last eBay purchase is not a sound business model. And a spares strategy should involve more than just stockpiling parts; it requires a careful calculation of the optimal spares volume. Understand the risks The first step should be a thorough analysis of the parts in the plant through an 'Installed Base Evaluation' (see below), together with the spares inventory. Using a plant hierarchy structure, individual parts can be assessed for their lifecycle status, and compared with the stores to determine whether appropriate spares cover is being held. This essential starting point is time-consuming, not seen as urgent or value added on its own, and ends up a 'wish list' item. Another reason is that most facilities don't have the personnel for it – in most cases there isn't a role specifically responsible for lifecycle management. Lack of resources is no excuse; enlisting the help of third party experts can reduce the pain. Tailor-made solutions Rockwell Automation's Installed Base Evaluation uses sophisticated tools to capture and manipulate the information. This helps you to focus on the important task of selecting the right service strategy, whether repairs, buying new or a service contract, to ensure the right parts are on site for immediate replacement. And here, Rockwell Automation can assist with a basket of support services including repair and spare parts solutions, installation and conversion services, network and safety engineering, together with embedded engineers.