Lubezine Magazine Vol. 9 April - June 2014 | Page 27

cants and lubrication processes carried out
at the plant.

Step 3. Improvement Proposal
Based on the identified shortfalls or weaknesses in the existing or the non-existence
of the lubrication program at the plant, a
proposal is made for evaluation by the plant
management and stake holders.

Step 4. Design and implementation
Cost is what comes to mind for a lot of stake
holders when implementation is mentioned.
However, a lot of the improvements are more
of an attitude and behavioral change towards
lubrication at the plant and less of expenses
which are generally within acceptable ranges.
Training is key at this stage as it forms the
basis of the program. Where capital expenditure to install automated lubrication systems
is required, a budget is then set aside.

Step 5. Optimization
This is a continuous phase whereby there is
a need to keep in contact with the Lubrication Systems experts for optimization of the
program.

THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE
PROGRAM
Irrespective of who does the lubrication
program development at your plant, it should
address the following areas;

i) Logistics and supply chain of the
lubricants
Your supplier needs to be able to support your
plant in other ways more than just dropping
off the lubricants. Do they have the right
lubricants? Is your supplier in a position to get
you the right lubricants within a reasonable
period after ordering. Your supplier should
also be able to keep stock so as to reduce your
stocking levels at your plant.

ii) Storage and handling
You need to ensure that the storage and
handling of lubricants is according to the
regulatory safety standards and requirements. Lubricants are required to be stored
in special designated areas and safe from fire
hazards. The handling of lubricants should
be such that there is little or no chance of
contamination/cross contamination from
other products. Lubricants are also affected
by exposure to sunlight and moisture and
this should minimized.
February-April 2014 | LUBEZINE MAGAZINE

iii) Selection and application methods
Effective lubrication can only be achieved if
the right lubrication method is employed.
Using manual lubrication to lubricate an
equipment that requires greasing every few
hours, where you have hundreds of grease
nipples or an environment where bearings
are exposed to too much dust or water is
practically impossible irrespective of how
cheap labour is. Soon bearings start coming
apart or seizing. This is where an automated
lubrication system is required.

vi) Lubrication task planning and
scheduling
This is essential in ensuring that lubrication
is done as and when required. Use of a maintenance program or software that assigns and
produces schedules on a daily basis is a great
method of ensuring that tasks are done.

vii) Waste lubricant handling

It is essential to have your oils in gear drives
and hydraulic equipment analyzed to ensure
that you do not have a potential catastrophic
failure awaiting. Existing internal wear of
equipment can only be established through
oil analysis. These results can then be used to
plan for servicing or changeout of an equipment thereby avoiding unplanned downtimes which are very costly. The decision to
extend the oil change duration or the need to
only filter the oil is also made at this point.

Proper handling of the waste lubricants is
essential in the development of an effective lubrication program. Environmental
concerns come to mind at this stage where
legal issues can arise should improper
handling of especially oils occur. One has to
ensure that the waste lubricant is kept safe
and/or removed from site by responsible
parties to eliminate or minimize risks associated with disposal of lubricants. There are
companies that purchase waste oils for use in
their furnaces. Waste removal firms have to
be vetted to eliminate practices where waste
oils find themselves back into the market
or dumped on the ground or rivers causing
environmental catastrophes.

v) Contamination control measures

viii) Training

Contamination of lubricants is a common
problem in the industry and yet it is one of
the leading causes of bearing failures even
with proper lubrication of the equipment.
Dirt, water and metals when ingested in the
equipment become the source of wear even
with presence of the lubricant. Cross contamination on the other hand affects the properties of the oil or grease therefore making the
lubricant ineffective. Clean lube ɽ