Equipment Maintenance Log Book or simply Log Book is an essential record which must be kept up to date. The log book should contain the following minimum details on its front page:
1. Equipment Model
2.Serial No
3. Date of Commissioning
4.Recommended Lube Oil (LO) to be used
5. Ratings (like Power, Temperature,Pressure or any other applicable parameters)
6.Duty Cycle
7.Safety Precautions etc.
Every time any maintenance is carried out, the service personnel should clearly record the date, nature of maintenance done, spares replaced, no. of hrs the machine operated before taking out for maintenance, any unanticipated defect noticed/rectified etc.
This log book should accompany the machines like gas turbines when they are send for major overhaul at manufacturer's facility. The scope of work is ascertained on the basis of the log book information.
Many a times some of the good parts are removed and defective one are fitted before the machine is sent for overhaul (OH). This is a bad practice as the information available in the log book may differ from the physical condition of the engine parts and manufacturer may wrongly recommend replacement of additional parts which may not be warranted and incur additional expense. It is always advisable to order new parts for replacement rather than removing and keeping them from engines sent for OH.
Log book provides a system approach for carrying out the maintenance. Service personals may come and go, the log book provides a basis for carrying out routine maintenance as well as major OH.
One last word about the book: The log book is normally filled immediately after the completion of the job. The hands of technicians may be dirty while filling. This fact should be kept in mind while selecting the paper and cover for the book. It is advisable to have cloth covering and good quality paper for the books.
It is the responsibility of the Maintenance In charge (MI) to ensure that the log books are filled and kept up to date.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Qualities & Qualifications of A Maintenance Incharge
Total Plant Maintenance (TPM) concept is a well suited policy for large manufacturing or processing plants. Instead of spreading maintenance to a number of departments, it is better to have a single point responsibility with a Maintenance In charge supervising all activities. This can help better pooling of resources and deployment of manpower. The inter departmental rivalry can be reduced and multitasking ability can be cultivated under this concept.
Being a team leader, Maintenance In charge (MI) should posses certain qualifications and qualities. He should have the over all view of the electrical,mechanical,instrumentation maintenance requirement of all the equipments under his supervision. Some of the most vital qualities we should look forward to are:
Engineering Maintenance Skill: The MI should have hands on experience in mechanical, electrical, instrumentation maintenance. These three are the basic maintenance requirement of any large plant. He should be able to judge the time requirement for carrying out the maintenance jobs and deploy enough manpower for carrying out the same.
IT Skill: Now-a-days tendering, procurement etc are being done online. The MI should have knowledge in the preparation of purchase request, purchase order etc using software packages like SAP. On line recording of consumption of store & spares help in the auto generation of purchase request. Timely availability of spares can considerably reduce the shut down time and production loss.
General Knowledge in NDT: Some of the jobs can not be done departmentally and required to be out sourced. Non Destructive Testing (NDT) of materials,welding etc is usually done through external agencies who posses qualifications and experience in their field. A general knowledge of these methods is desirable for MI, to make sure that appropriate testing has been conducted.
Human Resource Management: By Human Resource Management (HRM), I do not mean recruitment of people. Being a leader of a team, MI should be able to resolve ego clashes of subordinates and make them understand the value of their contributions in the maintenance jobs. In isolated places like Off shore Oil & Gas Processing complexes, some times he has to act as a counsellor for the employees and help them to reduce the mental stress due to work overload and prolonged isolation from their dear and near.
Companies while recruiting MIs should give importance to the above requirements and a person possessing above qualities shall be appointed for the post.
Being a team leader, Maintenance In charge (MI) should posses certain qualifications and qualities. He should have the over all view of the electrical,mechanical,instrumentation maintenance requirement of all the equipments under his supervision. Some of the most vital qualities we should look forward to are:
Engineering Maintenance Skill: The MI should have hands on experience in mechanical, electrical, instrumentation maintenance. These three are the basic maintenance requirement of any large plant. He should be able to judge the time requirement for carrying out the maintenance jobs and deploy enough manpower for carrying out the same.
IT Skill: Now-a-days tendering, procurement etc are being done online. The MI should have knowledge in the preparation of purchase request, purchase order etc using software packages like SAP. On line recording of consumption of store & spares help in the auto generation of purchase request. Timely availability of spares can considerably reduce the shut down time and production loss.
General Knowledge in NDT: Some of the jobs can not be done departmentally and required to be out sourced. Non Destructive Testing (NDT) of materials,welding etc is usually done through external agencies who posses qualifications and experience in their field. A general knowledge of these methods is desirable for MI, to make sure that appropriate testing has been conducted.
Human Resource Management: By Human Resource Management (HRM), I do not mean recruitment of people. Being a leader of a team, MI should be able to resolve ego clashes of subordinates and make them understand the value of their contributions in the maintenance jobs. In isolated places like Off shore Oil & Gas Processing complexes, some times he has to act as a counsellor for the employees and help them to reduce the mental stress due to work overload and prolonged isolation from their dear and near.
Companies while recruiting MIs should give importance to the above requirements and a person possessing above qualities shall be appointed for the post.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Total Plant Maintenance
Total Plant Maintenance
All equipments during their life cycle require timely and proper maintenance for smooth operation. The words “timely” and “proper” require careful attention. Any maintenance which is not carried out on time may require extra efforts to bring the machine back to normal. If the maintenance is not proper or adequate, it can cause premature breakdown or may reduce the useful life. These will entail additional expenses and may affect the reputation and profitability of companies.
Where there are only a few machines are installed, the maintenance can be easily planned. In large process complexes like petro-chemical plants, fertilizer plants etc, a large number of machines are working and their maintenance requires a careful planning. A shut down in these plants may require a lot of time to normalize and may cause considerable production loss. Here, if the breakdown of a machine is not attended on time may lead to secondary breakdown of a series of down stream equipments. Recovery from such a disaster may require a lot of efforts, wastage of resources, loss of production etc.
Total Plant Maintenance (TPM) envisages proper planning and execution of the maintenance in a plant. It starts with the study of the role and criticality of process equipments, ABC analysis of breakdowns etc. Procurement of spares and their timely availability and imparting training to engineers and technicians are also part of TPM.
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