plant assessments

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Emerson Process Management - CSI

DoctorKnow Application PaperTitle: Plant Assessments

Source/

Author:

1997 Reliability Week Paper

Product: GeneralTechnology: Vibration

Classification:CSI Services holds the belief that the maintenance organization is a value added function and, in

fact, produces a product. That product is reliability.

Historically, maintenance has been categorized as a cost center and considered a "necessary evil."

Most of the attention is focused on production with cost cuts typically affecting the maintenance

department. Only recently has the awareness increased to the point where companies realize that

improvements to the maintenance function may significantly improve the bottom line.

Although incremental changes can produce improvements, significant increases in availability,

capacity, and profit require a structured approach. In order to effectively create the "road map" to

improvement, one must first determine where to start. CSI provides an assessment service that

evaluates the maintenance function as it relates to entire organization. That information is then

used to develop a plan by which the company can move toward benchmark status.

Depending on the size of the facility, the assessment process will typically involve two

management consultants from CSI that visit the facility for four to five days. The compiled datawill result in a report that contains an executive overview, a summary of the observations,

strengths and "opportunities for improvement" in each category, recommendations for

improvement, an implementation plan and schedule, and appendices containing support

information.

The Assessment covers five keys areas:

(1) Reliability Programs

s Predictive Maintenance Program (PdM)

s Preventive Maintenance Program (PM)

s Proactive Maintenance

s System/Equipment Reliability Prioritization (RCM/SERP) Plant Material

Condition

(2) Work Management

s Management involvement, support and culture

s Organization

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s Planning and Schedulings Use of Management Information Systems

s Effectiveness of Work Control (Screening & authorization of work; use of

s Work Requests

(3) Work Execution

s Work practices including Emergency Work Procedures

s Procedures (Adequacy/compliance)

s Contract Maintenance

s Document control

s Material control

(4) Training

s Skills assessment & developments Job descriptions

s Awareness training needs

s Training facilities

(5) Performance Monitoring & Assessment

s At the plant, system & component level

s Goals & Objectives

s Selection & use of Indices

s Reports, Tracking & Trendings Overall Effectiveness

PLANT ASSESSMENTS

(General category descriptions and selected excerpts)

The following pages offer general descriptions of the five primary categories and contain brief

examples extracted from a typical assessment. A full assessment provides specific strengths,

opportunities for improvement, recommendations, and implementation steps for all twenty-four

evaluation criteria. Additional concentration on specific issues can be performed at the customer's

request. All collected data, discussions, and written and verbal reports are considered confidential.

Based on hundreds of assessments over several years, the final report has developed into a

structured format that clearly and concisely identifies the key issues. The report is divided intoseveral sections, including:

an Executive Overview with observation summaries Strengths and "Opportunities for



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improvement" in each category with Recommendations for improvement in each category an

Immediate Action Plan and schedule Appendices containing support information

I. EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

The executive overview is a cover letter that hits the highlights of the assessment process. It

contains the basic information pertaining to the plant, provides a synopsis of the findings in each of

the five categories, and contains the benchmark rankings. The following paragraphs provideexcerpts of the executive overview.

EXCERPT:

A Plant Assessment was conducted at the Speciality Products Division on June 18-21 by CSI

Services. The primary purpose of the assessment was to evaluate the Maintenance Program. The

results of this assessment are included herein. We wish to thank you for the excellent assistance in

setting up interviews, the plant tour, and providing us a better understanding of the needs at the

Austin Division.

The Plant Assessment covers five major areas as delineated in Appendix A. 'Strengths "and

'Opportunities for lmprovement" are noted for each area. Recommendations will be noted in

'Opportunities for Improvement." The Recommendations for immediate action are covered in

Appendix B. We have included additional information, as requested, to ensure adequate

implementation of the recommendations. This additional information is listed in the Table of

Contents and described in the attached text.

In general, we were impressed with the enthusiasm of your maintenance workforce. The ability of

maintenance to respond to emergency work requests appears to be excellent. The plant has been

running very well-evidenced by the yield rate in excess of 93%. On the other hand, we noted that

the maintenance process is highly "reactive, "with an estimated 70% of unplanned work. This

'"reactive "environment is placing a burden on the maintenance workforce and it is keenly felt at all

levels.

The following is a short synopsis of the five areas covered in the attached report:

(1) Reliability Programs - The Preventive Maintenance procedures represent a good start toward

consistently planned Maintenance activities. However, the tasks are not "hard-lined' on a scheduleto ensure their completion. Many PM's are performed by contractors. These tasks have not been

reviewed for appropriateness or adequacy. The procedures should include data collection and

accountability measures. A start has been made in Predictive programs with...

(2) Work Management - Plant management is seen as a plus by all interviewed. However, workers

in Maintenance and Operations felt the processes were not conducive to efficiency. Work is

conducted in a totally reactive environment. Work prioritization changes constantly, and

interruptions are the rule. A few key PM's are scheduled and completed, but everything else is

accomplished on a situational basis. There is no planning on a daily basis, although...

(3) Work Execution - The constant stream of changing priorities and interruptions lowers the

effectiveness and percentage of direct work activities. There are a high motivation and strong work



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ethic present in the Maintenance craft. However, skill levels are not adequate in all cases, due to

the lack of a comprehensive training plan. There is no culture for ...

(4) Training -A program is in the offing, but is stalled in place. No job descriptions or progression

path exists for Maintenance workers. Skills are lacking in key areas, and efforts are being made to

address this issue. The scheduling of...

(5) Performance Measurement - The key indicator is yield, and it is tracked in detail. But, little isknown about individual machine performance. Scheduled/non-scheduled Maintenance is tracked

indirectly through Line A downtime, but not comprehensively for all of maintenance. Budget

adherence is also tracked. Maintenance process performance is...

Overall, we graded these five areas against Benchmark Reliability Based criteria. Your scores:

Reliability - 2%

Work Management - 13.5%

Work Execution - 4%Training- 18.9%

Performance Measures - 27.6%

Overall - 9.8%

This places you in the bottom quartile. We believe that you have the attitude and willingness to

make changes that will result in rapid improvement. Some of your initiatives need implementation

processes to make them work - such as the procedure project. The following attachment will breakdown the assessment into categories, with findings and recommendations for each category. Then,

a timetable for implementation of key recommendations will give you a course to chart future

actions. We are available at any time to assist you with any of these activities.

II. STRENGTHS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

This assessment section would break out each of the five primary categories into their component

parts. Each contributing component is discussed in terms of the strengths noted and theopportunities for improvement. The following provides a brief description of each of the

categories. For illustrative purposes, some excerpts are provided as examples.

(1) Reliability Programs - It is estimated that only 4% of all plants are taking substantive action in

this area. This is the most crucial step to benchmark status. Areas covered here include:

s Predictive Maintenance Program (PdM) - Vibration Analysis, Infrared

Thermography, Tribology, Motor Current Analysis, Balancing, Precision

Alignment, etc.

s Preventive Maintenance Program (PM) - PM or, Interval-Based Maintenance,

is not an effective tool when employed by itself. Usually too many PM tasks



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are prescribed based upon vendor recommendations. However, coupled with

PdM and Proactive maintenance it is highly effective.

s Proactive Maintenance - The philosophy of Proactive Maintenance is that

failures are never accepted as the norm. Proactive plants strive to eliminate

the need for maintenance. This utopian state-of-affairs is never reached but

many benchmark plants have eliminated 75% or more of their previous

reactive maintenance activities. The foundation for Proactive Maintenance is

a disciplined, formal Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) Program.s System/Equipment Reliability Prioritization (RCM/SERP) - A fundamental

precept in RBMTM is to ensure that the right equipment is getting the

attention. Most plants simply take vendor's recommendations and apply them

as PM tasks. This is highly ineffective and a vast waste of resources. A SERP

will provide a prioritized list of "critical" equipment; i.e., that equipment

responsible for plant availability, safety, environmental impact, and high

maintenance costs. This assists the plant in creating "Equipment Reliability

Plans" to reach benchmark status.

s Plant Material Condition - Current plant condition and recommendations forimmediate, as appropriate.

EXCERPT:

PREVENTIVE PROGRAMS

a. STRENGTHS

(1) Preventive Maintenance activities have been proceduralized. The procedures have been

reviewed by the work group to insure they are practical and effective.

(2) New personnel were involved in the development of the procedures -increasing their

knowledge of the equipment, and involving them in the work process.

(3) Essential PM activities are placed in a monthly chart, by their due date. The chart is

followed by the group leads.

b. OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT:

(1) The quality and applicability of PM's need to be reviewed. Many were evolved from

vendor manuals, and may not have incorporated plant experience on the equipment. Their

relationship to equipment reliability and failure is unclear.

Recommendation: Perform an equipment prioritization and task selection based on failure

prevention and mitigation. CSI refers to this process as System and Equipment Reliability

Prioritization, or SERP.

Based on the SERP, starting with the highest rated equipment, evaluate all PM activities.



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Ask why the task is being performed - is it defending against a failure, or prolonging

equipment life ? Can Predictive techniques be used to direct performance, or avoid the PM

entirely? Can multiple activities be combined? Is the PM cost effective ?

(2) Many PM's on Line A are not being performed in a timely manner. They get delayed or

prolonged, which forces a backing up of tasks, and puts the machines out of commission for

an extensive period. (Quartz cleaning is delayed, resulting in the quarterly and semiannual

PM backing up.) The PM program lacks direction and control.

Recommendation: Place all PM's into the monthly schedule and track compliance. Do not

allow tasks to be deferred or extended without management review.

(2) Work Management - Determining the "right work to do" is of little value if it is not

properly planned and executed. All CSI recommendations are focused on improving the

maintenance/reliability function with a target of less then 2070 reactive. The skills are

evaluated in the following areas with specific recommendations for improvements, as

appropriate:

Management involvement, support and culture

Organization

Planning and Scheduling

Use of Management Information Systems

Effectiveness of Work Control (Screening &authorization of work; use of Work

Requests

EXCERPT:

WORK CONTROL

a. STRENGTHS

(1) The maintenance director's staff is fully capable and eager to enhance this process.

b. OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

(1) The work order "Failure Cause Codes "are routinely not filled out. This makes it very difficult

to assess past equipment failures and hampers the continuous improvement process. In addition, in

order to facilitate a computerized equipment "failure trending "process, the Cause Codes need to be

revised to include the degree of equipment failure; i.e., partial or total.

Recommendation: Revise the Cause Codes as described in Appendix C. This should not be

difficult to do. All mechanics need to be told the importance of providing this information to the

ERIG/group responsible for assessing program performance.

(2) Work orders are not:



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sorted by equipment (1470 &PM's) o screened to determine if RCFA is appropriate o

screened for adequacy of current PM's o scheduled o assessed for feedback to the

PdM program (how good was the call to take equipment down for maintenance ?)

Recommendation: Prioritize systems and equipment as earlier described in the SERP process. Take

the top 20%, based on the MPI (Maintenance Priority Index), and perform condition assessments.

Address the Root Cause. Provide training (as described in Section 5 - Training) on both RCFA andprocedural compliance. The new CMMS will help immensely on the planning and scheduling

aspects.

(3) Operations keeps informal lists (white boards, etc) of work to be done. When equipment

outages are ordered, maintenance is sometimes not prepared to do the work (lack of spares, etc).

Recommendation: It is strongly recommended that operations fill out work requests on all known

deficiencies all the time (culture). Management will not be able to fully assess plant reliability

unless all problems are known. Once this is done, a computer generated report will be available tomanagement. This report can be sorted by process, by equipment or by area.

(4) Too much work is being initiated over the telephone.

Recommendation: Consider implementing a central dispatch system. Limit all calls to true

emergencies.

(5) Too much emphasis on maintenance cost. There are entirely too many sign-offs required to

implement the maintenance process. This wastes valuable management time as well asmaintenance staff time in insuring all forms/signatures are obtained. For example, a work request

needs multiple signatures to be authorized (should be just the originator plus applicable foreman

unless job to be done as a project). Once it becomes a Work order, multiple signatures are again

required, including:

o if cost of W.O. exceeds 10% of estimate, additional sign-offs required. o if a requisition exceeds

$3000, additional sign-offs required. o if cost of W. O. less than $5000, 4 sign-offs required o if

cost of W.O. $5000-$10000, add Department head o if cost of W. O. greater than 1O, 000 add

Director O&M, etc...

Recommendation: Management should ask 'How many times has specific action been taken based

on these reviews and sign-offs ? If the answer is, "seldom, "recommend scaling back substantially.

As equipment reliability improves, costs will improve as well!

REMAINING ASSESSMENT AREAS:

(3) Work Execution - Benchmark plants ensure that their mechanics provide feedback to

Reliability and Task planners so that the quality of all tasks is continually improved. CSI reviews:

Work practices including Emergency Work Procedures

Procedures (Adequacy/compliance)



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Contract Maintenance

Document control

Material control

(4) Training - The average age of America's workforce is in the 50's. Within 10 to 15 years, these

highly skilled workers will be leaving the workforce. The training program is evaluated and the

recommendations provide ways to transfer critical skills to the younger generation as well as

upgrades to your existing program:

Skills assessment & development

Job descriptions

Awareness training needs

Training facilities

(5) Performance Monitoring & Assessment - Management at benchmark plants realizes the value

of solid programs as described above. However, the key to retaining "benchmark" status is throughContinuous Improvement. CSI provides the vital information on how to implement a topnotch

Performance Monitoring & Assessment Program. This generally requires a "Paradigm" shift in

culture and it takes several years to reach the top. The good news is, "it's worth every penny

invested."

At the plant, system & component level

Goals & Objectives

Selection & use of Indices

Reports, Tracking & Trending

Overall Effectiveness

EXCERPT:

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

a. STRENGTHS

(1) Goals and objectives are defined and

prominently displayed. Key indicators are

customer delivery cycles and yield.

b. OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

(1) Additional key parameters should be monitored and

tracked.

Recommendation: Set up tracking and goals for

maintenance cost per unit output, overtime, availability



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(traceable to machine), percent of planned work, failure

analysis, scheduling performance, and budget

performance. Refer to Appendix E for specific

calculations.

III. IMMEDIATE ACTION PLAN

The recommendations provide the specific steps for initial improvements. The plan is designed for

long term improvements within a workable time frame.

EXCERPT:

Note: These have been placed into Gant chart form. See attachment. The sequencing and timing

may have to be reviewed and "fine-tuned 'by your organization.

1. Take away radios from technicians and have the shift lead carry the radio. This will forcerequests to be channeled through a single source. It will also allow the technicians to work the

priority jobs uninterruptedly. (Eventually, the Work Order will become the only way to initiate

work.) This should take place immediately, and about a month to totally implement.

2. Initiate the Work Order Program. Continue with the Data Stream project to implement

equipment codes. This project should complete by the fourth quarter. Write the Work Order

process into a master plant procedure and train Maintenance and Production on it. The procedure

should be completed by third quarter, with training complete early in the fourth quarter.

3. Expand on the monthly schedule to include all PM's. Track adherence and ratio of planned to

reactive work. Do this immediately, as the PM 's are known. Set up achievable goals for adherence

- 40-50% at first, and keep improving. Eventually, adherence should be in the 90% range. The first

goal should be achievable in the third quarter.

4. Perform a SERP to obtain prioritization, then analyze for appropriate tasks. Begin this after the

Work Order program has been implemented. (The end of the fourth quarter.) First develop a

process procedure and train performers to it. You should be ready to begin prioritization of

equipment in the first quarter of 1997. Two more quarters will be required to designate appropriate

tasks. Additional time may be required if many new tasks are needed, or an extensive rework is

needed on existing ones.

5. Begin improving equipment reliability immediately. Get Operators, Maintenance, and

Engineering trained on Root Cause Failure Analysis right away, through the end of the year. After

equipment has been prioritized, identify the worst plant problems, prioritize them, and perform

Root Cause Failure Analysis on the most pressing plant programs. This would take place the first

quarter of 1997. The first action plan should be complete in the second quarter of 1997.

IV. APPENDICES

The appendices contain information that support the recommendations. Depending on the

particular needs of the customer, the appendices may contain job descriptions, organizational



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charts, detailed implementation schedules, specific performance calculations, example procedures,

process flows, recommended training, and reference sources.

All contents copyright 1998 - 2006, Computational Systems, Inc.

All Rights Reserved.

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