"The success of MainTrain 2007 is a result of the momentum from past MainTrain conferences, lots of hard work by many people and strong industry support put forth by maintenance and reliability practitioners from across Canada," said Brian Malloch, PEMAC president and director of manufacturing, DoALL Canada Inc. "MainTrain 2007 once again showed that it's Canada premier physical asset management event."

For those who were unable to attend MainTrain 2007, here's a summary of the main highlights:

Neil Cooper, vice-president, asset performance management solutions, Invensys Process Systems, talked about the importance of asset performance management (APM) and the role it plays on the shop floor. According to Cooper, the process begins with the need to reduce unscheduled equipment downtime and improve asset utilization.

"More timely and effective issue responses and shutdowns/turnarounds are needed to reduce downtime," said Cooper. "Thirty to 50 percent of preventive maintenance is unnecessary. This can represent 10 to 20 percent of the total maintenance cost."

Cooper said APM is defined by a holistic approach, encompassing:

• Business excellence components that address supply chain, customer intimacy and overall shareholder value;

• Operational excellence components aimed at creating and delivering the company's products in the most timely and cost-effective manner;

• Cross-functional and integrated measurement systems; and

• To provide the required information or integrate system components by using technology components (as necessary).

"Your goal is to turn data into knowledge. One constraint is a lack of content and perspective. You really need to think about condition management," said Cooper. "It's all about data and you better act on it. I recommend starting simple and small, while fully understanding your starting point. You must identify the value on the table and explain this to management."

Keep it green

Richard (Dick) H. Olver, P.Eng., CMRP, senior asset reliability specialist with Agrium Inc., discussed his company's recent maintenance and reliability journey. With its head office in Calgary, Agrium is a major producer and marketer of fertilizers, plant nutrients, related products and services. Protecting the environment is critical for Agrium.

"We design, operate and maintain our plants based on the principle that failures affecting safety, the environment, quality, cost and production aren't acceptable," said Olver. "Equipment will be designed, operated and maintained to minimize these failures. If they happen, the causes will be determined and dealt with. This is Agrium's reliability vision.

"Common sense isn't common practice in maintenance and reliability. I believe housekeeping is critical, as it creates an environment where people care. Are we there yet? The answer is no, as I'm not sure on this journey if you ever get there."

Road to reliability

James Li, service and sales support supervisor and trainer, SKF Canada, provided attendees with a toolbox full of useful reliability and performance tips. For attendees, Li re-emphasized that the role of maintenance isn't to fix failed machinery, but to prevent machinery from failing. This involves:

1. Maximize productivity: Ensure machinery operates satisfactorily and continuously for its rated life or longer; provide the highest machine availability, with minimum downtime due to maintenance and service; and continually improve the production process.

2. Optimize machine performance: Smoother, efficient-running equipment costs less to operate and produces a higher quality product.

3. Provide a safe environment.

"The role of maintenance is to predict problems from happening. Make no mistake, as reactive maintenance comes with a cost and maintainers must avoid unplanned machinery downtime," said Li. "You must understand where you are today before implementing an integrated, proactive maintenance strategy. The next step is to define your future objectives.

"Operator-driven reliability (ODR) encompasses the maintenance activities they perform and the interaction with maintenance and other departments, which impact facility-wide reliability. ODR expands classic duties. For example, greater involvement in planning, initiating maintenance work orders, arranging for machines to be made available for necessary maintenance work, organizing necessary permits and broadening knowledge."

ABCs of CMMS

David Berger, P.Eng. (Alta.), said it's imperative for companies to get their money's worth from computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) systems. The challenge, however, is to develop and use a solid CMMS system strategy.

"Maintainers need a roadmap to get the most out of their CMMS systems. A requirement is to determine what drives your business and track key measures," said Berger. "The goal of all maintenance professionals is to make their CEO look like a hero."

According to Berger, total performance starts with a strategy; performance measurement ensures you know when you're there; various tools help you develop a trouble-free route down the shortest path possible; and a service-level agreement (SLA) manages expectations along the way.

"In terms of SLA measurement, your measures will range from historical average to the best historical to a reasonable stretch goal," said Berger. "Each party should understand and manage expectations around quality and performance standards, standard procedures, skill/training requirements, cost versus level of service (you get what you pay for) and risk/business impact.

"Major improvements must be controlled through projects and formal project management and not the SLA. For companies, regulatory compliance is all about risk management and corporate governance. For maintenance, regulatory compliance may translate into an infusion of money to improve processes, upgrade your CMMS system or raise the awareness and skill level of front-line resources."

The lone wolf

In the maintenance breach of duty technical training workshop, Joel Leonard of the MPACT Learning Center (and dubbed by many in the industry as the "maintenance evangelist") challenged attendees to question their workplace safety initiatives. He also talked about the high cost of accident-related injuries on the job.

"Changes need to be made in our plants and maintenance departments to avoid preventable situations, which can lead to injury or personal death. You have to remember that lawyers will sue management until they start to get it right," said Leonard. "Maintenance is like a lone wolf. We must work together and speak to peers to find answers and improve our operations."

According to Leonard, it's better for maintenance to prepare and prevent than to repair and repent. He also emphasized that deferred maintenance isn't preferred maintenance. Speaking with a great deal of passion, Leonard said the maintenance industry has the chance to fix age-old problems.

"You need a detailed list of what must be fixed, prioritized from critical items to desired activities. Cleanliness also equals quality," said Leonard. "Spruce up your department. Make sure your maintenance staff projects a professional image, wears uniforms and looks clean and tidy. Organize your MRO stores. Every component should be in its place.

"You must implement a CMMS system and ensure that information is kept up to date. Have predictive maintenance reports handy to show vibration analysis, infrared readings, ultrasonic survey reports and lubrication studies. Get this information now if you don't already have it. We have to be aware that maintenance could keep going under. I'm talking about under the radar, under-staffed, under-funded, under-appreciated and under-performing."

MainTrain 2007 sponsors included: (Platinum) Bosch Rexroth Group and SKF Canada; (Gold) SEW Eurodrive and Sutherland-Schultz Inc.; (Training Sponsors) Fluke Electronics Canada, Henkel Canada (Loctite), Rockwell Automation, UE Systems, Hydac International and Benchmark Maintenance Services.

Visit the MainTrain 2008 Web site early next year for conference news and updates.

www.maintrain.ca