The South African economy needs to grow. This is not a secret. We also need to compete on the international market. But, are we all doing what we can to ensure that we are contributing towards this economic growth. We have a responsibility to the consumer to keep the manufacturing costs of our products down (as low as possible).
One of the contributing factors towards controlling manufacturing costs is the ability of Engineers and their Maintenance staff to carry out reliable and correct equipment maintenance and repair of the machinery they are responsible for. This entails the following of prescribed equipment maintenance procedures and the use of the best materials and services available, such as parts, lubricants and specialist technical lubrication knowledge.
The article below, Maintaining for Profit, is extracted from “Lubrication for Industry” by Kenneth E Bannister. Since 1966, there have been numerous other studies performed worldwide that include the United States of America, Canada and Germany. All of these studies have mirrored the findings of the original “Jost Report”. More recently a frequently cited study from M.I.T. estimated that approximately $240 billion or six to seven percent of the United States’ gross national product is lost due to downtime and repairs to manufacturing equipment damaged by poor lubrication.
We recommend that our customers should take
the following three step approach towards saving money on lubricants and
lubricant related costs:
Clients
should attend a seminar on the latest advances in lubrication products and
maintenance techniques. Our company offers a lube seminar that covers the
fundamentals of lubrication, which we believe to be the minimum knowledge
required, to enable efficient performance from a technical perspective.
Clients
should consult with a qualified lubricants specialist, with a minimum of 10 -
15 years practical experience in successfully advising clients on lubrication
strategies that work. Consulting must
take place at the client's premises where the consulting company can provide
the training and recommendations needed to properly maintain a mechanical
operation or any other technical function.
We suggest
that our clients consider implementing an oil analysis program through which
lubricant degradation, abnormal machine wear, and time between oil changes can
be tracked, even if it is only for specific critical machinery.
Then, equipped with
a working knowledge of the basics of machinery lubrication and careful
attention to the applications and conditions of their specific lubricants,
plant managers can reduce manufacturing costs by minimising lubricant expenses
and by preventing costly damage caused by poor lubrication practices.
Oil Wise Lubrication is a specialist consulting company, providing technical lubrication seminars. Our core competency is in assisting our clients to maintain for profit through complete lubrication practices.
"Freddi has a phenominal knowledge about lubricants and lubrication technology".... Cobus Buckle, Engineer - Meadow Feeds
Plastic Packaging Industry: Kawaguchi 280 Injection Moulding Machines, The name plate on these machines had a description for a lubricant but
it was incorrectly spelt. No one took the time to confirm if there was
such a product on the market and therefore used a product with a
similar name
2012-02-22
Lubrication
Among the many tasks and conditions plant engineers must contend with on a daily basis are maintenance and downtime. When these two aspects are minimized, production can be enhanced and the impact on the bottom line can be reduced. Following some simple guidelines to keep equipment lubricated properly are the first steps to preventing unscheduled maintenance and costly downtime.
By Kevin Campbell, Senior editor Read more »
2012-02-21
PAG technology, a new staple for food-grade lubricants
There have been significant advances in H-1 lubricant research and development over the years which have produced top performing products. The search for an even better performance by lubricant manufacturers continues, specifically in the food safety field and effects on the environment.
Sibtain Hamid, Lubriplate Lubricants Company Read more »
2011-05-18
“In the 23 years I have been in the oil industry I have witnessed an astonishing and tremendous waste of resources and money. This due to the incorrect selection and use of lubricants as a result of inadequate levels of knowledge in this highly specialised area. In a conversation I had recently with an “engineer”... Read more »
2011-05-18
Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labour; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it - Samuel Johnson Read more »
2011-05-18
Makes you think, doesn’t it.
After having been in business as SOS Oil for the last 20 years, it never fails to amaze me how the Directors and Senior Managers of companies treat the lubrication and maintenance needs of their company’s production equipment compared to their “company cars”.
Read more »
2011-05-18
Maintenance Budget cut by 70%.
The Maintenance Manager is told the Maintenance Budget has been cut by 70%. Read more »
2011-05-18
Disappointing to Know.
This is an extract from an email recently received from an Engineer who had asked for some lubricant advice.
Divesh Bhooshun of KZN Sands says…. Read more »
2011-03-11
Some comments from delegates who attended the Basics of Lubrication seminar held in-house for Polyoak recently. Read more »
2011-03-04
Some comments from delegates who attended the Basics of Lubrication seminar held on 16th February 2011 at The River Club. Read more »
2012-02-14 Next Seminar
We will be holding our next Basics of Lubrication public seminar at the River
Club, Observatory, Cape Town on the 14th February 2012.
If you wish to attend one of our seminars, please e-mail your details to us at
info@oilwiselubrication.co.za and we will place your name on the list for the
next seminar that we run in your region.
