How to Build Your ISO 55001 Asset Management System Quickly and make ISO 55001 Certification Easy

We have all seen it or done it before. Very busy people trying to do their jobs yet having to fuss with a grumpy piece of equipment. Banging and flailing about to bring the expensive tool back to an operational state. Our exceptional people are usually successful. Equipment is back in service for the moment then we all move on to the next task. Often “downtime,” is looked upon as a big negative and source of cost to the business. But allow us to posit that it’s the time fussing around with cantankerous… aka non-healthy… equipment that is the real source of business inefficiency and staff frustration.

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is a maintenance strategy that focuses on monitoring the condition of equipment to determine when maintenance actions should be performed. While CBM can be effective in reducing unplanned downtime and optimizing maintenance activities, it alone does not address the root causes of failure and may not lead to long-term improvements in machine reliability. Here are a few reasons why CBM, on its own, may not improve reliability.

The goal of every lubrication program should be to ensure that all equipment receives and maintains the proper levels of lubrication such that no equipment fails due to inadequate or improper lubrication. In order for this to happen, we must follow the 5R's of lubrication - right lubricant, right condition, right location, right amount, right frequency.

Supply and demand out of phase, finished goods and raw materials supply chains disrupted, energy costs instability, and skilled workers shortages are all common concerns across the globe. Solutions for relief are paramount. In these troubling times of global financial uncertainty any improvements in how we operate our equipment is sought. It is said that the product of asset management (AM) is reliability, that is, poor management equals poor reliability and good management practices will provide good equipment reliability.

Part 7 of 9 on Troubleshooting Mechanical Seals: Coking or Crystallized - symptoms, causes, failure modes, and solutions.

It is imperative that equipment and staff at your organization have the ability to do what is asked of them when called on. This enables effective execution of operations and the business plan on a daily basis, ensuring the success of your business. People are arguably the most important asset driving the success of an organization next to physical assets. Employee reliability at your organization must be established, just like the equipment that the people in maintenance were hired to manage and maintain. 

Accept that you will sometimes be wrong and do whatever it takes to find out the “as found” condition. This is often difficult to accomplish but it is well worth the effort and in the best circumstances this should be implemented as a normal procedure.