Information Management
Many Lubricant Companies are starting to awaken to the reality the way in which their assets are now being taken care of is just not obtaining the job done. They are taking a look at ways to deal with both the absence of procedure or lack of training, and lubrication is no exception.
While we're referring to lubrication PMs, electrical PMs or mechanical inspections, the key is to develop a regular method to capturing, arranging and delivering information, a field often referred to as information management. Information management is just details about any business process in a form that may be easily disseminated and used by those who require it. The key right here is "easily disseminated and used". Consider, for instance, a library. Libraries contain tens of thousands of publications. But unless of course every guide is carefully catalogued in a system that's user friendly, and the guide itself is carefully organized into related chapters and a topic index, the information is of small use. The same is true for lubrication knowledge.
As an example, think about the following real-life extracts from lubrication PMs I've reviewed in the past yr or so:
Grease the motor bearing - Sure! Just how much? Which grease should I use? What ought to I view for when applying grease?
Examine oil degree and leading off as essential - But, how do I check the level? Ought to the device be operating or down when I do my check? What oil should I use?
Sample gearbox - How? Should I crack the drain and insert a drop tube through the breather port, or is there a sample valve situated someplace?
I could go on, however you get the point. When it comes to lubrication, the amount of explicit knowledge or information accessible to the technician at the stage of use is often so restricted that, by inference, the technician has no choice but to create certain assumptions on the fly. But wait, you say, "Our lube technician has 30 years of experience; he understands what he's doing!"
Let us examine this. So, Joe continues to be lubing for 30 years? Is it reasonable to expect that Joe has memorized each and every salient detail (just how much, how often, which item or device to make use of) for each task? As well as if Joe is really a accurate expert with a penchant for memorizing information, what's going to happen when Joe moves on to that lengthy overdue retirement? Knowledge needs to be captured inside a way that leverages Joe's encounter but insures that he or his successor has the capacity to execute to a substantial level of precision and consistency every and each and every time.
Tacit vs. Explicit Information
How do we seize knowledge? Step one would be to acknowledge that knowledge comes in two unique types: tacit and explicit. Tacit knowledge is information that's saved in the minds of the few workers. My thoughts go back again to some lubrication survey I did a few years ago where Joe (yes, that was really his title!) was unexpectedly sick on the day with the survey and nobody could inform me what lubricant was used in each machine because "Joe's our lube guy". I later on learned that Joe had, actually, endured a mild heart assault, and while he fortunately recovered, issues could have been a lot even worse.
Explicit information, on the other hand, is information that's been captured as being a process, document, instruction video clip, etc. Within this form, it can be used by others to find out how a specific job should be done.
But wait, you say, "We have lubrication PMs. Our duties are all documented in lube routes, so we've currently captured our lubrication information explicitly." Unless you've documented each pertinent detail (how much, how often, which tool or item), don't fool your self - a PM cannot and should not be considered explicit unless all grey areas happen to be eliminated.
Why have couple of companies used time and work to seize explicit information? Ideally you all agree the devil is in the details, not the simple task description. The solution, in my opinion, is that the time and work to construct really specific lubrication PMs is so challenging, and there usually appears to become a larger fireplace that needs attention.
The difference is Accuracy
This need not be the situation. The incremental work required to create a lube PM really explicit is actually not that a lot tougher than writing a general guide, particularly if you consider an asset class method to design the ideal upkeep procedure. But the distinction within the accuracy by which duties are executed is profound, depending on how particular the task description is in the PM.
Therefore, inquire your self in the event you have explicitly captured each and every detail essential to lubricate your machines inside your lube PMs, or if you are tacitly expecting that Joe will get it right each and every time. Read Part two of this series.
Many Lubricant Companies are starting to awaken to the reality the way in which their assets are now being taken care of is just not obtaining the job done. They are taking a look at ways to deal with both the absence of procedure or lack of training, and lubrication is no exception.
While we're referring to lubrication PMs, electrical PMs or mechanical inspections, the key is to develop a regular method to capturing, arranging and delivering information, a field often referred to as information management. Information management is just details about any business process in a form that may be easily disseminated and used by those who require it. The key right here is "easily disseminated and used". Consider, for instance, a library. Libraries contain tens of thousands of publications. But unless of course every guide is carefully catalogued in a system that's user friendly, and the guide itself is carefully organized into related chapters and a topic index, the information is of small use. The same is true for lubrication knowledge.
As an example, think about the following real-life extracts from lubrication PMs I've reviewed in the past yr or so:
Grease the motor bearing - Sure! Just how much? Which grease should I use? What ought to I view for when applying grease?
Examine oil degree and leading off as essential - But, how do I check the level? Ought to the device be operating or down when I do my check? What oil should I use?
Sample gearbox - How? Should I crack the drain and insert a drop tube through the breather port, or is there a sample valve situated someplace?
I could go on, however you get the point. When it comes to lubrication, the amount of explicit knowledge or information accessible to the technician at the stage of use is often so restricted that, by inference, the technician has no choice but to create certain assumptions on the fly. But wait, you say, "Our lube technician has 30 years of experience; he understands what he's doing!"
Let us examine this. So, Joe continues to be lubing for 30 years? Is it reasonable to expect that Joe has memorized each and every salient detail (just how much, how often, which item or device to make use of) for each task? As well as if Joe is really a accurate expert with a penchant for memorizing information, what's going to happen when Joe moves on to that lengthy overdue retirement? Knowledge needs to be captured inside a way that leverages Joe's encounter but insures that he or his successor has the capacity to execute to a substantial level of precision and consistency every and each and every time.
Tacit vs. Explicit Information
How do we seize knowledge? Step one would be to acknowledge that knowledge comes in two unique types: tacit and explicit. Tacit knowledge is information that's saved in the minds of the few workers. My thoughts go back again to some lubrication survey I did a few years ago where Joe (yes, that was really his title!) was unexpectedly sick on the day with the survey and nobody could inform me what lubricant was used in each machine because "Joe's our lube guy". I later on learned that Joe had, actually, endured a mild heart assault, and while he fortunately recovered, issues could have been a lot even worse.
Explicit information, on the other hand, is information that's been captured as being a process, document, instruction video clip, etc. Within this form, it can be used by others to find out how a specific job should be done.
But wait, you say, "We have lubrication PMs. Our duties are all documented in lube routes, so we've currently captured our lubrication information explicitly." Unless you've documented each pertinent detail (how much, how often, which tool or item), don't fool your self - a PM cannot and should not be considered explicit unless all grey areas happen to be eliminated.
Why have couple of companies used time and work to seize explicit information? Ideally you all agree the devil is in the details, not the simple task description. The solution, in my opinion, is that the time and work to construct really specific lubrication PMs is so challenging, and there usually appears to become a larger fireplace that needs attention.
The difference is Accuracy
This need not be the situation. The incremental work required to create a lube PM really explicit is actually not that a lot tougher than writing a general guide, particularly if you consider an asset class method to design the ideal upkeep procedure. But the distinction within the accuracy by which duties are executed is profound, depending on how particular the task description is in the PM.
Therefore, inquire your self in the event you have explicitly captured each and every detail essential to lubricate your machines inside your lube PMs, or if you are tacitly expecting that Joe will get it right each and every time. Read Part two of this series.
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