At iRCM Consulting, we've done our best to create a Website that anticipates and satisfies our customer's needs. With that goal in mind, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions.
If you do not find an answer to your question here, feel free to contact us.
Q. We have tried to implement RCM before and failed... Why did we fail and How can we assure it works this time?
A. RCM fails for various reasons, but by far the number 1 Reason is: A Lack of Company or Corporate VALUES for Reliability! RCM is a process that can be used to manage the Maintenance Function very effectively however, it is a management process and a business strategy at the same time. Just as your executive management team decides that Quality and Safety are Company Values and so mandates or adopts ISO Quality Standard Processes or PSM Safety Processes to manage those functions, they must ALSO adopt Reliability as a COMPANY VALUE, then use iRCM as the Process to manage its Assets Health. Then and only then does it stand a chance of proper and effective
implementation and sustainable programs activities.
FOUNDATIONS 101
Asset Health = Reliability and Availability which is the Foundation of Profitability
Q. What are Secondary and Collateral Damage?
A. Collateral Damage, is damage caused to components within a mechanical or electrical system that is caused by the failure of another component. For example if a motor bearing fails it may cause damage to the armature shaft or
another bearing. Damage can also be transferred to other mechanically coupled equipment such as a gearbox or pump. This happens when excessive vibration is transferred from one unit through a rotary coupling to another unit. For
example a motor driving a gearbox or pump can damage it and vice versa if a bearing fails on either side etc.
Vibration is only one cause of damage. Heat and contamination of lubricants shared by other components are
two more examples of how damage can propagate through a system. In a mechanical system, for example, in
attached gearboxes and or pumps etc. If you repair only the obviously damaged bearing then other attached
components either up or down the line may soon fail due the collateral damage done to them by the initial failed
component. Once you feel excessive vibration or heat by human senses then it is too late, the Collateral Damage has already progressed too far. Most Collateral Damage in Critical Equipment is the result of Operations denying access to
it to repair a defect before that defect worsens into a“damaging event” that damages multiple other components that may
or may not be apparent at the time of repair. In fact, it is estimated that 60% of all failures in mechanical systems are
caused by Collateral Damage done to components during previous failures that are later coming to fruition...
Secondary Damage is Damage caused by Improper Operations or Repair Procedures.Often Poor Mechanical Practices
like using a hammer (plastic or metal) to drive coupliings or bearings onto shafts instead of using bearing heaters and bearing presses cause damage to the bearing being installed and any already installed bearings on the same shaft. The damage caused during these actions causes defects that grow over time into full blown failures. The damage is called Secondary Damage because it is being done as a secondary result of a repair, preventive or even an
operational function or action.
Q. I think I am in a unique manufacturing field where failure is unavoidable due to conditions.
How can Industrial RCM help me?
A. Trust me when I tell you that many operations think they are in this situation but the reality is that failures can be prevented in virtually ALL environments! It does not matter whether you are in a caustic wash-down food environment or
in a coal mining operation or in some other highly acidic or corrosive chemical environment. The fact is,
the worse off you are, the better iRCM Works!
. .
Q. How long does it take to implement a World Class Maintenance Program?
A. Generally for a single medium sized Production Facility, the training, data collection and analysis takes about
1-3 months depending on employee availability and the scope of the process. However you must understand that
in most cases we are bringing a Change in the Workplace or Organizational Culture in order to achieve true World Class results. This can take up to 2 years to fully realize, depending on management support and proper execution of the
methods given. The road to excellence is never a short and easy one, but we have been successful in many cultures including Chinese Organizations. In general if the training is good the results are good so long as you have management buy-in and support at the critical levels. I have seen results in as little as 6 months in a well supported environment,
however in most environments it takes time to convert Firefighting Maintenance Heroes who generally enjoy their
esteemed status and recognition for rescuing operations into professionals who actually prevent fires and effectively increase profits. Our most active involvement is in the beginning to train and present the importance of the
changes needed and to create an environment of positive acceptance to Change, but after that, we step back into a
support role. Meanwhile management must support and see to the implementation of the processes.
For larger Multi-Plant Corporate Implementations we generally employ a
"Train the Trainer" method, using your employees to expedite multi-site roll-out.
We concentrate then on analyzing the collected data for each site.
Q. How much should I expect to spend to get started and whats is the Return on Investment?
A. Most companies will see a 15 to 20 % rise in maintenance costs in the beginning especially in the first year due to the initial Training Costs, Criticality and Risk Analysis, Investments in maintenance technologies etc. However if properly implemented maintenance costs in the following years coupled with reduced operation downtime generally provides
for a quick and sustainable ROI. It is normal to see 40-60+% reduction in Maintenance costs and exponentially more in reduced downtime costs within 2 years. I usually recommend a 2 to 3 year ROI if budgeting...
Q. Culture Change? What does that mean?
A. Organizational Culture Defined: A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group learns as it solves problems of external adaptation and internal integration that have worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore,
should be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.
In order to implement Industrial RCM, the way we think and feel about maintenance must change and this is
definitely a part of organizational culture from management down to the mechanic on the floor. We must move
from the reactive thinking of: “Well you can't fix something before it fails !” to the proactive thinking of:
“I can prevent it from failing if I do the right things at the right time !” This is usually a significant paradigm shift
in most people's thinking that requires careful management and positive reinforcement to achieve. We are experts
in Organizational Culture Change and can guide you through the process. This is one of the most critical
processes in reaching World Class results so we give it special attention.
Q. How do you bill for services?
A. We require up front payment to cover our travel and preparation expenses to your site. The remaining balance is
billed 10 Percent Net 15 which means you get a 10% discount on the remaining balance if paid within 15 days
of the billing date. More than 15 days the full amount is charged. Should payment exceed 45 days an additional
late fee of 10% is charged on the remaining balance every 15 days until paid in full.
Q. What is a Failure Modes and Effects Criticality Analysis or FMECA?
A. In order to understand which equipment should be closely monitored and what specific strategy is best for that equipment, we must subject it to some analysis. So we ask: How does it generally fail? (Functional Failure Modes)
and how often does this happen? How long does it take to repair, calibrate and put back on-line? If it fails, will it stop or reduce production? If so then how much will it Reduce Production? Will this failure cause a negative effect on
Product Quality? Will this failure increase the risk of Personnel Injuries or an Environmental Incident? Is there a high
or low risk for Collateral Damage when it fails? Is preventive maintenance enough or should we consider adding
Predictive technology to its maintainance strategy etc? In the beginning we assign risk values for these various
categories that allow us to focus in on the most critical equipments, and develop reasonable strategies for
preventing or reducing failures and maximizing asset on-line time and performance.
RAMS Studies are NOT sufficient nor accurate enough for this function (DO NOT USE THEM!).
Q. What is the big deal with lubrication? Its just oil changes and grease guns right?
A. Lubrication Best Practice and Oil Analysis are critical to long term operation and failure prevention of bearings, hydraulics systems, engines, and, gearboxes. It ranges from contamination issues, the use of incorrect lubricants,
failure to remove waxy buildups of sludge from tanks and reservoirs and so on... Oil analysis can tell us if there is
excessive wear in equipment components and can usually suggest what type of parts are involved in the wear.
So yes, its a big deal and has saved some mining companies millions of dollars in maintenance repairs and
rebuild costs. Over-lubrication of bearings is also a major contributor to early bearing failure in grease lubricated
bearings that operate at over 600 RPM as well. Many people do not realize that too much grease is just as bad
or worse than not enough grease in higher RPM situations. We recommend using Acoustic Greasing to
prevent over-lubrication.
Q. Why do you reserve the option to bill extra Travel Hours, Hotel Expenses and Meal Per-Diem
A. We only bill these extra fees in extreme cases and the reason we reserve that right is to protect ourselves from customers booking flights that route us all over the place just to save a few dollars in ticket fees. We are
very reasoable in our billing structure and this policy is simply to encourage the most direct or reasonably
direct flights availble... One or two connecting flight is what we generally consider reasonable.
For example an economy ticket with 1 connection is available and you decide to buy a cheaper ticket
with 2 or 3 connections with additional layover times, to save 50 or 100 dollars, we reserve ther right
to charge you for the added layover time, meals and if over 8 hours even hotel expences etc. It is really
a simple way to encourage good behavior on the part of both parties.
If you do not find an answer to your question here, feel free to contact us.
Q. We have tried to implement RCM before and failed... Why did we fail and How can we assure it works this time?
A. RCM fails for various reasons, but by far the number 1 Reason is: A Lack of Company or Corporate VALUES for Reliability! RCM is a process that can be used to manage the Maintenance Function very effectively however, it is a management process and a business strategy at the same time. Just as your executive management team decides that Quality and Safety are Company Values and so mandates or adopts ISO Quality Standard Processes or PSM Safety Processes to manage those functions, they must ALSO adopt Reliability as a COMPANY VALUE, then use iRCM as the Process to manage its Assets Health. Then and only then does it stand a chance of proper and effective
implementation and sustainable programs activities.
FOUNDATIONS 101
Asset Health = Reliability and Availability which is the Foundation of Profitability
Q. What are Secondary and Collateral Damage?
A. Collateral Damage, is damage caused to components within a mechanical or electrical system that is caused by the failure of another component. For example if a motor bearing fails it may cause damage to the armature shaft or
another bearing. Damage can also be transferred to other mechanically coupled equipment such as a gearbox or pump. This happens when excessive vibration is transferred from one unit through a rotary coupling to another unit. For
example a motor driving a gearbox or pump can damage it and vice versa if a bearing fails on either side etc.
Vibration is only one cause of damage. Heat and contamination of lubricants shared by other components are
two more examples of how damage can propagate through a system. In a mechanical system, for example, in
attached gearboxes and or pumps etc. If you repair only the obviously damaged bearing then other attached
components either up or down the line may soon fail due the collateral damage done to them by the initial failed
component. Once you feel excessive vibration or heat by human senses then it is too late, the Collateral Damage has already progressed too far. Most Collateral Damage in Critical Equipment is the result of Operations denying access to
it to repair a defect before that defect worsens into a“damaging event” that damages multiple other components that may
or may not be apparent at the time of repair. In fact, it is estimated that 60% of all failures in mechanical systems are
caused by Collateral Damage done to components during previous failures that are later coming to fruition...
Secondary Damage is Damage caused by Improper Operations or Repair Procedures.Often Poor Mechanical Practices
like using a hammer (plastic or metal) to drive coupliings or bearings onto shafts instead of using bearing heaters and bearing presses cause damage to the bearing being installed and any already installed bearings on the same shaft. The damage caused during these actions causes defects that grow over time into full blown failures. The damage is called Secondary Damage because it is being done as a secondary result of a repair, preventive or even an
operational function or action.
Q. I think I am in a unique manufacturing field where failure is unavoidable due to conditions.
How can Industrial RCM help me?
A. Trust me when I tell you that many operations think they are in this situation but the reality is that failures can be prevented in virtually ALL environments! It does not matter whether you are in a caustic wash-down food environment or
in a coal mining operation or in some other highly acidic or corrosive chemical environment. The fact is,
the worse off you are, the better iRCM Works!
. .
Q. How long does it take to implement a World Class Maintenance Program?
A. Generally for a single medium sized Production Facility, the training, data collection and analysis takes about
1-3 months depending on employee availability and the scope of the process. However you must understand that
in most cases we are bringing a Change in the Workplace or Organizational Culture in order to achieve true World Class results. This can take up to 2 years to fully realize, depending on management support and proper execution of the
methods given. The road to excellence is never a short and easy one, but we have been successful in many cultures including Chinese Organizations. In general if the training is good the results are good so long as you have management buy-in and support at the critical levels. I have seen results in as little as 6 months in a well supported environment,
however in most environments it takes time to convert Firefighting Maintenance Heroes who generally enjoy their
esteemed status and recognition for rescuing operations into professionals who actually prevent fires and effectively increase profits. Our most active involvement is in the beginning to train and present the importance of the
changes needed and to create an environment of positive acceptance to Change, but after that, we step back into a
support role. Meanwhile management must support and see to the implementation of the processes.
For larger Multi-Plant Corporate Implementations we generally employ a
"Train the Trainer" method, using your employees to expedite multi-site roll-out.
We concentrate then on analyzing the collected data for each site.
Q. How much should I expect to spend to get started and whats is the Return on Investment?
A. Most companies will see a 15 to 20 % rise in maintenance costs in the beginning especially in the first year due to the initial Training Costs, Criticality and Risk Analysis, Investments in maintenance technologies etc. However if properly implemented maintenance costs in the following years coupled with reduced operation downtime generally provides
for a quick and sustainable ROI. It is normal to see 40-60+% reduction in Maintenance costs and exponentially more in reduced downtime costs within 2 years. I usually recommend a 2 to 3 year ROI if budgeting...
Q. Culture Change? What does that mean?
A. Organizational Culture Defined: A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group learns as it solves problems of external adaptation and internal integration that have worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore,
should be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.
In order to implement Industrial RCM, the way we think and feel about maintenance must change and this is
definitely a part of organizational culture from management down to the mechanic on the floor. We must move
from the reactive thinking of: “Well you can't fix something before it fails !” to the proactive thinking of:
“I can prevent it from failing if I do the right things at the right time !” This is usually a significant paradigm shift
in most people's thinking that requires careful management and positive reinforcement to achieve. We are experts
in Organizational Culture Change and can guide you through the process. This is one of the most critical
processes in reaching World Class results so we give it special attention.
Q. How do you bill for services?
A. We require up front payment to cover our travel and preparation expenses to your site. The remaining balance is
billed 10 Percent Net 15 which means you get a 10% discount on the remaining balance if paid within 15 days
of the billing date. More than 15 days the full amount is charged. Should payment exceed 45 days an additional
late fee of 10% is charged on the remaining balance every 15 days until paid in full.
Q. What is a Failure Modes and Effects Criticality Analysis or FMECA?
A. In order to understand which equipment should be closely monitored and what specific strategy is best for that equipment, we must subject it to some analysis. So we ask: How does it generally fail? (Functional Failure Modes)
and how often does this happen? How long does it take to repair, calibrate and put back on-line? If it fails, will it stop or reduce production? If so then how much will it Reduce Production? Will this failure cause a negative effect on
Product Quality? Will this failure increase the risk of Personnel Injuries or an Environmental Incident? Is there a high
or low risk for Collateral Damage when it fails? Is preventive maintenance enough or should we consider adding
Predictive technology to its maintainance strategy etc? In the beginning we assign risk values for these various
categories that allow us to focus in on the most critical equipments, and develop reasonable strategies for
preventing or reducing failures and maximizing asset on-line time and performance.
RAMS Studies are NOT sufficient nor accurate enough for this function (DO NOT USE THEM!).
Q. What is the big deal with lubrication? Its just oil changes and grease guns right?
A. Lubrication Best Practice and Oil Analysis are critical to long term operation and failure prevention of bearings, hydraulics systems, engines, and, gearboxes. It ranges from contamination issues, the use of incorrect lubricants,
failure to remove waxy buildups of sludge from tanks and reservoirs and so on... Oil analysis can tell us if there is
excessive wear in equipment components and can usually suggest what type of parts are involved in the wear.
So yes, its a big deal and has saved some mining companies millions of dollars in maintenance repairs and
rebuild costs. Over-lubrication of bearings is also a major contributor to early bearing failure in grease lubricated
bearings that operate at over 600 RPM as well. Many people do not realize that too much grease is just as bad
or worse than not enough grease in higher RPM situations. We recommend using Acoustic Greasing to
prevent over-lubrication.
Q. Why do you reserve the option to bill extra Travel Hours, Hotel Expenses and Meal Per-Diem
A. We only bill these extra fees in extreme cases and the reason we reserve that right is to protect ourselves from customers booking flights that route us all over the place just to save a few dollars in ticket fees. We are
very reasoable in our billing structure and this policy is simply to encourage the most direct or reasonably
direct flights availble... One or two connecting flight is what we generally consider reasonable.
For example an economy ticket with 1 connection is available and you decide to buy a cheaper ticket
with 2 or 3 connections with additional layover times, to save 50 or 100 dollars, we reserve ther right
to charge you for the added layover time, meals and if over 8 hours even hotel expences etc. It is really
a simple way to encourage good behavior on the part of both parties.
