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Proactive Equipment Maintenance Plans Boost Chemical Production

USING RELIABILITY SYSTEM REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

Introduction

Allied Reliability conducted a comprehensive assessment of business-critical equipment used to produce specialty chemicals. The main objective was to move from a reactive maintenance mode to a proactive strategy that supports a continuous supply of industrial products, in this case, Periclase, which is sourced from dolomitic lime. Hundreds of equipment maintenance plans (EMPs) were produced and implemented using the assessment findings and improvement recommendations. According to the plant’s general manager, "We hit the best production mark in history thanks to working with Allied Reliability."

Committed to Quality and Consistency

The U.S.-based client is a leading global supplier of high-purity magnesia and dolomitic products with different chemistries and physical properties depending on the application. Their commitment to producing consistent, high-quality output makes equipment reliability a top priority. This case study focuses on a 75-year-old facility that needed a more reliable, preventative approach to maintaining a mix of old and new equipment. A particular production area of concern was the in-demand and profitable product line, Periclase. This is a useful refractory material for lining blast furnaces or kilns. Its transparent to translucent appearance and high refractive index also make it ideal for research in the high-tech field of optical sciences.

An Opportunity for Change

Historically, the facility’s mindset was reactive, maintaining process flow during unplanned outages via redundancies and in-process storage methods. However, the client reported various difficulties upon restarting processes after these outages ended. This initial pain point presented an opportunity for Allied Reliability to help improve outage planning, parts staging, and work execution. There was also a lack of predictive maintenance (PdM) technologies to identify equipment discrepancies while operating; thus, inhibiting real-time corrective measures to avoid downtime.

Another issue was poorly integrated information management systems (Production, Maintenance, and Timekeeping), which hindered the optimal performance of assets and the ability to provide key metrics for process loss analysis and maintenance. Furthermore, an outdated dust collection system was inadequate for and even added to the extremely dusty plant environment, contributing to product contamination and a high failure rate.

Why Allied Reliability?

The site's general manager was interested in benchmarking maintenance and reliability best practices as the next step in their journey to a proactive state over five years. Allied Reliability was chosen for this long-term project to take the quality-minded, ISO 9000 Certified site to a higher level of asset maintenance and reliability maturity due to our proven expertise in developing CBM-based equipment maintenance plans. We were also given the green light to conduct a reliability systems review with actionable recommendations contributing to meaningful, results-driven equipment maintenance plans.

How We Responded

A team of experienced Allied Reliability practitioners first identified the most critical Periclase processing equipment components to be assessed. We then completed a thorough reliability systems review to gain insights into the area’s current state and identify what required improvement. The review included a strategic analysis of the client’s priorities, data management, materials handling, work execution, maintenance efforts, loss elimination, workforce engagement, and organizational culture. Information and data were obtained via virtual and onsite interviews, self-assessments, and direct observations. This enabled us to determine the overall asset maintenance and reliability maturity, a measure of reactive-proactive behavior deemed “Average.”

We reported on detailed findings and provided Year 1 recommendations to accelerate the implementation of best practices. Below are some of the proactive enabling recommendations.

  • Create an Asset Registry, including attributes, hierarchy, and criticality.
  • Promote a culture of “no work without a work order.”
  • Ensure IS configuration meets operational needs.
  • List critical spares based on criticality and parts lead times.
  • Track and document all maintenance works in a unified system.

Following the assessment and recommendations stage of the project, we worked alongside the client to create a new set of equipment maintenance plans that outline how to monitor equipment components for early detection of problems. We also helped eliminate several daily maintenance tasks that were not delivering value and translating into direct savings.

The Results

The days of correcting, repairing, and replacing equipment only during outages have ended. The client now has a clear roadmap, with precise, targeted equipment maintenance plans that specify predictive maintenance techniques to proactively manage and effectively maintain Periclase-related equipment. The equipment maintenance plans are specifically designed to improve asset availability, longevity, and productivity in this process area. Work planning and scheduling are more consistent with best practices of a proactive state, enabling the facility to advance along the asset management maturity continuum on the way to reaching a lean state of operations per the general manager’s vision.

Levels of Asset Management Maturity

Asset Management Maturity Levels


Thanks to an excellent culture and work ethic, the facility’s personnel were motivated and ready to improve their maintenance and reliability posture. The positive reception of the assessment findings, adoption of proactive equipment maintenance plans, streamlined operations, and augmented production levels were success factors that led the client to request Allied Reliability perform another similar assessment for a different product line.