A Major Corrugated Manufacturing Plant is West Monroe, LA plant faced a challenging situation. Maintenance procedures, particularly lubrication practices, were decentralized and left in the hands of machine operators. This approach led to significant inefficiencies and frequent equipment failures. Curtis Wright, a reliability specialist over the program observed, “There were a lot of bearing failures,” quantifying the issue to about two failures per week. The introduction of Redlist marked a turning point in their maintenance strategy.
The Challenge:
The Louisiana plant’s decentralized lubrication practices resulted in suboptimal machine maintenance. Downtime was high. Cost of parts and labor were soaring. Oiler headaches and operator frustrations were mounting. With operators focused on running the machines, lubrication – a critical preventive maintenance task – was often overlooked. This oversight led to an average of two bearing failures weekly, translating to substantial downtime and associated costs.
Redlist’s Intervention:
Recognizing the need for a change, the team at the corrugation plant implemented Redlist’s comprehensive lubrication management software solution. The primary goal was to gain centralized control over lubrication practices and enhance overall maintenance efficiency.
Strategy and Implementation:
Redlist’s solution involved:
1. Centralizing lubrication and maintenance tasks.
2. Implementing regular, systematic lubrication routes with photos and NFC/QR tags to easily identify equipment.
3. Empowering maintenance teams with data-driven insights and schedules.
Results:
The impact of Redlist’s intervention was profound:
– Bearing failures plummeted from two per week to just two per quarter.
– Downtime due to bearing issues reduced dramatically from 192 hours to 16 hours per quarter.
– Financially, this reduction in downtime translated into savings of over $850,000 per quarter, considering the $5,000 hourly cost of downtime.
– Beyond the numbers, the qualitative improvements were evident. As one employee noted, “Everyone says that the machines are running a lot better since we started using Redlist.”
Conclusion:
The case of this Corrugated Manufacturing Plant is a testament to the transformative power of effective maintenance management. By centralizing control and harnessing the capabilities of Redlist, the plant not only achieved significant cost savings but also enhanced the overall operational efficiency and equipment reliability. This case stands as a shining example of Redlist’s commitment to driving industrial excellence through innovative lube solutions.
If you have specific inquiries or wish to initiate a conversation with Redlist’s team of experts, feel free to contact us directly at 385-269-0407. Don’t miss the opportunity to transform your maintenance strategy and elevate the efficiency and reliability of your equipment with Redlist’s innovative solutions.
