Ensuring Asset Maintainability for Lubrication Excellence

In earlier Reliable Plant columns, we introduced the three pillars of lubrication excellence:

1. Making informed decisions through proven lubrication engineering practices.

2. Documenting those decisions in detailed job plans and procedures.

3. Training staff to execute the prescribed tasks consistently.

A robust lubrication program hinges on all three pillars, featuring tasks engineered around either scheduled intervals (preventive maintenance) or predictive tools—visual checks, oil analysis, vibration analysis, and the like.

Too often, plants default to a “PM schedule” that ties lubrication frequency to production rhythms rather than engineering best practice. This misalignment leads to suboptimal task intervals and hampers the development of a true condition‑based program. In many facilities, operational constraints—such as running equipment that cannot be shut down for service—make even well‑designed tasks practically impossible.

Consider the greasing of a pillow block bearing in a high‑speed application. Ideally, the bearing should be greased while running, yet I frequently encounter scenarios where the grease fitting is inaccessible during operation, an optimal re‑greasing interval of one to three months, and a yearly outage that never arrives. In such cases, the only realistic solution is to extend a grease supply line to a safe working location or install an automatic grease dispenser—a simple yet effective fix that can be applied even when the machine is operating.

Maintainability is the ability of plant personnel to service an asset during normal plant operation. When new or rebuilt equipment is introduced, designers and engineers often overlook how maintenance and reliability teams will actually access and service the equipment, perpetuating a cycle of poor maintainability, unreliable performance, and premature failure.

Einstein warned against “doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.” The key to breaking this pattern is to embed maintainability considerations at the design, engineering, and commissioning stages of a new plant or asset. If that is not possible, a comprehensive survey of existing assets should be conducted, followed by a strategic plan for necessary modifications.

Where changes can be implemented without shutdown—such as upgrading to a high‑efficiency breather, adding quick‑connect oil lines, or installing filter carts—plant leadership should act swiftly to deploy those improvements. For modifications that require downtime, production and maintenance planners must schedule and execute the changes during the next available window.