Table Of ContentCopyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
EquipmEnt
managEmEnt
Key to Equipment Reliability and
productivity in mining,
Second Edition
paul D. tomlingson
Published by
Your most
precious resource.
Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
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Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.
Electronic edition published 2010.
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ISBN-13: 978-0-87335-324-3
Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
Contents
IntroduCtIon v
Chapter 1 Understanding Equipment Management 1
Chapter 2 Applying the Principles of Equipment Management 11
Chapter 3 Developing the Equipment Management Program 17
Chapter 4 Leadership in Equipment Management 33
Chapter 5 Organization 43
Chapter 6 Work Load Versus Work Force 57
Chapter 7 Improving Work Force Productivity 69
Chapter 8 Understanding Preventive Maintenance 79
Chapter 9 Effective Planning and Scheduling 99
Chapter 10 Reliability Centered Maintenance 119
Chapter 11 Total Productive Maintenance 139
Chapter 12 Implementing Information Systems 151
Chapter 13 Essential Information 171
Chapter 14 Nonmaintenance Project Work 199
Chapter 15 Benchmarking 211
Chapter 16 Material Control 219
Chapter 17 Cost Control 235
Chapter 18 Assessing Maintenance Performance 249
Appendix Maintenance Performance Evaluation 269
GlossAry 289
BIBlIoGrAphy 299
IndEX 303
ABout thE Author 317
iii
Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
Introduction
The mining and mineral processing industry is among the most difficult work-
ing environments in the world. Sheer rock is blasted, moved, crushed, and
processed to yield the everyday indispensable commodities often taken for
granted. The equipment that make these processes possible are massive, pow-
erful, complex, and difficult to maintain. Maximum equipment reliability is
required as the worldwide demand for mined products increases along with the
requirement to produce them more efficiently.
Equipment reliability is the theme of this book. But the maintenance orga-
nization is no longer the sole focus of this task. That role has been shifted to
the mine manager and his or her ability to bring all resources successfully into
the task. The maintenance discipline has never been a stand-alone activity. Its
success depends on the mine manager creating an environment in which main-
tenance can succeed. This is accomplished by converting the broad corporate
mission into a production strategy that focuses all of the manager’s resources
on their interdependent efforts to ensure that the operation has the consistently
reliable production equipment necessary to make the operation profitable.
Development of the mine manager’s production strategy is guided
by the principles of equipment management. Specific, interlocking and
mutually supporting objectives are assigned to each department with mainte-
nance-related responsibilities inherent in each. Then policies are provided to
amplify the exact way in which individual departments are expected to oper-
ate internally and interact with all other departments to ensure the desired
equipment reliability. In response to these policies, individual departments
develop or revise internal and external interactive procedures. Collectively,
these procedures comprise the programs that each department is expected
to carry out. But the programs specify both internal and interdepartmen-
tal procedures to ensure a mutually supporting outcome. The maintenance
program, for example, would prescribe internal procedures such as schedul-
ing preventive maintenance services as well as interdepartmental procedures
such as obtaining warehouse materials. Thus, equipment management ensures
that maintenance has the support and cooperation needed to be successful
and that the desired production equipment reliability is realized.
Equipment management does not stop there. Based on the specific equip-
ment needs of the operation, modern reliability strategies are added to the
departmental programs so that pertinent technologies can be incorporated
into the effort. Then the best information is applied to control the overall effort
against specific performance goals. Finally, regular, all-encompassing evalua-
tions are prescribed to identify improvement opportunities and convert them
into realities. The effective mining manager oversees these collective efforts
which have been made logical and manageable by following the principles of
equipment management.
v
Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
ChaPter 1
understanding Equipment
Management
Why Is It nECEssAry?
The main objective of equipment management is to create an effective mainte-
nance capability to meet the increasing reliability demands of complex modern
production equipment. For too long, maintenance has been seen as a last resort
for restoring abused equipment rather than a key contributor to effective plant
operation. Maintenance departments cannot change these circumstances by
themselves. Change must be initiated by enlightened mine and plant managers
who understand the potential of quality maintenance. But maintenance must
change as well. It must master new technologies, organizations, and manage-
ment skills. Beneficial change must be a total plant objective. Only then can
the intensified reliability demands of modern industry be successfully met. The
equipment management strategy guides this essential change.
Modern industry has entered an era when maintenance can no longer be
a “necessary evil” characterized by stubborn adherence to past practices such
as rigid craft organizations or promotion based only on longevity. Along with
greater global completion, increasingly complex modern production equip-
ment has become complex and more difficult to maintain. It requires today’s
maintenance managers to balance the technical aspects of effective main-
tenance with the leadership demands of a proactive work force. Supervisors
are no longer the “folk” heroes who could get any broken equipment running
again. They are now managers of professional craftsmen who have mastered
reliability technologies to preclude the far-reaching consequences of equip-
ment failure. Overseeing this transformation is an enlightened plant manager
who has created an environment in which maintenance will be successful and
the plant profitable. These plant managers have provided guidance to ensure
that maintenance is an integral part of the plant’s operating plan. These are the
managers whose plants will be profitable. Their maintenance departments will
have the full support and cooperation of all other departments (Table 1-1).
1
Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
2 EquIpMEnt MAnAGEMEnt
tABlE 1-1 Control of critical maintenance elements
degree of primary
Influence Maintenance Control source for
priority Control Element rating Control, % Index Improvement
1 Labor productivity 10 60 6.0 Maintenance
2 Material control 10 20 2.0 Other
3 Leadership 9 70 6.3 Maintenance
4 Work load 9 30 2.7 Other
5 Organization 8 50 4.0 Other
6 Interdepartmental 8 20 1.6 Other
relations
7 Cost data 7 20 1.4 Other
8 Performance data 7 50 3.5 Other
9 Preventive mainte- 7 75 5.3 Maintenance
nance procedures
10 Planning 6 60 3.6 Other
11 Scheduling 5 50 2.5 Other
12 Training 4 80 3.2 Other
13 Maintenance 4 40 1.6 Other
engineering
14 Technology 3 90 2.7 Other
15 Labor practices 2 20 0.4 Other
Maintenance control of critical elements 49
Note: To help establish the premise that successful mining maintenance requires cooperation and
support across the total operation, 21 different domestic and international mining operations were sur-
veyed. Maintenance managers rated the relative importance of 15 vital maintenance control elements
and listed them in an order of priority. Next they rated the degree of direct influence they had over each
element (10 being highest). Then they rated the degree of control (%) that maintenance had over each
element. These two ratings were then multiplied to yield a control index. The results indicated that
maintenance could substantially influence only 3 of 15 control elements (italicized index value of more
than 5.0). The remaining 12 elements could only be improved with support from other departments.
Overall, maintenance had only 49% control over their destiny. Successful maintenance would require
support from the total operation.
plAnt MAnAGEMEnt rolE
Prominently displayed company mission statements address broad goals for
producing quality products, achieving customer satisfaction, utilizing skilled
employees, providing good working conditions, and operating profitably. But
mission statements say nothing about maintenance; thus the need for the plant
manager to translate the company mission into a production strategy for his
plant. That strategy will acknowledge maintenance as an activity requiring
strong management support, solid cooperation from operations, and first-rate
service from staff organizations. Equipment management emphasizes these
unifying attributes by guiding development of a production strategy using
meaningful department objectives amplified with policies so that individual
Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
undErstAndInG EquIpMEnt MAnAGEMEnt 3
departments can develop day-to-day procedures to conform to the policies. In
turn, these collective procedures become departmental programs prescribing
internal and interdepartmental actions. The result of the enlightened produc-
tion strategy is a well-understood maintenance program supported by quality
information. Then, in recognition of the intensive reliability demands of com-
plex, modern production equipment, selected reliability centered maintenance
and total productive maintenance attributes are added to the basic maintenance
program. Collectively, these actions better ensure reliable equipment yielding
full productive capacity and better assurance of a profitable operation.
MAIntEnAnCE proGrAM
An effective maintenance program is the direct by-product of a well-conceived
production strategy. It describes the interaction of all departments and individ-
uals as they request or identify work; classify it to determine the best reaction;
then plan (as required), schedule, assign, control, and measure the resulting
work; and finally, assess overall accomplishment against goals such as perfor-
mance standards and budgets. It documents internal procedures such as how to
plan a major job, but it also explains interdepartmental actions such as sched-
uling work with operations or obtaining materials from the warehouse. The
program exists as much to ensure well-ordered procedures within maintenance
as to advise other departments how to help maintenance carry out their ser-
vices effectively.
Unfortunately, adequate program definition has been the most neglected
yet essential task of maintenance. As a result, there is unnecessary confusion
within maintenance, poor utilization of maintenance resources by confused
operations departments, and unsatisfactory support by material control depart-
ments who try to second-guess what maintenance wants but never specifies.
Plant managers are not only disappointed with the results but frustrated about
how to correct the situation. To illustrate,
• Of 31 maintenance organizations evaluated between 1986 and 2001,
none had a well-documented maintenance program. Only six mainte-
nance managers could explain what the total program was “supposed to
do.” Few of their subordinates were able to fully describe every element
of the “program.” Many thought that the newly purchased information
system was the program.
• Of the 31, 20% attempted self-directed teams staffed with craftsmen.
All failed because a properly documented program providing work con-
trol procedures had not been provided. Although these craftsmen were
well qualified to diagnose and repair equipment problems, none had
been educated on the work control procedures previously provided by
their supervisors. The existence of a well-defined program and educa-
tion about its procedures could have avoided these failures.
Copyright © 2010 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Electronic edition published 2010.
