What are the 6 steps to optimize your compressed air system?

Posted on February 29, 2016 by rusty

Compressed air leaks, and inefficient blow offs can waste thousands of dollars of electricity each year. This affects your companies production costs and bottom line.

What are the 6 steps to optimize your compressed air system?

Determine the main compressed air users in your facility
Find and fix the air leaks with Ultrasonic Leak Detection
Upgrade your blow off and cooling operations with engineered products for less air use and lower decibel levels.

High efficiency nozzles High efficiency air knives High efficiency blow offs

Turn off compressed air when not in use, or put it on a timer to only run when required
Use intermediate storage next to the point of use
Control the air pressure near the point of use.

The Maintenance Geek LLC is proud to be a stocking distributor for Exair the home of intelligent compressed air products

E Mail me for a catalog and to get 10% off of current pricing. robert@maintenancegeek.com

Click in the upper right hand corner to get this blog sent to you as soon as it is published.→

Robert Kravontka “The Maintenance Geek ”

Step “One” in Developing a World Class Maintenance Organization

Posted on February 22, 2016 by rusty

Step One:

It’s the same for big companies or smaller ones, you need to figure out where you are and what your up against. If you have only one maintenance professional that does the facility and all the equipment but only when it breaks down the issues are the same.

You must start with some data.

Think of it as a doctor’s visit. Your doctor will not prescribe a medication or solution before he examines you and collects some data. At a minimum, blood pressure, weight, temperature, and what “you” think is wrong?

Should it be any different trying to diagnose your maintenance process, before you prescribe some remedies?

Collect Data. Simple Stuff.

What are your critical pieces of equipment? Look for the top 3-5 and learn about them.

Rate them in order of criticality. How much trouble will you be in when they go down, and how expensive will they be to get back up. It is a lot cheaper to keep them running than to fix them after they go down.

What skills are at your disposal? You may be surprised at some of the hidden talent.

What do you need to do to keep the equipment running vs. trouble shooting it and fixing it? Get out of the breakdown mode.

OEE is more important as you start to flow your products. If one component of the cell stops, the entire cell stops. OEE multiplies as more equipment is added to a cell.

Evaluate your maintenance department. Are they doing the right things, can they be doing better PM’s and less “time” based preventive maintenance? How about some predictive maintenance to catch the issues before they bite you.

Consider training your operators to be the eyes and ears for maintenance, put in some visuals to make it easier for them.

Its not easy when you have a small maintenance group, but neither are the bigger ones, that’s why “they” make the medium bucks. The principles are the same. Breakdowns are 5 – 10 times more expensive than preventing a breakdown.

Want to know more, go to the upper right and sign up for the next exciting episode of the Maintenance Geek Blog.

Robert Kravontka

The Maintenance Geek

robert@maintenancegeek.com

Does your business have a good plan to Grow? How the Business Sustainability Challenge can help!

Posted on February 15, 2016 by rusty

What is the “Business Sustainability Challenge” and why should I care?

New England Utilities offer the Business sustainability Challenge. With a small team your company can become more competitive by taking a strategic look at Energy, Workforce, Operations, and Waste Streams. Results from this planning include reducing risks and leveraging opportunities to shield your company from, changes in the economy, while improving operations and profitability. The utility will fund this effort 100% and offer incentives to grow along the way. You need to supply a small team, 3-5 people to develop a growth strategy with help from some of the great teachers in the industry.

Send me a note, and I will send you a form, to see if your company qualifies.

We have seen some great results. Let me know if you want to find out more.

Robert The Maintenance Geek

Click in the upper right to sign up for the blog series.

Introducing 5 Steps to a World Class Maintenance Organization

Posted on February 8, 2016 by rusty

Planning a June 2016 release of my new E Book called “5 Steps to a World Class Maintenance Organization” This is designed for the smaller manufacturer with a maintenance group of one or a few who do it all, including building and equipment maintenance.

Are your best Maintenance People getting ready to retire?

Do your younger newer maintenance professionals need to work smarter not harder?

How would an increase in productivity benefit your company?

Would reducing your maintenance Costs Help?

Are you getting tired of putting out fires all the time?

Does your equipment go down when you need it most?

Take a look at the 5 steps to help you get out of that breakdown mode.

We are going to have some fun with a method to help yourself and your company.

Step 1: Look at the building blocks of Maintenance

Step 2: Control your spare parts

Step 3: Stop Wasted PM’s

Step 4: Focused Improvements

Step 5: Formal Training

Then we will put it all together.

Click in the upper right to follow my blog…

Thanks,

Robert Kravontka The Maintenance Geek

The Energize CT Center. How to save energy.

Posted on February 1, 2016 by rusty

Greetings,

Attended a terrific meeting in North Haven at the Energize CT Center finding out how to better save energy in 2016. Kevin Vidmar from Loureiro Engineer Associates spoke. Terrific presentation on energy systems, including; Lighting, Motors, Compressed Air, Dust Collection, HVAC, and Office Equipment.

We started by understanding conservation vs efficiency. Basically shut it off whenever possible and then use the most efficient models when you must use a load.

Lighting, understand where you need light, and how much, then shut it off when you do not need it.LED’s have come down in price and are well subsidized by the utilities.

Motors typically cost around $0.10 per HP/ Hour to operate and save you that much when you can shut them off. Motors consume 50-70% of all electricity in the country. When you must run your motors reduce the load by insuring good alignment, proper belt tension , good lubrication practices and proper pipe sizing. Try to eliminate Air motors in your operation, they are cheaper to purchase but are huge wasters of energy.

Compressed Air often called the 4th Utility, can consume up to 25% of a typical manufacturers electric bill. Extra air storage can help, you should have approximately 4 gallon per HP. It generally costs $5 per gallon to install more but may be well worth it. Make sure your compressor air inlets are drawing cool well filtered air. If you use air to blow parts out of a process use low vortec nozzles, and cut your house pressure. A 2 PSI drop in pressure can save 1% of your electric bill.

Have a pro look at your system and enjoy some huge saving.

Next month we will talk about the 5 steps to get out of the breakdown mode, and save some energy to boot.

Click on the upper right to sign up for the series of training’s to get out of the breakdown mode. Talk with you next week.

Robert The Maintenance Geek

What is on tap for the Maintenance Geek?

Posted on January 18, 2016 by rusty

Are your Best Maintenance People retiring this year?

Do your younger maintenance professionals need to work smarter not harder?

The issue most companies with manufacturing equipment face is how to get out of the breakdown mode.

Over the next 6 months we will discuss the 5 steps to get out of the breakdown mode.

Over the next 6 months we will discuss the steps and what will work for you.

Expect a June 2016 release of my new E – Book “5 Steps to get out of the Breakdown Mode”.

We will talk about what the Utilities and Government can do to help fund our efforts to get out of the breakdown mode.

There are also steps you can take right away, to generate income to pay for your journey and get buy in from senior management.

Stay tuned.

Let me know what you think!

Just got approved by Eversource to fund my Air Leak Surveys

Posted on October 23, 2015 by rusty

The Maintenance Geek LLC has been approved…

Energy costs are quickly going up. Our no risk plan. We will come to your facility, conduct an Ultrasound audit of your compressed air system including reports and tagging. If we do not find issues there is no charge. If we do find air leak costs, we will charge 50% of the dollars saved up to your exposure of $1400.00 for a system of over 50 HP and under 100 HP. We will also offer a proposal to repair these leaks off hours when possible. I have been fortunate enough to get Eversource to fund 50% of your cost for this program. In a facility of this size we typically find $3,500.00 to $8,500.00 per year in air leaks.

For $700.00 we can come in and find and tag and report your air leaks. Eversource is also willing to pay 40% of the cost to repair all your leaks whether you fix then or I do.

Approved by Eversource to fund air leak surveys

Did You Know, by The Maintenance Geek

Posted on August 5, 2015 by rusty

Here is a new video from Robert Kravontka The Maintenance Geek

A look at some predictive tools, like Infrared, Ultrasound and Lumen Meters

What can you find on an air leak study that you do not expect?

Posted on July 27, 2015 by rusty

I was shocked to hear an electrical panel growling, as I passed by during an air leak study recently. Because Carona and air leaks are on nearly the same frequency the shop was full of competing air leak sounds through the headphones. As I passed the electrical panel a growling noise came up and lead me to the panel. I pulled out the infrared camera and here is what I saw…

Not only were some of the breakers running hot, but we saw a wire arching… We saw this right through the panel cover…

A work order for was generated immediately.

Although we were looking for air leaks, this safety issues took center stage.

Predictive Maintenance is getting easier all the time with this attachment to your I Phone…

Posted on November 14, 2014 by rusty

Greetings…

I took this with My I Phone…

It’s not just to tell how hot your coffee is any more.

If you are trying to get out of the breakdown mode, you don’t have to worry about the high cost of predictive tools. This will get you some OK temperature readings, along with a GPS location and over a decent digital photo. Combine this with an ultrasound leak detector and you will pay both of them off in the first usage.

It costs an average of 10 times less to fix a problem before it breaks then to fix it after it breaks.

You know about air shipping parts.

I love new technology.

http://www.fando.com/llc/manufacturing-solutions/

Snap on to the I Phone 5