Page 276 - Intro Predictive Maintenance

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OPERATING DYNAMICS ANALYSIS

Effective performance of any manufacturing or process plant depends on reliability
systems that continuously operate at their best design performance levels. To achieve
and sustain this performance level, the plant must have an effective way to constantly
monitor and evaluate these critical systems. Operating dynamics analysis provides a
cost-effective means of accomplishing this fundamental requirement.

The focus of an operating dynamics analysis program is on the manufacturing process
and production systems that generate plant capacity. It is not a maintenance manage-
ment tool like traditional predictive maintenance programs. Because of perceived
restrictions, such as low speed and machine complexity, of the technologies, most
traditional predictive maintenance programs ignore or omit these critical systems.
Although there may be some benefit in monitoring auxiliary equipment, maximum
benefit can be achieved only when reliability of the plant’s critical production systems
is maintained. Within the operating dynamics concept, auxiliary equipment is not
ignored, but the focus is on those systems that produce capacity and revenue for
the plant.

13.1 IT’S NOT PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
Prevention of catastrophic failure, the primary focus of predictive maintenance, is
important, but programs that are restricted to this one goal will not improve equip-
ment reliability, nor will they provide sufficient benefits to justify their continuance.
By shifting the focus to a plant optimization tool that concentrates on capacity and
reliability improvements, an operating dynamics program can greatly improve bene-
fits to the company.

Predictive maintenance technologies can, and should, be used as a total-plant perfor-
mance tool. When used correctly, these tools can provide the means to eliminate most
of the factors that limit plant performance. To achieve this expanded role, the predic-

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