Page 52 - Machinery Component Maintenance

Maintenance Organization and Control for Multi-Plant Corporations 37

The publishing of monitored data on plant performance and preventive
maintenance compliance has allowed for prompt management attention
to problems and has stimulated a noticeable spirit of competition among
the plants. Needless to say, it also serves as a valuable method of evaluat-
ing plant manager performance.
Although the system described herein may not be directly applicable to
every large chemical complex for reasons of size or process type, the
general trends toward computerization, sophisticated equipment moni-
toring methods and processes, cheaper transportation and communica-
tion costs, are indicative of increasing advantages obtainable in the future
from centralized concepts in plant maintcnancc and engineering for
multi-plant corporations.
With this overview behind us, let’s get back to the machinery engi-
neer’s concerns on an individual plant level. As he of course knows.
modern turbomachines can run reliably for many years if designed, ap-
plied, and operated correctly. Indeed, the periods between inspection and
overhaul, commonly called “turnaround,” on machines in clean, noncor-
rosive service can exceed five years. It is easy to see how plant personnel
may have trouble remembering just how much time and effort are re-
quired to successfully plan and execute an overhaul of a particular piece
of equipment. A proper turnaround involves preplanning and teamwork
among plant technical, warehouse, purchasing, safety, operations and
maintenance forces, as well as with the original equipment manufacturer
and other noncompany sources. In the case of sophisticated problems,
consultants and laboratories may also come into play to restore machin-
ery to a reliable, smooth-running, and efficient operation. Managing
these resources and documenting the results presents a real challenge to
those assigned the task of heading up the overhaul effort.
This segment of our text deals with turnaround management principles
that must be understood and considered by maintenance personnel on the
plant level.

Assignment of Qualified Personnel’

Major machinery overhauls require not only early planning input, but
also early designation of qualified personnel to execute planning and re-
lated tasks. High quality machinery overhauls can be more consistently
achieved if machinery expertise is directly applied.

* Based partly on material prepared by John D. Houghton and originally presented at the
Seventh Turbomachinery Symposium, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
(December 1978). Adapted by permission.