MLA-II certificant spearheads city-wide lubrication program

• Company: City of Chandler Water Treatment Facility
• Industry: Government, Utilities, Pumps
• Location: Arizona, USA

“I doubt I would have done as well without the training, nor have been able to sell these ideas without the certifications I have.”
— Richard Hunt MLA-II, MLT-II, Sr. Utilities Predictive Maintenance Technician

The Challenge: Four treatment plants suffered lubricant-related inefficiencies, including the storage of oil drums in the outdoors and in arbitrary shop corners. An in-house fluid scanner was underutilized because staff was not fully trained to analyze and apply its findings. Machine oil was changed by date, not condition. The city wanted to extend machine service life but was unsure how to proceed.

The Solution: The city hired a certified MLA-II technician to improve machine reliability and reduce costs via best predictive maintenance practices. He audited current conditions at the main facility and implemented a lube room, codified asset lubricant requirements and containers, identified and documented proper bearing grease frequencies & volumes, and established an asset fluid sampling program. He also swapped from a calendar-based to condition-based oil change schedule, and he secured approval for mechanics from all four plants to attend MLT-I training & certification. In summer 2018 he is seeking training on best practices for storage & handling for non-certified personnel, including supervisors and managers.

The Results: Testing and changing oil per condition-based monitoring (CDM) standards have greatly reduced labor and oil costs. Additionally, the in-house scanner is now more valuable in the hands of certified crew who can fully apply its findings. While it is still too soon to provide official, measurable numbers, the senior technician anticipates extending machinery life by at least 25% merely by paying attention to lubrication needs. The initial results have been sufficiently beneficial to warrant expanding these new practices to the city’s other water treatment plants.