The Fractal Solutions Blog

Maintenance Strategies for Random Failure Zones

Jun 12, 2018 12:09:00 PM / by Larry Johnson posted in Reliability Centered Maintenance

There is a significant difference between repair and maintenance. A repair is reactive, it is done when something fails, is broken or needs to be fixed, whereas maintenance is proactive, and a measure to limit, or even stop something breaking. Reactive maintenance or repair is far more costly than proactive maintenance, and ideally, you want to be doing ample amounts of the correct maintenance to not have to do repairs.

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Proactive Maintenance Vs Reactive Maintenance - Why it Matters

Feb 23, 2018 11:15:00 AM / by Larry Johnson

Understanding the behavior of equipment over its full lifetime helps you understand the importance, and the need, for proactive maintenance.

The alternative would be to do nothing and leave your maintenance strategy to chance and only repair equipment when it breaks. This method is called reactive maintenance. Reactive maintenance is by far the least cost effective, and the most unsafe and inefficient method of maintenance a company can employ.

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Function and Failure Modes - Important Factors in Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Part II

Feb 15, 2018 2:00:00 PM / by Larry Johnson

refinery-3127588_1280In our previous blog, Function and Failure Modes - Important Factors in Reliability Centered Maintenance, we looked at the first two factors Equipment Function, and Function Failure. Now let’s look at Failure Modes, their effects and consequences.

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Function and Failure Modes - Important Factors in Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Part I

Jan 25, 2018 10:30:00 AM / by Larry Johnson

Equipment and manufacturing has been changing dramatically since the Industrial Revolution acted as a catalyst in the early 1800s, leading to evolution inmaintenance engineering. For example, re-thinking the idea of simply replacing worn out parts, with figuring out what would actually lengthen service life, like lubrication to reduce friction and wear and tear.

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What is Asset Management?

Jan 11, 2018 10:00:00 AM / by Larry Johnson

Asset Management is broadly defined as the management of a company’s property so it maximizes the return on investment. Asset Management is governed by certain standards, the newest of which are ISO 55000, ISO 55001 and ISO 55002, broken down below:

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What is Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)?

Nov 23, 2017 8:00:00 AM / by Larry Johnson posted in Reliability Centered Maintenance

Reliability Centered Maintenance or RCM, is a process to determine the most efficient maintenance approach for a company, minimizing downtime and keeping physical assets running.

Originally a commercial aviation term, RCM was then adopted by the United States Military, later by the commercial nuclear power industry and finally by other commercial fields and industries years later.

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Larry Johnson is the founder and president of Fractal Solutions.  He is an internationally known consultant, lecturer, and trainer in asset management and equipment reliability programs.

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