The Efficient Plant Podcast

Cooling towers are critical assets that don't always receive necessary maintenance focus. When they stop functioning, the plant stops and it's all hands on deck to make a repairs. In this podcast, we're joined by Andy Cichy, National Sales Manager for Perceptiv at Regal Rexnord (regalrexnord.com), to discuss the issues maintenance managers encounter with cooling towers and how the company's Perceptiv service can provide effective condition monitoring that will move maintenance from a reactive to a proactive status. In the conversation, Cichy addresses issues that arise in cooling towers, how sensors and the Perceptive experts can monitor and communicate component status/performance, and how the system helps address inherent safety issues. He also shares how the Perceptive Water Level Detection system and the Cambridge traveling water screen can help avoid screen clogs and the pump failures that usually result.

It's well established that an effective condition-monitoring program can significantly raise your asset reliability and efficiency to world-class levels. The result will be greatly reduced maintenance costs, extended asset life, and improved production and product quality. But, implementing a condition-monitoring program internally can be a daunting task. An option that may better fit your operation is to use a condition-monitoring-as-a-service provider.To learn more about how this works, we talked with Erich Fassbinder, Senior Condition Monitoring Engineer, at AssetWatch, Westerville, OH (assetwatch.com). In our conversation, we explore the pros and cons of condition monitoring in general. Erich then takes us through the process of evaluating a condition monitoring service, describing the foundation that needs to be in place and then how a company, such as AssetWatch, helps set up sensors, collects and analyzes data, and provides the feedback that is needed to improve asset reliability.This podcast is sponsored by AssetWatch, provider of an end-to-end condition-monitoring solution that combines vibration, temperature, and oil analysis in one platform for a holistic asset health view, detecting issues that a single technique might miss. AssetWatch provides the tools and expertise needed to eliminate downtime, optimize resources, and decrease maintenance costs. Learn more at assetwatch.com.

Conversation about Industry 4.0/digital transformation typically focuses on the technology that is involved in collecting data, monitoring and improving performance, increasing reliability, and effectively implementing automation. The human aspect of this game-changing technology is rarely viewed as a priority yet, sooner or later, everyone will come to realize that the people are likely the most critical factor in realizing success. In this conversation with Nathalie Marcotte, Senior Vice President and President of Process Automation at Schneider Electric (https://www.se.com/us/en/), we explore the various human factors that must be established, many of them before technology is implemented. If your digital transformation effort is not going as planned or if you're in the early stages of a project, analyze the roles your employees are playing.

In most manufacturing plants, safety and efficiency begin at the loading docks. In this Efficient Plant podcast, we talk with Joe Ellestad, Director of Customer Relations & Sales Support, at Rite-Hite, Milwaukee (ritehite.com), a world leader in the manufacture, sale, and service of loading-dock equipment. Ellestad, who leads the Customer Experience Center at Rite-Hite's newly built world headquarters. He interacts daily with material-handling industry professionals, keeping his finger on the pulse of the latest trends, solution needs, and customer insights. Our conversation focuses on loading-dock safety issues and how Rite-Hite's various products keep dock workers and fork-truck drivers safe and promote loading and unloading efficiency.

The Yaskawa FP 605 Variable-Frequency Drive is a powerful, versatile, and thoroughly supported fan and pump controller that will maximize motor operation in virtually any application or industry. In this podcast, Chris Jaszczolt, Pump Drives Product Manager at Yaskawa America Inc., Waukegan, IL (yaskawa.com), describes the many FP605 drive features and the variety of installation and programming options it offers to manufacturers. The Yaskawa FP 605 Variable-Frequency Drive is a powerful, versatile, and thoroughly supported fan and pump controller that will maximize motor operation in virtually any application or industry. In this podcast, Chris Jaszczolt, Pump Drives Product Manager at Yaskawa America Inc., Waukegan, IL (yaskawa.com), describes the many FP605 drive features and the variety of installation and programming options it offers to manufacturers.

The Yaskawa U1000 Industrial Matric motor drive uses a direct AC-to-AC, input-to-output power conversion that inherently provides low input harmonics and full 100% regeneration. The result is a design that provides a high level of efficiency, easy installation, and a high level of reliability. In this podcast, Chris Jaszczolt, Matrix Drive Product Manager at Yaskawa American Inc., Waukegan, IL (yaskawa.com), describes how the U1000 design functions and the many benefits it provides.

The GA800 AC Drive, from Yaskawa America Inc., Waukegan, IL (yaskawa.com), is a durable, extremely versatile motor drive that offers simplified programming, installation, and ongoing maintenance in a wide range of environments. Steve Perreault, Chief Product Line Manager of Drives at Yaskawa America, describes the unit's various features and discusses how it is designed to be an effective, versatile solution for a wide range of industrial motor-control applications.

The role of grease, grease specification, rotating-asset reliability, and how the NLGI High Performance Multiuse grease certification program can help all stakeholders achieve their performance goals are the topics discussed in this podcast. Our subject-matter expert is Chad Chichester, an Application Engineer for Molykote Specialty Lubricants at DuPont. He provides engineering and design support for lubricant end users, with a focus on lubricant application and overall equipment maintenance and reliability. Chichester has served as Chair of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers' (STLE) Condition Monitoring Technology Committee. He currently is Technical Co-Chair of NLGI's (Liberty, MO, nlgi.org) Executive Committee and a member of the NLGI Board of Directors.

The GA500 AC Microdrive, from Yaskawa America Inc. is a durable, extremely versatile motor drive designed to simplify programming, installation, and ongoing use in a wide range of environments. Edward Tom, GA500 AC Microdrive Product Manager, describes the unit's various features and discusses how it is designed to be an effective, versatile solution for industrial motor-control applications.

Andy Rodes, Vice President of Operations and Business Development at https://reliabilityonline.net (VibeCloud Reliability Solutions), Midlothian, TX discusses the pros and cons of wireless vibration analysis and how to properly use wireless technology to enhance condition monitoring of rotating assets. Learn more about services offered by VibeCloud Reliability Solutions at reliabilityonline.net or visit their virtual booth 12 at the http://www.smrp.org (SMRP Annual Virtual Conference), Oct. 19 to 21. Andy Rodes has performed various functions in the condition-monitoring/predictive-maintenance field for more than 16 yr. Rodes is a Level II certified vibration analyst and holds a CMRP certification from SMRP. VibeCloud Reliability Solutions develops IIoT devices and software platforms designed for industrial plant operations, maintenance, and automation.

L.J. Andreuzzi, North American Business Development Manager for the Henkel's Loctite brand, Rocky Hill, CT, describes the various services the company offers to plant-maintenance operations, including plant surveys, customized workshops, ongoing training, and air-system leak analysis. Learn more at Loctite.com or by visiting the Loctite virtual booth 13 at the 2020 SMRP virtual conference, Oct. 19-21, srmp.org. In addition to a full line of industrial-grade products, Loctite offers several services designed to improve your maintenance operations.

Maintenance teams are finding themselves in the middle of a major shift toward digitalization of work processes. Brad Budde, Vice President, Digital at Emerson Automation Solutions, discusses how digital tools and content can be used to help maintenance teams identify, plan, and execute work in ways that improve key performance measures such as maintenance speed and first-time fix rate.

Jason Green, Vice President of Human Resources at ABB, describes the multi-faceted program they are developing to help students find a career path that develops sills and leads to employment in the manufacturing environment. Green describes how ABB works with educators at all levels, community leaders, parents and, most important, students, to provide the awareness, skills, and employment opportunities that will fill the skills gap for years to come.

The path from a reactive to proactive culture can seem daunting, expensive, and riddled with hurdles. Granted, it's not the easiest path to follow, but the payoff makes it more than worth the effort. In this podcast with Randy Breaux, President of Motion Industries, Birmingham, AL (motionindustries.com), we explore several factors that affect your plan to move to Top-Quartile reliability. Topics include deciding to change culture, education and communication, tripping points, pilot projects, cybersecurity, the outside support. If you want to leave your reactive practices in the past, this discussion will help you move forward.

Dean Hammes, Technical Manager of Automatic Lubrication Systems, and Preston Rubottom, Lubrication Reliability Solutions Manager at Lubrication Engineers Inc., explore the pros and cons of automatic-lubrication systems (ALS). In the podcast, Hammes and Rubottom address common objections to ALSs, factors involved in specifying the systems, safety issues, and the role they play in today's IIoT technology, and how they can significantly improve reliability. For more information, read the accompanying article on efficientplantmag.com, “An ALS will Boost Asset Reliability,” by Dean Hammes.

In a conversation with Lisa Nelson, Vice President of Integrated Marketing and Customer Care for Emerson's Measurement Solutions business, and Bridget Spencer, P.E., Department Manager Instrument Engineering and Design for Wood Group, we explore the various ways that today's digital technology is changing and improving the engineering work process. Those changes include improving support, efficiency, data management and accuracy, and security. The most significant benefit is collaboration at all levels of the project-management and development process.

The benefits of using sensors and IIoT technology are well documented in terms of implementing predictive and prescriptive maintenance, improving parts management, and greatly increasing overall reliability and profitability. What is not always considered is that IIoT/sensor technology also plays a major role in improving plant safety. In this podcast, we talk with ABB's (us.abb.com) Artur Rdzanek about the safety role of sensors, where to place them for maximum advantage, and the various benefits you can realize from this technology. Artur Rdzanek is a Global Product Manager for ABB Motors and Mechanical Inc., Greenville, SC (us.abb.com), focused on sensor products for Dodge mechanical power transmission products. He has nearly 20 years of product management and manufacturing experience. Rdzanek holds B.S. and M.S degrees in Automatics and Robotic Engineering from Lodz University, Poland, and an Executive MBA from Warsaw-Illinois University, Warsaw, Poland.

Manufacturing digital transformation affects all aspects of an enterprise. While the technical aspect is obvious and extensively explored, the impact on humans is not always considered. In this podcast, Brian Fretschel, Director of Integrated Marketing & Digital Customer Experience for Emerson's Measurement & Analytical business, provides insights into how digital transformation is changing the way procurement professionals interact with the plant floor, maintenance/reliability professionals, the supply chain, and executive management.