The newest trend among modern day industrial operations is a focus on total plant health through the use of proactive maintenance services, which improves the availability of individual machines and boosts the reliability - and therefore the productivity - of the plant.

Key elements of any condition-based monitoring are oil analysis, vibration and thermography; while proactive maintenance enhances component health through alignment, balancing, oil filtration and purification.

With the recent formation of its reliability services division, WearCheck has positioned itself as the only company in Africa – and one of only a handful globally – that can provide a complete condition monitoring service to the mining, power, pulp and paper, sugar, manufacturing  and other industries.

The philosophy of optimal plant maintenance has evolved significantly over the years, with each subsequent approach ensuring longer component life, greater plant reliability and fewer breakdowns with a strong focus on being cost effective rather than cheap.

Originally, plant operators used preventative, or time-based, maintenance, where machine parts were simply replaced as soon as they reached their life expectancy, regardless of their condition.

The predictive maintenance approach came next, where routine monitoring of the real conditions of the machinery components could reveal early failure, giving plant managers the chance to react timeously and avoid breakdowns. According to WearCheck’s reliability solutions manager Philip Schutte, ‘If you can’t plan it, you can’t control it.’

The latest approach - proactive maintenance - is the search for ways to extend the life of components to prevent premature failure, thereby boosting general plant health.  Says Schutte, ‘Any good proactive maintenance programme will boost both plant availability as well as plant reliability.’

Some of WearCheck’s reliability solutions services include alignment, balancing, oil filtration and purification. Pictured here is WearCheck technician Shiven Brijlal taking a vibration reading on an industrial vent fan.

For further information on total plant health and reliability services, please visit www.wearcheck.co.za, or contact Philip Schutte on (011) 392 6322.