LS&P Equipment Up-Time Consulting FAQs
Why do I need an Uptime Specialist?
Langley Separation & Process Uptime Specialists will find the root cause of your downtime issues and give you a path to increasing equipment uptime dramatically. We do this efficiently and effectively through close, hands-on work directly with operations and maintenance personnel. Our team features only those who have actually “been there done that.” In total, LSP Uptime Specialists have 100 years of reliability improvement experience…we do not use kids just out of college, academics or guys who could not cut it elsewhere.
What approach does Langley Separation & Process take to increase equipment uptime?
We would work with you to help collect data on downtime events and then initiate root cause resolution actions. The central discipline in understanding root causes is Failure Modes and Effects Analysis. We can facilitate working sessions with your personnel on sight or remotely to uncover and eliminate downtime causes – keeping your equipment and processes up and running.
How long are Langley Separation & Process typically onsite?
We are contracted workers. Our mission is to achieve incredible results, quickly. Assignments typically range from a few days to a few weeks. Often, the assignment requires an investment of time upfront followed by a period of brief follow-up visits.
Can Langley Separation & Process help us increase the skill level of our operators and maintenance personnel?
We approach skills improvement from (2) two perspectives:
- Assessing the ability of personnel to complete their assigned jobs
- Close observation and analysis of reliability and maintenance work processes
From these data we construct practical plans for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of client personnel.
What would Langley Separation & Process consider to be an ideal process?
An ideal process operates at 100% capacity 100% of the time. To achieve this, we work with clients to identify how to restore equipment to optimal operating conditions and keep it operating there by tracking losses due to inactivity, breakdowns, set-up, start-up operating speed and defects.
What are the best practices in maintenance management?
The best practices in reliability and maintenance management are actions that will cost-effectively improve equipment reliability. By executing the items in the list, your plant should believe it can achieve better equipment reliability and, therefore, lower costs.
Can Langley Separation & Process help analyze why a piece of equipment constantly fails resulting in unwanted downtime and product loss?
Yes, when tasked with an asset reliability improvement assignment we analyze the physical state, operating environment and operating capability of the equipment asset(s) that need to be improved. Typically, equipment assets fail because component parts fail. Prevent component part failure and equipment assets become more reliable.
Can Langley Separation & Process help resolve equipment reliability issues?
All equipment asset reliability assignments begin by examining the required maintenance routines and the entire bill-of-materials to identify the most at-risk component parts. We then identify what can be done to minimize the risk by either improving the operating conditions or by modifying and/or reverse engineering new component parts to increase equipment asset reliability.
What products and services does Langley Separation & Process supply?
We repair, and supply parts engineered from sample parts for all OEM equipment. No matter what kind of machine, new or old, we can manufacture a replacement part to fit your machine.
Can Langley Separation & Process help solve a manufacturing or reliability problem?
If you have machinery and or parts that fail all too often or wear too rapidly, we can recommend alternate materials and modifications to improve part life and machine reliability.
Can Langley Separation & Process help resolve component part failures issues?
Yes, we have the experience and ability to modify and/or reverse engineer component parts that are subject to routine failure and can handle producing and delivering the new parts.
Can Langley Separation & Process supply obsolete replacement parts?
We have years of experience in the machine and component part repair as well as the OEM reversed engineered and part manufacturing business. We understand how parts are designed, manufactured, and can reproduce parts for your machine that either replicates the provided sample or has been modified and updated to produce a better functioning, more dependable, superior component part.
Can Langley Separation & Process make parts that are no longer available for older machinery?
Yes and we do not require prints to produce replacement parts. Send us your old part and we will provide a quote for the cost of reverse engineering your part and producing the quantity of replacement parts required.
Can Langley Separation & Process reduce my replacement parts costs?
Whether you are using a lot of parts or just several, our goal is always to save you money on purchasing and maintenance by reducing the excessive markup on OEM replacement parts. Our higher quality reversed engineered and manufactured parts typically save customers 20% to 50% on their OEM spare parts cost.
Can Langley Separation & Process help us improve spare parts storage and tracking?
To improve parts storage, we typically will need a week working with you to sort, organize and clean a storeroom, including the introduction of methods for sustaining the new arrangement.
Can you recommend software for managing our equipment reliability and maintenance process?
We are familiar with effective software solutions that provide for: scoping work, planning scheduling, execution, and maintenance work orders. We can help you get started quickly and effectively with installation and training personnel. It is highly recommended that you do not start a computer-based maintenance management system (CMMS) without first developing a sound “manual” work management system, so that you know what to include in the scope of the computer aided system.
What is the role of a Maintenance Planning Department?
To be effective, the Planning Department must focus on future maintenance work, the work that has not yet been started. The Planners provide at least a two week-ahead backlog of maintenance work packages that are ready approved and ready to be executed, including step-by-step instructions, permits, tooling and suppliers that are needed, and any parts that will be required. The parts must be in stock at the time of work package release. Feedback to the planners after job completion helps them to remain up-to-speed in how to improve their specifications for future work.
What KPIs should be used to measure the efficiency of Equipment Maintenance Scheduling?
We recommend making sure that a one week-ahead schedule is developed for each craft crew based on job priorities. Consideration should be given to grouping jobs on single equipment or systems for efficiency, including both proactive PMs and reactive repairs. There are two KPI metrics for evaluating the efficiency of Maintenance Scheduling:
- Wrench Time is the primary KPI. It is defined as the actual maintenance is performed as a percent of total time punched in.
- Schedule Compliance is the secondary KPI, but still important. It is measured as percent adherence to the one-week schedule, in jobs or hours completed versus jobs or hours scheduled.