Improperly Installed Equipment
Is Improperly Installed Equipment a Big Problem?
Before we discover how to find the causes of improperly installed equipment, let’s look at how big a problem improper installation is.
In a study by Nolan & Heap, they stated that only 11% of equipment failures were due to age. The remainder? Well, this article had a reference that said operator error was the #1 cause of equipment failure.
However, in an article by James Kovacevic, he says that in his experience, 65% of the failures are due to improper installation. And of those failures, 36% can be traced back to misalignment or soft-foot conditions.
In the article, James explains misalignment and soft-foot, and the seven steps to proper machinery alignment.
Equipment Troubleshooting Alignment Problems
When using the Equifactor Troubleshooting Tables, you may be directed to check if the equipment was properly aligned. Here is an example from one of our exercises in our Equifactor® Training.
How would you, or a mechanic, or an analyst, know if the pump was aligned correctly? If the installation was performed using James Kovacevic’s Seven Steps to a Proper Machinery Alignment, you would not only know the process used, but you would also have documentation and post-installation acceptance testing and verification to ensure that the alignment was at least initially correct. You could then check the alignment (perhaps with laser alignment) to see if the alignment had somehow changed.
Thus, having a systematic process for equipment installation and for equipment troubleshooting and root cause analysis is an extremely important part of achieving world-class equipment reliability.
Discovering the Causes of Any Improperly Installed Equipment
So, in the example above, we used the Equifactor® Equipment Troubleshooting Tables to guide the person to the causes of the improper installation (or any other potential problem) by using a process of elimination or selection in a well-thought-out table.
The cause can then be analyzed to find its root causes using the TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis System.
Where can you learn more about this troubleshooting and root cause analysis process? Start with this book:
Using Equifactor® Troubleshooting Tools and
TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis to Improve Equipment Reliability
The book is included in the course materials for the 3-Day VIRTUAL Equifactor® Equipment Troubleshooting and TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis Training. This course is the fastest way to upgrade your equipment troubleshooting skills.
When is the next 3-Day VIRTUAL Equifactor® Course? July 21-23 (9 AM Central Time). CLICK HERE to register.
If you would like to hold one of these courses for your troubleshooters, CLICK HERE for a quote from one of our Implementation Advisors.
Hope to see you at the next course!
Don’t wait. You need effective solutions to STOP equipment installation problems. Equifactor® Equipment Troubleshooting and TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis are the best way to find effective solutions.
