Oilcheck Managing Director, Mike Morrison, answers some key questions about the company’s Oil Condition Monitoring Conference for the mining and power generation industries, to be held May 1 and 2 at Sydney’s Olympic Park.
The conference will present a range of options and new technologies that will allow companies to cut tens, and possibly hundreds, of thousands of dollars from their equipment maintenance costs.
Oilcheck has more than 25 years experience in oil testing and analysis including some of the world’s leading mining and power generation companies among its clients.
Five international experts in the field of oil condition monitoring will be guest presenters.
- What’s the reason, the value, of staging this conference now?
A: With the latest releases of some specialised testing equipment suitable for on-site analysis for remote sites, the conference will coincide with the launch of these testers. Additionally, organising for 5 overseas speakers could only be arranged at this time so as not to clash with their other engagements as they are in high demand by industry.
- What impact can better oil condition monitoring have on various businesses in terms of profitability and the bottom line?
A: The more précis the decisions made for maintenance can be made, the better the functioning of the operational assets. By improving the maintenance regime for the assets, savings can be made by the avoidance of unscheduled down-time and increased mobility.
- Does it really make much of a difference if the testing is done on site, versus sending it to a lab? Why and in what way?
A: On-site analysis provides immediate data as to the condition of the lubricant and/or the equipment. Having immediate data, even if incomplete in comparison to full of-site analysis, to hand enables maintenance decisions to be made which can avoid undue problems.
- What percentage of companies in the various industries you currently service would do onsite testing?
A: Less than 1 % of client companies would actively do on-site analysis.
- Why has this not been done by larger numbers of companies in the past?
A: To date there has not been instrumentation that is user-friendly enough to be deploy in the field for use by maintenance fitters.
- What are the main things that attendees will get out of the conference? You’ve got a wide mix of speakers?
A: Typically, information on the various topics is intended to bring maintenance and engineering personnel up to speed with what is available in industry and how it can impinge on their workplace and provide potentially large savings in maintenance costs.
- They are an interesting mix of speakers, from the United States, Germany, Japan and of course, Australia. Can you run through the names and who they work for?
A: Yes, they certainly offer quite a range of industry experience and knowledge. We have Steve McDonald, National Plant Manager Leighton Contractors, there’s Dr. Mark Okasaki, a product specialist, from Chevron Texaco, Jo Ameye, vice-president of sales and marketing, Fluitec International, in Belgium. We have Greg Livingstone, Director of Fluid Technology for EPT, in Tucson Arizona. Dr. Ludger Quick is the director of chemistry and metallurgy, from Siemens Power Generation, based in Mülheim, Germany. From Japan Dr. Akira Sasaki, the former managing director of Kleentek Corporation and Jim Forbes of Forbes Consulting, who was formerly with Caltex. It’s quite a line-up.
- What kinds of risks are involved in onsite testing?
A: The risk associated with on-site testing is to totally abandon off-site, in-depth testing should an adverse result be encountered from any of the instruments. Additionally, the instruments, although rugged and very user friendly, can and will need recalibration or at least checking. This will be the responsibility of the users but it can be programmed into a maintenance agreement with the supplier.
- How can a company manage them?
A: A planned maintenance schedule can be drawn up for each instrument supplied and this can be monitored by the supplier and/or, the senior maintenance personnel at the company location.
- What is the single most powerful reason company representatives should recognise to convince them to attend?
A: Maintenance and the oil (particularly in the light of the recent crude oil prices) costing are two essential areas that require constant monitoring. By following simple guidelines, significant saving can be made by the correct application of on-site testing.
- The costs can really be quite substantial?
A: Yes, with the onsite testing that we have been involved with, and this will be demonstrated at the conference, the savings can be very substantial.
- So, who should attend….and why these particular people?
A: The conference has been targeted at senior maintenance personnel as they are instrumental in overseeing maintenance budgets and have the authority and responsibility to act to reduce costs.
- Are there, or have there been, other similar conferences in Australia? Overseas? Because?
A: Seminars, or conferences, on maintenance issues are commonplace and provide information on the procedures to improve productivity and efficiency in equipment. However, there has not, to my knowledge been any such conferences to target condition monitoring by implementing the procedures for on-site oil analysis testing. I am not aware of any such conference overseas with the exception of talk-fest at ASTM, STLE and SAE because the impetus for on-site testing has not been given prominence in the workplace.
- Finally, what’s in the package for the conference – meals, accommodation?
A: Yes, it’s all included in one cost. Accommodation on the Wednesday and Thursday nights, and we have a welcome cocktail party on the Wednesday night. All accommodation and meals and that include a big corporate dinner on the Thursday night, including entertainment. From a business point of view, not only will we have the speakers but also on-site equipment on display and a couple of forums where attendees can ask the tough questions and get good, detailed answers about how to cut machinery maintenance costs.
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