Maintenance, Repair and Operations Feature Library

Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.

Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE (the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.

05/10/2012 Good acoustics? It's a poor workman that blames his tools, goes the proverb. But on machinery condition monitoring, it's been understandable. However, all of that is about to change, writes Brian Tinham » Read More

01/08/2012 Vibration monitors to guard Indian hovercrafts’ drivetrains Southampton-based Griffon Hoverwork is buying condition monitoring systems for 12 of its Griffon 8000TD hovercrafts, ordered by the Indian Coast Guard. » Read More

01/08/2012 Wireless improves Barking Power efficiency Wireless improves Barking Power efficiency » Read More

05/04/2012 Operator-driven reliability programme does it for Stora Enso Global paper, packaging and wood products firm Stora Enso is reporting significant benefits since introducing SKF's operator-driven reliability (ODR) programme. » Read More

06/02/2012 Plant & Asset Management 2012 Does the industrial maintenance sector need another exhibition? The organisers of MACH, Drives & Controls, Air-Tech and IFPEX clearly think so. Brian Tinham looks at the line-up » Read More

06/10/2011 Tip top condition? Predictive maintenance is an important route to cutting costs and improving plant performance. And, says Brian Tinham, the condition monitoring technologies upon which it relies are ripe for the picking » Read More

06/10/2010 Predicting problems Using condition monitoring technologies to anticipate a requirement for critical plant maintenance isn't new, but novel systems are improving the potential, reports Dr Tom Shelley » Read More

01/03/2010 Pump prediction Modern non-invasive motor condition monitoring equipment is proving its worth at Wessex Water. Brian Tinham talks to operational services manager Dave Durkin » Read More

01/01/2010 Seeing is preventing An ability to anticipate mechanical breakdowns before they impact plant performance can be invaluable in minimising unplanned downtime. Dr Tom Shelley reports » Read More

01/01/2010 Maintec 2010 show Getting maintenance right, and squeezing that bit extra out of existing and new plant, is the name of the game for 2010. Brian Wall suggests taking a day at Maintec 2010 » Read More

01/01/2010 Asset improver Plant condition monitoring equipment is more accessible than ever. But where should you be thinking about using it? Brian Tinham takes expert advice » Read More

01/06/2009 Better crystal balls With a breakdown in plant sometimes so catastrophic (failures of lubrication pumps have resulted in shutdowns of more than a year before new parts could be made), it is astonishing that so few plant engineers make use of increasingly ... » Read More

01/02/2009 Maintec show What - Maintec exhibition and conference Where - NEC, Birmingham When - 17-19 March 2009 » Read More

01/02/2009 Lift ropes and lubrication When it comes to steel wire ropes for lifts and elevators, getting lubrication and maintenance right couldn't be much more critical. At the most basic level, all such ropes must be periodically checked for equal tensions, as well as for ... » Read More

01/02/2009 Electric Engineers It's often said that one of the biggest differences between plants in, say, the chemical or pharmaceutical industries, as opposed to those in power generation, is that the former are developed in a laboratory pilot (where the learning is ... » Read More

01/12/2008 Plant life matters Although the cost of components - such as rolling element bearings, rotors and fasteners - in hydraulic pumps is usually very small, compared to the list price of the pumps themselves, the cost of stopped production and any consequential ... » Read More

01/10/2008 Wet engineering With the likely passing of the European Environmental Liability Directive 2004/35/EC into British law in December - extending the existing 'polluter pays' principle to water sources, inhabited land, and protected species and habitats - ... » Read More

01/10/2008 Sound of silence Ultrasonic tools are invaluable in detecting bearing failure, mostly because warnings appear well before any temperature rise or low frequency vibration can be seen. In fact, the technology recognises everything from early fatigue failure, ... » Read More

01/08/2008 Motoring clinic Given current low prices for electric motors, compared with high costs of plant downtime caused by a failure, making a repair-versus-replace decision should be easy, shouldn't it? In theory, yes, but while there's no contest for motors ... » Read More

01/08/2008 Cost versus risk Here's a thing. Suppose you've got condition monitoring in place on plant: if you find some equipment trending towards failure, what should you do? Or suppose you haven't gone the condition monitoring route, so you're running planned ... » Read More

01/02/2008 Global warning For some engineers, questions about how much money could have been saved if a major failure had been predicted, trigger thoughts about the cost of expensive process interruptions and downtime. For others, it's all about avoiding ... » Read More

01/08/2007 Replace or recondition? Reconditioning large roller bearings can save a great deal of time and money - and result in at least as good a job as installing new. And that applies even on critical machinery that could seriously impact plant availability. Sounds ... » Read More

01/02/2007 The Main Chance Timetable What: Maintec 2007 Where: 20-22 March, NEC, Birmingham When: Tuesday 20 March 10.00-16.00 Wednesday 21 March 10.00-16.00 Thursday 22 March 10.00-15.00 For some 30 years, the Maintec event has been focused on ... » Read More

01/02/2007 Health check-ups reap big rewards In the age of lean, condition monitoring of capital equipment is an obvious aid to efficient operation, as opposed to waiting for something to break down. As Chris Haines, Rockwell director of customer support and maintenance UK and ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Monitor this situation Yorkshire Water (YW) has 4.7 million customers - a lot of people to let down, if a piece of equipment fails. OFWAT ranks YW as 'the most capital-efficient company'. At YW, therefore, monitoring of the equipment that is used so extensively, ... » Read More