The Power of 10X

Cleaner...Dryer...Cooler... Better Aligned...More Training

- Jim Fitch

Have you ever considered how we might be rewarded if we improved something by 10 times? For instance, what if we were 10 times richer; would we be 10 times happier? How about if we were 10 times smarter; would we be 10 times more successful? What if we worked 10 times harder? How might it apply to being more physically fit, taking initiatives, having more drive, being kind and more empathetic, having more friends/connections, etc.?

One might think that if you make a 10-times improvement, you should expect a 10-times gain. In such cases, your gain or benefit would be incremental or proportional. In maintenance, we have control over many factors that can lead to gain. We've all heard of the gains that are the most important to us: better quality, lower production costs, lower repair costs, higher asset utilization, improved safety; the list goes on.

Invariably, we are looking for factors within our realm of control, factors that we can affect with relative ease and sustainability.

We have so many options at our disposal. What do we choose, and what do we push aside? Understandably, if we are going to change something, we'd want the biggest bang for our buck.

To that end, I have prepared a list of options to consider where we have good data and/ or experience to rely on. Let's get started.

10X Cleaner

This one is easy; the contaminant sensitivity of machine components has been reasonably well-established. This includes bearings, gearing, pumps, valves and even engines. A test procedure, known as the accelerated life test (ALT), is followed to determine a machine's tolerance to particle contamination. During the test, the machine or component is subjected (exposed) to known and controlled levels of contaminants to measure changes in service life.