CASE STUDY: WOODGRAIN SOLIDIFIES RELIABILITY THROUGH NEW LUBRICATION PROGRAM

Downtime reduced by 85% in less than three years

- By Carolina Gonzales - Noria Corporation

Three years ago, Woodgrain set out to slash their downtime and increase machine reliability. This area was creating significant difficulties for the company, and historically, their maintenance program was operating primarily based on tribal knowledge.

Woodgrain wanted to change this and develop a purposeful maintenance and reliability culture that enabled increased trust and communication between management and the small three-person lubrication team. Additionally, the company sought to update and enhance the overall job experience to be more positive and, quite frankly... easier.

An Impressive Implementation

The team's efforts, including the lubrication technicians' impressive hard work and commitment to the project, proved to be a key component of Woodgrain's success, and their accomplishments are reflected in the numbers. According to downtime data from 2021 to 2024, they have saved approximately $365,000 by avoiding downtime related to contamination-related failure since making changes. They have also realized another $290,000 in savings by preventing bearings-related failures.

"Since the changes, I really look forward to going to work because I know I'm part of an effective maintenance team that allows my facility to be profitable and to be around for the future," said Woodgrain Lead Lubrication Technician Kevin Ingerson.

Additionally, the company reported 3,500 downtime minutes in its bearing equipment class in 2021. In comparison, only 495 downtime minutes were reported in 2023. Recognizing the success of these initiatives, Woodgrain management is now 100% committed to supporting the company's lubrication team as they complete their remaining reliability initiatives.