FEATURE COVER STORY
SEAL CONDITION MONITORING just needs a little TLC
FTL Technology can optimise sealing performance for the specific demands of any process equipment application, cutting downtime and reducing costs through improved efficiency
The introduction of Total Cost of Ownership has highlighted that cost savings can be realised by looking at the bigger picture and gaining an understanding of where savings can be made
T
here has never been a greater focus for UK manufacturing businesses to
improve efficiency in production. In order to remain market competitive it is becoming increasingly common to employ continuous improvement and lean methodologies to meet the challenging quality, cost and delivery requirements of our customers. This is especially true of the food and pharmaceutical industry when we consider the ramifications of the Brexit process and burdens relating to regulatory compliance once the UK leaves the EU. While we cannot directly impact the future of the UK in relation to the EU we can impact what happens within the walls of our UK manufacturing facilities.
GETTING VALUE FROM PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE When purchasing large plant and equipment it is common to review its purchase and operation in terms of investment, repayment period and payback period. ‘Consumables’ such as seals and bearings are rarely viewed in the same way, often considered a cost rather than an investment; a problem rather than a solution. A seal which leaks after a week is replaced with another that leaks after a week and the cycle continues. The seal only costs £5 so we’re hardly breaking the bank, are we? Let’s take a look at that leaking seal in more detail. How long does it take to change the
seal? How much does it cost for a skilled maintenance engineer to change it? How
10 FEBRUARY 2017 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT
much lost production time? How much product have you lost due to leakage? What associated health and safety risks are there? From a lean manufacturing perspective there is significant waste in the serial leaking seal. In that waste is a significant cost to your
business. Before long that £5 seal could grow into a £500 per week cost. The introduction of Total Lifecycle Cost (TLC) or Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) has highlighted that significant cost savings can be realised by looking at the bigger picture and gaining a firm understanding of where savings can be made. Reducing the instances of seal
replacement can have a massive impact in itself. The true cost can be significant if maintenance is carried out either outside of regular working hours at a premium labour rate or when the machine could be otherwise producing product.
SPECIALISED SEALING SOLUTIONS At FTL Technology we specialise in sealing solutions with many years of experience solving the kind of sealing issues that maintenance, reliability and continuous improvement engineers and managers love to hate. Seals that are difficult to install and maintain can result in long- term issues with leakage so why not look at a split design seal that needs no more than a hex key to install and service? Many mixer and screw conveyors
inherently experience shaft run out. Why resign yourself to the fact that seals will be damaged by the motion of the shaft and require frequent replacement? Surely, a seal that is designed for the application that outlasts your current seal by a factor of 10 to 1 is worth consideration? Does the introduction of Clean-in-Place
(CIP) procedures mean that you are replacing seals between batches? Why not consider an FDA compliant seal that enables CIP and does not require frequent replacement. Our sealing specialists combine vast experience and a customer- centric approach to problem solving with access to thousands of sealing products. By customising these products to meet the precise demands of your application we are able to develop sealing solutions which meet each of your technical requirements while ensuring long-term cost savings for your operations. With the cutting edge design tools
Reducing the instances of seal replacement can have a massive impact
available at FTL Technology we can demonstrate how through our investment in your process and your investment in our sealing solutions we can work together to
significantly improve: equipment uptime consumables cost savings product saved from leakage/scrappage overall efficiency of plant operations
Based in Leeds (UK) and with IDEX Sealing Solutions partners in Blackburn (UK) and Villongo (Italy), FTL Technology is a key international supplier of custom-engineered sealing solutions, working to improve efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness in food process applications.
FTL Technology T: 0113 252 1061
www.ftl.technology
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