Daily talks with my mechanical engineers.

These notes are for my engineers who are working with me. If you read it, it may help you but there is a science behind it with actual work and practical exercises.

04.09.2024 - Evening:

  • RCA: Root Cause analysis
    • It's a process to follow a logical route to reach to the root cause of a problem / situation.
    • A true RCA will always end up on YOU. Accept that. 
    • Do not hide your mistakes. Accept, learn from them, move ahead.
    • An RCA is like a post mortem. Better is FMEA and preventive maintenance. 
  • Keep track of the stoppages in your sections. Do not wait till month end.

04.09.2024:

  • Mass cleaning of Mechanical workshop by mechanical team.
    • It's a part of 5S drive. 
    • Let's do it now in each and every area from today.  
    • One floor / room a day. For 10 minutes. Daily.  Share it in group with Before-After pics. 
    • Why pics? It shows a positive change -> It gives satisfaction -> It gives motivation -> It inspires others too.
  • A place for everything. Everything in it's place.
  • A clean place is harder to make dirty | A clean space resists chaos; it’s easier to keep order than to restore it.

03.09.2024 - Evening:

  • VRM Reject Scraper: Use the same funda as RAL.
Minimum gap -> Minimum jamming. A lot of people think and do the opposite.
  • Skirt rubber at belt discharge: It plays a very important role in belt conveyor's life. Modify the belt discharge and get the centralized heap shaped bed. This will increase the skirt rubber life, belt life and reduce maintenance. 
  • Do it. Present it.: KAIZEN activities must be recorded with Before-After photos. The important thing is to take photos from the same angle. 
  • When we discuss about one KAIZEN at one area, do it at all other applicable areas. 
  • High vibration, high temperature, excessive noise are the language of machines to tell us about it's health. Just like a child when it cries if it's not well or asking something. Understand this language. 
  • Checking bearing clearance in 90% cases is much simpler and faster. Use dial gauge and lift the shaft. Use this method as much as possible.  
  • Speak clearly. Speak loud enough. Practice alone assuming you are talking to 100 people. 

03.09.2024:

  • Understand the wear-pattern. Not all material is same. Choose the right method of wear-protection. Choose the right welding electrode for hard-facing. 
    • No wear plate in any discharge chute. Stone box is the only way. 
    • Study the discharge pattern, provide the stone boxes. Material itself will protect the mother plate from the material. 
  • KAIZEN: Make it your habit.  Continuous improvement for the sake of eliminating waste and improving the flow of value. Kaizen is the engine of continuous improvement. It is a very fundamental lean behavior. 
  • Water sprinkling on belt is good for environment but is has many side-effects and problems as far as mechanical department is concerned. What are those problems? What are their solutions?
  • Making systems and implementing it in a sustainable and successful way is a science: CARMA.
Create -> Align -> Roll-out -> Monitor -> Accountability 

02.09.2024:

  • Systematic lubrication. 
  • Excess lubrication is bad. 
  • Understand the functions of lubrication:  
    • Reduce friction. Prevent wear. 
    • Protect the equipment from corrosion.
    • Control temperature (dissipate heat)
    • Control contamination (carry contaminants to a filter or sump)
    • Provide fluid sealing.

  1. Data is everything
  2. What is a KPI? What are your KPIs as a particular section engineer in a cement plant?
  3. Belt conveyor common problem is swayed running. How to address it systematically?
  4. PDCA: Plan-Do-Check-Act: It's for improvement.
  5. Too much communication is counterproductive. Let the things work by themselves (through systems.)
  6. Do not miss any opportunity to learn. Put extra efforts for learning. 



31.08.2024:

Ask WHY: Why has it happened? Why is it like that? Make asking "why" a habit. A child constantly asks questions, and we should do the same. No matter our age, there’s always someone older for whom we are still young. Remember, you’re younger today than you’ll be tomorrow.

  1. Improper lubrication causes 90% of mechanical failures. Don’t let that happen. Inspect every piece of equipment with this in mind.
  2. Magnetic Separators and Metal Detectors: Magnetic separators need modification; they’re currently inefficient. Flatten the belt beneath them and minimize the gap. Test metal detectors daily with GO and NOGO samples.
  3. Avoid wear plates in discharge chutes—they're dangerous. Use stone boxes instead; they offer multiple advantages.

Evening talk: As a maintenance engineer, you should be crying always for two things.

            For stoppages. For spares.  

30.08.2024:

Be like a child. A child gives 100% to everything they do. If we want to sleep like a child, we need to approach life with the same mindset.

SK Value-Addition: There had been a longstanding issue with the coal reclaimer, with many different theories circulating in the plant. Today, it finally failed. More theories emerged, but I immediately diagnosed that the internal components of the drum pulley had failed.

29.08.2024:

"I can sleep when the wind blows."

FMEA: An amazing tool; it's a one-time exercise.

SK Thought: Why is FMEA getting overlooked? Because no one seems to have long-term goals anymore—not even employers. FMEA is only effective when an engineer has a long-term plan.

28.08.2024:

Two lists are crucial: the job list and the material list. They should always be available and up-to-date.

Who is an engineer? Remind yourself that you are an engineer. Think, act, and live like an engineer—at work, at home, everywhere.

S-Q-P: Add value to whatever you do. Self-learning is the best learning.

27.08.2024:

DOWNTIME: Some call it TIMWOOD, but the essence is the same. Identify waste and eliminate it.

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