Enhancing General Manufacturing
Lubricants for General Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry spans a range of sectors, and there’s nothing overly ‘general’ about any of them. From automotive to precision plastics, most areas are highly diversified and vastly complex. And it’s often due to the intricate machinery and demanding environments involved. Throughout every subsector, however, one thing remains constant: the need for sustainable productivity. Maximum output, minimal impact, and optimum profit. You need to deliver them all while operating in an environment of rapid technological change.
Connecting the dots can be challenging
But the right partner can help take the complexity out of your operations.
At Shell Lubricant Solutions, we can help you simplify your day-to-day operations by considering the end-to-end impact of lubrication on maintenance budgets and processes, as well as costs related to lost production during equipment downtime.
Our experts have helped customers make $139m in savings worldwide by supporting them to create effective end-to-end maintenance practices1.
Three ways to boost manifesting productivity
Your manufacturing operation is only as productive as the machinery you use. And that machinery requires ongoing attention to keep it operating at peak performance. Here are three areas that can be challenging for your operations, and how to overcome those challenges:
Invest in your maintenance
Downtime can be disastrous for your deadlines and your finances, so effective maintenance should be the foundation of your operation.
But, with so many moving parts, it can be difficult to keep every piece of equipment running as smoothly as it should. That’s why it’s important to create a maintenance strategy that takes an end-to-end approach to your operations.
Selecting the right lubricant for each application is a key first step. But you should also support this with ongoing maintenance practices, such as oil condition monitoring (OCM), in order to identify and prevent potential issues before they become business critical.
Review your technology
Once your maintenance strategy is in place, it’s time to consider how to improve your productivity with new technologies.
If you already have digital processes in place, it’s always worth checking that you’re getting the best possible insights and outcomes from data collection – and making sure systems are set up to give you the optimal results. There may also be an opportunity to invest in new tools – especially with the rapidly growing range of Industry 4.0 maintenance technologies becoming widely available. From connected equipment to remote sensors, digital integration can go a long way to making your equipment more productive, more energy efficient and more profitable.
Prioritise skills development
Even the best plans can falter if you haven’t equipped your people with the tools to succeed.
Even the best plans can falter if you haven’t equipped your people with maintenance or technology best practices. Whether you’re upskilling current staff or onboarding new members, a workforce needs consistent training in order to maximise your operation’s productivity.
To help answer this need, Shell LubeCoach is an expert oil training programme designed to provide your staff with high-quality training materials. With a modular format that can be delivered online or in-person, you can tailor the content to the needs of your staff. The courses and workshops will set your team up for success when it comes to optimising the application of lubrication and maximising productivity.
Manufacture a more efficient operation
In an industry as fast-moving as manufacturing, where speed and efficiency are crucial, it can be difficult to balance competing priorities. With productivity a priority, you need to:
- Increase output capacity
- Minimise unplanned equipment shutdowns
- Extend maintenance cycles
And all of this while your machinery is required to work under higher temperatures, greater power density and higher operating pressures. But no matter your workload, lubrication is one area that you can’t afford to overlook.
Not only can it help protect both productivity and profits, but it can also contribute to your sustainability targets, and provide an opportunity for differentiation within a highly competitive marketplace.
Combined with effective lubrication management and high-quality workforce training, this essential discipline can help you to:
- Maximise equipment efficiency
- Extend component life
- Increase equipment uptime
- Improve productivity
- Reduce energy consumption
- Lower operating costs
Work with a partner you can trust
In an ever-expanding ecosystem, it’s becoming increasingly unsustainable for manufacturing businesses to exist and operate in isolation. As marketplaces become more competitive and operating environments more demanding, effective collaboration is one means of staying ahead of the competition. Cross-industry collaboration is critical for plugging knowledge gaps, identifying growth opportunities and adapting operations to protect against – or take advantage of – market volatility. The right partnerships can help to introduce new ways of working, new modes of thinking or new lines of business. All of which can lead to better performance and greater resilience for your operations, especially as you develop your digital and sustainable capabilities.
Disclaimers:
1Based on savings delivered to Shell Lubricant Solutions customers
