Making a Difference in the Transportation Industry

There are numerous elements that go into a fluid analysis program achieving operational efficiency and program success. For the transportation industry, that could be compliance with consistent sampling, seeing the return on investment, saving on fleet maintenance costs or gaining buy-in from leadership. But, what really makes the difference for a transportation company when participating in a fluid analysis program is a program champion. A transportation company could have anywhere from just one single maintenance facility handling all samples, to more than 100 locations. The program champion provides effective communication, ownership and consistency – all affecting the success of the program.

Communication | managing all shop or facility managers can be time consuming – the program champion makes certain that any updates, changes, etc. are communicated properly to the appropriate people.

Ownership | having one individual own the fluid analysis program helps the program stay compliant

Consistency | the program champion ensures everyone is on the same page and is meeting compliance goals

A program champion who communicates effectively, owns the fluid analysis program and consistently checks in to see if the team is meeting their compliance goals, will lead their teams to the ultimate goal: success of the fluid analysis program.

What does it take to be a program champion? Check out our checklist:

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you. 

Published  January 15, 2019

Dirty Dozen: 12 Types of Contamination

 

The life of components in automotive, industrial and other equipment is reduced when contaminants circulate through their systems. Water, solid particles, varnish and even air can lead to a decrease in drain intervals and an increase in foaming, oxidation, sludge and varnish formation—potentially causing serious damage and catastrophic failure.

What’s causing damage? Below are the four main categories of contamination:
  1. Air Contamination
    • Air causes foam to form and it may be a sign that the antifoam additive may be depleted and the oil needs to be changed out. Air causes the oil to look cloudy – often mistaking it for water contamination.
    • An easy way to visually tell the difference between air and water contamination: take a small oil sample in a clear container and allow it to sit undisturbed for 24 hours – air will rise to the top while water will settle to the bottom.
  2. Water Contamination
    • Water can get into your system through vapor in the air – but it can also come form rain, splashing, leaking fittings or power washing the equipment.
    • Measuring the current moisture level in your equipment’s oil, and then finding ways to reduce the moisture level, can significantly extend your machine’s life.
  3. Particle Contamination
    • Particle contamination can be caused by particles entering the system via air movement or oil degradation.
    • Here are some powerful facts for you:
      • Greater than 80 percent of machine wear is caused by particle contamination.
      • The industry spends upwards of $200 billion annually filtering fluids to prevent mechanical problems caused by hard particles.
  4. Varnish Contamination
    • Varnish buildup, whether it be hard or soft, can occur in reservoirs and throughout lube and hydraulic systems on components and filter elements. Once varnish formation begins, the equipment becomes unreliable and potentially unsafe.

Discover all 12 types of oil contamination, by reading my featured article in Lubes ‘N’ Greases’ October 2018 edition: Dirty Dozen: 12 Types of Oil Contamination by clicking below.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you. 

Published November 27, 2018

Preparing Your Program for 2019

How do you not only discover, but maximize the services and benefits by partnering with a fluid analysis laboratory and ensure it’s a positive addition to your preventive maintenance program? If your organization is partnering with a fluid analysis laboratory, it is important to examine what value-add services they offer and what you are actually paying for.

  • What software applications (technology) they offer?
  • What test packages are available?
  • What training services are offered?
  • Do they have industry accreditations?
  • Is there accessibility to communicating to relevant service personnel?

Having support from a trusted laboratory partner can help maximize these services and at the same time, educate members your maintenance team to utilize the available resources. At the end of day, you want to maximize the return on your investment which means your equipment’s of fluid’s life.

Steps to a Successful Program

A successful preventive maintenance program requires the following:

  1. Leadership | We call this a Program Champion. A Program Champion is preventive maintenance professional who provides buy-in about the wellbeing of their equipment – while providing leadership and accountability for a successful program.
  2. Goals | Establish realistic goals and an organized plan on how to achieve them in a timely manner.
  3. Education | Train your maintenance team on what is to be expected and what results need to achieved.
  4. Testing Capabilities | Access to the available test packages – and knowing what packages you need – will benefit your maintenance program.
Regular Routine

After your program is established – you need to maintain it.

  • Continuous Training | Have scheduled conversations with key members of your maintenance team and use the information or resources the laboratory has available.
  • Transparency | Ask for input from your maintenance team – this will generate interest in the program and foster an atmosphere for everyone to contribute and succeed.
  • Celebrate | Share your success stories and celebrate wins with your team.
  • Utilize Resources | If you have additional questions, contact a representative from your fluid analysis provider and remember this is one of the value-add services available to you.
Positive Program Standards for 2019

When you start planning for 2019, it’s important to re-evaluate and establish your program goals, provide continuous training, ensure you have all the requirements for a successful program and are utilize the value-add services available to you. By working together with your maintenance team, upper management and your fluid analysis provider – your program will succeed. Utilize this practice with other service providers who are components of your preventive maintenance program moving forward in the new year.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published November 13, 2018

HORIZON Mobile Update Release

What’s New

After seeing a high demand of customer requests to add this feature, we’ve released an update to the mobile application that will put more power into your mobile app. The app update allows you to edit your equipment – you can now add, duplicate and edit components in equipment management in the HORIZON mobile app.

The Power is in Your Fingertips

Update your mobile app today to experience the convenience of editing your equipment – right from your fingertips. You now have the power to:

  • Add new components
  • Duplicate existing components
  • Edit fields including:
    • Component ID
    • Fluid type
    • Component type
    • Manufacturer
    • Model
    • Filter type
    • Application
    • And more

Empower your fluid analysis, leverage the mobile app capabilities and maximize your fluid analysis program by downloading the latest version of the HORIZON Mobile app in the App Store or Google Play Store.

Work smarter, not harder

Additional real-time features of the HORIZON Mobile App include:

  • Sample Submission
  • Custom notification and alerts
  • View all sample reports
  • Sync with HORIZON web application
  • Sort and manage reports

     

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you. 

Published November 6, 2018

VIDEO: How to Bridge the Gap with Filter Debris Analysis

Oil filters are designed to remove contaminants and particles that would have otherwise damaged the system – but did you know this also removes the evidence that data analysts can use to provide in-depth maintenance recommendations? Dive deeper into the particles, contamination and evidence of wear that are caught in the oil filter by sending in your oil filter for Filter Debris Analysis.

FDA Dives Deeper Into Contamination Causes

Standard oil analysis (Elemental Analysis by ICP) can provide you with information on what’s going on in your equipment – but, there are limits to what ICP can detect. ICP can only detect fine particles of approximately 10 microns or smaller – leaving larger particles unidentified. Filter Debris Analysis helps identify larger wear particle debris as well as outside contamination. The wear morphology, metal type(s) and contamination types can be identified to help determine the possible source of the wear or contamination.

How is FDA Performed?

The FDA process involves flushing the filter, extracting the particles and performing several tests (including micropatch and analytical ferrography) to identify wear particles. Check out the video below to see how we perform Filter Debris Analysis at POLARIS Laboratories®:

Learn more about Filter Debris Analysis by reading our technical bulletin.

Interested in adding FDA to your current fluid analysis program? Contact customer service or your account manager.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published October 9, 2018

The Future of Your Reliability

We live in a connected world

Do you find that your critical condition monitoring information (fluid analysis, thermography, acoustics, telematics, etc.) is stored and managed in many different places and systems? Do you have to manually connect each of these data points to come to conclusions? Companies like yours have to navigate through data and information that is too often siloed – creating unnecessary work, time and expense.

So, how do we eliminate these silos? How do we integrate data into one place and automate our reliability?

Imagine your machine creating a work order from the oil analysis results you received from the laboratory … but seamlessly, without the human connection. That’s the future of reliability – technology, integration, connections and removing the human connection.

Telematics. Artificial Intelligence. Machine Learning.

This prescriptive approach enables maintenance professionals to leverage the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) by integrating siloed data into a centralized digital system.

Leveraging fluid analysis information is the key to your success today, but establishing an asset reliability model for your organization of the future is paramount. And, if executed effectively, you will establish a truly empowered user experience that will save your company countless hours and effort in manual labor and analysis. And, it will improve your impact, uptime and savings. This is the future of maintenance and reliability, but you can take your first steps today.

So, where do you start?

POLARIS Laboratories’ DataConnect feature offers advanced data integration to seamlessly connect your CMMS to HORIZON®, our award-winning online management platform. This capability does the work for you by automatically importing your HORIZON sample data into your CMMS system.

The future of operational efficiency through integration, technology and advanced systems is here. Are you ready? Talk with one of our account managers or technical business consultants to turn today’s missed opportunity into tomorrow’s success story.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published October 2, 2018

Take Action & See the Savings

Have You Taken Action?

One of the most under-used and yet, most powerful tools that POLARIS Laboratories® data management system, HORIZON®, can provide our customers with the Action Taken function. Dive deeper into your sample data and recommendations and be able to:

  • Complete a work order from the recommended action item from the sample
  • Learn if you did or did not locate a problem in your equipment
  • Provide comments back to the laboratory based on your findings
  • Customize your results by narrowing down by date, severity or fluid type
  • Put in an estimated savings if you did find a problem

Run the Report an See Proven Savings

Want to see how much you’ve saved? Once you have completed action taken items you can run the Action Taken Summary Report out of HORIZON®. This report provides you with a summary of the actions that have been taken and allows you to spot trends and commonalities in issues you may be seeing, as well as provide you with total estimated savings that can prove the savings of your program. To learn more about how this report is run out of HORIZON, watch the how-to video below:

If you would like to see a demonstration of this tool, please reach out to your Account Manager.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published September 18, 2018

How Gasoline Engine Technology Affects Fuel Dilution

Do you have a newer vehicle? Are your reports showing high fuel dilution?

Changes in gasoline engine technology, along with direct injection, have affected the internal combustion process in a gasoline engine. But, what does this mean for oil analysis? We’ve received a large amount of inquiries and questions regarding this topic from our customers. Click below to download the newest Technical Bulletin to learn the differences in engine technology and how it can affect your fluid analysis results.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published September 4, 2018

Seamless Data Management Made Easy

Data from your fluid analysis program is one of the cornerstones of your asset reliability program. It helps you prioritize, plan and monitor your daily maintenance activities. In aggregate, it can also help you make strategic decisions to maximize asset life, reach your business objectives and increase your return on investment.

Ask yourself these questions to see if you’re managing your data effectively:

  1. How well is your data integrated with the rest of your reliability program to support your maintenance program?
  2. Can your maintenance planners and fleet managers access the data in a way that is seamless with your company’s internal maintenance management systems?
  3. Is your team forced to access information out of multiple platforms that create inefficiency, frustration and can lead to missed opportunities?

POLARIS Laboratories® has a solution. DataConnect effortlessly and automatically moves your fluid analysis data into your primary maintenance management software system. Simplifying your internal systems through DataConnect can help you increase value, reduce staff training costs, improve visibility of your reliability program and ensure that you are deriving maximum value from fluid sampling.

To explore the options provided by DataConnect further, POLARIS Laboratories® will work with your IT team to better understand the potential of this functionality for your organization. Just email custserv@polarislabs.com with your IT contact information and we will take the lead.

Get the most out of your data, partner with POLARIS Laboratories® and experience DataConnect.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published August 28, 2018

HORIZON® Management Reports 101

Looking for ways to evaluate, manage and get the most out of your data? There’s a HORIZON® Management Report for that! HORIZON, our online data management platform, is a database capable of storing all your sample data, results, reports and recommendations. But, HORIZON is also a valuable resource which allows you run close to 15 different management reports to help you maximize your data. Highlighted below are just a few of the reports you can run out of HORIZON:

Severity Summary Report:

A quick and easy way for to see where your normal or critically flagged samples results are. Run the report based on a general search through your entire account or drill it down to component manufacturer or even fluid type. Check to see if there are any patterns in your testing results using this quick and easy tool – and take action.

Problem Summary Report:

Dig deeper into your sample results with the Program Summary Report. Evaluate normal and severe results by test and maintenance recommendations, making it easier to see trends in your fluid analysis sample results.

Program Condition Report:

This report will give a quick overview on how your program is running. Review overdue equipment that needs to be sent in for testing, see the average amount of time it takes for a sample to reach our laboratory for processing and see any actions taken based on the recommendations of our data analysis team.

Running Reports

Log into HORIZON and click on “Management Reports” to run these reports and more. Check out our resource for running these management reports and step-by-step instructions.

Contact us to learn how to best utilize these reports and others to make your fluid analysis program work even better for you!

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.