A Program Snapshot: HORIZON® Management Reports for Lube Marketers

The HORIZON data management system is robust in all that it can provide to a fluid analysis program. Team training is conducted on features like the Dashboard, Reading a Sample Report, Equipment List Management, Mobile App and Sample Submission – which are all important for program success. But, one feature of HORIZON that is often underutilized or undertrained is Management Reports. These reports provide lube marketers and program champions an overview of their fluid analysis program and provides specific areas for improvement.

There are twelve management report options in HORIZON. This means you can view twelve different sets of data in different areas of your program. For lubricant marketers specifically, the information provided in these reports can provide a look at how distributors and end users are utilizing their fluid analysis programs offered through the lube manufacturer.

Out of the twelve reports, there are three that I believe have significant value when it comes to information lube marketers are looking for: Program Condition, Turnaround Time and Severity Summary. A lubricant marketer can use the information provided in these reports as a touchpoint by sharing a snapshot of the overall program. This ensures the loyalty and pride in their product and the information provided will show that their distributors and end users are successfully monitoring the condition of their equipment.

Program Condition Report

When reviewing the first section of the Program Condition Report, components due/overdue, you can see if the equipment is being tested and if the integrity of equipment is still in tack. The program condition data tells you if the team is being compliant and testing regularly – and it can be the starting point to set a trackable goal.

Turnaround Time Report

The Turnaround Time Report is crucial to program success, too. The information provided in this report reassures the laboratory is meeting their goal and the samples are getting to the laboratory within five days of sample being collected.

The report helps identify areas of improvement, for example, shipping challenges. The graph provides a topic of conversation that some folks may not think about: the importance of getting samples to the laboratory as soon as possible to get results fast and avoid any potential downtime.

Severity Summary Report

The Severity Summary Report will help identify trending of the results, either up or down. This allows the users get in front of a potential problem and help identify some actions that needs to be taken. This opens up a discussion of the lubricants and where some improvements can be made.

 

If you are a lubricant marketer, I encourage you take a look at the management reports HORIZON offers. These reports make it easy to get a high-level overview of your customers, distributors and end users’ use of their fluid analysis program. If you need assistance, reach out to your account manager!

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Published July 15, 2022

Don’t Delay When it Comes to Your Fuel Reports

Read Your Reports

Read your analysis reports as soon as you get them. If you took the time to test your fuel that means you’re trying to avoid an issue (clogging fuel filters, injector warranties) or you’re looking to troubleshoot problems you’re experiencing (lack of power, fuel quality concerns). Don’t wait until it’s too late before you evaluate your report results – failure can occur at any moment.

Review the Test Data

On analysis reports, test values that have diagnostic significance will be flagged or highlighted in some way (boldface type, color coded, etc.). You should begin your review with analyzing these flagged results.

Review each test value individually and then look for coordinating data that can help confirm the analysis. Knowing your test properties will help tremendously with understanding the test results. If you’re unsure or need help interpreting results, you can contact the laboratory for more explanation. A quality, dependable laboratory will spent the time helping you understand the analysis.

Analyze the Analyst’s Comments

After reviewing the data, it’s then time to look at the data analysts’ comments. Many laboratories set the overall severity based on the analyst’s interpretation of the results, rather than one single severe reported limit. The comments will outline the wear patterns, if applicable, then the condition of the fluid. These comments can also include sources of contamination and recommended maintenance actions.

Ensure Sample Information Accuracy

If incomplete information was provided for the sample, the analysts cannot provide a quality and effective analysis of your fuel. Simply submitting the sample as “diesel fuel” limits the analysis because there are different grades of diesel fuel (ULS #1, #2) and each have separate ASTM alarm limits. If needed, contact the laboratory to provide updated information and then ask for a re-evaluation of the sample.

Provide Feedback to the Laboratory

Feedback on test results and maintenance actions provided to the laboratory is crucial to effectively understanding and managing your fuel program. Laboratories test your fuel with the intention of providing you with accurate, reliable and timely results so you can maximize your Return Of Investment (ROI) of your program. In order for the laboratory to help improve your program, it’s important to open the lines of communication when it comes to results and actions taken by your team.

Download How to Read a Diesel Fuel Report

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Published June 13, 2022

Will You Accept Your Reliability Mission this October?

The maintenance and reliability world is rapidly progressing with technology advancements and new digital solutions to integrate programs and data. We’re committed to help you, our customer, leverage these new advancements and innovations and achieve optimal equipment reliability.

Mission: Reliability, the 7th-annual Customer Summit, will focus on providing you the tools, resources and education so you can bring your program full circle.

Experience a Summit Like No Other

Mission: Reliability, taking place in Indianapolis October 3-5, will be unlike any Customer Summit to date or maintenance conference in the industry. Attendees will gain a full circle experience and see all aspects of maintenance and equipment management; from the lubricant manufacture, to the original equipment manufacturer, to the oil analysis provider, to seamless integration solutions.

In addition to keynote speakers, general and breakout sessions, workshops and networking, POLARIS Laboratories® has partnered with Allison Transmission and Cummins, to provide additional education and tour opportunities for Summit attendees. These exclusive OEM tours include:

  • Allison Transmission
    • Innovation Center (Indianapolis, IN)
    • Electrification and Environmental Center (Indianapolis, IN)
  • Cummins
    • Technical Center (Columbus, IN)
    • Augmented and Virtual Environment Lab (Columbus, IN)

During these tours, Mission: Reliability attendees will get a first-hand look at manufacturing and technology innovations these OEMs are putting in place to prepare for the future of equipment reliability.

We’re excited to bring these additional learning experiences to this year’s attendees and hope you will join us for Mission: Reliability in October. Will you accept your mission?

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Published June 9, 2022

Get Connected: Data Integration Platform Partnerships

DataConnect, a free service offered by POLARIS Laboratories®, allows customers to integrate their fluid analysis data into their existing maintenance management platform, such as an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) or business analytics system. Integrating data allows customers to view critical information within a single platform to make informed maintenance decisions, including auto triggering work orders, online sample data submission, equipment list updates and more.

This service uses a secure Application Programming Interface (API) and is easy for customers that have the time, resources, and skills to pull data from the API and integrate with their existing preferred maintenance management platform. For others, a ‘turnkey’ solution may be desired.

For the ‘turnkey’ solution, this is where POLARIS Laboratories® Integrated Partners come in. The partners, working with POLARIS Laboratories® and the end user, develop the integration from the API and the customer’s system.

Today’s existing integrated partners fall into several different categories:

  • Equipment OEMs
  • Telematics Services
  • Maintenance Service Providers
  • ERP/CMMS service providers
  • On-Board Sensor Providers

If your company falls in to one of the above categories, or any additional category pertaining to equipment reliability and monitoring, we would love to talk with you about becoming an integrated partner. We see this as a benefit of promoting your company and increasing your revenue stream while also promoting the services offered by POLARIS Laboratories®. Most importantly, we see this as providing value-added service solutions to our mutual customers.

If you are interested in learning more about POLARIS Laboratories® Integrated Partner solutions, please contact:

Randy Clark, Manager of Reliability, at rclark@polarislabs.com.

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Published May 3, 2022

Go Green with POLARIS Laboratories®: New QR Sample Labels

In the coming months, POLARIS Laboratories® will focus on improving its environmental footprint. With a constant increase of fluid analysis users submitting samples online through HORIZON®, users are less dependent on paper sample label forms to

provide the laboratory with equipment, component, manufacturer and fluid information.

As a laboratory, POLARIS Laboratories® operates under a Lean environment. This means we are constantly looking for improvements to eliminate waste – whether it be energy waste or actual paper waste affecting the environment.

Launching in July 2022, as part of our Green Initiative to help protect the planet, POLARIS Laboratories® will provide users the option to order QR-code only sample jar labels. These labels are small 2″ x 1″ labels that function similarly to the sample jar label found on the Sample Information Form today – just without the paper.

See How QR-Code Labels Work

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Published April 18, 2022

Canadian Shipping Advancements

Shipping samples to the laboratory in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is now more convenient with new postage options for customers operating in East and West Canada.

POLARIS Laboratories® has recently added additional shipping options for customers shipping samples to and from Canada. This option, through a partnership with Loomis Express, includes a prepaid mailing envelope, up to 10 samples and provides shipping within 1-2 business days from all shipping points in Canada.

Order your sample kits now!

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Published April 5, 2022

Case Study: Connecting Fluid Analysis with Equipment Maintenance

By utilizing POLARIS Laboratories® secure data integration API, DataConnect, a major coal producer connected their HORIZON® fluid analysis data with both their ERP system (SAP) and Power BI. By connecting their maintenance data, the customer is able to get a holistic view of their entire maintenance program, automate work orders and gain powerful insights into their program.

Read the Case Study

Oil Analysis: Why You Need it Now More than Ever

Today’s oil analysis capabilities offer a great deal more than just monitoring component health. With today’s technology, along with performing the proper tests, we can:

  • Monitor the condition of the oil
  • See the oil is suitable for continued use
  • Reduce the amount of used oil disposal
  • Adjust maintenance intervals and strategies
  • Adjust component replacement schedules
  • Improve forecasting and budgeting
  • Increase component life hours

Why Testing Now is Crucial

In today’s world, there’s another reason for oil analysis and why you need to do it now more than ever. Over the past many months, lubricants have been and continue to be in short supply. This is being caused by increased demand, additive shortages, logistics delays and a shortage of delivery drivers. Unfortunately, many companies are on allocation and only receiving partial amounts of their lubricant delivery. If you can’t get the lubricant supply you need, it might be a good time to look at how to get more out of the lubricant you already have.

Condition-Based Monitoring

Oil analysis is the tool to extending and optimizing drain intervals without compromising your equipment reliability. Many customers are still doing a preventive maintenance (PM) program, rather than a condition-based monitoring program. Often times, when a used oil sample is sent to the laboratory, the oil has already been disposed of. Now is the ideal time to look at moving to a condition-based monitoring program and let the laboratory’s data guide you on how much farther you can safely go with the lubricant you have in service. Ultimately, optimizing drain intervals reduces cost and waste, and helps lower maintenance costs when done correctly.

So, with finished lubricants in short supply right now, plus the ever increasing price of crude oil in today’s world (which ultimately raises the price of finished lubricants) one of your best options might be to consider extending your oil drains with “extended drain comments” from the data analysts and subject matter experts at POLARIS Laboratories®.  Please see below an example of a used oil analysis report with “extended drain comments”:

Click to View the Entire Report

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Published March 14, 2022

Tips to Confidently and Safely Extend Your Oil Drains

Short on lubricants? Lubricant supplier has your company on volume allocation?

Want to save on costs? Want to keep equipment running?

Look no further than the lubricants you have on hand.

Lubricants can be safely extended past the recommended oil drain. This requires testing of the lubricant to verify its physical properties and to evaluate its ability to continue properly protecting the equipment. A routine, consistent Fluid Analysis Program can determine any unusual wear pattern in the equipment, identify and control any contamination present and determine the suitability of the lubricant for continued use.

Therefore, if you follow the appropriate guidelines and participate in fluid analysis, you can squeeze a little more from your lubricants during these challenging times. For additional information on how to successfully achieve this, take a look at this infographic:

Five Tips to Optimize Oil Drains

If you would like additional information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact POLARIS Laboratories®.

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Published February 15, 2022

Submit Daily Component Meter Readings with Your Samples

With POLARIS Laboratories® data integration solution, DataConnect, you can sync your sample data and submit samples through your CMMS. DataConnect now comes with a feature to sync daily component meter readings from your maintenance management system or telematics with your sample data.

Before this new functionality, POLARIS Laboratories® provided sample schedule reports in HORIZON® based on an assumption of the number of days it would take to reach your ‘sample due date’. Here’s an example: your last sample was performed at 2,000 hours and your sample interval is 500 hours, we would forecast, based on interval days that you provided, the date the next sample was due (sample interval 500 hours, equipment operated 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, number of days to reach 500 hours = 88 days, hours on component at last sample + 88 days = next sample date).

In a perfect world, this would suffice for optimal use of your maintenance data, but very few companies run equipment on a predefined number of hours per day. In reality, run time is dependent on many factors.

When you connect your data together through DataConnect and provide the laboratory with daily meter readings, we can forecast your next sample due date with much greater accuracy. Our team is working on additional functionality to send you alerts when your equipment is approaching the next sample due date based on these real-time meter readings.

We’re on the journey to help you achieve optimal equipment reliability – are you? Get started with DataConnect today.

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Let us prove it to you.

Published February 10, 2022