Tag Archive for: oil analysis

Oil Analysis 4.0: Introducing DataConnect

dataconnect

Introducing Oil Analysis 4.0, a new way to manage your fluid analysis! This new feature, developed by our IT and development team, automatically retrieves your latest HORIZON® data for integration, making it easier for you to analyze the health of your equipment. We call it DataConnect. 

The benefits of moving all of your information to one system are clear. Not only will it give you a better view of your maintenance program but it’ll also grant you greater flexibility so you can react quickly to your fluid analysis results. By maximizing your program’s efficiency, you’ll also be able to:

  • Better reach your business objectives
  • Increase your return on investment
  • Prove the value of your program to your leadership team

Using DataConnect, all of the information you need will be in one place. No more flipping from one program to the other. No more trying to connect the dots. Whether you need to analyze the status of your sample or view the testing data, you can do so in your own program. 

If you’re interested in using this service:

  1. Discuss with your IT team about how to take advantage of DataConnect with your existing systems.
  2. Submit your request for DataConnect by emailing custserv@eoilreports.com. Please include your IT contact so we can provide them with the details.
  3. Our IT department will then provide information about connecting your system to DataConnect.

Our IT and development team is constantly working to improve your user experience by adding innovative new functionality to HORIZON. If you have any questions about how Oil Analysis 4.0 impacts your business, please feel free to contact us at custserv@eoilreports.com.

ryan-haman

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

We’ve Crunched the Oil Analysis Numbers for You

Many companies using oil analysis know how it benefits their maintenance program, but few take the time to quantify the impact, let alone count the savings. When the time comes to justify expanding an oil analysis program, there’s little hard data to show management. This problem is common enough that we wanted to give our customers the ammunition they needed.

We asked 600 oil analysis users about their actions and how it affected their equipment, and the results were telling:

A Bigger Impact:
•  96% of oil analysis users saved time submitting sample info online
•  84% fewer unexpected breakdowns

More Uptime:
•  34% doubled their drain interval
•  90% believe equipment is more productive over its lifetime

Visible Savings:
•  63% set and adjust preventive maintenance using management reports
•  87% are more confident in equipment reliability using oil analysis

What numbers do you need to prove oil analysis works? Download the 2015 Benchmark Study or one of our case studies to back up your claim with numbers.

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

2016 Customer Summit: Featured Opportunities


We’re not lying when we say the POLARIS Laboratories® Customer Summit is a one of a kind experience. Featuring a wide variety of events and a diverse speaker lineup, we’ve taken every step to ensure that you leave our summit with all the tools and tactics to apply oil analysis best practices to your program.

Read on for a complete breakdown of what our summit has to offer!

General Sessions
From a dynamic keynote address to presentations from leaders in the industry, our general sessions are packed full of information to help you become an oil analysis program champion.

Facility Tours
As you register, you’ll have the option to choose between attending one of two different company headquarters: POLARIS Laboratories® or Allison Transmission. Both tours offer a behind the scenes look at the company’s business.

Pre and Post Summit Workshops
If you’re looking to maximize your summit experience, pre and post summit workshops, presented by our technical business consultants, are available. Whether you’re looking to learn more about advanced data interpretation or building successful metrics, we can help you with these sessions!

Networking
You’ll have the opportunity to meet and greet with industry peers.

Breakout Sessions
In between our general sessions are a number of breakout sessions led by experts in the industry. As you register, you’ll have the option of choosing which event is the best fit for your needs.

Customer Appreciation Event
The customer appreciation event will take place at the NCAA Hall of Champions, featuring a fully interactive space where visitors can compete both virtually and hands on through sports simulators, a 1930s retro-style gymnasium, a ski simulator and more.

Packed into just three days, our program offers you and your team all the information you need to transform your maintenance program. For more information on our event speakers and workshop topics, check out our schedule of events!

Register today to join us in Indianapolis September 19-21 and grow your equipment maintenance expertise with POLARIS Laboratories® this year.

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

Published August 2, 2016

How To: Lubricant Dispensing and Transferring

transferring-lubricants

Learning to properly dispense and transfer your lubricants is an essential skill for any maintenance professional. Following the correct process to complete this task is necessary to avoid contamination and keep your lubricants well organized.

Organizing Lubricants
When dispensing or transferring your lubricants, you can avoid cross contamination by labeling all containers. Color coding your containers with labels and tags can help you ensure lubricants are not mixed. Once your lubricants are labeled, you can color code equipment with a lubricant tag.

Choosing the Right Container
When choosing a container, do not use a galvanized container to transfer the lubricants. Using this container can cause zinc to leach into the lubricant or oil. Using clean sealed plastic containers and assigning one container per lubricant type will also help you ensure that no cross contamination occurs. This is where strong lubricant organization comes in handy.

Filtering
It’s important to remember to filter all lubricants that are put into your equipment. That goes for new oil as well! Just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s clean. It should be filtered along with your other fluids. A lubricant filter cart should also be used when applicable.

Rack Mount
Using a rack mount for your dispensing station is an effective tool to use for proper handling.

Rack Mount

Choosing a dispensing container that was made for lubricant analysis is incredibly important. It is essential that the instruments you use to dispense and transfer your fluids are kept at the highest level of cleanliness and quality. To do otherwise is to welcome contamination into your fluids and your equipment.

To learn more about best practices for lubricant handling and storage, check out my recent blog posts on contamination and lubricant storage.

henry-niecamp

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

Contamination: The troublemaker of oil analysis


Contamination in your fluid can be troublesome. Contaminants are all around us—in the air, water, particulates and, for maintenance personnel, in cleanup and process chemicals. As these elements contaminate your fluid, they can potentially shorten the life of your machinery.

In a study conducted by Oklahoma State University, researchers found that when a fluid is maintained 10 times cleaner, hydraulic pump life can extend by as much as 50 years! So how do we protect our lubricants from these unwanted contaminants?

The first step is understanding the symptoms that arise from different methods of contamination. The following are four common diagnoses as well as symptoms of these contaminants.

  • Symptoms: Spongy operation of hydraulics as air compresses under pressure; excessive wear; premature oxidation (especially in high pressure systems); pump cavitation and vibration; an increasing layer of foam.
  • Diagnosis: Air contamination
  • Symptoms: Premature failure or excessive wear due to reduced lubricating ability; corrosion of bearings or other machine elements; premature filter plugging; premature oxidation of lubricants.
  • Diagnosis: Water contamination
  • Symptoms: Increased wear
  • Diagnosis: Particulate contamination
  • Symptoms: Unexplained contamination
  • Diagnosis: Cleanup and process chemical issues

Performing oil analysis can help you identify exactly what type of contamination your machine is experiencing. From there, you can begin to decipher what could be causing it and how to change your maintenance practices to avoid high levels of contamination in the future.

In a recent blog post, I discussed how to best store your lubricants to avoid contamination. You can find the article here.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can improve your oil analysis program, check out our training page to learn more about our training programs.

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

Register for the Customer Summit Now!


Don’t forget! The POLARIS Laboratories® 2016 Customer Summit early registration closes July 31. This is your opportunity to save $200 off of your event registration fee while signing up for a summit unlike any other you’ve ever attended.

Why register early? So you can join our all-star line-up. Learn how to build a quality oil analysis program from companies such as Cummins Filtration, Chevron, RelaDyne LLC, Aggreko, Valvoline® and even the NCAA. These industry leaders have a wealth of knowledge and expertise that can help you make a champion impact on your maintenance program.

Former NFL quarterback and current NCAA Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Oliver Luck, will deliver the keynote. An in-demand speaker on leadership and success, Luck will share his own personal experience with building program champions. Connecting college athletics with oil analysis, he also will touch on the benefits of compliance and the impact strong leaders can have on long-term organizational success.

Registering for the event is easy!

Visit our summit page to learn more about what the event has to offer and stop by our registration page to save your seat. As you register, you have the option to:

  • Add additional workshops
  • Choose which workshops you would prefer to attend
  • Choose between one of two great tour options

I know, I know. This will be a tough call! If you need any additional information to help you decide, visit our programming page.

Be sure you register soon to take advantage of this deal and secure your spot! I look forward to seeing you in Indianapolis September 19 through 21!

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

Published July 9, 2016

Unexpected maintenance slowing you down?

unexpected-maintenance
Unexpected maintenance seems to always happen at the worst possible time. Whether you have a tight deadline to make or a limited budget, performing unexpected maintenance is never fun. At POLARIS Laboratories® we like to encourage our customers to make the switch from ‘reactive’ maintenance to ‘preventive’ maintenance in order to prepare for these unwanted surprises.

Relying on reactive maintenance does little to save you money or time. While responding in real time may seem like the easiest route, it too often results in extended downtime and unforeseen (not to mention expensive) maintenance costs.

Many of the issues causing downtime can silently build up in your machine over an extended period of time. Instead of waiting for the worst to happen, you can utilize the information obtained through oil analysis to spot an abnormality in your machine or vehicle. This allows you to plan a machine’s upkeep and maintenance schedule on your own terms.

While making the switch may seem difficult, this change is actually easy to implement and has the capacity to completely transform your maintenance system. You would be surprised at the impact focusing on preventive maintenance can have on both your program’s reliability and the mindset of your maintenance team.

Preventive maintenance allows you to take control of your maintenance practices, saving you time and money. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can improve your maintenance program, check out this case study or contact us today!

ieshia-hill

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

Storing Your Lubricants to Avoid Contamination

Are you seeing unexpected contaminants in your lubricant analysis report? How you store and handle your lubricants has a significant impact on levels of contamination.

This quick guide can help you ensure that your lubricant is properly stored ­­­— saving time, money and a headache.

 

The basics:

  • Pumps, drums and totes need to be stored in a dry environment
  • Avoid storing lubricants in a humid environment (lubricants are hygroscopic)
  • Attempt to store lubricants indoors away from contamination under fairly constant moderate temperature conditions
  • Lubricants exposed to temperature extremes can lose additive effectiveness
  • Varying temperatures can cause breathing in sealed containers resulting in contaminant ingress

Indoor Storage:

When storing your fluid inside, follow the guidelines outlined in the image below to avoid contaminants.

Indoor Storage

Outdoor Storage:

Storing drums outside should be avoided but, if outside storage is the only option, consider these methods to avoid contamination:

  • Shelter drums from the rain and snow
  • Lay drums on their sides with buns in 3 and 9-o-clock position below lubricant level
  • Cover drums with shelter or tarp
  • Store drums upright, but tilt to keep water from bung
  • Use drum covers
  • Store small containers in a sealed cabinet

                                                         Best Storage                                                                                    

Outdoor Storage 1

 Adequate Storage

Adequate outdoor storage

Least Desirable Storage

Least desirable

Integrating these simple practices into your maintenance program can help you improve the overall quality of your fluid. Ensuring that outside contaminants such as water, air and abrasives stay far away from your lubricants is a fundamental best practice for strong oil analysis programs.

If you’re interested in learning more about implementing a successful oil analysis program, visit our training page or contact us for more information.

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