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Intro:
Jeremy Cline, a dedicated Reliability Engineer at Electrolux, located in Anderson, South Carolina, has been instrumental in orchestrating a remarkable turnaround at the company’s manufacturing plant. Working for a leading global appliance company that has shaped living for the better for more than 100 years, Jeremy was responsible for leading a once high-maintenance, inefficient plant to an efficient, cost-effective, predictable operation.
Background:
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Electrolux embarked on the construction of a new plant aimed at meeting the rising demand for household appliances. This plant would use new technology and automation in its product lines to maximize the manufacturing process of Electrolux products.
Issue(s):
After production began, it became evident that the manufacturing process was plagued by inefficiencies and inadequate maintenance practices, resulting in significant losses and increased competition overseas beating them in costs. In an effort to reverse these issues, Jeremy was selected to pilot a program aimed at reversing the plants challenges.
Jeremy also faced the personal aspiration of advancing his career and expanding his knowledge in maintenance and reliability engineering. This dual challenge underscored the critical importance of finding a comprehensive solution that would not only resolve immediate issues but also provide a pathway for continuous professional development.
Solution:
Jeremy’s journey to Reliability Engineering Excellence began when he learned about LCE’s Reliability Excellence Certification (REC) program through a friend. He enrolled in the program offered in collaboration with Clemson University, where he gained valuable insights and skills essential for driving organizational change and implementing effective reliability engineering practices.
Our REC program empowers each learner to:
- Demonstrate an ROI from applying reliability engineering tools and methods
- Build and sustain a strategic RE program
- Prepare control strategies that reduce risk and improve asset utilization
- Determine PdM strategies and build an effective PdM program
- Establish a root cause analysis program and build a culture of continuous improvement
Impact:
Jeremy’s participation in the REC program gave him a more methodical approach to problem-solving which yielded remarkable results for both himself and Electrolux. By applying the principle and tools learned during the certification, Jeremy successfully implemented preventive maintenance optimization strategies, significantly reducing downtime and repair costs at the plant. His utilization of FMEA (Failure modes and effects analysis) for the first time revealed a significant gap in their process, catalyzing a pivotal shift towards more effective practices. Jeremy spearheaded the adoption of vibration sensors which prompted a remarkable turnaround for the plant, reducing downtime and repair costs.
Implementing early fault detection sensors enabled Jeremy his team to identify three failures and detect five potential ones, resulting in substantial savings amounting to $251,000/$343,000 in downtime-related expenses. Notably, before using Predictive Maintenance, the plant was at a 30% preventative maintenance compliance percentage, but within a year, it got up to a 96%, underscoring the transformative impact of Jeremy’s initiatives built on what he learned in the Reliability Engineering Certification program.
The capstone completed during Jeremy’s certification proved pivotal, preventing potential plant shutdowns that could have cost $800 per minute without preventive maintenance. These changes at Electrolux not only boosted operational efficiency but also improved Jeremy’s work-life balance, sparing him from weekend work and late-night calls over the past eight months.
Now, a member of both the reliability and planning/scheduling group at his plant, Jeremy is actively encouraged by his manager to pursue further education through LCE courses. Recognizing the pivotal role the certification had in his career progression, Jeremy believes that his next step is to become a maintenance manager. He firmly believes that every manager in maintenance should hold this certification, emphasizing the structured approach provided by the REC certification enabled him to apply its principles to problems he faces at his plant.
Quick Summary:
A global appliance company struggled with inefficiency in their manufacturing process due to a lack of maintenance and preparedness. Our Reliability Engineering Certification (REC) program led a reliability engineer to:
- Develop a more methodical approach to problem-solving
- Apply FMEA (Failure modes and effects analysis) to manufacturing process
- Implement predictive maintenance measures
- Save over $343,000 in downtime and repair costs
- Boost preventive maintenance compliance percentage from 30% to 96% in a year and a half
