Delivering Effective Condition-Based Maintenance and Condition Monitoring

Communication is the cornerstone of any successful endeavor, and Condition-based Maintenance (CBM) is no exception. To maximize the benefits of CBM, including reduced downtime and lower lifecycle maintenance costs, it is essential to establish a robust communication strategy that ensures seamless information flow among all stakeholders. The aim is to demonstrate whether the objectives are being achieved and provide education on CBM to a wider audience.

A communication strategy for CBM should begin with identifying the stakeholders and their roles in delivering CBM. Then, it’s essential to determine the information requirements of both these stakeholders and the broader organization. Having done this, it must be decided how the communication strategy is delivered and how often. There are likely to be several different communications using different channels at different times, but regular communication is likely electronic. Effective communication is two-way, so a feedback channel is needed.

The types of information that would need to be communicated may vary by organization but would typically include the following:

1. The purpose and objectives of CBM for the organization and/or facility
2. Overview of Condition-based Maintenance and Condition Monitoring (CM), including:
   • What are CBM and CM?
   • What benefits are expected from CBM?
   • Was the correct strategy applied?
   • What are the capabilities and limitations of CBM?
   • What are the requirements for delivering effective CBM?
3. CM program performance
4. Benefits and achievements delivered by CBM in a period (e.g., yearly or quarterly)
5. Equipment condition, ideally reporting by exception
6. Progress of actions resulting from detected anomalies

For the above example, items 1 and 2 are expected to be communicated at the outset of implementing CBM and annually after that. A mixture of webinars, face-to-face meetings, posters and online communications may be suitable, depending on the needs of the organization. Items 3 and 4 should be expected on a quarterly and annual basis. The annual review, at a minimum, should be conducted face-to-face. Finally, 5 and 6 would be expected to be reported at least monthly, but preferably immediately after an issue arises – e.g., a new issue detected or an overdue action.

John Crane has a range of CM services that enable you to have the lowest lifecycle maintenance costs for your equipment and increased uptime. Also, in close collaboration with you, we can develop a reliability-based maintenance strategy to optimize the availability of your plant and the cost of your operations. Learn more about CM and CBM in our blog series here: https://resources.johncrane.com/l/blog?topic=condition-monitoring-cm