Let us first recall what lubrication is :
It is an essential part or maintenance in some companies. Lubrication acts as a guarantee of good monitoring and upkeep of machine service needs, for example, for the big bearings of a paper mill, pumping pipes in the petrochemical industry, or for machines in extraction quarries. A lubrication correctly applied makes it possible to avoid breakdowns, or even failures ! Too much lubrication, or on the contrary not enough, can have serious consequences relating to the proper functioning of the equipment.
Lubrication is a process wich reduces friction between two elements by introducing a fluid. This helps to reduce wear or machine parts, helps to protect them from corrosion and also cleanses them.
Lubrication Management is a program that defines all of the activities, to ensure that the right lubricant is applied in the right place, at the right time and in the right way. This is called lubrication plan.
Why choose Lubrication Management Software (CLMS) over Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) ?
Proper lubrication aims to contribute to the reliability of equipment. It requires thorough care and attention from the technicians who are responsible for this process.
The main goal of a software is to simplify and make the work of the greasing technician more reliable. Whether internal to the company, or acting as a subcontractor, he must transcribe his maintenance -or repair- operations, in the forme of reports to ensure traceability and transmission of information.
The software that manages a lubrication plan must be neither too complex (CMMS) nor not powerful enough (such as simple spreadsheet). It must respond to field constraints in a simple, efficient and mobile way.
Lubrication is a preventive action. A CMMS software requires a lot of information input for simple tasks. It will be tedious during creation but also during treatment (a work order for each component lubricated for example). This cumbersome method may quickly lead to abandoning the use of the tool, and hence, to seeing a loss of investment.
The CLMS makes it possible to easily and directly define the lubrication plan using only the essential information : periodicity, quantity of oil, type of operation (extra oil, draining…).
On a daily basis, the software generates a follow-up of operations and a set of tasks to validate in on go. It is simpler, and above all, more adapted to the on-the-ground realities of the greasing technician.
- The monitoring of lubricant consumption by machine is simplified and allows you to be alerted in the event of an anomaly.
- Validation of the used oil is made easier and does not require stock withdrawal, as you would with a CMMS.
- Each component is identified by a colored form. This visual identification means easy regognition of wich lubricant should be applied to a particular machine or component.
The CLMS also makes it possible to define route schedules with a passage order, it’s a real support for managing the greasing technician’s route plans.
It is also possible to do this with a CMMS, but once again, it will be more complex and less adapted.
With mobile applications and the new generations of CLMS, route tracking is even easier and it is now possible for the greasing technician to get all the information he needs in real time, to move from one application point to another.
Also, any abnormality found during a route execution can be communicated directly from the greasing site by taking a picture from a smartphone or tablet.
The Lubrication Management at the beginning of TRIBOFILM
TRIBOFILM was created in 1993 to meet the needs of lubrication engineering : organization and lubrication planning, choice of the most suitable products.
Recognized since its beginnings for its user-friendliness, Progilub®, conceived in partnership with lubrication industrialists and professionals, is a software wich can be immediately operational, is accessible to all and entirely customizable to meet everybody’s needs.
Its implementation is very fast and does not require any particular IT knowledge, wich makes it above all else, a ground-based CLMS.
Later, TRIBOFILM became one of the leading publishers of CMMS software with the MAINTI4® solution.
Always giving preference to ease of use, we defend the fact that a CMMS is not the most adapted solution to lubrication management. Although it can perform some of the desired tasks, the tool will quickly be considered too cumbersome or complicated.
Lubrication is an essential task for the proper functioning of machines, and therefore the company and its production, it is important to have an answer that is adapted to every need !
Always attentive to ground-zero and customer needs, TRIBOFILM has moved its lubrication software Progilub® forward to a new Web and Android version, accessible everywhere and requiring no installation on workstations.
Equiped with a mobile device (tablet or smartphone) the technician can work on the field without needing internet reception and can identify the lubrication points onsite via barcodes or RFid chips. At the end of his intervention, be submits his quick report directly on the spot and can take pictures if needed, for example, to signal an anomaly.
The dashboard allows you to follow at a glance the progress of lubrication operations : gauges, operations running late, anomalies…
According to industry standards, it is possible to use ATEX mobile devices in accordance with SEVESO zones.
The advantages are obvious :
- Time saving
- Reliability : avoiding re-entering data and errors
The TRIBOFILM team will have the pleasure of advising you and presenting its range of solutions !