Armstrong World Industries, Inc. Pensacola, Florida Ceiling Plant Presented by: DENVER OSTHOFF
Armstrong World Industries Information Armstrong World Industries, Inc., is a global leader in the design and manufacture of floors, ceilings, and cabinets. Founded in 1860, and based in Lancaster, PA, Armstrong has 41 plants in 12 countries and approximately 15,000 employees worldwide. In 2005, Armstrong's net sales totaled $3.6 billion. The Pensacola, Florida plant has been in operation for over 75 years, and manufactures residential and commercial ceiling tiles.
Denver Osthoff Biography Started in maintenance at 18 years old Worked in a Polk County, Florida chemical plant as a combination mechanic/welder until 1987 Moved to Alabama; worked as a maintenance manager for Trump Inc until 1990 Was a maintenance manager at AutoShred from 1990 until 1997 In 1997, became an employee of Armstrong World Industries as a maintenance mechanic Work in the Boardmill/Wet-end end of the Plant In 2004, began using the UE9000 System Have used the UE System for the past two years Currently using the UE10000 System
UE System Implementation at the Pensacola Plant Ultrasound, UE System s technology was introduced at the Plant in 2003, as part of a corporate initiative to enhance PdM technologies Began using the UE System in 2004 First system introduced was the UE9000 Currently use the UE10000 System
Getting Started Slowly started using the system to gain understanding and proficiency There was a large amount of uncertainty with using the equipment and understanding the data Started trying to compare bearings and found this did not work for me Did not understand that the system did not look at all the bearings the same After initial training, started using the equipment in the field while conducting uptime PMs
The First Call Was not sure of information showing on UE System Data was showing bearing was in failure mode Mechanic working on the bearing was sure that I, and the UE System, was wrong and it was not failing Area supervisor made call to replace it, even though he was not convinced the information was correct After replacing the bearing, found it was indeed failing and would have caused unscheduled downtime had it not been replaced This Built Up Trust in the Data and the UE System
Going Deeper Needed help understanding different loads, different speeds, different applications, material consistency, so we contacted UE Systems UE explained the concept of Trending and thought this might help with an understanding of the data being collected This Worked!
Advancing the Technology We began using the UE9000 System; could see advantages and opportunities the system offered When UE10000 System was introduced; we purchased and began using With this system came advancements and improved data collection Currently use the UE10000 system throughout the Plant The UE System has proven to be a valuable asset to the Plant, maintenance and production organizations.
Examples of the Work
West Effluent Pump 10-5-04 04 last good check Db went up from there Baseline was @ 52 Db 11-1 was @ 58 Db 11-11 was at 67 Db 11-15 15 was at 79 Db; at this point pulled the pump for repair New Bearing Running Better Was a Planned Downtime
White Water Pump We were having pump problems; installed a spare New pump Db s were at 54 Next day, Db s were at 77; called for a lubricator to add grease; the Db s went down and then went right back up Then purged out the old grease that had become hard and dry from setting up pump is now running good. This saved us a lot of money. Had we not used the UE Gun, that bearing would have gone out. Without a spare R&R pump, it would have caused us some costly downtime.
East Effluent Pump This is a vertical pump that hangs in a pit. Due to the high Db s, we checked the pump and found the bottom was coming apart. Repaired the bottom and now you can see the Db s are down.
North Dryer Exhaust Fan Outside contractor installed bearings After startup, checked & set baseline Next check showed the Db s were up Next check, Db s up & making noise Opened up bearing; checked; locknuts on both bearings were not locked Reset bearing clearance; it ran well
Jack Shaft and Bearing Pulper has a 14 ft vertical jack shaft Checked and Db s were going up Had planner check for new bearing Bearing was installed in the 70s; were not in stock and would have to be made The UE system gave us time to: Find a different type bearing that would work Plan for job without downtime; was a big savings
Conclusion In conclusion, the UE System has worked well for reducing downtime, costs, and improving overall performance at Armstrong World Industries Pensacola Plant.
Questions????