4 ms·

Applying the wrong grease is also a big problem. At one facility I worked at, we had about 15-20 difference greases for different equipment in our facility. We

Applying the wrong grease is also a big problem. At one facility I worked at, we had about 15-20 difference greases for different equipment in our facility. We did a lot of training on the topic of grease selection and importance of not screwing this up... yet some techs still got it wrong from time to time. With some grease combos, you do not have long to catch the mistake before bearing damage, or even failure, occurs. This is a good idea. So your system verifies that the right grease gun, with correct grease, is used on the correct port?

timhall99 6y ago
Hi Cash, Yes, our system ensures that the correct grease is used and that the correct amount is applied at the right time. I heard a story from a nearby power plant the other day of the incorrect grease being applied to a bearing. The two mismatched greases reacted poorly and turned to a wax inside the bearing. Needless to say, the bearing failed catastrophically very soon after. Our system not only tracks the grease type digitally, but we also have colour coding on our tags and head units to help humans easily match colours to ensure they have the right grease in the gun too. Cheers
- cashsterling 6y ago
  I have witnessed this first hand... it is not great when a component of one grease starts a polymerization reaction in another grease. In one case, the grease mixture basically became hard rubber.
saganus 6y ago
Wow, TIL. I'd never guessed that this would be something that requires a whole system or even a company to handle. But after reading this it totally makes sense! It's amazing the amount of stuff we (I) don't know about other industries and its complexities. Cool stuff!
- DiggyJohnson 6y ago
  Oh definitely. “Kitting” (is this an industry term or just my firm?) in general is a surprisingly complex problem. It exists in the intersection of software, processes, people, and management. That’s my take, at least.

timhall99 6y ago

Hi Cash, Yes, our system ensures that the correct grease is used and that the correct amount is applied at the right time. I heard a story from a nearby power plant the other day of the incorrect grease being applied to a bearing. The two mismatched greases reacted poorly and turned to a wax inside the bearing. Needless to say, the bearing failed catastrophically very soon after. Our system not only tracks the grease type digitally, but we also have colour coding on our tags and head units to help humans easily match colours to ensure they have the right grease in the gun too. Cheers

cashsterling 6y ago
I have witnessed this first hand... it is not great when a component of one grease starts a polymerization reaction in another grease. In one case, the grease mixture basically became hard rubber.

saganus 6y ago

Wow, TIL. I'd never guessed that this would be something that requires a whole system or even a company to handle. But after reading this it totally makes sense! It's amazing the amount of stuff we (I) don't know about other industries and its complexities. Cool stuff!

DiggyJohnson 6y ago
Oh definitely. “Kitting” (is this an industry term or just my firm?) in general is a surprisingly complex problem. It exists in the intersection of software, processes, people, and management. That’s my take, at least.