Product category:
Cutting lubricants, coolants, systems and treatment
News Release from: Castrol UK | Subject: Total fluid management
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 May 2005
Total fluid management helps gain OHSAS
18001
Giving Castrol responsibility for total fluid management helped an automotive camshaft plant achieve significant process efficiencies and OHSAS 18001 accreditation.
Giving Castrol responsibility for total fluid management helped an automotive camshaft plant achieve significant process efficiencies and OHSAS 18001 accreditation Giving Castrol responsibility for total fluid management helped Federal Mogul's Elstead plant achieve significant process efficiencies and OHSAS 18001 accreditation, as health and safety manager Jim Sweet explains
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 4 Dec 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Total fluid management saved production costs
When TRW Automotive began losing production time due to fungal problems in machine tools, they decided to take on a total fluid management programme and saved some GBP 150,000 in 3 years.
Environmental advantage wins fluids contract
Because a synthetic cutting fluid established an environmental advantage against competitors, a gearbox manufacturer has changed over to the supplier for all its fluid management needs.
Federal Mogul's manufacturing facility in Elstead Surrey produces automotive camshafts for companies such as Ford, Jaguar, Perkins, Rover, Cummins, Bentley, Caterpillar and Land Rover.
The 4-acre site employs about 200 people of which around 160 are employed in the machine shop.
The majority of the camshaft castings are made at the company's foundry in Lydney and shipped to Elstead for machine finishing, which involves turning, milling and some heat treatment.
Further reading
Total fluid management programme pays dividends
Total fluid management programme devised for a power train manufacturer's factories has yielded a GBP 47,000 saving in cutting tool life in the first year and saved GBP 20,000 on oil filters.
Total fluid management saves machine shop costs
Diesel systems manufacturer extended a supply-only contract to include total fluid management and has not only added value to the user's business, but is saving costs directly and indirectly.
Vehicle plant benefits from fluids management
The Total Fluid Management of lubricants and metalworking fluids include making regular fluid management checks, topping up, cleaning and responding to emergencies.
The machine shop houses 130 CNC machines producing 20,000 camshafts a week, some in chrome steel but mainly in cast metals.
Federal Mogul has been a Castrol customer for more than five years, initially on a supply only basis, and more recently with a Total Fluid Management (TFM) service.
Taking up the story, Federal Mogul health and safety manager Jim Sweet says when the company handled its own coolant management, they were not achieving the results they wanted and were also experiencing some localised health and safety issues.
The decision to change to Total Fluid Management involved Castrol in virtually every aspect of the machine shop operation at Elstead and means that, besides being responsible for lubricant supply, storage and stock control and coolant management, Castrol is also involved in health and safety, operator training and, most recently, Federal Mogul's successful certification to OHSAS 18001.
Castrol has a four-man team on site, including contract manager Alan Lambourne.
Three of the team work day shifts and one works the night shift.
The coolant supply for the machine shop is split between a central distribution system that services the major CNC machines, and other areas that are serviced manually.
Castrol manages all areas and has helped to improve efficiency and productivity by introducing Oil Condition Monitoring (OCM) and a computer-based management system to integrate fluid monitoring, coolant changes and environmental checks.
Where possible Castrol's schedules are integrated with those of Federal Mogul's preventative maintenance team to ensure they get access to machines when they are shut down and, if appropriate, can schedule sump cleaning and fluid changes.
Commenting on Castrol's involvement in Federal Mogul's OHSAS 18001 accreditation, Sweet says the process took seven months and was also very much a joint effort.
"Alan and I work closely together - I was the health and safety representative for Federal Mogul with Alan representing Castrol".
"During the process he was involved in risk/CoSHH Assessments - virtually as a Federal Mogul employee." Besides collaborating with Federal Mogul maintenance and engineering departments Lambourne managed delivery and storage of all Castrol products to the site, provided data sheets for all Castrol products used, conducted assessments and ensured that information was sited in the most effective areas for employee access.
He also worked with the Federal Mogul training department to draft procedures and operating instructions for equipment such as 'Freddy' fluid handling machines, and as an active member of the Elstead site Health and Safety committee, provided positive input into its monthly meeting.
Explaining the impact of accreditation on the day-to-day operation of the machine shop Sweet explains: "We know from experience that if fluids are not properly maintained the fines can have an adverse impact on component quality and machine maintenance".
"The combination of TFM and OCM not only ensures that metalworking fluids are maintained in peak condition, it also helps us to create optimum machine maintenance schedules." He adds that as part of the accreditation Alan contributed by recommending a review of the oil storage area which, as a potential fire hazard, was probably the most vulnerable area on the site.
Explains Lambourne: "Space is at a premium at Elstead and as part of the OHSAS 18001 accreditation we convinced Federal Mogul that a bunded oil storage area was a priority".
"They agreed and we then made the necessary changes and worked with them to draw up emergency procedures." Commenting on the localised health and safety issues, Sweet says that before TFM was introduced some machine operators had experienced coolant-related rashes.
However, analysis of fluid samples confirmed that poorly maintained fluid was the cause, and subsequently Castrol's more rigorous management programme has eliminated the problem.
Summing up Sweet says that since Castrol has taken over fluid management Federal Mogul has had no problems with its metalworking fluids: "Castrol is now an integral part of the business and is a fixture on the agenda at our regular H and S meetings".
"Alan Lambourne and the Castrol team also made a very positive contribution to the OHSAS 18001 accreditation and are very professional - and when action is needed they just get things done.".
• Castrol UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
