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Editor's Note: Another arrow in the quiver toward the goal of OEE

By Joyce Fassl
August 1, 2010
Today, savvy processors employ remote equipment and machine conditioning diagnostics, special supplier partnerships, heat measurement, vibration analysis, predictive maintenance tools, placement of parts in kits for routine maintenance and vendor-managed inventories to boost spare parts efficiency and management.

For those of you who think not much has changed in food and beverage plant replacement parts in the last decade, I’ve got some news for you.

Over the past eight years, Food Engineering has been watching manufacturing plant buying habits very closely, and we’ve seen a dramatic shift in the frequency of parts purchased on the Internet, equipment monitoring methods and overall parts management methods.

It’s no surprise that online replacement parts buying doubled from 27 percent in 2003 to 55 percent today, according to our annual reader surveys. The thing I find intriguing is that while more than half of Food Engineering readers polled are now buying parts both from manufacturers’ and distributors’ websites, 17 percent are finding even greater cost-savings by purchasing parts from general websites such as eBay in this challenging economy.

As the need for manufacturing efficiency continues to be a top priority for food facilities, the trend is no different for plant maintenance and repair projects. Processing and packaging line uptime and usage and the flexibility of those lines remain paramount. Today, savvy processors employ remote equipment and machine conditioning diagnostics, special supplier partnerships, heat measurement, vibration analysis, predictive maintenance tools, placement of parts in kits for routine maintenance and vendor-managed inventories to boost spare parts efficiency and management.

While it may not garner the same attention and praise as sustainability and food safety achievements, proper replacement and component parts management is truly another arrow in the quiver toward the goal of overall equipment effectiveness.

We hope this special edition, “Replacements Parts Directory,” will help your lean manufacturing efforts. In addition, we have not lost sight of the importance of the Internet in this function. The entire database you are holding is searchable 24/7 at www.foodengineeringmag.com/replacementparts.

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Joyce Fassl has spent most of her career in magazine management. As the former editor-in-chief of Food Engineering, Fassl has directed the magazine’s editorial staff since 1986, except for a two-year stretch where she oversaw content direction for the debut of Packexpo.com. Her expertise is creating dynamic print and online content, building top-notch editorial teams and managing innovative custom publishing projects and live events. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State University. In addition to supervising all Food Engineering content, Joyce is Program Director for the Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference.

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