Call the Coroner

June 23, 2009
You can improve motor uptime by treating the repair of any motor as part of a larger motor failure reduction program (MFRP) focused on solving cause

You can improve motor uptime by treating the repair of any motor as part of a larger motor failure reduction program (MFRP) focused on solving causes (e.g., repetitive and root). This sounds good in theory, but the lack of an immediate reward is why not everyone has such a program.

Because a good MFRP solves underlying downtime causes, it reduces the number, duration, severity, and cost of downtime incidents. It also increases system predictability for better planning of production.

One feature that motor failure reduction programs often have is a designated coordinator. A catchy title for this person is “motor coroner.” Normally when we refer to a “coroner,” we mean an elected official who oversees investigation into causes of death. This person normally isn’t a physician and isn’t tasked with the duties of the medical examiner. Similarly, a motor coroner doesn't personally conduct all of the tests and inspections on failed motors. This person's job is to:

  • Ensure the tests and inspections are performed.
  • Review the results for that particular failure.
  • Review aggregate trends to identify common or repeating causes.
  • Make recommendations based on failure mode analysis.
We'll look more closely at failure mode analysis in our next issue.

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