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Find out how Ford is successfully implementing Lean IR

Thermography At Ford's Dearborn Stamping Plant
Maintenance Technology, January 2007

While Ford's Dearborn Stamping Plant (DSP) had thermal cameras on site in the past, it had not met the objectives of a successful thermography program. Today, though, the plant's thermography program is a model for the rest of Ford, and it came on line in just a matter of weeks. (read more …)

Publications/Presentations

The success of Ford’s Lean IR program “Lean-IR Maintenance is not random, careless or intermittent at Ford DSP”

Lean Principles, first introduced by Taichi Ohno of Toyota Motor Company, have been influencing large and small business’ world wide by providing a blue print on ways to reduce waste while increasing productivity. Today’s leading companies like Ford, Dell, Southwest Airlines, and FedEx are reworking their business models based on adopting Lean principles and are reaping tremendous benefits that continue to insure their success in their respective markets. It is a natural migration of these Lean principles from Lean Manufacturing, to Lean Maintenance, to Lean Predictive Maintenance, to Lean IR. Concepts that have provided the insurance of the rebirth of the IR program at Ford’s DSP. Fords Rouge Dearborn Stamping Plant (DSP) has been leading the way with adopting these Lean concepts to their IR Program to be able to increases their up time dramatically by the integration of Lean Thinking with their IR program. (read more…)

Understanding Proprietary Infrared Image Files "Looking Under the Hood"

This paper outlines the limitations and hurdles that thermographers must face when dealing with Infrared images where the radiometric data is stored/encrypted within a proprietary file format. Many of the older file formats are no longer being supported as camera manufacturers continue to merge with each other and have product lines that overlap. This leads to many problems because the data that is stored in these image files becomes inaccessible. A development program has been funded by the Professional Thermographers Association and Ford Motor Company to solve this problem. The solution is to provide a cross platform compatibility user interface and digital IR Image archival format that allows for the conversion and upgrade to a standardized file format. This format will simultaneously provide for archival of historical image files/data, upgrade the capabilities, and remove the limitations that have been intentionally placed on all IR image file formats by the camera manufacturers. A global development team comprised of leading Thermographers and software engineers has been working on the establishment of a standardized image file format that will ensure the availability and usefulness of past data/image file formats for years to come. (read more…)

The Benefits of Integrating “Lean Thinking” Concepts into the Management of Infrared Predictive Maintenance Programs

Lean Thinking is nothing new, nor many of its concepts, but the real value is in how these concepts are integrated into a total solution. Many companies today are either Lean Companies, or are utilizing Lean Thinking to maintain a competitive advantage in the market, for example (Dell, Southwest Air Lines, FedEx). With the ever-changing demands that are placed on company resources, rapid changes in personnel because of downsizing, and the demand to “do more with less” while increasing productivity and value, many companies have been applying Lean Thinking to the management of their maintenance programs. Companies like Ford, GM, Boeing, WE Energies, Entergy, Hawaiian / Maui Electric, Florida Power and Light and KEPRI, have all established Lean IR programs and are able to better manage and maintain the real value of their IR programs while drastically increasing their ROI. (read more…)

Results from problem-modeling diagnostic engines and statistical analysis of infrared PdM inspections to provide solutions to the management of facility infrared PdM inspection programs.

This paper outlines the concepts of problem-modeling and provides executive summaries on the analysis of findings of field research that has been done over the last 10 years. Emphasis is placed on the actual findings as they relate to trending of problem conditions within facility, and measurable results of implementing an infrared inspection program. This paper also provides reviews of overall results of problem tracking / reconciliation from multiple inspections, cost breakeven analysis results, materials and labor, identification of key equipment failure ratios and root cause failure analysis studies. (read more…)