Survey of Maintenance Practices at North American Paper Mills, 2001 Engineering / Finishing & Converting Conference Proceedings

M. Bevis, M. J. Hayes, J. Kahn, R. O’Brien-Bills, B. Rodrigue--Mill and plant managers continue to look for opportunities in the maintenance area to lower manufacturing costs and improve operating efficiency. As a starting point for improvement, managers need to understand their mill’s status regarding current maintenance practices and benchmarks. A distinguished panel of paper industry experts will anchor a discussion of current maintenance practices and trends. Panelists will share their views on maintenance by responding to prepared topics as well as open questions from session attendees. As a prelude to the panel discussion, key findings from a TAPPI-sponsored maintenance survey will be presented.

In 1997, the TAPPI Maintenance and Mechanical Engineering Committee initiated an industry-wide survey of maintenance practices at pulp and paper mills throughout North America. The purpose of the survey was to explore the prevalence and effectiveness of maintenance practices within the pulp and paper industry. The survey was divided into three sections: 1) General Mill Information, 2) Mechanical Maintenance Practices, and 3) Electrical Maintenance Practices. Surveys were sent to 571 mills. Responses were received from 141 mills – a good response ratio of 25%. This paper compiles data collected from the survey as interpreted by Mill Maintenance Subcommittee members.