Uptime_pdm_award_best_vibration_analysis_program_gm

	Free Subscription
	Uptime Magazine
	Get Uptime delivered to your home or plant each month >> more info

Best Vibration Analysis Program

Profile In Excellence

GM - Spring Hill Powertrain

The 6.8 million square foot Spring Hill General Motors Facility is located in Spring Hill ,TN, which is about 40 miles south of Nashville.

The plant employs 417 workers in the Spring Hill engine unit. The entire manufacturing facility, which opened in 1990, produced over 123,000 of the Saturn Ion and over 110,000 of the Saturn Vue.

GM Spring Hill Powertrain was named the most productive engine plant in North America by the recently released 2007 Harbour Report. In 2006, the plant produced 352,000 Ecotec 2.4L engines for the Chevy Cobalt, Chevy HHR, the Pontiac G6 and G5, the Pontiac Solstice, and the Saturn Aura Hybrid. The Ecotec Turbo engine is found in the Saturn Sky and some versions of the Solstice.

Program Highlights:

Particularly impressive is the way that GM integrates complimentary technologies. Also impressive is the way that they apply the program to money areas (production) and have affected spindle inventory in a positive sense. The GM Vibration analysis program has created awareness (at several levels including upper management). Their inspections are based on failure modes and effects. This program offers both maintenance level and business level metrics readily available for all stakeholders and it has direct feedback/acknowledgement from upper management and 3rd party industry experts. The GM team continues to evolve the program to gain acceptance and confidence - thereby creating a more solid foundation and increasing the likelihood of a sustainable program well into the future. The use of metrics that everyone can agrees on is also very impressive.

The Uptime gains for the Block Machining stands out coupled with the fact that they have not experienced a multi-spindle head gearbox failure downtime event in over three years and that the program earned the top ranking from the Harbour report all speak to the results of this focused program.

MISSION STATEMENT: Develop and implement strategies to effectively utilize appropriate predictive technologies in order to accurately monitor manufacturing equipment condition for the purpose of minimizing costs associated with reactive maintenance, and maximizing uptime.

Equipment: Vibration Data Collectors:Entek dataPAC 1500 and Enpac 1200A Accelerometers: PCB/IMI stud-mounted Software: Entek Odyssey Dynamic Balancing & Startup/Coast Down Measurements: dataPAC 1500 They also perform dual-channel dynamic balancing with the Enpac 1200A. The program uses a PCB Impact Hammer in conjunction with the dataPAC 1500 for Frequency Response testing.	The Vibration Analysis Team: Left to right: Andy Calcagno (left) and Brad Noel
Back to PdM Award Winner Index