Maintenance scheduling of a cheddar cheese manufacturing plant based on RAM analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Tsarouhas
Keyword(s):  
Cheddar Cheese ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Manufacturing Plant ◽  
Maintenance Policy ◽  
Real Time System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pareto Analysis ◽  
Workplace Conditions ◽  
Ram Analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to calculate and enhance the cheese cheddar manufacturing plant efficiency under actual workplace conditions by measuring reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) indices. The authors highlight how RAM analysis is important in determining periodic maintenance and in scheduling and managing the appropriate maintenance policy.Design/methodology/approachThe current work is conducted using statistical approaches to evaluate failure and repair statistics. The RAM estimation was calculated on the basis of quantitative data obtained over a span of 32 months. Descriptive statistics, Pareto analysis, as well as the presumption of independence were ensured through trend and serial correlation tests. In addition, the reliability and maintainability of the cheddar cheese processing plant and its machines were calculated at various mission periods.FindingsThe primary goal of the implementation approach is to understand the fault patterns and the accurate quantitative assessment of the reliability and maintainability of the cheddar production plant. The findings revealed the essential aspects of the line, which need improvement by an appropriate maintenance program.Originality/valueThis study is intended to serve to highlight the RAM assessment and its impact on the performance of the real-time system. The benefit of the technique is the continual control of the manufacturing process by means of acceptable indexes, whose use corresponds to a continuous improvement process.

Reliability, availability and maintainability analysis of a cement plant: a case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devendra Choudhary ◽  
Mayank Tripathi ◽  
Ravi Shankar
Keyword(s):  
Preventive Maintenance ◽  
Capacity Utilization ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Trend Test ◽  
Cement Plant ◽  
Maintenance Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ram Analysis ◽  
Critical Subsystems

Purpose The demand of cement in India is expected to increase rapidly as the government has been giving immense boost to various housing facilities, infrastructure projects, road networks and railway corridors. One of the ways to meet this rise in the demand of cement is to increase the capacity utilization of the existing cement plants by improving their availability. The availability of a cement plant can be improved by avoiding failures and reducing maintenance time through reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) analysis of its subsystems. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The data related to time between failure (TBF) and time to repair (TTR) of all the critical subsystems of a cement plant were collected over a period of two years for carrying out RAM analysis. Trend test and serial correlation test were performed on TBF and TTR data to verify whether these data are independent and identically distributed or not. Afterwards, the authors use EasyFit 5.6 professional software to find best-fit distribution of TBF and TTR data and their parameters. The effectiveness of a preventive maintenance policy was evaluated by simulating the real and proposed systems. Findings The results of the analysis show that the raw mill and the coal mill are critical subsystems of a cement plant from a reliability point of view, whereas the kiln is a critical subsystem from an availability point of view. The analysis shows that the repair time of the cement mill should be reduced for improving the availability of the cement plant. The RAM analysis showed that the capacity of the case study company is 17 percent underutilized due to maintenance-related problems and 15 percent underutilized because of management-related problems. Practical implications The study exhibits the usage of RAM analysis in deciding preventive maintenance programs of several cement plant subsystems. Thus, it would serve as a reference for reliability and maintenance managers in deciding maintenance strategies of cement plants as well as in improving their capacity utilization. Originality/value The study exhibits the usage of RAM analysis in deciding preventive maintenance programs of several cement plant subsystems. Even more, using a simulation study, the authors show that preventive maintenance of the cement plant beyond a certain level can be disadvantageous as it leads to an increase in downtime and decrease in availability.

scholarly journals Meat Processing Plant Microbiome and Contamination Patterns of Cold-Tolerant Bacteria Causing Food Safety and Spoilage Risks in the Manufacture of Vacuum-Packaged Cooked Sausages

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (20) ◽  
pp. 7088-7097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni Hultman ◽  
Riitta Rahkila ◽  
Javeria Ali ◽  
Juho Rousu ◽  
K. Johanna Björkroth
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
High Abundance ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Raw Meat ◽  
Cold Tolerant ◽  
Plant Surfaces

ABSTRACTRefrigerated food processing facilities are specific man-made niches likely to harbor cold-tolerant bacteria. To characterize this type of microbiota and study the link between processing plant and product microbiomes, we followed and compared microbiota associated with the raw materials and processing stages of a vacuum-packaged, cooked sausage product affected by a prolonged quality fluctuation with occasional spoilage manifestations during shelf life. A total of 195 samples were subjected to culturing and amplicon sequence analyses. Abundant mesophilic psychrotrophs were detected within the microbiomes throughout the different compartments of the production plant environment. However, each of the main genera of food safety and quality interest, e.g.,Leuconostoc,Brochothrix, andYersinia, had their own characteristic patterns of contamination. Bacteria from the genusLeuconostoc, commonly causing spoilage of cold-stored, modified-atmosphere-packaged foods, were detected in high abundance (up to >98%) in the sausages studied. The same operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were, however, detected in lower abundances in raw meat and emulsion (average relative abundance of 2% ± 5%), as well as on the processing plant surfaces (<4%). A completely different abundance profile was found for OTUs phylogenetically close to the speciesYersinia pseudotuberculosis. These OTUs were detected in high abundance (up to 28%) on the processing plant surfaces but to a lesser extent (<1%) in raw meat, sausage emulsion, and sausages. The fact thatYersinia-like OTUs were found on the surfaces of a high-hygiene packaging compartment raises food safety concerns related to their resilient existence on surfaces.

Maintenance policy selection: a fuzzy-ANP approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1253-1268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narges Hemmati ◽  
Masoud Rahiminezhad Galankashi ◽  
Din Mohammad Imani ◽  
Hiwa Farughi
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Analytic Network Process ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Maintenance Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sulfuric Acid Production ◽  
Policy Selection ◽  
Network Process ◽  
Molten Sulfur

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) model to select the maintenance policy of an acid manufacturing company.Design/methodology/approachFour maintenance strategies of Corrective Maintenance (CM), Time-Based Maintenance (TBM), Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) and Shutdown Maintenance (SM) are investigated to be considered for seven equipment of the case study. These equipment are almost new and include boiler, molten sulfur ponds, cooling towers, absorption tower, converter, sulfur fuel furnace and heat exchanger. Chang’s extended analysis has been employed to deal with fuzzy data and analyze the fuzzy decision matrices. The proposed approach is applied to a sulfuric acid production plant and the suitable maintenance policy is found for all seven equipment of the company.FindingsBased on the obtained results, the CBM policy is appropriate for high-risk (cooling tower) and high added value equipment (absorption tower). In addition, TBM is selected for boiler and converters while SM is selected for molten sulfur ponds. Finally, high-cost, low-risk and low added value equipment (sulfur fuel furnace and heat exchanger) are more appropriate with CM policy.Originality/valueThis research presents a novel idea to consider cost, risk and added value in the context of maintenance policy selection. From the methodological and theoretical features, this research offers new insights in this area since, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no comparable study has been conducted before.

scholarly journals Occurrence of Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica in the Beef Cattle Production and Processing Continuum

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 713-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Schmidt ◽  
Getahun E. Agga ◽  
Joseph M. Bosilevac ◽  
Dayna M. Brichta-Harhay ◽  
Steven D. Shackelford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Generation Cephalosporin ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Cattle Production ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Beef Processing ◽  
Tract Infections

ABSTRACTSpecific concerns have been raised that third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GCr)Escherichia coli, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-resistant (COTr)E. coli, 3GCrSalmonella enterica, and nalidixic acid-resistant (NALr)S. entericamay be present in cattle production environments, persist through beef processing, and contaminate final products. The prevalences and concentrations of these organisms were determined in feces and hides (at feedlot and processing plant), pre-evisceration carcasses, and final carcasses from three lots of fed cattle (n= 184). The prevalences and concentrations were further determined for strip loins from 103 of the carcasses. 3GCrSalmonellawas detected on 7.6% of hides during processing and was not detected on the final carcasses or strip loins. NALrS. entericawas detected on only one hide. 3GCrE. coliand COTrE. coliwere detected on 100.0% of hides during processing. Concentrations of 3GCrE. coliand COTrE. colion hides were correlated with pre-evisceration carcass contamination. 3GCrE. coliand COTrE. coliwere each detected on only 0.5% of final carcasses and were not detected on strip loins. Five hundred and 42 isolates were screened for extraintestinal pathogenicE. coli(ExPEC) virulence-associated markers. Only two COTrE. coliisolates from hides were ExPEC, indicating that fed cattle products are not a significant source of ExPEC causing human urinary tract infections. The very low prevalences of these organisms on final carcasses and their absence on strip loins demonstrate that current sanitary dressing procedures and processing interventions are effective against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

scholarly journals Influence of Cations on Growth of Thermophilic Geobacillus spp. and Anoxybacillus flavithermus in Planktonic Culture

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 2477-2481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Somerton ◽  
Jon Palmer ◽  
John Brooks ◽  
Edward Smolinski ◽  
Denise Lindsay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Density ◽  
Milk Powder ◽  
Manufacturing Plant ◽  
Planktonic Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Free Ions ◽  
Thermophilic Bacilli ◽  
Anoxybacillus Flavithermus ◽  
Powder Manufacturing

ABSTRACTFree ions of Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+influenced the optical density of planktonic cultures of thermophilic bacilli.Anoxybacillus flavithermusE16 andGeobacillussp. strain F75 (milk powder manufacturing plant isolates) andA. flavithermusDSM 2641 andG. thermoleovoransDSM 5366 were studied. Ca2+and Mg2+were associated with increases in optical density more so than Na+and K+. Overall, it appeared that Ca2+and/or Mg2+was required for the production of protein in thermophilic bacilli, as shown by results obtained withA. flavithermusE16, which was selected for further study.

Hygiene behavior assessment of a hazelnut processing plant

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 400-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rinaldo Botondi
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Air ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reference Data ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hygiene Behavior ◽  
Microbiological Parameters ◽  
Processing Line ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi ◽  
Microbial Groups

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possible microbiological contamination in terms of total counts and representative microbial groups found in the hazelnuts as well as in work areas and on the working surfaces of a hazelnut processing plant.Design/methodology/approachSome microbiological parameters related to the manufacturing process (e.g. aerobic colony count yeast and fungi) were evaluated. Indoor air samples were tested in order to evaluate the possible contamination of fungal strains (i.e. mycotoxin producing fungi).FindingsThe results showed that the highest values (>of 500 CFU/m3) for bacteria and fungi were only observed in the shelling and sorting areas. Some species such as Aspergillus and Penicillium (potential mycotoxin-producers) as well as some noxious colonies ofAspergillus fumigatuswere detected along the processing line. No occurrence of aflatoxins was observed in the finished product. Microbial loads obtained through surface analyses were in accordance to the reference data.Originality/valueThe aim of this study was to monitor and improve the procedures currently used in a hazelnut processing plant.

scholarly journals Role of Broiler Carcasses and Processing Plant Air in Contamination of Modified-Atmosphere-Packaged Broiler Products with Psychrotrophic Lactic Acid Bacteria

2006 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 1136-1145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina Vihavainen ◽  
Hanna-Saara Lundstr�m ◽  
Tuija Susiluoto ◽  
Joanna Koort ◽  
Lars Paulin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Lactic Acid Bacteria ◽  
16S Rrna Genes ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
23S Rrna ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Modified Atmosphere ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Meat Spoilage

ABSTRACT Some psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are specific meat spoilage organisms in modified-atmosphere-packaged (MAP), cold-stored meat products. To determine if incoming broilers or the production plant environment is a source of spoilage LAB, a total of 86, 122, and 447 LAB isolates from broiler carcasses, production plant air, and MAP broiler products, respectively, were characterized using a library of HindIII restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of the 16 and 23S rRNA genes as operational taxonomic units in numerical analyses. Six hundred thirteen LAB isolates from the total of 655 clustered in 29 groups considered to be species specific. Sixty-four percent of product isolates clustered either with Carnobacterium divergens or with Carnobacterium maltaromaticum type strains. The third major product-associated cluster (17% of isolates) was formed by unknown LAB. Representative strains from these three clusters were analyzed for the phylogeny of their 16S rRNA genes. This analysis verified that the two largest RFLP clusters consisted of carnobacteria and showed that the unknown LAB group consisted of Lactococcus spp. No product-associated LAB were detected in broiler carcasses sampled at the beginning of slaughter, whereas carnobacteria and lactococci, along with some other specific meat spoilage LAB, were recovered from processing plant air at many sites. This study reveals that incoming broiler chickens are not major sources of psychrotrophic spoilage LAB, whereas the detection of these organisms from the air of the processing environment highlights the role of processing facilities as sources of LAB contamination.

Risk analysis for clean and sustainable production in a urea fertilizer industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1459-1476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilbagh Panchal ◽  
Sachin Kumar Mangla ◽  
Mohit Tyagi ◽  
Mangey Ram
Keyword(s):  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Maintenance Policy ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
System Availability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Urea Fertilizer ◽  
Fertilizer Industry ◽  
Risk Ranking ◽  
Fuzzy Fmea ◽  
Effective Decision Making

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a fuzzy methodology approaches based framework for carrying the risk analysis of a real industrial system of a urea fertilizer industry located in northern part of India. Design/methodology/approach Petri Net approach was applied for representing the series-parallel arrangement of the considered system. Various failure causes related to different subsystems or equipment of the considered system were listed under FMEA approach and their Risk Priority Number was tabulated. Further, to overcome the drawbacks of traditional FMEA approach in risk ranking fuzzy FMEA and grey relation analysis (GRA) approaches were applied within traditional FMEA approach and the ranking results were compared for better and effective decision making of risky components. Findings The proposed framework has overcome the drawbacks of tradition FMEA approach in an effective and efficient manner. Causes AC7, CL3, ST2, DR3 and NR3 of centrifugal compressor, hot heat exchanger, ammonia convertor reactor, cold condenser and ammonia separator have been identified as the most critical failure causes of the considered system. Originality/value The proposed framework has been tested with its application on an ammonia synthesis system of the considered process industry. The risk ranking results would be highly useful in developing a planned maintenance policy for the considered system which further results in improving the system availability.

Hardware-in-the-loop simulation for real-time software verification of an autonomous underwater robot

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-181
Author(s):  
Pouria Sarhadi ◽  
Reza Nad Ali Niachari ◽  
Morteza Pouyan Rad ◽  
Javad Enayati
Keyword(s):  
Software Engineering ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Development Stage ◽  
Underwater Robot ◽  
Real Time System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Real ◽  
Time Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a software engineering procedure for real-time software development and verification of an autonomous underwater robotic system. High performance and robust software are one of the requirements of autonomous systems design. A simple error in the software can easily lead to a catastrophic failure in a complex system. Then, a systematic procedure is presented for this purpose. Design/methodology/approach This paper utilizes software engineering tools and hardware-inthe-loop (HIL) simulations for real-time system design of an autonomous underwater robot. Findings In this paper, the architecture of the system is extracted. Then, using software engineering techniques a suitable structure for control software is presented. Considering the desirable targets of the robot, suitable algorithms and functions are developed. After the development stage, proving the real-time performance of the software is disclosed. Originality/value A suitable approach for analyzing the real-time performance is presented. This approach is implemented using HIL simulations. The developed structure is applicable to other autonomous systems.

The role of maintenance in improving company's competitiveness and profitability

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damjan Maletič ◽  
Matjaž Maletič ◽  
Basim Al-Najjar ◽  
Boštjan Gomišček
Keyword(s):  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Maintenance Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Potential Improvement ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of maintenance in improving company's competitiveness and profitability. In the first part the paper aims to discuss the potential improvement areas from the company perspective. Second part of this paper examines maintenance impact on company's business. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical case study was utilized aiming to provide an understanding of the role of maintenance in improving company's business. The empirical data for this study were collected from a Slovenian textile company. A gap analysis was used in order to address the research problem and to identify potential improvement areas. Findings – Based on the gap analysis, the results suggest that from respondents’ points of view, maintenance practices related to condition-based maintenance approach represent the highest opportunity for improvement. The most notable empirical results of the case study showed that around 3 per cent of additional profit could be generated at weaving machine, especially if all unplanned stoppages and loss of quality due to decrease in the productivity would be prevented. Practical implications – This paper demonstrates to managers the potential benefits of maintenance policy in terms of productivity, quality and profitability. In this regard, this paper builds on a premise that company can gain higher performance benefits using more effective maintenance policy. Originality/value – The proposed conceptual model contributes to the existing literature by showing the interactions between maintenance and company's competitiveness and profitability. Empirical findings of this study therefore, acknowledge maintenance's potential of increasing the overall profit. In addition this study advances prior studies by utilizing a gap analysis which is rare in this type of research.

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