SHASHI THAKUR Project Report

PREVENTIVE SERVICE MAINTENANCE OF RMC PLANT

Project Report

On

“Preventive Service Maintenance of RMC Plant”

For

“Ultratech Cement Ltd. (Ready Mix Division)”

Goregaon, Mumbai.

Submitted to the University of Pune

In Partial Fulfillment of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

By

“Shashi Dinanath Thakur”

Under the guidance of

“Dr. M. S. Kadam”

“JSPM’s ABACUS INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER APPLICATION”

2008-2010

1

JSPM’S AIOCA, PUNE


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A work is never a work of an individual. I owe a sense of gratitude to the

intelligence and co-operation of those people who had been so easy to let me

understand what I needed from time to time for completion of this exclusive

project.

I am greatly indebted to my guides Dr. M. S. KADAM , faculty guide for

Production & Materials Management (Summer Internship), JSPM’s Abacus

Institute Of Computer Applications & Mr. ANIL NAYAR , Plant Head ,

Ultratech Cement Ltd. (Ready Mix Division), Goregaon , Mumbai for their

constant guidance ,advice and help which enabled me to finish this project

report properly in time .

I am also grateful to Dr. SAGAR S. JHAMBHORKAR, DIRECTOR, JSPM’s Abacus Institute of Computer Applications, for permitting me to undertake this study.

Last but not the least, I would like to forward my gratitude to my friends &

other faculty members who always endured me and stood with me and

without whom I could not have completed the project.

Shashi Dinanath Thakur

2



DECLARATION

I do hereby declare that this piece of project report entitled “Preventive Service Maintenance of RMC Plant” at different units of Ultratech Cement Ltd. (Ready Mix Division) for partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of “MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION” is a record of original work done by me under the supervision and guidance of Dr. M. S. Kadam, JSPM’s Abacus Institute Of Computer Applications. This project work is my own and has neither been submitted nor published elsewhere.

PLACE: SHASHI D. THAKUR

DATE:

3



CONTENTS

Sr. no. Topic page no. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

1. A Concept & context of the study

1. B Objectives of the study

1. C Scope & limitation of the study

2 Chapter 2: PROFILE OF THE ORGANISATION 20

2. A Name, Address & Location of company 21

2. B Vision & Mission 22

2. C Historical background 23

2. D Organizational chart 27

2. E Product profile of company 34

2. F Awards

3 Chapter 3: RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY 35

3. A Sources of data collection 36

3. B Sample Description 37

4 Chapter 4: CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND 38

4. A Theoretical Background 39

4. B Conceptual description of topic

5 Chapter 5: DATA PRESENTATION & ANALYSIS 49

6 Chapter 6: FINDINGS & CONCLUSION 75

BIBLIOGRAPHY 81

ANNEXURE 83

4



COLLEGE

CERTIFICATE

5



COMPANY

CERTIFICATE

6



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Summer training is an integral part of the course curriculum for the degree

of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. It provides valuable

experience to management students & exposes them to functional areas of

management.

It also provides them with an opportunity to be a part of real corporate

world. With the same object, I took my summer training at Ultratech Cement

Ltd. (Ready Mix Division).

The main points on which I laid stress were:-

To gain depth knowledge about the actual working of the company.

To study the various maintenance procedures practiced & adopted.

To set up and follow a regular maintenance schedule to keep the batch

plant in good working condition.

The work environment of Ultratech Cement Ltd. was absolutely encouraging

and full of support. During my training, on one hand I learned much about

Ultratech their work culture, on other hand I got the knowledge of

maintenance activities.

The knowledge I have gained has been presented in the form of report has

been made in a manner such that it is easy for the reader to know maximum

details in minimum time.

7



Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

8



CONCEPT & CONTEXT OF THE STUDY

Maintenance

Maintenance is defined as “the combination of all technical

and administration actions, including supervision actions,

intended to retain an item in, or restore it to, a state in which

it can perform a required function”. It is a very important

part of running any industrial plant.Maintenance can also be

described as the action that sustains plant production. Many

industries all over the world have begun to realize the

importance of having an effective maintenance policy,

especially because the typical situation is that the activity is

constrained by resource availability. Millions of dollars are

now spent every year trying to preserve the different

processes involved in production. There are three major

reasons why maintenance is perceived as important and

they include the following:

1) Safety:

Most plant incidents are a result of bad maintenance

practices or when maintenance is not done properly.

Equipment pieces can hardly be isolated from each other in

a process plant and therefore the effect of improper

9



maintenance on one piece of equipment leading to its failure

is felt in other equipment and can lead to unsafe situations.

Unfortunately, some of these equipment effects do not

present themselves immediately.

2) Equipment and Equipment Parts replacement

Costs:

The costs associated with any piece of equipment can be

related to the speed with which that piece of equipment

deteriorates. The faster the condition worsens, the faster the

equipment performance worsens. Usually, the decline of

equipment conditions is slowed down by proper

maintenance.

3) Economic Losses:

Maintenance reduces downtime in a plant associated to

major failures. A large cost (lost revenue) is associated to

each plant shutdown on top of the cost of repairs. However,

not all equipment failures lead to plant shutdown. Some

failures deteriorate plant performance and most have

associated lost revenue on top of the cost of repair as well.

Because of its significant impact on plant performance (both

in economic and technical term), maintenance management 10



and optimization have been extensively studied by people in

the field of Operations Research and Manufacturing

Engineering.

Plant maintenance can easily be divided into two general types. They include the following:

1) Corrective Maintenance

2) Preventive Maintenance

1) Corrective Maintenance (repair):

This type of maintenance deals with fixing already

malfunctioning equipment. The key here is the ability to

react quickly to any failure. For corrective maintenance

alone, no steps are taken before the actual breakdown of the

equipment. When this occurs, the equipment is immediately

replaced as long as resources (labor and/or parts) are

available.

2) Preventive Maintenance:

This type of maintenance is geared towards taking actions

that help reduce the number of failures of specific

equipment. It is usually time and equipment driven. In other

words, preventive maintenance has to follow a schedule that

is created based on different factors depending on the piece

of equipment being considered. Two major factors that help

11



the scheduling of preventive maintenance are the difference

between the cost of the maintenance program and the

reduction in repair costs and secondly, the regularity of that

equipments use. That is, it might not be profitable to

perform preventive maintenance on some equipment pieces

because they have low replacement costs or are not used

regularly. In addition, Resource limitations usually subvert

carefully planned maintenance schedules because at times

certain equipment failure is in need of immediate repair

(because of safety or high economic loss issues) that

personnel assigned to preventive maintenance is required to

attend these emergency repairs.

OBJECTIVES

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

(i) Ensuring maximum plant availability by preventing unexpected

breakdowns & by reducing shutdown periods.

(ii) Elimination of unsafe conditions that cause accidents thereby

ensuring safety of the workmen.

12



SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

(iii) To keep all productive assets in good working condition.

(iv) To minimize accidents through regular inspection.

SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

Ultratech Concrete is already well established in the market, but there

are lots of others things that have to be understood such as identifying

and examining plant deficiencies.

One of the main purposes is to help the organization implement

procedures that will lead to efficient maintenance practices.

13



The study also aimed to recognize how the maintenance process

affects sales & other aspects.

Ultratech’s ability to manage efficiently its logistics, as well as to

ensure the quality, safety, security and timely delivery of its products,

services and solutions.

Some other benefits of preventive maintenance include reduction in

number of safety hazards, lowering inventory costs & reduction in

number of physical plant failures calling for emergency.

LIMITATIONS OF THE PROJECT

Due to the following unavoidable and uncontrollable factors, the result

might not be accurate. Some of the problems faced while are as follows:-

o Stipulated time period and cost constraints.

o Chances of some biasness could not be eliminated.

14



o The study is based on the perception, ideas and preferences of the

respondent, which are complex in nature and depend upon subjectivity of the

individual.

o The research was carried out at GOREGAON RMC PLANT; therefore

findings and suggestions are limited to that plant only.

15



Chapter 2

PROFILE OF THE ORGANIZATION

16



GOREGAON RMC PLANT

UltraTech Concrete comes from the house of the Aditya

Birla Group. Its experience in cement production using state of the art

technology has helped it in meeting requirements of discerning customers by

providing variety of cements to suit different needs. The group has forayed

into forward integration into high quality concrete in production, delivery

and placing. UltraTech has developed expertise to meet national and

international standards in meeting customer expectations. Aditya Birla

Group, of which UltraTech Concrete plants are present in Mumbai, Pune,

Nasik, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Gurgaon, Noida, Jaipur, Chandigarh,

Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Cochin, Vizag, Ludhiana, Kolkata and

many more are coming up. UltraTech Concrete is manufactured at state-of-

the-art computerized automatic batching & mixing plants with contemporary

technology.

Handling of fly ash and slag are done from closed bunkers to silos directly.

Separate weigh-batchers are provided for each ingredient like cement, water,

admixtures and aggregates.

17



The weighing is done on

sophisticated electronic weigh

batchers. Precise weighing of all

materials is done through

electronic load cells made up of

special alloys. Homogeneous

mixing of concrete is ensured by

use of special high-efficiency

mixers like pan-type or turbo-twin

shaft mixers.

A fully equipped onsite plant laboratory is available at each plant. A

Sprinkler system is installed to ensure temperature control of aggregates in

hot weather. In line with Group’s focus towards environment and eco-

friendliness all silos are installed with bag filters and level indicators to

avoid any kind of pollution.

Processes are in place for effective and periodic maintenance and calibration

of all critical components. Laser sensor and moisture control are used for a

stringent quality assurance.

Well trained and experienced engineers are available at every plant to take

care of the quality of concrete.

VISION & MISSION

18



Vision

To be a premium global conglomerate with a clear focus on each

business.

Mission

To deliver superior value to our customers, shareholders, employees and

society at large.

Values

Integrity

Commitment

Passion

Seamlessness

Speed

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

19



Ready mix concrete was first patented in Germany in 1903, its

commercial delivery was not possible due to lack of transportation needs.

The first commercial delivery was made in Baltimore USA in 1913.The first

revolving drum type transit mixer was developed in 1926.

In 1931, a RMC plant was set up for

the construction of Heathrow airport,

London. In the mid 90’s there were

about 1100 RMC plants in UK

consuming about 45% of cement

produced in that country. In Europe in

1997 there were 5850 companies

producing a total of 305 million cusecs

of RMC.

In USA by 1990, around 72% (more than

2/3rd) of cement produced was being used by various RMC plants. In Japan

first RMC plant was set up in 1949. By 1992 Japan was the then largest

producer of RMC, producing 18196 million tons of concrete. In many other

countries of the world including some of the developing countries like

Taiwan, Malaysia etc, RMC industry is well developed.

Development in India

In India RMC plant arrived in 1950’s and use was

restricted to only major construction projects such as, Bhakra dam was the 20



first projects were RMC was used. Later on RMC was used for other large

projects such as construction of long span bridges, industrial complexes etc.

The first RMC plant was set up in Pune in 1993.

During the past decade, the construction industry in India

witnessed remarkable growth, in which the ready mix (RMC) industry can

claim to be a proud partner. Historically speaking, India missed the benefits

of RMC technology for decades. It was only in the early nineties. During the

past few years, housing & infrastructure have remained the major expansion

areas. Faster speed & improved quality of concrete have been the two major

demands of these sectors. Ready mixed concrete was the right solution for

this & it was heartening to see that the RMC industry responded positively

to these demands. The result was rapid growth of RMC industry. This

industry, which was initially confined to metropolitan cities, later spread to

the two tier & three tier cities, maintaining the fact that RMC was the right

solution for different markets. Currently it is estimated that India produces

around 20-25 m3 of concrete annually from around 400-500 RMC facilities.

In all the developed as well as most of the developing nations,

use of RMC for construction has made it possible to achieve speed and

quality. The introduction of commercial RMC in India is about a decade old,

but in recent years it has become the favorite choice of architects, engineers

and consumers. The ingredients of good and bad concrete are the same. The

difference lies in the technology used for production, transportation and

placement. The making of concrete is an art as well as a science. Science

because all the ingredients are proportioned as per the standard codes of

practice to get the targeted strength & durability, and an art because in

21



addition to accurate proportioning, quality of concrete depends on the way it

is mixed, placed, compacted, finished, cured and protected. Ready mix

Concrete (RMC) technology results in a perfect blend of the Art and

Science.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

22


VERSOVA PLANT GOREGAON PLANT

QUALITY LAB

Mr. Amar

STORES

Mr. Prakash

ACCOUNTS

Mr. Bhushan

PRODUCTION & MAINTENANCE

Mr. Asis Minoj

OPERATIONS

Mr. Rajesh Mallick

PLANT INCHARGE

Mr. Anil Nair


PRODUCT PROFILE OF THE COMPANY

On the basis of the applications of the concrete supplied by Ultratech Concrete Ltd. it can be classified as follows:

23



Classification Grade Applications

Ordinary

M10 PCC (Plain Cement Concrete) e.g. Leveling course, bedding for footing, concrete roads, etc.

M15 PCC e.g. Leveling course, bedding for footing, concrete roads, etc.

M20 RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) e.g. Slabs, beams, columns, footings, etc. (for mild exposure)

Standard

M25 RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) e.g. Slabs, beams, columns, footings, etc.

M30 RCC e.g. Slabs, beams, columns, footings, etc.

M35 RCC e.g. Slabs, beams, columns, footings, etc.

M40 RCC e.g. Pre-stressed concrete, slabs, beams, columns, footings, etc.

M45 RCC e.g. Runways, Concrete Roads (PQC), Prestressed Concrete Girders, RCC Columns, Prestressed beams

M50 RCC e.g. Runways, Concrete Roads (PQC), Prestressed Concrete Girders, RCC Columns, Prestressed beams

M55 RCC e.g..Prestressed Concrete Girders and Piers

High StrengthM60

to

M80

RCC work Where high compressive strength is required such as high rise buildings, long span bridges, ultra-thin white topping etc and constructions in aggressive environment e.g. Spillways of dams, coastal construction

In addition to producing normal grade concrete ranging from M10 to M80, we produce customized special types of concrete for different applications.

Types of Special Concrete

Application

24



High Volume Fly Ash Concrete

Mass concrete, raft foundations, roads, pavements etc.

Silica fume concrete All high strength concrete applications in extreme environmental exposure condition like marine structure etc.

GGBS, Slag based concrete

All underground RCC application requiring high chemical resistance and enhanced durability

Ternary blend concrete

All RCC application directly in contact with aggressive soil / chemicals in marine environment and in sewage / effluent treatment plants

Light weight concrete Repair and rehabilitation work, for thermal insulation, light weight structural fill, and light weight pre - cast panel etc

Corrosion resistant concrete

All types of RCC applications in high water table area including work near coastal areas, water tanks, etc

Polymer concrete Repair and rehabilitation work for floorings and buildings where high early strength is required

Self Compacting Concrete

Thin sections and elements with congested reinforcements. Recently IS 456 has also included SCC with specifications in its codal provision.

Colored Concrete For architectural and aesthetic use

Fibre-reinforced Concrete

For concrete with higher ductility and abrasion/erosion resistance

Pervious Concrete Concrete for parking areas, pavements, drive-ways to ensure drainage or rain-water harvesting

Water-proof Concrete Terraces, basements, water contact structures

Temperature Controlled Concrete

Mass concrete, hot-weather concrete etc.

As a preferred supplier to the Bandra-

Worli Sea Link, UltraTech has played an

25



integral role in the project. Its high

quality cement befitted the stringent

essentials of this demanding project, like

the numerous other projects it does

across India. Construction of such a

monumental landmark comes with a host

of challenges where quality and

precision are non-negotiable.

AWARDS

26



Clients have consistently endorsed UltraTech's highest quality standards. The

list of awards it has won is testimony to UltraTech's uncompromising

standards on product quality.

National awards

2000-2001 Indo-German Greentech Environment Excellence Awards by the Greentech Foundation, New Delhi

1999-2000 Business / Trade Award Jamanalal Bajaj Uchit Vyavahar Purashkar

1994-95 Special Gold Award By The Council of Industry & Trade Development for Quality

1992 Productivity National Award By Indian Merchant's Chamber, Mumbai

State level awards

2000 Vidarbha Industrial Industry Safety Committee

1994 Nagpur Garden Club, Nagpur

1993 Horiculture District Collectorate, Chandrapur

Vidarbha Industrial Industry Safety Committee

1992-93 Mineral Conservation Award IBM, Nagpur Region

27



Chapter 3

RESEARCH DESIGN

&

METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN

A research design is a framework for conducting the research project. It details the

procedure necessary for obtaining the required information, and its purpose is to design a

28



study that will test the hypothesis of interest, determine possible answers to research

questions and provide the information needed for decision making.

Formulating the research design involves the following steps:-

1. TYPE OF RESEARCH DESIGN: EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH.

Experimental Research was used to examine the usefulness of preventive maintenance

on the RMC plant & its various components.

2. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION:

(a) Primary data collection:

Primary data is the first hand information obtained by investigator. Primary data can be

collected by observation, by interviews, by face to face questioning, by using

questionnaire, when the needed data does not exist or are out-dated, inaccurate,

incomplete, or unreliable.

(i) Observation Method

Observation Method was used for 15 days as a scientific tool to

record the data & was subjected to checks & controls on reliability

& validity

(ii) Interview Method

Interview Method was used to gain in depth information & the

most spontaneous reactions were secured.

(b) Secondary data collection:

29



Secondary data is collected by others already and the researcher is using that information

for his own research purpose. Secondary data can be collected from published reports,

newspaper, websites, and journals, publications of national and international

organization. It was obtained from:

(i) Maintenance Register

(ii) Check Lists

3. Sample Description

(a) Method of sample selection

(ii) Non-Probability sampling

Non-Probability sampling method was used for sample selection as

the items were selected deliberately which included all the units of

RMC plant.

(b) Size of sample.

The sample includes 8 elements viz., the compressor, mixer & other

components of RMC plant etc.

30



Chapter 4

CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

31



DEFINITION:

Maintenance encompasses all those activities that maintain facilities & equipment

in good working order so that a system can perform as intended.

Maintenance can also be termed as asset management system which keeps them

in optimum operating condition.

THEORY:

Maintenance is often viewed as an activity for slow times, and

its importance is underestimated. This attitude, however, is a shortsighted one that can

cost plant money in both repair costs and lost business due to downtime. The way to keep

batch plant in good working condition is to follow a regular preventive maintenance

schedule. Depending on the specific batch plant, manufacturers may recommend different

schedules for lubrication and inspection of components.

When it comes to the batching control panel and its related

electrical equipment, having a qualified specialist perform the maintenance may be a

good idea. After you have determined the recommended maintenance procedures for your

batch plant, you then must consider what other items at your plant may not have been

mentioned in the operation manual. Such components may include gear boxes, bearings,

bushings, and an air system.

Because such items and other devices are common at ready

mix operations, manufacturers may not provide specific maintenance instructions for

them. It is necessary, therefore, to determine the best schedule for these components

based on experience and other recommendations. It should be kept in mind that safety is

crucial when maintenance is being performed. Employees should be instructed to lock

out equipment that is being worked on, tag it, and notify other employees in the work

area that maintenance is under way. Many accidents can be prevented if all employees at

the plant is made aware of maintenance procedures being done.

32



Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance has the following meanings:

The care and servicing by personnel for the purpose of maintaining equipment and

facilities in satisfactory operating condition by providing for systematic inspection,

detection, and correction of incipient failures either before they occur or before they

develop into major defects.

1. Maintenance, including tests, measurements, adjustments, and parts replacement,

performed specifically to prevent faults from occurring.

While preventive maintenance is generally considered to be worthwhile, there are risks

such as equipment failure or human error involved when performing PM, just as in any

maintenance operation. PM as scheduled overhaul or scheduled replacement provides

two of the three proactive failure management policies available to the maintenance

engineer. Common methods of determining what PM (or other) failure management

policies should be applied are; OEM recommendations, requirements of codes and

legislation within a jurisdiction, what an "expert" thinks ought to be done, or the

maintenance that's already done to similar equipment. However Reliability Centered

Maintenance, provides the most rigorous and method to determine applicable and

effective failure management policies - which may include PM tasks - for an item.

To make it simple:

Preventive maintenance is conducted to keep equipment working and/or extend the life of

the equipment.

Corrective maintenance, sometimes called "repair", is conducted to get equipment

working again.

The primary goal of maintenance is to avoid or mitigate the consequences of failure of

equipment. This may be by preventing the failure before it actually occurs which PM and

condition based maintenance help to achieve. It is designed to preserve and restore

33


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_Centered_Maintenance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_Centered_Maintenance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_equipment_manufacturer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_reliability

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maintenance,_repair_and_operations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fault_detection_and_isolation


equipment reliability by replacing worn components before they actually fail. Preventive

maintenance activities include partial or complete overhauls at specified periods, oil

changes, lubrication and so on. In addition, workers can record equipment deterioration

so they know to replace or repair worn parts before they cause system failure. The ideal

preventive maintenance program would prevent all equipment failure before it occurs.

There is a controversy of sorts regarding the propriety of the usage “Preventative

Maintenance.” The consensus of internet entries concerning the respective usages seems

to indicate that “Preventive” is the preferred term. However, practitioners of preventive

maintenance appear as or more likely to use “preventative” as the adjective.

Preventive maintenance is a schedule of planned maintenance actions aimed at the

prevention of breakdowns and failures. The primary goal of preventive maintenance is to

prevent the failure of equipment before it actually occurs. It is designed to preserve and

enhance equipment reliability by replacing worn components before they actually fail.

Preventive maintenance activities include equipment checks, partial or complete

overhauls at specified periods, oil changes, lubrication and so on. In addition, workers

can record equipment deterioration so they know to replace or repair worn parts before

they cause system failure. Recent technological advances in tools for inspection and

diagnosis have enabled even more accurate and effective equipment maintenance. The

ideal preventive maintenance program would prevent all equipment failure before it

occurs.

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION

34



To keep the plant in excellent working order at minimal cost decision makers have two

options: - CORRECTIVE or PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE.

The best approach is to seek a balance between preventive maintenance and breakdown

maintenance as shown.

Total maintenance cost, a function of preventive maintenance.

35


TOTAL COST PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

COST

CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE COST

AMOUNT OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

OPTIMUM

DEMAND


Value of Preventive Maintenance

There are multiple misconceptions about preventive maintenance. One such

misconception is that PM is unduly costly. This logic dictates that it would cost more for

regularly scheduled downtime and maintenance than it would normally cost to operate

equipment until repair is absolutely necessary. This may be true for some components;

however, one should compare not only the costs but the long-term benefits and savings

associated with preventive maintenance. Without preventive maintenance, for example,

costs for lost production time from unscheduled equipment breakdown will be incurred.

Also, preventive maintenance will result in savings due to an increase of effective system

service life.

Benefits of preventive maintenance include:

Improved system reliability.

Decreased cost of replacement.

Decreased system downtime.

Better spares inventory management.

Long-term effects and cost comparisons usually favor preventive maintenance over

performing maintenance actions only when the system fails.

Preventive maintenance is a logical choice if, and only if, the following two conditions

are met:

Condition #1: The component in question has an increasing failure rate. In other

words, the failure rate of the component increases with time, thus implying wear-

out. Preventive maintenance of a component that is assumed to have an

exponential distribution (which implies a constant failure rate) does not make

sense!

Condition #2: The overall cost of the preventive maintenance action must be less

than the overall cost of a corrective action. (Note: In the overall cost for a

36



corrective action, one should include ancillary tangible and/or intangible costs,

such as downtime costs, loss of production costs, lawsuits over the failure of a

safety-critical item, loss of goodwill, etc.)

If both of these conditions are met, then preventive maintenance makes sense.

Additionally, based on the costs ratios, an optimum time for such action can be easily

computed for a single component.

37



Chapter 5

DATA PRESENTATION & ANALYSIS

38



1. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF MIXER

MIXER

CHECKS TO BE DONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Check all hydraulic lines

& cylinder

Discharge gate & chute

to be cleaned

Check oil level

Check for abnormal sound

Check the condition of

arm protector rubber

Checking of mixer seal

for leakage

Check for any damage in

arms & showels

Cleaning of skip discharge

area

ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

CONDITION OK CONDITION NOT OK

(i) On the 1st three days one of the arm protector rubbers was found to be damaged

& was brought to notice on the 1st day itself. Although it was not repaired the

plant functioned accurately.

(ii) On the 4th day the mixer seal was found damaged & was brought to notice on the

1st day itself. Although it was not replaced the plant functioned accurately.

(iii) One of the showels was found damaged on the 4th day & was brought to notice

on the 1st day itself. Although it was not replaced the plant functioned accurately.

2. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF COMPRESSOR

39



COMPRESSOR CHECKS TO BE DONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15Check the condition

of V-belts

Check oil level Check pressure switch

on off settings Drain water from

FRL Unit Check oil level in

FRCL unit Drain water from

receiver tank



(i) On the 10th day a cut was found on one of the V-belts & was brought

to notice. It was repaired on the same day.

(ii) The oil level was found to be below normal on the 11 th day & was

brought to notice. The correct oil level was maintained.

(iii) No other problems were encountered with the compressor during the

15 days.

3. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF ADDMIXTURE

40



ADDMIXITURE

CHECKS TO BE DONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Check connection of

threaded union for leaks

Cleaning of pipes, motor &

jars with fresh water

Checking of foot valves

Check motors & pumps

for abnormal sound



(i) Addmixture pipe was found to be damaged on the 2nd day, which leaded to slow charging of addmixture. It was repaired on the same day.

(ii) On the 9th day the motor pipe was found to be leaking & was brought to notice. It was repaired on the same day.

4. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF SKIP BUCKET

41



SKIP BUCKET

CHECKS TO BE DONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Check wire rope condition

& apply compound

Check for wear & tear

& proper working

Check wire rope clamps

Check wire rope slack

steel rope switch

Remove accumulation of

material under the bucket

Check gear box oil level

Cleaning & greasing of

skip track

Check for any damage in

discharge gates



(i) The ready mix discharge gate was found to be damaged on the 12th

day & was brought to notice. Although it was not replaced the plant

functioned accurately.

(ii) The Gear-Box oil level was found to be below normal on the 14th day

& was brought to notice. The correct oil level was maintained.

5. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF ADDMIXTURE

42



WATER PUMP

CHECKS TO BE DONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Checking of foot valves. Check correct function of water distribution

to mixer .Check & adjust proximity switches

if necessary.



(i) Foot valves were absent. As the absence of foot valves did not make

any difference the problem was not considered as serious.

6. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF HOPPER

CEMENT / WATER HOPPER43



CHECKS TO BE DONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15Check all rubber bellows if

jammed by cement/flyashCheck oil level for screw

conveyors

Tie rods to be checked Sensors & load cells to

be cleaned Check vibrators in cement

hopper

Check for empty screw Check for hopper empty

when shutting downCheck & clean overflow

pipe Clean hopper tops



(i) Overflow pipe was found to be damaged & was brought to notice.

(ii) Cement hopper was found to be damaged & was brought to notice.

7. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE OF AGGREGATE

AGGREGATE44



CHECKS TO BE DONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Check wear & tear of bins

if any

Check vibrators in

aggregate hopper

Check if load is evenly

distributed on load cell

Cleaning & checking of

aggregate holding hopper

Check aggregates gates

for smooth working

Check pneumatic cylinder

for leaks



(i) Load cell stud was found broken on the 8th day. It was brought to notice & repaired.

(ii) On the 10th day the CRUSH SAND GATE was found to be broken. It was removed & welded.

(iii) The vibrators & aggregate gates were functioning smoothly.

8. SAFETY PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

SAFETY

45



CHECKS TO BE DONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15Check limit switches

Check for open wires

Check for proper safety equipments provided

Check for damage of cables

Clean motor surface areas

Check for leakages



(i) The mixture was not working on the 10th day as the limit switch stopped

functioning. The problem was conveyed & was solved on the same day

itself.

(ii) All the labors & the workmen were equipped with safety helmets, safety

shoes & safety jackets on all the 15 days.

(iii) The motors were protected with safety covers & functioned well with

intermediate preventive maintenance.

46



Chapter 6

FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS &

CONCLUSION

FINDINGS

47



1. Most of the equipments at the Goregaon RMC plant are well maintained

& function to the desired level.

2. There is always a prompt reaction to any malfunction or breakdown at the

premature stage itself.

3. Except for the arm protector rubber & over flow pipe no major

maintenance problems were recorded.

4. Maximum plant availability is maintained by preventing unexpected

breakdowns & by reducing shutdown periods.

5. Unsafe conditions are eliminated through planned & regular inspection &

lubrication procedures.

6. All productive assets of the plant are in fine working form.

7. Any event of accident was not recorded during the study

SUGGESTIONS

48



1. The arm protector rubber & the overflow pipe require immediate

attention or if these defects not corrected on time may cause

malfunctioning of the equipment or result in the breakdown of the plant,

or be a reason for hazards.

2. Although the absence of foot valves did not make any difference it would

be tolerable to have them.

3. More improvements can be made in the existing maintenance schedules

to increase the productivity & accuracy through planned lubrication plan

by keeping the temperature of the moving parts within allowable limits.

4. In order to avoid conflicts between departments maintenance can be

carried out during break hours, non production hours, weekly-off &

holidays, machine set-ups.

5. An engineering store should be set up at the plant for the provision of

spares & consumables.

CONCLUSION

49



Today’s plants are regarded as high technology plants. These plants, compared to plants

of past years are bigger in capacity involve high speed machinery, complex & precise

designs, more automation & therefore pose difficulties in maintenance.

In lieu of large capital investment, downtime cost of these plants is enormous. Since

machinery & its arrangement are engineered for continuous production, stoppage /

malfunctioning / breakdown of a single machine can cause stoppage of the whole plant.

With the advancement of technology, production function is getting simplified day by

day due to built-in automated controls, while maintenance function is getting complex,

increasingly difficult & important for survival.

All machines tend to deteriorate in performance with use over the period due to the

process of wear & tear. A number of factors contribute to the functional degradation of

the machines of which typical ones are: temperature rise, vibrations, looseness,

seasoning of parts, accumulation of dust, rusting of parts etc.

Systematic maintenance though can’t eliminate the process of wear & tear yet it can

significantly lower it. A good maintenance system is therefore not a luxury but a

necessity.

Preventive maintenance advocates maintenance procedures whereby the condition of the

plant is continuously watched through systematic inspection to unearth unhealthy

conditions & preventive action is taken to prevent unscheduled interruption to the plant &

equipment.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE is based on the famous old saying-

“A stitch in time saves nine”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

50



Books

1. Research Methodology C.R.Kothari

New Age International

Publishers

New Delhi

2nd Revised Edition - 2004

2. Manufacturing & Operations Management L.C. Jhamb

Everest Publishing House

New Delhi

5th Edition - 2007

Websites

1. www.adityabirla.com

2. www.ultratechconcrete.com

3. www.wikipedia.com

51


SHASHI THAKUR Project Report

Documents

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