Paul Hiller with International Council of Machinery Lubrication

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

lubrication, people, certification, training, standard, exam, iso, machinery, develop, industrial, world, document, paul, asset management, conference, lubricated, talk, industry, concepts, plant

00:04

Welcome to the Industrial Talk podcast with Scott Mackenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting edge industry focused innovations and trends while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So put on your hard hat, grab your work boots, and let's go.

00:21

Alright, once again, thank you very much for joining Industrial Talk. And thank you for your continued support of an ecosystem of expanding ecosystem of industrial professionals that are dedicated to you. They are bold, brave, dare greatly. They innovate, they solve problems, they collaborate, and they're making the world a better place. You're making the world a better place. So we are broadcasting at SMRP is 31st annual conference here in Orlando. We are on site right dead center of the the convention hall, which is really good. And it's surrounded by technology galore and problem solvers, like none other. So if you're not here, you need to be on next year, you need to go to the SMRP 32nd annual conference, go out to SMRP.org. Find out more, you will not be disappointed. You're going to meet people like Paul. Hey, Paul, how are you?

01:13

I'm doing well. Thank you for what an awesome introduction considering the crowd here. This is great. Yeah.

01:22

It's my view never changes. I see that.

01:26

Same we can you we can trade science, if you like.

01:30

It'd be weird. Check it out if it does, different world. All right. For the listeners out there. Paul, give us just a little for one, one little background into who Paul is.

01:39

I'm the marketing manager at the International Council for machinery lubrication, we are a certification body, the certification body for lubrication practitioners and oil analysts. We've been doing this since 2001. So we develop the certification exams, different levels for different credentials, and we administer them all over the world. How

02:01

long you've been with the company,

02:02

I've been a physician, I was joined six years ago. And a couple weeks shy of six years. What about your background? My background is in telecom, and then into graphic design as a, you know, self employed graphic designer for a while and then into more of marketing communications with several different companies. So front door, yes, yes, that's what a front door because when I came in from before joining ICML, I was with a software company that did predictive analytics, and heavy into manufacturing. So when I came looking to ICML, it was a nice transition because there's an overlap there. So,

02:44

again, expand a little bit about ICML. Just why is it important? Why What Why is this organization? How long has it been around? Since

02:54

2001? That was our first exam in January of that year.

02:59

And why is it important?

03:00

It's important because there are a number of there have always been well, not always. But I mean, for a long time, there have been different certifications for different levels and responsibilities, job roles, different elements of the supply chain, and such when it comes to lubricants, and lubrication. But the some of the business leaders back 20 plus years ago, we're looking and deciding, observing pretty much that there is this underserved layer, this uncertified layer of people who really need to be on board with all the concepts of certification and lubrication. And those people were the practitioners who put their hands all over the million dollar machinery, right? So they be the weak point. What are the weak link in the chain? Right? So if everybody else is certified, but the people who are actually turning around and squirting the grease onto the bearings, or doing the testing of the used oil, and they don't know or appreciate their role in things, or if their managers don't, then it falls apart right there.

04:06

It does. And it's so funny, because lubrication and proper lubrication is, is so nobody really listens to nobody, nobody really knows that it happens that these machines out there, they, they just, it's just, I just put grease in there. I just put some sort of lube, I put some oil does it and there's it is sort of That's it. That's sort of the training. But what ICML does is provide these standards, right. Take us through those standards.

04:36

Well, originally, the standards you're talking about is a more recent introduction, but early on you think of it this way the the certification exams think of those as jurist. Yes, yes. Because you've got people with the requirements are they aligned with ISO 18 436 dash four, and there are requirements there, and that's for the training entity. Some such but what we're looking to do is to standardize where people are in their lubrication journey. So you could have people with years and years of experience, and a lot of training, and you could have people with a little bit of experience, a little bit of training, but not all training entities are alike. And so they get hired on. You don't a manager, for instance, wouldn't necessarily know, are we dealing with apples and apples here or apples and oranges? Yeah, and certification helps to level out that playing field. It doesn't dumb people down. But it does provide a benchmark so that if you know that no matter what your training background or experience background is you filtered through the exam for certification. And so at least you know, you've got even keel there with all your crew. I

05:48

know. But that's, that's fascinating. Because that's, that's the role of creating standards, you get some consistencies. Just so do I, if I went to ICML? And is there a way of gauging or evaluating me and where I'm at on my my lubrication journey, and then being able to craft a way of being able to educate?

06:13

Well, I suppose ICML wouldn't necessarily do that. wouldn't develop a custom exam for you? Yeah, no,

06:22

no, no, but I mean, it's just like, yeah, you're here? Or do I have to go through the whole thing or what help us on that journey, because you got these standards, which are very important. But then you have this educational component that is necessary to because, you know, you know, if I had, if it was me, I would just sit there until the thing just sort of fills on up. And you know, and that's not the right standard, either, right.

06:45

And it's, it's always fun talking to folks at conferences like this, who have horror stories from the, from the field about things they've seen, and things they've had to try to correct for people. And yeah, the training is, is extremely important. So there's all kinds of training from all kinds of sources. The certifications that we provide require a certain formal training certain number of hours covering a certain ratio of topics. And so that's referred to as the body of knowledge. The bodies of knowledge for all of our credentials, and the different levels involved are published on our website, independent training outfits can come to our website, see what that body of knowledge is see what the resources are behind that body of knowledge and develop a course curricula, to help prepare people for the exam. So we don't even design training for our exams, we coordinate everything wouldn't be a balk your your five, yes, yeah. And that's so there's different trainers around the world who have developed that some of them license it out to other trainers and such. And then we work with the training companies to sign an agreement saying, assuring us that they have, that they're meeting the ISO specs for training and such, and that all their instructors are certified, at least at the level they're training for, that's a big one, and that they're not going to, you know, divulge private information, or steal the exam information or what have you, you know, so there's certain ethical stuff in there. And so the companies that sign that training partner agreement are the ones that we identify on our website as our independent training partners

08:27

scrubbed in and evaluated and stamped approval.

08:32

Yeah, we can't release, you know, the mystery shopper programs, we just don't have the staff to send people out to all the training sites around the world all the time and gauge how they're doing. So the alternative was we came up with his agreement where they volunteer to, to represent themselves ethically and manage his expectations.

08:53

What was the thought process you you've got your body of knowledge, that's all great, and you've got the certification? What is the the thinking behind the 55? Series? Why Why all of a sudden, yeah,

09:11

that is, when you're talking about ICML as activities, everything we do is in support of the hands on practitioners. And so we do we do the certifications, that's been our bread and butter for years. We have awards programs for their for their facilities as they implement lubrication management and achieve excellence in some degree. So we have those awards, we have membership packages, and then the fourth pillar for lack of a SMRT term right. The fourth pillar that we pursue is the development of the of this standard. So the ICML 55 standard was developed in response specifically in response to the ISO 55,000 asset management standard that ISO introduced in 2014. And it's a broad based document covers all kinds of assets, financial, physical and tangible human resources. And so the concepts are there. But imagine if the ISO, well, let's put it this way. The concepts are there, they're valid, they can be adapted for specific environments. But that adaptation wasn't there. So if the concepts and 55,000 are here, but the shop floor with all the lubricated acids and machinery is here, how do you traverse that gap? So imagine if the 55,000 document an ISO had been written specifically for lubricated acid management narratives, what would that document look like when we took that on and develop that document. So now it's an enabling standard, it can help a lubrication management system to be developed down here where the machinery is, it pushes all the questions and specificity down so close to the shop, that there's even less stuff left to chance. Because otherwise, imagine this, Scott, that one plant manager, handling the lubricated acids would be, wouldn't be trying to apply the 55,000 and interpreting it for his department here. And at this plant and state, they'll be doing it differently. And so you wind up with no longer a standard approach to it. Right. So that's what ours that's what our ICML 55 document as it provides that roadmap or that blueprint to help make that happen.

11:36

I'm gonna have a hard time poking holes. What Why, why? Why? Why would there be any pushback? I mean, the more I have conversations around reliability and asset management, there are a lot of challenges that happen just with your lubrication process. Yeah, no, it just seems like that sort of the redheaded stepchild sometimes in your maintenance, it's like, yeah, just put some oil. Put some in there. This is becoming more and more important, because it's just the just the necessity to keep those assets running. Why would anybody be reluctant to do something like this?

12:15

I people.

12:18

That's always because

12:20

there's people involved. Yes, people history. Every every plant is different. Every plan has got its own set of priorities, budgets, finances, politics. Yeah. And so while they might be able to take, say, the 55 one, which is the requirements, these are my props, there it is props, props, five one, which was the requirements document. So you might have a manager who's going through this document and figuring out what the requirements are, here's everything that I should be considering to put together a successful sustainable lubrication management system. And oh, I hadn't thought of this or this or this. So you know, might be enlightening. Yeah. But at the same time, he can only determine, you know, what's good at my plant. Now, what's the best possible scenario that can be achieved here and given all these other circumstances about my company? So so it's not really it's not a how to book in the sense of these are the best practices for lubricating the equipment. But as these are the priorities and questions you should be asking, and must have to build a plan for managing your lubricated assets.

13:34

How do I access this information?

13:37

Well, right now, the the series is available through our publisher now. So while there's some overviews on our website, and the publishers website about here's the content and such. The book is available through river publishers. And as opposed to in house, we aren't handling it in house. You're not handling it in house. No, it's

13:59

your stuff.

14:00

I know. Well, we you haven't been there for a little while, but now, they take on all that makes sense.

14:06

Yeah. Is it an easy read? Does it have pictures? They took out all the

14:11

pictures, Scott. Yeah, there's some charts and graphs. And that's what you would expect in a reference book. Very good. How do people get a hold of you their fall? They can find us at loob council.org? Lube? council.org Liu ve council.org. Well, you

14:29

were absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed that conversation. Well done. Oh, thank you, sir. Oh, yeah, we're gonna have all the conference information for Paul out on Industrial Talk.com reach out to him. We know you will not be disappointed. All right. We're broadcasting from SMRP 31st annual conference here in Orlando. It is a great event you need to go out to SMRP.org go out to SMRP.org. Get engaged, be a part of the solution. If you're in the world of asset management, maintenance and reliability and everything in between. That is should be your first stop SMRP.org we're gonna wrap it up on the other side. Thank you very much for joining. We will be right back.

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You're listening to the Industrial Talk Podcast Network.

15:15

All right, his name's Paul. He nailed it. It's always fascinates me to understand how much goes into industry to make it work to better just lives in general, to deliver the goods and services that are necessary to make life better around the world. There it is. International Council of machinery lubrication. Yes, there is a council and yes, it's important for your assets for me to go out. Right there it does Israel talk. Reach out to Paul, reach out to the organization. Find out more if you're in reliability, if you're in acid management, if you're in maintenance. You need to go there to find out more. Absolutely. Right there, Paul. Industrial Talk. All right. Again, I say I say it all the time. And the reason I say it all the time because I want to say it all the time. You need to be involved in Industrial Talk. It's all there for you industry heroes. Be bold, be brave, dare greatly hang out with ball change the world. We're going to have another great conversation shortly. So stay tuned.