The NTMWD Wastewater and Maintenance Divisions recently partnered to bring the first ever Precision Maintenance Training class to the District. Hendrix Precision Maintenance, an organization that provides hands-on training to equipment maintenance teams, conducted their Precision Maintenance Skills I class at our main offices in Wylie, Texas. Attendees included maintenance staff from three of our wastewater treatment plants as well as central and ozone maintenance personnel. The workshop is an intense 40-hour course designed to teach students the necessary and minute details to prolong equipment life. The course included classroom book work and hands-on work with multiple types of simulators.
As shared in our April News Stream, a study by Joel Nickerson, Asset Risk Manager, concluded that with the implementation of new maintenance practices, a one-time purchase of new precision maintenance tools and ongoing training on precision maintenance for our personnel, the District can save upwards of $70,000 annually in just the Wastewater Division. By partnering with other divisions at the District, those savings can see a greater increase.
The training highlights all the necessary little details that may be overlooked on a daily basis by maintenance crews, contractors, supervisors and even engineers in most plants and in many rebuild shops. Hendrix Precision Maintenance leads participants to discover a new skill set by measuring simulator results after correcting errors one-by-one in a defined process.
Participants learn how something previously thought to be insignificant such as a few thousandths of an inch fit and tolerance (or a “correct” key length), can make a significant difference in life improvement of rotating equipment. This revised attention to specific details can also lower the electrical consumption 5 – 10% for most electric motor-driven assets when a precision approach is applied to maintenance (install, adjust, and rebuild).
Additional benefits to this training include the expansion of knowledge for our maintenance personnel who are vital to continued, efficient operations across all of our essential services. The course was well-received by our team with the majority requesting this class come back each year.
This type of development investment in our personnel further empowers our workforce to accomplish the District’s vital goals of resource stewardship and building a talented and committed team.