Especially in today’s world, where it seems as if the “bad” examples receive all the attention and recognition, it is more important than ever to identify and recognize good examples to be followed, the potential mentors for future generations. A job well done and excellence derived from effort, drive and perseverance are certainly points that should be highlighted in our industry as well. These are champions of our field, our machinery lubrication and oil analysis “heroes”. These are the people and programs that will inspire other practitioners to pursue excellence in industry.
It was exactly this need that drove the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML) to develop its awards program. The purpose is to give companies that are excelling in their lubrication and/or oil analysis programs worldwide recognition. Companies from industries as diverse as manufacturing, mining, power generation and refining have been past recipients of an ICML award.
The awards – John R. Battle Award for Excellence in Machinery Lubrication or the Augustus H. Gill Award for Excellence in Oil Analysis – are open to companies around the world, independent of whether or not they are involved in ICML at any level. It does not cost companies anything to apply for the awards, but it is imperative to note that ICML cannot nominate a company – the nominations must come from industry. Therefore, if your company is doing a great job in lubrication and/or oil analysis, we encourage you to nominate it for one of the awards. If your company is not quite there yet, but there is a colleague you admire or even envy for his or her program, let that person know about the ICML honors.
Seeking Role Models
By recognizing organizations that have exhibited excellence in the application of machinery lubrication or oil analysis within their overall condition monitoring programs, ICML hopes to identify role models to be followed by other organizations in their pursuit of world-class lubrication. The awards were designed to motivate companies to improve machine reliability and maintenance quality through the application of machinery lubrication and oil analysis.
Previous award recipients’ programs have become examples and its personnel have become mentors in industry. The criteria for the Gill and Battle awards are being used to benchmark industry on a global scale. The more nominations ICML receives each year, the better the benchmark provided to industry. ICML can only facilitate the betterment of our industry to the extent that we all participate, so recognize someone for a job well done – nominate their plant for one of the ICML awards.
Award Program Criteria
ICML intends for its awards criteria to serve as a guiding road map for companies pursuing world-class machinery lubrication or used oil analysis programs. Some of the awards criteria include:
August H. Gill Award Criteria
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Commitment to Education
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Maintenance Culture and Management Support
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Performance Measurements
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Proactive/Predictive Maintenance
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Standardized Procedures
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Integration of Condition Monitoring
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Contamination Control
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Lubricant Management
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Lube Analysis Strategies
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Use of Information Technology
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Plan for Continuous Improvement
Gill Award Recipients to Date
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Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (Arizona Public Power), 2001
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Smoky Canyon Mine (J.R. Simplot), 2002
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Plant Branch (Georgia Power), 2003
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Kennecott Energy Company’s Maintenance and Reliability Group (Rio Tinto), 2004
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Clopay Plastic Products Company (Augusta, Ky., plant), 2006
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Great River Energy of North Dakota, 2007
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(For 2008, perhaps it will be your company.)
John R. Battle Award Criteria
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Commitment to Education
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Maintenance Culture and Management
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Support
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Lubrication Selection
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Preventive, Predictive and Proactive
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Maintenance Effectiveness
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Metrics and Performance Tracking
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Lubricant Storage and Handling
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Routing Sensory Inspection for
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Lubrication Effectiveness
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Sampling for Oil Analysis
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Contamination Exclusion and Removal
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Application Systems of Oil and Grease
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Continuous Improvement
Battle Award Recipients to Date
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Clopay Plastic Products Company (Augusta, Ky., plant), 2004
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Valero Energy Corporation (Port Arthur, Texas, refinery), 2006
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Cargill Corn Milling (Wahpeton, N.D., site), 2007
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(For 2008, perhaps it will be your company.)
For More Information and to Nominate
For more information on the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML), its awards program and criteria, or to download an application, visit www.lubecouncil.org or e-mail info@lubecouncil.org.
If you have an interest in the awards, please nominate your chosen company via info@lubecouncil.org today. The council is extending the deadline for submissions this year, so make sure you contact us today and don’t miss out on your chance to help shape our industry.
About ICMLThe International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML) is a vendor-neutral, not-for-profit organization founded to facilitate growth and development of machine lubrication as a technical field of endeavor. Among its various activities, ICML offers skill certification testing for individuals in the fields of machine condition monitoring, lubrication and oil analysis. ICML is an independently chartered organization consisting of both paid professional staff members and volunteer advisors. It provides lubrication and oil analysis standard development support, scholarship, skill-based testing and certification, and recognition of excellence.
