Process
Process
Introduction: This chapter of the guide will provide some examples of repair
procedures and upgrades utilized for the B-C upgrade project. It will also describe
how the rebuild process is organized at a high level, as well as many of the tools that
enable dealer personnel to manage the entire project.
FREEPORT 793B
UPGRADE PROGRAM
Open Presentation
1. Rebuild/Upgrade Project Overview
a. B-C Upgrade Options Not all of the following available upgrades were
completed as part of the 793B-C upgrade project. Some had been
completed previously and others were not included in this project. The
Caterpillar on-site Product Support manager, John Bergin, identified a
challenge with any upgrade is getting the enhancements at a cost-effective
price. Trakindo has found it sometimes cost prohibitive to include an
upgrade in a normal component rebuild when significant machining or
other work is required. In some cases, they can take advantage of
Caterpillar REMAN components to get the upgrade for a reasonable cost.
i. Engine upgrade Caterpillars current recommended engine
upgrade offering is a 3516B High Displacement engine. For
support information refer to the following:
PELE0954 3516B High Displacement Engine Upgrade
REHS1371 Installation of 3516B HD engine in 793B
TELQ3769 3516B HD Engine Upgrade for 793B
PEHJ0037 Caterpillar 3516B High Displacement Engine Upgrade
also repaired. The 793 axle housing file includes photos of some of
these repairs.
iv. Steering Box Replacement Caterpillar publication SEBF8271
Salvage of Tapered Steering Bores (785 797A) should be used to
determine if steering bores require replacement. Given the
opportunity of having the trucks stripped to the bare frame, and
with the high hours and associated stresses, Trakindo determined
for the rebuild to replace the complete steering box as outlined in
REHS0541 Procedure for the Inspection, Repair, and Component
Replacement on the Frames of Off-Highway Truck/Tractor. They
also have used the second repair option of replacing only the back
plate and steering anchors but only if a machine requires an
immediate repair. Given more time, the rebuild project manager
indicated they felt they would benefit from greater structural
integrity of a whole casting rather than a fabricated one as it would
become when replacing the rear plate only.
Though not recommended by Caterpillar because of the
introduction of an additional weld joint, Trakindos repair
procedure consists of cutting window plates out of the top portion
of the steering box to allow it to slip over the cast back-up strips on
the ends of the support castings. The window plates are replaced
and the box then welded as per REHS0541.
d. Tracking Reports
i. BO Parts Daily Report This spreadsheet represents the amount of
back ordered parts management that has to occur on a truck-bytruck basis. Parts expeditors are assigned to each specific rebuild
and have the responsibility to inventory, track, order, return all
parts (except component parts) associated with each rebuild. This
back order report gets communicated daily to management to assist
with the tactical planning. By carefully tracking all back orders
daily, it decreases the risk of one missing part holding up a rebuild.
ii. Detailed Logistics Report By Truck The purpose of this
document is to plan and track all of the key movements of the
chassis and main components for each rebuild. This report is a key
management tool that shows method of transport, weights, origin,
departure dates, estimated arrivals dates, current locations and
more. This report exists in 2 different forms for each truck. One
report is created for the transportation from the mine site to KK
and another is created for the transportation from KK back to the
mine site.
iii. Weld Shop WIP Report This purpose of including this document
is to illustrate the type of communication tools that are absolutely
necessary when managing projects of this complexity. Weld
shops, like other specialty areas of the service department, are
normally managed separately and require their own set of
management tools. This Work In Process report enables project
managers to view job specific information such as component
description, start date, estimated completion and comments related
to each job they have sent to the weld shop. Without such a shared
tool, day-to-day planning would be much more difficult.
iv. Components WIP Report Similar to the Weld Shop WIP Report,
this Work In Process report is an essential part of the management
process. Regarding the OHT upgrade project, there are many (820) major components that are tracked using this tool. It benefits
management to be able to access status type information related to
any of these components. The type of information being recorded
in this tool consists of work order #, truck ID, component
description, waiting on parts, etc Each component area
supervisor is charged with maintaining accurate information in this
tool. This allows the entire team to view progress related to
specific areas of the rebuild.
e. Component Tracking A proactive repair before failure management
approach requires careful tracking of component life to be effective. This
can be a significant task for any fleet with components rotating on and off
machines on a normal basis. Trakindo documents in a spreadsheet where
each component is installed as part of this rebuild. This data will serve as a
starting point to plan when component replacements should be due.
Caterpillar has developed a web based Major Component Tracking
System to help dealers track components from cradle to grave through all
life cycles. This system can provide durability data for more accurate
MARC contract quotes. Dealers are granted access to the data when they
provide their own component data to share. For more information, search
for MCTS introduction at catminer.com.
Another aspect of component tracking Trakindo found important during
their rebuild project was simply identification of components. Some
components are serialized from the factory. Many times dealers also
institute their own systems using dealer serial numbers or more advanced
electronic ID systems as Trakindo is in process of implementing. Because
the system was not yet in place, to try and prevent expensive errors,
Trakindo found it essential to tag each component with a machine number
to ensure all would know where it had come from. This was essential
because as was referenced in the machine scheduling section, many times
the repair plan for the machine component varied based on hours.
Trakindo had experienced problems with mistaken identity of components
and a complete rebuild been done when the intent was a simple reseal and
test. These tags are printed, laminated and attached, normally with a zip
tie, to most components to allow immediate visual identification by
anyone on the floor.
f. 793B Upgrade Accessory Status The purpose of including this document
is to illustrate the type of major decisions that have to be made for each
rebuild and how the information is tracked and maintained. Eleven
different items (accessories) are represented in this tool. Key
determinations such as New Full Frame or Half Frame, Steering Box
replacement or repair, A-Frame replacement or repair, Cab refurbish or
replace with new, are all tracked and retained using this tool.
4. Parts Management - According to the service manager of the Kuala Kencana
(KK) facility, parts supply is the most critical task of the rebuild program.
Though parts management is key to any rebuild project, it is critical at KK
because of the remoteness of the job site and logistic requirements associated with
moving parts halfway around the world. In this section, well describe processes
and procedures Trakindo used to manage their parts inventory for the rebuild
project.
Inventory Control - With over 1700 parts (1150 unique part numbers) being
shipped in the Morton Superkit alone, along with all of the other associated parts
to support the rebuilds, inventory control and parts management was critical to the
success of the project. The management team at KK made the statement the
service department cannot manage parts. Recognition of the importance of this
task led the Trakindo management to assign dedicated parts people to the rebuild
team as discussed in the resource planning section. The following parts related
control measures have helped Trakindo successfully complete their project:
a. Parts Kit (super kit) storage and placement The super kit parts associated
with one 793 machine fit into 2x20 sea containers. Once these sea
containers arrive on site at KK, they are inventoried and repacked
according to the order in which they will be used during the machine
assembly. They are located adjacent to the rebuilds but secured and
managed by the parts man who is responsible for checking parts out of the
container as needed for the work order.
b. Common Hardware Bins The kitting cell in Morton does not break
package quantities to fill kits. Therefore to keep kit costs reasonable,
Trakindo ordered package quantity items to support 9 machines as a
separate kit order. These common hardware type items were ordered to
support the fleet rebuild and were inventoried separate. These common
hardware type items are inventoried separately from the super kits but also
located adjacent to the rebuilds in sea containers with built-in bins to store
the items. Parts personnel assigned to the rebuild team are also responsible
for releasing these items.
d. Spare Parts As the machines are disassembled and inspected, many parts
to be replaced with new were judged still usable. For these parts, the
equipment strategist did an analysis to determine cost to refurbish and
created a list of parts to retain for future use against the MARC. For
instance, all of the usable pins were sent to the Trakindo Jakarta facility
where metal spray is used to recondition them. They are then retained for
future use against the MARC.
Having a good used-parts plan is a recommended practice for any
Caterpillar Certified or other rebuild as a way of recouping some costs.
Though the standard of quality of the rebuild might not allow use of these
parts, there is still known value there that should be taken advantage of as
Trakindo is doing. Many of these parts could be refurbished and then sold
through your dealer used parts department. For information on this option,
see your used parts manager or reference http://catused.cat.com/.
Caterpillar discourages selling these through non-Caterpillar channels as it
gives these parts resellers an expanded product offering to compete more
aggressively with our Caterpillar dealers in the used parts business.
For parts that are beyond use, many times there is value in selling them as
scrap. This may not always be an option because of local legal restrictions
or transport costs. It should be considered though as another possible
method to generate revenue from the rebuild. When disposing of used
parts as scrap, it is important to ensure the materials cannot be reused
should they get into the hands of the wrong parties.
5. Quality Control Management