Maintenance Mindset: ICML 55.1 in action — Real-world lubrication success stories
Welcome to Maintenance Mindset, our editors’ takes on things going on in the worlds of manufacturing and asset management that deserve some extra attention. This will appear regularly in the Member’s Only section of the site. This week's column features guest contributor Michael D. Holloway, President of 5th Order Industry, writing part 2 of a 4-part series on the positive impact of implementing the ICML 55.1 standard. (Click the link to read Part 1.)
ICML 55.1 is an international standard detailing best practices for lubricated asset management that is aligned with ISO 55001 asset management principles. By addressing 12 key elements (from workforce skills and lubricant selection to contamination control and program metrics), ICML 55.1 provides a comprehensive framework to improve machinery lubrication management and, in turn, asset reliability.
Implementing this standard can significantly boost equipment uptime and lifespan and program sustainability, but organizations must navigate certain challenges to realize its full benefits. This four-part blog series analyzes the standard’s impact on reliability in the following areas: implementation challenges, real-world case studies, cost-benefit considerations, and best practices for effective integration of ICML 55.1’s principles into daily operations.
Part 2 – Industry case studies
Real-world implementations of ICML 55.1 (or its best-practice principles) show clear improvements in asset reliability and maintenance efficiency. Below are examples of organizations that successfully upgraded their lubrication management, along with the benefits and lessons learned. These three case studies – spanning pharmaceuticals, food manufacturing, and heavy industry – all demonstrate measurable improvements in asset reliability and maintenance efficiency after implementing lubrication management aligned with ICML 55.1.
Common threads include a shift to condition-based maintenance (avoiding arbitrary lube changes), improved contamination control, and a strong emphasis on training and procedure. The lessons learned point to the need for technical innovation (like custom sampling methods or better filters) and organizational support (training, culture change) to reap the full benefits of the standard.
Eli Lilly (Pharmaceutical manufacturing) – Kinsale, Ireland
An Eli Lilly facility (IE43) managing 40,000 assets revamped its lubrication program in line with ICML 55.1. A key challenge was enabling routine oil analysis on high-utilization equipment that lacked easy access for sampling.
The team engineered custom technical solutions, installing sample ports, dry-break fittings, and desiccant breathers on critical machines to allow safe, repeatable, and representative oil samples even while equipment is running. This investment paid off quickly:
- By moving to condition-based oil maintenance, they cut oil sampling costs by 45% in the first year. Scheduled oil changes were eliminated on several assets – oil is now changed only when analysis indicates necessity – yielding an annual cost avoidance of €11,100 in oil purchase and disposal.
- Reliability and efficiency improved as well: 98% of targeted assets are now sampled on schedule, and the site avoided unnecessary downtime by consolidating what used to be 90 separate maintenance permits into just one coordinated procedure.
Over four years, the facility’s lubrication program went from baseline to “world class,” as verified by an independent audit that showed a nine-fold increase in the audit score. This case demonstrates that applying ICML 55.1’s practices (like engineered sampling, condition monitoring, and comprehensive procedures) can dramatically reduce maintenance effort and improve asset health. A crucial lesson was the importance of data-driven decision making – oil changes are now driven by actual condition data, not arbitrary intervals, thereby optimizing both reliability and cost.
Blue Buffalo Pet Food (Heartland plant) – Richmond, IN, USA
Blue Buffalo’s Heartland facility provides a model of proactive implementation. As a brand-new plant (opened in late 2018), management took the rare opportunity to build a lubrication program from scratch, following best practices aligned with ICML 55.1 even before production began:
- The plant manager, already familiar with world-class lubrication programs, acted as a champion to prioritize lubrication excellence.
- During construction and commissioning, the company invested in hiring a dedicated lubrication specialist, training staff, and obtaining ICML certifications.
- The lubrication teamey set up lubrication procedures, a dedicated lube room, and color-coded lubricant storage and dispensing systems for mistake-proof handling.
Thanks to this early planning, the site avoided many startup issues; in its first years, Blue Buffalo Heartland saw almost no lubrication-related downtime, with only a few “infant mortality” failures on new machines. Although exact reliability metrics weren’t available (no “before” data exist for a new plant), the lubrication team attributes their high uptime to the robust system and engaged personnel. The plant even earned ICML’s John R. Battle Award for lubrication excellence in 2020, just a couple of years into operation.
The key lesson is the power of management support and early integration: by treating lubrication as a core part of asset management from day one, Blue Buffalo avoided problems that other facilities only discover after years of reactive maintenance. They also illustrated that even without historical data, you can justify a lubrication program by benchmarking against industry standards – management was convinced by what “other companies have incurred without quality lubrication programs” and strove to preempt those costs. This case underscores the value of a culture of reliability and continuous improvement; the team continues to seek training and stay abreast of new lubrication technologies to remain at a “world standard” level.
Weyerhaeuser (Forest products) – Longview, WA, USA
An older facility experiencing frequent equipment failures used lubrication best practices to turn performance around. The plant had rising failures in hydraulic units (bearings, pumps, valves) that were causing costly downtime. Oil analysis revealed extremely high contamination levels (particle counts around ISO 21/19/16), pointing to poor lubricant quality as a root cause of failure.
In response, Weyerhaeuser’s maintenance crew sought formal training; several members became ICML-certified (MLT I and MLA I), which helped them identify critical gaps and optimal improvements. They proceeded to map out all lubrication points on 32 hydraulic systems and focused on contamination control – installing better filtration (including offline filters) and using pressure differential gauges to shift from time-based to condition-based filter changes.
These changes had an immediate impact on both reliability and cost:
- With cleaner oil (one notorious machine’s oil cleanliness improved from ISO 21/19/16 down to 16/14/11 after fixes), the team noted “significant improvement in hydraulic and bearing reliability.”
- Breakdowns decreased, and the proactive maintenance approach paid financial dividends. They saved $40,000 per year by eliminating unnecessary scheduled filter replacements and a further $9,700 per year by reducing oil leaks and failure-related repairs.
In total, roughly $50K/year of savings were realized, alongside improved uptime. Just as important, the success boosted morale – technicians took pride in their MLT certifications and were entrusted with larger projects by management as a result. Weyerhaeuser’s case validates the cost-benefit of ICML 55.1 principles: relatively inexpensive measures (training, filtration units, and monitoring gauges) led to a substantial ROI and reliability boost. It also highlights the importance of contamination control and tailored maintenance intervals (changing filters when dirty, not just on a fixed schedule) as best practices for asset longevity.
These case studies all demonstrate measurable improvements in asset reliability and maintenance efficiency after implementing lubrication management aligned with ICML 55.1. Common threads include a shift to condition-based maintenance (avoiding arbitrary lube changes), improved contamination control, and a strong emphasis on training and procedure. The lessons learned point to the need for technical innovation (like custom sampling methods or better filters) and organizational support (training, culture change) to reap the full benefits of the standard.