Background
At DFA’s El Dorado Springs facility in Missouri, three dryers run around the clock transforming milk into cheese powder that supplies industrial food manufacturers nationwide. Unlike most DFA plants with single dryers, El Dorado Springs operates one large-capacity dryer alongside two smaller units—a unique configuration that demands exceptional reliability. When Paul Stevens arrived 18 months ago with 30+ years of maintenance expertise from the steel industry, he immediately recognized the opportunity to elevate their predictive maintenance program. Today, the team prevents costly downtime, partners seamlessly with operations, and maintains production schedules that keep major food manufacturers supplied without interruption.
Challenge
Opportunity to expand program benefits:
While maintenance had achieved early wins with Augury, the team recognized potential to create even greater value by sharing vibration insights across all departments and all three dryers.
Cascade failures threatened production:
Equipment failures lasting more than 24 hours triggered mandatory 48-hour washes—turning costly downtime into multi-day disasters that disrupted supply to industrial customers.
Bearing failures every 2-3 months:
Exhaust fan bearings failed constantly due to product buildup, forcing emergency repairs that interrupted production and consumed maintenance resources in a never-ending cycle.
The journey: Building trust through wins
Started with expertise meeting opportunity:
When Paul joined El Dorado Springs, he found a team already achieving early wins with Augury. He recognized the opportunity to amplify their success by designating a single program owner—ensuring consistent execution and clear accountability that would maximize results.
The moment that united everyone:
When vibration alerts signaled fan issues during peak production, the team faced the universal manufacturing dilemma—stop now or push through. The resulting 20-hour downtime and 48-hour wash became the catalyst that aligned both departments around using predictive data to balance production needs with equipment health.
From proof to partnership:
After the team caught a pump approaching catastrophic failure during routine monitoring, operations began asking for vibration data before making cleaning decisions. What started as maintenance insights became shared intelligence across departments.
Our savings compound quickly. We do repairs during planned shutdowns instead of emergency stops—so our actual savings are much larger than what you see on paper. We do things all the time using this as a tool.
Keys to El Dorado Springs’ success
Started with expertise meeting opportunity
When Paul joined El Dorado Springs, he found a team already achieving early wins with Augury. He recognized the opportunity to amplify their success by designating a single program owner—ensuring consistent execution and clear accountability that would maximize results.
The moment that united everyone
When vibration alerts signaled fan issues during peak production, the team faced the universal manufacturing dilemma—stop now or push through. The resulting 20-hour downtime and 48-hour wash became the catalyst that aligned both departments around using predictive data to balance production needs with equipment health.
From proof to partnership
After the team caught a pump approaching catastrophic failure during routine monitoring, operations began asking for vibration data before making cleaning decisions. What started as maintenance insights became shared intelligence across departments.
