Quick Win: Color-Coded Lubrication Charts

Quick Win #6: Low Cost, High Return, Easy to Implement

Small change. Massive savings.

 Here’s a one-day reliability win that can double your bearing life.

Quick Win: Color-coding Lubrication Charts

Pain Point: Many facilities rely on handwritten or outdated lubrication schedules that are confusing, inconsistent, or incomplete.

• Different lubricants (greases, oils, synthetics, food-grade, etc.) often look similar making cross-contamination easy.

• Operators may not know what type, how much, or how often to lubricate each component.

• The result: over-greased bearings, wrong grease mixing, dry points, and early failures.

  
  

Even the best PM program fails if technicians and operators can’t clearly see what goes where.

OPL: Color-Coded Lubrication Chart

Solution: Implement a color-coded lubrication system with matching charts, fittings, and storage.

1. Assign each lubricant a unique color (e.g., red for high-temp, blue for food-grade, green for synthetic gear oil).

2. Apply color-coded tags or stickers to grease fittings, reservoirs, and storage containers.

3. Post laminated lubrication charts at each machine showing:

   • Lubricant type & color

   • Quantity per point

   • Frequency (weekly/monthly/quarterly)

   • Responsible technician or shift

4. Train teams to visually verify correct lubricant and interval before every task.

   
   

This transforms lubrication from a guessing game into a visual, error-proof process.

Impact:

• Eliminates lubricant cross-contamination

• Reduces bearing & gearbox failures by 40–60%

• Increases operator engagement and PM compliance

• Cuts lubricant waste and rework costs

• Typical ROI: Under 1 month per line

  
  

For the cost of some color tape and laminated sheets, you can protect thousands in rotating assets, a visual management win for reliability.

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