Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site
A listing in reverse chronological order of these article series:
How two, back-to-back debacles with my face cream and eye cream highlight one of the strengths of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) – and it has nothing to do with maintenance! Watch as I explain from my bathroom floor… [Read more…]
“You get pseudo-order when you seek order; you only get a measure of order and control when you embrace randomness.” Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Are you embracing randomness? There’s a misconception that once you determine a failure mode is random that your reliability work is over. That’s not the case, you’re just starting. [Read more…]
What types of equipment can you apply Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) to? (Hint: It’s NOT just for aircraft!) Watch to find out what Nowlan and Heap, the original architects of RCM, say about it! [Read more…]
Equipment failure is a reality that cuts across every industry. And when it occurs, its impact can vary from minimal inconveniences with localized damages that are easily contained and repaired, to significant incidents with damaging effects on the environment accompanied by several health and safety implications.
Let’s accept this with no uncertainty. We are living in times of extreme uncertainty. Be it the global politics or economics; our lives are clouded with a lot of uncertainty. Many economies & businesses around the world are stunned as to how to predict & plan for the future. Just see at the different predictions on oil prices made by renowned traders & analysts during last two years. Everyone seems to be so off-target. [Read more…]
When using a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), proper naming conventions are important to its success. Although it may take time in the upfront planning phase to define IDs for assets, parts, resources, maintenance procedures, etc., the outcome will be well worth the extra effort. Appropriate CMMS naming conventions provide a streamlined process for easily finding information and reporting.
While a state of the art CMMS system provides extensive query capability by most data fields, it still makes sense to think about and craft proper naming standards. Your CMMS vendor should be able to provide recommendations that have stood the test of time and worked well for their customers. Most important to the success of a streamlined and efficient system is to document your organization’s conventions in the maintenance standard operating procedures (SOPs) and provide proper training on the SOPs, along with the software training provided by your CMMS vendor. Once users know the established standards and how to use their CMMS system, finding needed information is a snap.
Guest post by Suzane Greeman, ASQ-CMQ/OE, CAMA, CAMP, CMRP
It is certainly is refreshing to see that asset management education is on the uptake. Three points come to mind as I thought about asset management education for asset-dependent companies: [Read more…]
Who knew that good storytelling could contribute to our equipment’s Reliability! Watch as I explain how exploring a new city can be similar to exploring our equipment in an effort to improve Reliability. [Read more…]
I have recently been diving into work orders and using Weibull analysis to determine optimal replacement times. During one of the analyses, we discovered a significant infant mortality problem where the equipment was failing under 1 year of operation. I’m not stopping there.
A common misconception with infant mortality is that there’s nothing we can do. I’ve heard people say that we can’t plan for infant mortality or we can’t reduce these types of failures without switching manufacturers.
That’s not the case [Read more…]
Who knew that Stonehenge could teach us about achieving our equipment Reliability goals? Watch as I describe how Stonehenge has changed, because the same thing may be happening with your equipment… [Read more…]
I am a firm believer in the notion of doing everything with the end-goal in mind. That is the only way we can gauge the effectiveness of our efforts. The same is true for all our efforts related to Maintenance & Reliability.
If & when you want to measure a certain maintenance task for its effectiveness (you should be doing it quite often); the best way is to identify whether the desired outcomes associated with that specific task are being realized or not. [Read more…]
Who knew that a herd of cattle in Hartley Wintney, England could teach us something about equipment maintenance? Watch as I “graze” over the topic of manufacturer recommended maintenance tasks. (I hope you are “mooved” to take action!) [Read more…]
The golden rule for lubricant storage is keeping the lubricant “clean, cool and dry”. Let’s discuss 3 ways to improve your lubricant storage.
What are some best practices for lubricant storage at your plant?
[Read more…]
We review the purpose of and how to use the Notification or Service Request applications of your CMMS [Read more…]
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my thought processes for choosing an oil sampling location. To continue on the lubrication theme, I wanted to give you a few ideas for contamination control. Next week, I’ll take on lubricant storage. [Read more…]