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Find all articles across all article series listed in reverse chronological order.
With industry statistics like the one from a joint study by the Wall Street Journal and Emerson, it’s no wonder that more manufacturers are looking for ways to proactively handle unplanned machine downtime. Among several issues discussed, the study states that unplanned downtime costs manufacturers about $50 billion per year. Furthermore, it mentions that outdated maintenance programs waste resources and potentially expose staff to higher safety risks.
Recognizing the purpose and value of design reviews will allow a product development team to prepare more effectively and efficiently. It is a decision point, and the basis of your own decisions needs to be clear and confident. [Read more…]
Preventive maintenance software can provide a number of benefits for organizations. From increasing labor productivity to extending equipment life, these benefits can significantly impact a company’s bottom line. However, outcomes of preventive maintenance software largely depend on the software program selected. Consider these essential functions when selecting preventive maintenance software:
At the heart of any computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is the ability to schedule preventive maintenance tasks. Since preventive maintenance is essentially planning ahead, a CMMS should allow you to create a maintenance schedule for each piece of equipment. Within each schedule, a complete set of required inspections and manufacturer’s guidelines should be adhered to. Comprehensive maintenance schedules help ensure all equipment operates in peak condition and helps prevent unplanned repairs.
By: James Reyes-Picknell & Uri Wittenberg. Many companies struggle with improvement efforts of all sorts. The ISO standards on Asset Management have sparked a great deal of interest that goes beyond just the maintenance and engineering communities.
CFOs understand the potential benefits of good asset care and good life cycle asset decisions – they want the financial performance, improved revenues from dependable production capacity, reductions in CAPEX and OPEX from higher reliability, increased standardization and design for maintainability as well as operability. [Read more…]
There are very few people that actually enjoy meetings. I have never heard anyone say, “I can’t wait for the meeting this afternoon” unless it’s followed by “I won’t have to eat at my desk.”
Certainly, the people who are called to attend a meeting largely lack enthusiasm are energetic unless they, or their project, are the reason for the meeting – and even then, only if it’s expected to be a positive experience for them. And the person calling the meeting will not usually be enthusiastic or energetic unless the reason for the meeting is something joyous or dreadful – or unless they are an autocrat or narcissist who just wants to tell people what to do, how to do it – and otherwise ladle-on (usually unreasonable) commands and demands. [Read more…]
Last week, I appeared on the “Ask the Experts” panel webinar with my friends at UpKeep – you can listen to the recording here. The first question to the panel was about the advantages and disadvantages of using AI for predictive maintenance. [Read more…]
After years of teaching and watching how grades change during a class, I have found that “stupid people” can convince those with higher grades of their view on take home assignments. While we should be open to options and new ideas, we need to be firm in our own beliefs up front. This will help our decision making in many areas of life. [Read more…]
The U.S. federal government is beginning a shift from a reactive approach to a risk event such as a flood or hurricane, to a proactive approach to risk management. This can be seen clearly in the changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements as stated in the 2018 Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) and the Draft National Mitigation Investment Strategy. This piece looks at these changes. [Read more…]
Regular preventive maintenance (PM) makes up a large portion of many maintenance programs and, sometimes, we don’t get the results we want out of all that maintenance. Reliability professionals should evaluate their PMs to ensure effectiveness both from a reliability & cost perspective. [Read more…]
To gain an advantage on our competition, we need to accelerate and sharpen our learning process. This video provides some elements to allow us all to improve in this area. [Read more…]
With the growing trend of Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science in Industrial Asset Management domain; I just wonder whether the Plant Engineers will still be keeping tab on the ‘Operating Context’ of their assets to extract real value from these revolutionary technologies or will just rush like lemmings to adopt them. [Read more…]
Guest Post by Geary Sikich (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
Some interesting points about how organizations apply current standards such as Business Impact Analysis (Assessment) (BIA), risk assessment methodologies, compliance and planning has been written about lately. Each author presents good arguments for their particular methodology. Nassim Taleb created the concept of “Antifragile” because he did not feel that “resilience” adequately described the need for organizations to be ready to absorb the impact of an event and bounce back quickly. [Read more…]
The ability to make smarter asset management decisions is one of the main benefits of implementing computerized maintenance management software (CMMS). And the driving forces behind that ability are the reporting and dashboard features. Data mining is arguably the most important CMMS feature of all—it’s certainly a feature you should assess carefully when comparing software options. The CMMS reporting feature helps organizations accomplish the following:
Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), or quantifiable metrics that reflect performance, allows maintenance managers to measure success. Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) is a common KPI reported on within CMMS software. It reflects the amount of time lapsed between occurrences of asset failure, enabling maintenance staff to pinpoint problem assets. For example, a low MTBF for a specific piece of equipment could indicate there’s an underlying issue. Reporting KPI measurements such as these help maintenance managers spot potential trends leading to equipment breakdown and lags in production.
Over the last month, I’ve hired a coach to help me improve so I can improve and, more importantly, be happier. In one of my latest sessions, my coach said the goal for every day is “progression not perfection”. The concept being that perfection is unattainable and if we judge ourselves on perfection, we’re always going to be unhappy. [Read more…]
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…]