by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | May 8, 2021 | Training & Qualification, Workforce Issues
This article is the second piece in a series of discussions on workforce development in the post-pandemic era. To re-cap the first installment: Since workforce issues have plagued many industry sectors for years, some for decades, our “new normal” must...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | May 2, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations, Training & Qualification, Workforce Issues
This column kicks off a new series of discussions in The RAM Review on workforce development in the post-pandemic era. Because workforce issues have plagued many industry sectors for years, some for decades, the “new normal” we’re in must include a...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 22, 2021 | Training & Qualification, Workforce Issues
On-job training (OJT) is the most common approach to skills development in the industrial workplace. Unfortunately, OJT is often treated as a “follow me around and you’ll pick it up” method, also known as “helper” training. This form of unstructured OJT frequently...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 17, 2021 | Training & Qualification, Workforce Issues
This article is a follow-up to my April 5, 2021, newsletter column, “Skills-Training Quick Start.” To recap, in the column, I noted, among other things, that maintenance training doesn’t t have to be complicated. It can be straightforward when focused on...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 5, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Training & Qualification
Developing maintenance training needn’t be complicated. It can be straightforward when focused on specific outcomes. Training alone, though, doesn’t make a person proficient in performing newly learned tasks on the job. The critical (often overlooked) step...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 27, 2021 | Learning from Mistakes, Plant Operations
As organizations wrestle with a huge variety of COVID-19 impacts, they’re often running short-handed and without a full complement of support services. They may also be experiencing unpredictable supply-chain interruptions (upstream from their suppliers and...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 21, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Reliability improvement in some plants is far from business as usual, especially when departments and staff are shorthanded. The key is to stay focused on solving the most compelling problems, one step at a time. And that can be a challenge by itself. I’m reminded of...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 12, 2021 | RAM Tools & Methods, Workforce Issues
In my early years working as a tool designer, I had the opportunity to work alongside some traditional old-school tool and die makers. They all took great pride in their tools, i.e., the tools of their trade. They treated their tools with great care and respect, day...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 7, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM's Human Factor
Making equipment reliable is more than an engineering project. More than precision maintenance. More than good data. And much more than many organizations consider at the onset. Reliability improvement requires many factors, elements, actions, and individual skill...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Feb 28, 2021 | Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods
Mean time to repair/restore (MTTR) is the maintenance metric that summarizes the historical time taken to make necessary repairs and adjustments to return equipment to its desired operational state. In other words, “Fix it fast, fix it right.” When I ponder the...
