by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Nov 30, 2019 | Maintenance Management, RAM Tools & Methods, Workforce Issues
There are huge, and growing, opportunities to improve what we do in the workplace, including, among other things, safety, productivity, quality, efficiency, effectiveness, equipment performance, and reliability. But the desire to improve and the words “improve it” by...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Nov 25, 2019 | Newsletter Column, Workforce Issues
In the past, when businesses experienced labor shortages, they would beef up advertising, expand recruitment efforts, and speed up their on-boarding processes. That was when companies were looking for skilled and semi-skilled labor and unemployment was hovering...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Nov 8, 2019 | RAM Tools & Methods, Workforce Issues
“We keep having equipment problems, not the same equipment all the time, but the same causes on the same shift, almost every time. We know what we need to do from a reliability perspective, but we can’t get anybody else to change the way they do things. How do...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Nov 3, 2019 | Training & Qualification, Workforce Issues
North American industrial facilities, especially in regions previously plagued by manufacturing flight and skills deficits, are working hard to remain competitive. Two generations of workers and potential workers have been steeped in the “loss of manufacturing...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Oct 28, 2019 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Think about it: Reliable equipment is effective equipment. That means the equipment is doing what it is supposed to do, i.e., doing the right things. When equipment runs every time it’s needed and produces defect-free output at the planned production rate,...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Oct 19, 2019 | Asset Management, Plant Operations
In almost any discussion of asset management today, we should first understand that ISO 55001:2014 is an international standard for an organization’s “management system for asset management.” The 2014 Standard does not explain HOW to set up an asset management system...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Oct 11, 2019 | Maintenance Management, Plant Operations
When critical equipment fails the traditional cry is “Fix It Now!” In most cases, that’s exactly what happens. The equipment gets “fixed” and is up and running. That is, until it fails again. The problem continues and the fixes continue. The reliability...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Oct 4, 2019 | Asset Management, Plant Operations
In our high-tech world, we tend to look for high-tech solutions to deal with reliability, availability, and maintenance issues in today’s operations. In many cases, however, lower-tech tools can easily address the root causes of such problems. Equipment...
