by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Oct 11, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
“Machine failed; how do we fix it?” A Consulting Engineer often gets this type of request. Unfortunately, clients sometimes may have neither the time nor the interest in eliciting a Consulting Engineer’s input on anything but the obvious. In too many...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Oct 3, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
To date, I’ve worked as a Consulting Engineer in roughly 300 different locations. Over the years, I sometimes thought about what I should have done differently in those engagements. Honestly, I couldn’t (and still can’t) think of anything. However,...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Sep 25, 2021 | Professional Development, RAM's Human Factor, The Bloch Files
On several occasions, I’ve engaged in litigation support. For me, litigation support means occasionally choosing to work for law firms that pay engineers to relate how and why machines function and/or malfunction. While it is my obligation to do the explaining,...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Sep 19, 2021 | Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Whatever the project may be at a site, reliability and, by extension, the meeting of uptime goals don’t just happen. As the title of this article implies, in the plant-equipment area, owner-contractor interfacing activities typically will occur during several...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Sep 12, 2021 | Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
In my Sept. 6, 2021, article for The RAM Review (see article link below), I explained how truly world-class petrochemical and refining companies invested roughly 5% of the cost of equipment in pre-purchase reviews and reliability audits. This week, I am discussing a...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Sep 6, 2021 | Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Placing review engineers at a design contractor’s office should be part of the budgeted cost of plant projects. Compared to the incredibly shortsighted, yet popular, “as cheap as possible” approach still taken by many operations, the incremental cost for such MQA...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Aug 30, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
This week’s newsletter column is a follow-up to my previous column on “How To FIND A Job” (see link below). My argument in that discussion emphasized the importance of communicating effectively. To be clear, strong communication skills (oral and...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Aug 22, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
This column’s title is similar to that of an article in a periodical I enjoy reading. The author made the point that “many people lose their jobs, not because of lack of technical skill, but because they lack the ability to communicate effectively.” Well...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Aug 15, 2021 | Asset Management, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
Some of today’s top RAM professionals take exception to the notion that technical books dealing with reliability, availability, and maintenance (“RAM”), and/or equipment-asset management can become outdated over time. They rightly dispute that...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Aug 8, 2021 | Learning from Mistakes, Lubrication Corner, The Bloch Files
The subject of lubrication is rarely, if ever, taught in U.S. universities. That’s regrettable. Misunderstandings and lube-related errors abound in plant operations and cost industry millions of dollars each year. The following collection of real-world case...
