by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | May 15, 2022 | Asset Management, The Sustainable Plant
In a perfect world, the Maintenance department receives and signs off on all new equipment purchases. The equipment, in turn, is perfectly set up, balanced, aligned, lubricated, and run by fully trained operators in a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility. While...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | May 2, 2022 | Asset Management, Newsletter Column
As an asset management consultant, I help companies resolve asset-management and maintenance-related issues. Such issues can, understandably, vary greatly in scope. Invariably, though, the vast majority that I encounter are not maintenance problems: They’re...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Apr 3, 2022 | Newsletter Column, Training & Qualification
Among the business-related impacts of COVID-19 has been a dramatic reduction in the need for and delivery methods of industrial training. Operational cut-backs, social distancing, and the awkwardness of Zoom-type sessions have helped drive people toward online...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 20, 2022 | Lubrication Corner, Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Recently, while conducting an on-line lubrication-training workshop, I received a question that I had never before been asked. Seeming at first, to be self-explanatory, it highlighted an over-used analogy with no direct parallel in maintenance terms and no distinct...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 14, 2022 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
This conclusion of a three-part article on “cradle-to-cradle” (C2C) management of a site’s lubricants examines practices that help ensure those products are and remain the best they can be. And, more important, that they provide the highest levels of...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 6, 2022 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
Part 1 of this article regarding a cradle-to-cradle approach to lubricant management (Jan. 30, 2022, see link below) laid out a blueprint for understanding and documenting a site’s lubricant current state. This blueprint is used to build a crucial...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Jan 30, 2022 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
Lubricants are often thought of as a machine’s lifeblood. If they are to protect machine investment and perform as designed, their needs and end-user requirements must be understood and met with diligence. Getting the most out of your lubricants calls for a...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Jan 15, 2022 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
In my newsletter column of Jan. 10, 2022, (see link below), I wrote that as a maintenance calendar winds down, our thoughts often turn to events of the year past. At that point, it is not unusual to question the effectiveness of our current approach to maintenance. Do...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Jan 10, 2022 | Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods
Happy 2022 New Year to all RAM professionals. The New Year is synonymous with a restart, refresh, or rebirth for individuals and businesses alike. And it’s universally recognized as the most natural temporal milestone for change. As clocks zero out, the New Year...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Jan 2, 2022 | RAM Tools & Methods, Workforce Issues
From an early age, I have always enjoyed spending time with people who are older than me. While capitalizing on the energy and inventiveness of youth, I have also recognized that anything new is typically an iteration of something conceived many years previously, then...
