by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 6, 2021 | Lubrication Corner, RAM Tools & Methods
It is very easy to overlook the specialized needs of automated lubrication systems. In most asset-management-system and preventive-maintenance (PM) implementations, automated, centralized lubrication systems are often treated as integral components belonging to...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Jan 31, 2021 | Maintenance Management, Newsletter Column
“Why do we need to fill out these work orders anyway? They’re just trying to micro-manage us. I’m not going to do it. Let’s just do things like we’ve always done.” Sound familiar? Maintenance work orders are often seen as an extra burden to maintainers, as well as to...
by Jane Alexander, Managing Editor | Jan 31, 2021 | Solution of the Week, Solution Showcase
Flowserve Corp. (Dallas, TX), has announced the launch RedRaven, an IoT service suite to help production facilities monitor their assets remotely, predict equipment failures before they happen, and take preventive measures to avoid business disruptions. Named after a...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jan 30, 2021 | Motors & Drives, RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files
Reliability specialists are encouraged to make good use of industry standards. Well-written standards improve equipment uniformity and quality. Take, for example, standards from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). Their foreword explains scope...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Jan 30, 2021 | Asset Management, The Sustainable Plant
“Think Local, Act Global” is a phrase typically attributed to Patrick Geedes, an early 20th-century urban planner in Scotland. Geedes’ thinking seems quite applicable to the overall global climate-change challenge and, by extension, in today’s RAM...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Jan 24, 2021 | Plant Operations, Workforce Issues
These three words, “Made in China,” don’t have to foreshadow the downsizing or closing of plants, as they did in the past, but rather the reshoring of critical manufacturing. In fact, “Made in China” must be embraced as a wake-up call to our industries, our...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Jan 24, 2021 | Asset Management, Newsletter Column, RAM's Human Factor
I routinely teach courses and workshops on various aspects of equipment-asset management, reliability engineering, and precision and proactive maintenance. During those sessions, I frequently refer metaphorically to parts of the human body and what causes it to be...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Jan 23, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
In the maintenance world, there are two types of inventory that must be managed. The first, which most people know as Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), consists of spare or replacement parts. These items can be held on site in specialized physical inventory...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jan 23, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, Motors & Drives
In Part of this series (Jan. 16, 2020, link below), we discussed a few basics of supervised machine-learning (ML) systems, including typical steps to the development of an ML solution. In this second installment, we take a brief look at the types of algorithms used in...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jan 23, 2021 | Asset Management, The Bloch Files
The preface to one of my books (Pump User’s Handbook) alluded to the area of pump-failure statistics. Such statistics are often translated into MTBF (mean time between failure). For what it’s worth, and so as to not become enmeshed in arguments, in the early 2000s,...
