by Jim Seffrin, CMRP | Feb 29, 2020 | IR Thermography, RAM Tools & Methods
Leaks are a common problem with underground piping systems. Under the correct conditions, infrared (IR) thermography can help to detect evidence of leaks from buried piping systems that carry hot or cold product. When a leak develops in a buried piping system, fluid...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 27, 2020 | Asset Management, The Sustainable Plant
This fourth and final “Fingerprint to Footprint” series installment focuses on the collaboration between the maintenance and operations groups to understand and map out how each equipment piece, manufacturing-process line, and vehicle is operated on a day-to-day basis...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Feb 24, 2020 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations, Workforce Issues
The spreading coronavirus epidemic in China and elsewhere will most likely show us how a global supply chain can be interrupted by an unanticipated human cause. A localized human health emergency rarely affects global businesses. But, when the virus in a global supply...
by Jane Alexander, Managing Editor | Feb 23, 2020 | Solution of the Week, Solution Showcase
Type 303 Stainless Steel 2-1/2 NPT Threaded Line Vac Air Operated Conveyors from EXAIR, Cincinnati, convert ordinary pipe into a conveying systems. Applications include scrap trim removal, material conveying, part transfer, fiber tensioning, and filling operations....
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Feb 21, 2020 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, RAM's Human Factor
Many “programs” intended to improve the reliability of plant assets provide only fleeting value before the organization drifts back into its old “business as usual” mode. The situation is easy to spot: Simply ask people why they execute a process in a particular way,...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 21, 2020 | RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
You may recall hearing about (or could have possibly experienced) this type of situation in your workplace: There are times when we attend presentations by competent technical people, including colleagues, whose relevant requests are eventually ignored by their...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Feb 21, 2020 | Electrical Reliability, Motors & Drives
The purpose of high-resistance grounding (HRG) and low-resistance grounding (LRG) is to reduce fault currents and transient overvoltages in a high-energy system should a short to ground occur. This provides a number of benefits, including a reduction in arc-flash...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 17, 2020 | Newsletter Column, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
Those who no longer stand up for what is right have plenty of company. Like dead fish, they swim downstream, in accordance with the tide. Their sense of self-preservation takes over, and their consciences become dulled. I’ve seen this in the reliability field,...
by Jane Alexander, Managing Editor | Feb 16, 2020 | Solution of the Week, Solution Showcase
Honeywell, Houston, has strengthened the capabilities of its Thermal IQ platform with the launch of Thermal IQ Optimize, an enterprise-level remote monitoring solution. Based on Honeywell Forge asset and process performance models, part of the company’s Enterprise...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Feb 14, 2020 | Cut the FLAB, RAM Tools & Methods
We’ve all heard that “what gets measured gets done.” That’s because metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) drive behaviors. Unfortunately, most of our maintenance and reliability KPIs are lagging in nature. While they reveal where we’ve been—which is...
