by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 25, 2020 | Learning from Mistakes, Plant Operations
What is about to happen could be a tsunami of reshoring critical manufacturing. Numerous supply chains have been interrupted by the COVID-19 virus pandemic. But, more important, many people at all levels of the business world have realized that our critical supply...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 15, 2020 | Learning from Mistakes, Plant Operations
Automation, networking, data acquisition, machine analytics, Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). . . what’s next? For those of us who are comfortable working with our robust, tried and true legacy machines, equipment and systems, all this talk about...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jan 24, 2020 | Learning from Mistakes, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
A few years ago. I was asked to summarize the root causes of massive bearing failures on a pump and its steam turbine driver. The resulting fire was quickly extinguished and could be called a “near miss.” The most likely cause had been confusion, or lack of...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Dec 14, 2019 | Learning from Mistakes, Plant Operations
Complaints about problem parts in plant operations seem almost endless these days. They come from all sectors and go on and on and on. Maybe you’ve heard some, or even expressed concerns of your own that are eerily similar to the following: “These bolts, right...
by Randall Noon, P.E. | Nov 23, 2019 | Learning from Mistakes
Those who deal with rotating-equipment maintenance are well aware that ensuring long equipment service life requires rotating elements to be balanced to minimize vibrations. There are a number of reasons for this. High vibrations in rotating equipment can damage...
by Randall Noon, P.E. | Sep 28, 2019 | Learning from Mistakes
Do you remember the old short story, “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank Stockton? It emphasized a crucial choice. In some ways, this case study is similar. It involves two critical pumps at a power plant and the decision as to which should be refurbished. There is no...
