by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | May 24, 2020 | Newsletter Column, The Sustainable Plant
Manufacturing plants, process plants, and other industrial facilities are natural economic drivers for the communities in which they operate. These businesses offer good jobs that, in turn, fuel economic activity. People move into the area, and homes, apartments,...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | May 17, 2020 | Asset Management, Newsletter Column
It’s hard to dispute the level of adversity experienced by people and businesses during the extraordinary COVID-19 “lockdown” period. The good news, at least in the RAM arena, is that adversity also breeds opportunity. Thus, many maintenance departments...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | May 3, 2020 | Asset Management, Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Is your organization implementing solutions that seem to be looking for problems? It’s a fair question. There’s plenty of talk in asset-management circles these days about Digital Transformation, Digital Manufacturing, the Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0,...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Apr 26, 2020 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations, Safety Matters
It has been 56 years since I changed from a career path in high-speed machinery to employment in the petrochemical and refining industries. Over the course of my work, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of value-adders. Conversely, I also have dealt with people...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 19, 2020 | Newsletter Column, Workforce Issues
Writing is a chore for some and a creative outlet for others. Writing columns and articles for The RAM Review is an important task for those of us who do it. In my opinion, though, writing about what we know, what we have learned, what we have experienced (good, bad,...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Apr 12, 2020 | Newsletter Column, Professional Development, The Bloch Files
Forgive me if you’ve heard this story before. I’ve often shared it. But, it’s a simple example of the need for those in the RAM arena to plan ahead and be prepared for a variety of contingencies. After all, an opportunity may only knock once, and not answering could...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 5, 2020 | Maintenance Management, Newsletter Column
I was talking with a maintenance-manager friend a few days ago about various topics, including the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Because his manufacturing plant supplies the automotive industry, it’s been ramping down toward a total shutdown. Despite the almost...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Mar 29, 2020 | Newsletter Column, Workforce Issues
The year was 1859. That’s when Charles Dickens released his 13th novel to the public. Widely regarded as a masterpiece of fiction, A Tale of Two Cities opens with what is, arguably, the most famous opening line in English literature: “It was the best of times, it was...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Mar 22, 2020 | Newsletter Column, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
The title of this column is a serious, common-sense recommendation, and for good reason. Sadly, we have migrated to an environment with a “fog index” that is greater than ever before. So, while my recommendation isn’t intended as a commentary on managers who might...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Mar 15, 2020 | Newsletter Column, Regarding Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Roughly 25 years ago, a respected colleague, Fred Caspari, had just retired from his reliability-management position with LUSC (Large U.S. Company). Two other colleagues and I heard him speak on “Abandoning the World-Class Maintenance Approach at a Major Multinational...
