by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | May 31, 2022 | Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods, Workforce Issues
If there were ever a time to get serious about lean manufacturing, it’s now. The vision of doing more with less of everything may very well be the new reality in our upside-down, post-pandemic world. But it’s not going to be easy for some businesses that...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | May 23, 2022 | Newsletter Column, Workforce Issues
Growing worker shortages and higher-than-usual turnover of junior workers have perplexed almost every business sector in America since early 2021. While shortages of qualified employees can be geographic and/or business-centered, one huge variable that affects...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | May 16, 2022 | Newsletter Column, Workforce Issues
The answer to staffing for reliability, availability, and maintenance (RAM) improvements may not be outside your plant but inside. Sure, sites are facing some mighty big headwinds these days. This staffing-related one, though, is the biggest I’ve seen in over four...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | May 9, 2022 | Newsletter Column, Workforce Issues
When I think about “reliability” of anything, I think of “consistency,” i.e., uniformity, stability, dependability, same way all the time. Likewise, equipment reliability is all about consistency. But establishing consistency among numerous variables isn’t...
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 Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 25, 2022 | Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods
Over time, many businesses have invested in a wide variety of equipment from multiple manufacturers. Such “investments” often have been made by engineering departments in concert with procurement under strict project budget limitations. Cost-conscious procurement of...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 18, 2022 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
The seminar that I conducted at the April 2022 Oklahoma Predictive Maintenance User Group (OPMUG) meeting in Stillwater continues to provide keen insights on various obstacles confronting many equipment-intensive industries. When I asked the attendees (from a broad...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Apr 11, 2022 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Meeting with groups of fellow reliability-minded practitioners, i.e., RAM Professionals, and sharing my four-plus decades of on-site and in-plant experiences is always a pleasure. The bonus comes from learning firsthand about the participants’ most...
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 Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 28, 2022 | Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods
Manufacturing processes typically incorporate a flow, including equipment, conveyance, and manual-work processes, which are organized in ways that convert incoming materials/items into sub-assemblies and/or finished goods. Efficient processes achieve a smooth and...
