by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Sep 4, 2020 | Planning & Scheduling, RAM Tools & Methods
W. Edwards Deming once stated, “In God we trust, all others must bring data!” For some, data is a four-letter word, and the value of collecting and recording it and the evidence associated with an asset failure event is often poorly understood. Old-school thinking...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Aug 29, 2020 | Planning & Scheduling, RAM Tools & Methods
Developing objective and effective work instruction is a science. The quality of work performed by a maintainer when following a planner’s instruction will vary greatly depending on the objective requirement set within each line of instruction. If direction is vague,...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Aug 21, 2020 | Planning & Scheduling, RAM Tools & Methods
A maintenance work order (MWO) is basically made up of three distinct sections. The first section, which was covered in The RAM Review article “Make Work Orders Work (Aug. 17, 2020), contains the general information required to raise a work order and make it an...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Aug 15, 2020 | Planning & Scheduling, RAM Tools & Methods
The maintenance work order (MWO) is, unequivocally, the most important tool in the maintenance department. Unfortunately, many maintenance shops look upon work orders as nuisance items that take time to produce and complete. As a result, work orders are often reduced...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Jun 5, 2020 | Planning & Scheduling, RAM Tools & Methods
Einstein once said there are three rules of work: “Out of clutter find simplicity. From discord find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Those rules seem quite applicable in today’s RAM arena. Work is an honorable pursuit...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Apr 25, 2020 | Planning & Scheduling, RAM Tools & Methods
In the world of maintenance and asset management, equipment failure is an all too common occurrence. Unfortunately, setting in place a strategy and methodology to understand and learn from each equipment failure is not a common occurrence. It’s through an acute...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Apr 18, 2020 | Asset Management, Planning & Scheduling
Have you ever wondered what decision-making process drove previous maintenance administrations to set up your site’s asset-management program in the way that it currently runs? Program architects, in all realms of business, are notorious for poorly documenting...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Apr 10, 2020 | Planning & Scheduling, RAM Tools & Methods
A maintenance work order is developed in two distinctive stages. Stage One involves receiving, understanding, and accepting the “ask” or request for work from the maintenance client or stakeholder. This is commonly called a Maintenance Work Request (or MWR). Stage Two...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Oct 21, 2019 | Newsletter Column, Planning & Scheduling
Reflecting on history, the maintenance department, as we know it, didn’t appear until the early 20th century, at the advent of the age of mechanization brought about by the likes of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Driven by two world wars and a rabid consumer-product...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Oct 6, 2019 | Planning & Scheduling, RAM Tools & Methods
Achieving recognition as a valued partner within a corporation is a “best practice” hallmark coveted by all aspiring maintenance organizations. Achieving this type of recognition is built on the cornerstone foundation that an effective Maintenance Planning and...
