by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 27, 2021 | Learning from Mistakes, Plant Operations
As organizations wrestle with a huge variety of COVID-19 impacts, they’re often running short-handed and without a full complement of support services. They may also be experiencing unpredictable supply-chain interruptions (upstream from their suppliers and...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 21, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Reliability improvement in some plants is far from business as usual, especially when departments and staff are shorthanded. The key is to stay focused on solving the most compelling problems, one step at a time. And that can be a challenge by itself. I’m reminded of...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Mar 19, 2021 | Plant Operations, Safety Matters, The Bloch Files
Engineers and other professionals involved in improving equipment reliability often observe that more work is to be done than budgeted or ever anticipated by management staff. Experienced observers frequently see a need to close the gap between “professed...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Mar 14, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
The unfolding events of the past year forced many individuals and businesses to become introspective about change. Although COVID-19 has brought about much disruption in our daily lives, it also has acted as a catalyst for positive and innovative action in the...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 27, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Articles on “Eliminating Cooling Water from General Purpose Pumps and Drivers” date back to about 1976. The rationale for dispensing with cooling water in the bearing housings of most process pumps was later explained in many books. However, despite the...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Feb 21, 2021 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability, Plant Operations
With the extreme polar vortex dipping south into Texas recently, there’s been plenty of discussion about the reliability of wind turbines in supplying power. The issues raised have ranged from turbine icing to the notion that Texas might have been relying too...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Feb 14, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Have you noticed shortages of food products, lumber, concrete, parts, supplies, and power tools, among other things? Many people are puzzled by shortages of what used to be common items in the marketplace. There are other shortages as well. COVID-19 and a volatile...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Jan 24, 2021 | Plant Operations, Workforce Issues
These three words, “Made in China,” don’t have to foreshadow the downsizing or closing of plants, as they did in the past, but rather the reshoring of critical manufacturing. In fact, “Made in China” must be embraced as a wake-up call to our industries, our...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jan 9, 2021 | Plant Operations, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
Years ago, a reliability-engineer acquaintance wrestled with a possible cardiac problem. He decided to observe its development and progress on a portable blood-pressure monitoring machine. Toward the end of its usefulness, the device had been giving him readings that...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jan 2, 2021 | Plant Operations, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
As promised in my Dec. 19, 2020, article on delegation of responsibilities (see link below), here’s a proven, four-step approach for how to do it. The process consists of task definition, careful selection of the designee, provision of adequate resources, and...
