by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Nov 6, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
A few years ago, two of my former colleagues were rehired by a former employer as contract engineers for new and expansion projects in the U.S. and overseas. Although they proudly and efficiently carried out their tasks, both expressed disappointment at the gap...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Oct 31, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
In the early 1970s, personnel at large multinational oil and petrochemical company decided to send any of the site’s process pumps that needed repairs to one of several low-bidding in-town shops. Many of those enterprises were owned by company retirees and...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Oct 31, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations
Continuous improvement is alive and well among businesses in today’s competitive and challenging marketplace. Some still call it by the big buzz word of the 1990s: kaizen. Many keep improving because they know it’s possible and much needed in their markets....
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Oct 25, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations, Workforce Issues
Bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States from overseas makes sense for any products, commodities, and other materials considered essential to our national defense, social wellbeing, and economic survival. As I had stated in a previous article (link...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Oct 24, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
A disastrous fire in a U.S. methanol plant reminded me of the findings and recommendations published in a 2006 book on the topic of “Maximizing Machinery Uptime.” In it, Fred Geitner, my respected colleague and co-author of nine books on...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Oct 17, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Every maintenance intervention deserves to be viewed as a potential upgrade opportunity. Therefore, I believe any process-industry facility that’s anticipating elevated throughput in the near term should incorporate equipment upgrading in its turnaround...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Oct 11, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
“Machine failed; how do we fix it?” A Consulting Engineer often gets this type of request. Unfortunately, clients sometimes may have neither the time nor the interest in eliciting a Consulting Engineer’s input on anything but the obvious. In too many...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Oct 10, 2021 | Plant Operations, Workforce Issues
New equipment and technologies are inevitable as manufacturing jobs in America go begging for people. Shortages of skilled employees have reduced production and led to plant closings. At the same time, reshoring of manufacturing businesses and foreign direct...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Oct 4, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
I am writing this column on the heels of Manufacturing Day, October 1, 2021. Despite the event having already come and gone, in recognition of it, I’m prompted to investigate what’s shaping the future of this powerful segment of the global economy. But first, we...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Oct 3, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
To date, I’ve worked as a Consulting Engineer in roughly 300 different locations. Over the years, I sometimes thought about what I should have done differently in those engagements. Honestly, I couldn’t (and still can’t) think of anything. However,...
