by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Aug 8, 2021 | Plant Operations, Safety Matters
Whether you believe in climate change or not, there’s no denying that Mother Nature has been acting in strange ways, not only across North America, but around the globe. In the past year alone, regions of the U.S. and other countries have experienced...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Jul 26, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
I’ve been an advocate of manufacturing all my life. Growing up in manufacturing and maintenance, educated in and then teaching tooling and machine design, and spending nearly four decades consulting on and writing articles about the people side of...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jul 18, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
If you don’t believe the above title, consider the following: Think about a healthy individual who seeks medical advice at the first sign of illness. Then compare his or her chance of recovery with that of a person who waits around and battles several different...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Jul 18, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations
In my July 11, 2021, “Dispatches From The Plant Newsletter” column (see link), I discussed how the global marketplace is currently confronting supply-chain shortages of just about everything these days. This situation has led to a perfect storm, one...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Jul 11, 2021 | Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
History has shown that counterfeit materials have tended to thrive whenever there are shortages of commodity materials and goods, accompanied by opportunities to charge exorbitant prices. Increased online marketing has also fueled the growth of counterfeit product...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jul 9, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
This is a brief history of equipment-procurement practices, as described by “X,” a long-time friend and colleague. In an enlightening 2020 conversation, “X” suggested that reliability-focused engineers had been entangled in flawed...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Jul 3, 2021 | Plant Operations, Workforce Issues
Maintenance best-practices alone do not make a reliability-improvement strategy. Partnering with your plant’s work groups to aggressively pursue reliability excellence will pay off all the way around. High-performing, low-cost, competitive operations depend on...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jul 3, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Most of us are familiar with adhesive-coated insulating tape used by electricians in field and shop. If we use this tape in the engine compartment of an automobile, it will become gummy and unravel. Although a common product will suffice in most applications,...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jun 25, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Unless pump-piping configurations and associated layout have been determined by thoughtful design, things often go wrong. Therefore, distinctions must be made between the implementation tasks assigned to pipe fitters and the reliability-focused engineering tasks...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jun 19, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
The title of this article says it all. Let’s explore the issue by using centrifugal fans and blowers as an example. (Keep in mind that a similar “upgrading” discussion applies when it comes to other types of packaged equipment in plants and...
