by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Apr 11, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
Working with clients to design and implement improved maintenance models, I have found it important to interview those working in a site’s maintenance department to understand how they see themselves. It’s just as important, however, if not more so, to...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Apr 9, 2021 | Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods, RAM's Human Factors
My last article for The RAM Review (April 4, 2021, see link below) explored the important role middle managers can play in achieving transformational change. In it, I discussed the concept of psychological inertia. In physics, we refer to a force that has both rate...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Apr 3, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
Albert Einstein may have said it best: “In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity.” Those words have special meaning in industry today. As with all catastrophic events, the 2020/21 COVID 19 pandemic has demonstrated, once again, how unprepared...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Apr 3, 2021 | Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods, RAM's Human Factors
As a consultant, I support my clients with a variety of initiatives to improve the performance, reliability, safety, and environmental sustainability of their plant equipment and manufacturing processes. Sometimes these initiatives are small, given the fact we’re...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Mar 28, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
The first article in this short series on precision parts (March 21, 2021) discussed the topic of designing for reliability (see link below). Here in Part II, the focus is on the rebuild process. Figure 1 illustrates the process flow I recommend for management...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Mar 27, 2021 | Lubrication Corner, RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files
Every so often, it’s time to ask if our knowledge of a reliability subject is up to date. The need to stay abreast of grease technology is a case in point: One case study showing the benefits of doing so dates back to around 2006. That’s when a Texas-based...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Mar 21, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
Executing precision maintenance work requires a combination of skills, effective work instructions and methods, correct and properly calibrated tools, and, of course, the right parts that are in the right condition. Yet, when conducting failure investigations and...
by Jim Seffrin, CMRP | Mar 13, 2021 | IR Thermography, RAM Tools & Methods
Non-contact thermometry provides a means for rapidly measuring object temperatures. To ensure measurement accuracy, all error sources must be considered and properly addressed. This article discusses how to measure and compensate for Reflected Temperature using the...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 12, 2021 | RAM Tools & Methods, Workforce Issues
In my early years working as a tool designer, I had the opportunity to work alongside some traditional old-school tool and die makers. They all took great pride in their tools, i.e., the tools of their trade. They treated their tools with great care and respect, day...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Mar 6, 2021 | Asset Management, Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods
Much attention is paid to the foundational elements that are necessary to ensure equipment and process reliability in plants. Still, in the end, reliability really comes down to people employing tools and materials to effectively execute maintenance plans. That is the...
