by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Mar 27, 2020 | RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files
In the mid-1980a, one of my informal mentors held a mid-level management position at a refinery just North of Galveston, TX. He was a highly respected, educated man of few words. His advice was always factual, pure common sense. One of his core beliefs was simply...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 21, 2020 | Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods
Operator involvement in equipment care is a fundamental of reliability improvement and offers many benefits, starting with the fact that there are more equipment operators than maintainers. Other benefits come from the fact that: ♦ Operators are closer to the...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Mar 20, 2020 | Maintenance Management, RAM Tools & Methods
The global pandemic we’re now facing has put all of us, individuals and businesses alike, on an emergency footing. COVID-19 has already closed down or seriously affected the operation of most public facilities, and is likely to bring much of industry to a severe...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Mar 19, 2020 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods
The bull market had a great 11-yr. run. However, COVID-19 has produced a precipitous drop in the stock market and a global recession seems inevitable. In just a matter of weeks, plants and factories that were capacity-constrained have found themselves...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Mar 15, 2020 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
Executing equipment maintenance is as much about behaviors as it is about skills. Think of a skill as knowledge about HOW to do something, while a behavior is related more to understanding WHY—basically having an appreciation for the motivation. Behaviors are very...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Mar 7, 2020 | Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods
Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) has been used as one of the more important manufacturing metrics since Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) came to the U.S. in the late 1980s. It’s the primary measure used in TPM to identify and quantify the major...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Mar 1, 2020 | RAM Tools & Methods, Safety Matters, The Sustainable Plant
Fugitive emissions, are a concern across the industrial landscape. Although this article focuses on leveraging predictive maintenance (PdM) to combat the problem in the natural-gas arena, the suggested strategies and tactics can be adapted in any operation where...
by Jim Seffrin, CMRP | Feb 29, 2020 | IR Thermography, RAM Tools & Methods
Leaks are a common problem with underground piping systems. Under the correct conditions, infrared (IR) thermography can help to detect evidence of leaks from buried piping systems that carry hot or cold product. When a leak develops in a buried piping system, fluid...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 21, 2020 | RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
You may recall hearing about (or could have possibly experienced) this type of situation in your workplace: There are times when we attend presentations by competent technical people, including colleagues, whose relevant requests are eventually ignored by their...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Feb 14, 2020 | Cut the FLAB, RAM Tools & Methods
We’ve all heard that “what gets measured gets done.” That’s because metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) drive behaviors. Unfortunately, most of our maintenance and reliability KPIs are lagging in nature. While they reveal where we’ve been—which is...
