by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | May 22, 2021 | Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods
Have you ever wanted to implement a maintenance improvement program or project, only to have it voted down or shelved by management? Sadly, many great ideas, even if they make great economic sense, never receive sponsorship unless presented to management in the...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | May 16, 2021 | Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods
For many years, the all-purpose tool was well represented by the Swiss army knife. In time, favor turned to the Leatherman multi-tool and its many facsimiles. Although these previous-generation items are still useful, they pale in comparison to today’s...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Principal, T.A. Cook, Editor | May 15, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods
In my last article for The RAM Review (May 8, 2021), I focused on the important role metrics play in driving behaviors in a plant (see link below) I want to carry on with that theme this week to discuss mean time between failure (MTBF), mean time to failure (MTTF),...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | May 14, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files
In my April 22, 2021, article for The RAM Review, I wrote about KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), noting that not all of them make sense (see link below). One such example dates back several few years, when I sat down with a competent machinery-reliability...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Principal, T.A. Cook, Editor | May 8, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods
We’ve all heard the adage “what gets measured gets done.” To be more precise, however, what gets measured gets rewarded, and what gets rewarded gets done. In the April 18, 2021, issue of The RAM Review, I asked this question: “Are you seeking reliability, yet...
by Jim Seffrin, CMRP | May 8, 2021 | IR Thermography, RAM Tools & Methods
With tremendous emphasis placed upon the sophistication of today’s thermal imagers, it could be easy for thermographers to forget the basics of the craft. Regardless of imager age or sophistication, there are several basic concepts that can vastly increase...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Principal, T.A. Cook, Editor | Apr 18, 2021 | Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods, RAM's Human Factor
We’ve all heard it, again and again: “What gets measured gets done.” That’s not entirely true, however. In reality, what gets measured tends to get rewarded or punished, which, in turn, results in things getting done. In last week’s issue of The RAM Review, I...
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, Principal, T.A. Cook, Editor | Apr 9, 2021 | Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods, RAM's Human Factor
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 | Maintenance 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...
