by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Nov 7, 2021 | Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods
To improve as individuals, teams, and Maintenance Departments, we first must look inward and examine ourselves through the eyes of others. Then, and only then, can true (and meaningful) change begin. Over the past 35 years, I have performed hundreds of...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Nov 6, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, RAM Tools & Methods
The term predictive maintenance (PdM) has different meanings depending on your background and industry. Within the plant-management world, it means that if your maintenance personnel tell you that something will survive 100 hours, it will operate 100 hours, then fail...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Oct 31, 2021 | RAM Tools & Methods
Let’s start with some recapping: In Part 5 of this series on Availability (see links to all parts below) we addressed market- and marketing-induced causes for “unavailability,” with a focus on undersold capacity. In this concluding installment, our...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Oct 30, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
Pick up any trade journal, watch the news, or sit in on discussions at technical conferences these days. Before long, you’re thinking that all problems in a plant can be solved by way of complex data analytics and such-and-such high-tech device or solution. Not...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Oct 24, 2021 | RAM Tools & Methods
In Part 4 of this series on Availability, the first element of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), we focused on production-induced causes for “unavailability.” (See links to previous installments below.) This week, we will be turning our attention to...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Oct 17, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
Traditionally, the industrial Purchasing function focuses on procuring needed parts, materials, and services. At times, those decisions made in Purchasing have direct negative impact on equipment performance and reliability. It’s easy to connect the dots when parts...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Oct 11, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
Let’s re-cap previous parts of this series. When I initially addressed Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), I challenged the conventional approach for describing the metric and even challenged the its name (see link below). I much prefer the term...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Oct 3, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
The Availability metric is the first element of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). In Part 1 of this series about Availability, I suggested that to assure the integrity of this metric, we must calculate Availability as total running hours in a year divided by...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Sep 27, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
In my last article for The RAM Review (see link below), I introduced the Availability metric and discussed how to account for planned unavailability. Availability, Yield/Speed, and Quality are the three elements of the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) metric,...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Sep 19, 2021 | Planning & Scheduling, RAM Tools & Methods
A key element of successful planning and scheduling in plants and facilities is to understand and ensure that critical assets are identified and maintained with higher priority than non-critical ones. Recognizing a critical asset, though, will depend on how a...
