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on Maintenance Reliability

A listing in reverse chronological order of these article series:


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Most Commonly Underused CMMS Features

Most Commonly Underused CMMS Features

Want to achieve a worthwhile return-on-investment (ROI) from your software? Then it’s important to learn about some of the most commonly underused computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) functions. Many organizations do not use all of the features their preventive maintenance software provides, or don’t use the functions to their full capacity. In fact, a majority of plant maintenance managers feel they aren’t using their preventive maintenance software to its maximum capability.

Modern-day CMMS systems are crammed with various features, and users don’t necessarily need to access and master every feature of the system. However, it becomes a problem when users get so comfortable with their way of doing things that they avoid features they’re not familiar with. Especially if those features could potentially improve their productivity. Understanding what impact underutilized CMMS functions can have on your maintenance department will help you make the most of your software.

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Entropy and Economics – Part 2

Entropy and Economics – Part 2

Entropy and economics, like entropy and maintenance, are related. In part 1 there is a simple 3 legged stool model: design, maintenance, and operations being its 3 legs. It can deliver high performance at low cost and risk – i.e.: high productivity. It is important to keep the legs balanced and indeed intact! Doing so requires a bit of investment. In thermodynamic terms, we need to put some energy into the system to keep the entropy from growing. That energy is an investment in maintenance and the payoff comes in the form of steady, predictable revenues with a high margin for profit. Those words should be music to accountants’ ears. [Read more…]

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Professional Development & Growth

The key to growing your knowledge and career

qtq80-OjQuRsTo increase your knowledge, you need to learn new things, try new things and generally push outside of your comfort zone.   One of the key components of growing your knowledge is knowing what is new and happening in Maintenance, Reliability, and Asset Management.

I recently had the privilege to attend and present two papers at the Society  of Maintenance & Reliability Professional’s 2016 Annual Conference in Jacksonville.  This premier event was 5 days long.   The conference had 3 Days of workshops and courses, with 2 days of presentations.  Many certification exams were held, such as the CMRT, CMRP, CAMA. [Read more…]

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Entropy Fundamentals for more Uptime – Part 1

Entropy Fundamentals for more Uptime – Part 1

Entropy fundamentals for more Uptime can help us understand maintenance and reliability a little bit better. Reliability requires good execution of the right maintenance (energy), otherwise we will see reactive maintenance (entropy and chaos) increase. Engineers are familiar with the concept of “entropy” and the laws of thermodynamics. The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system always increases over time. It can remain constant in ideal cases where the system is at a steady-state or undergoing a reversible process. So what does that mean for us in the world of asset management and maintenance? [Read more…]

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Asset Management in Public and Private Sectors

Asset Management in Public and Private Sectors

Asset Management in Public and Private Sectors have some similarities and some contrasts. Most of our clients are in the private sector but occasionally we do some public sector work so we see both sides. Often, we notice distinct differences in practices and in what motivates those practices. Both have strengths and weaknesses. Both can learn a lot from each other. [Read more…]

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Defining & Achieving the Reliability Culture

Defining & Achieving the Reliability Culture

“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things, because the innovator has for enemies, all of those who have done well under the old conditions, and luke-warm defenders in those who will do well under the new.”

– Niccole Machiavelli

This quote is appropriate when we seek a paradigm shift towards a proactive culture, after spending our careers trained to become the best ‘react-ors’ or responders, we can be. I encourage you to read this lengthy article to the end for a surprise and to ask you a couple of questions about your experience with reliability. [Read more…]

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The Storeroom Layout: Setting Up Yourself For Success

Proper Storeroom Layout Will Enable Long-Term Success

qtq80-aSBccDYou begin your day by looking for a part in the storeroom.   You are looking for a common bearing used on multiple pieces of equipment on the site.   You look up the part in the CMMS and it does not have a bin number associated with it.  You walk into the storeroom and beginning going through the “bearing section”.  Only the bearing is not there.  You wander over the equipment section and find it buried in the equipment specific drawer, but you know that it is used elsewhere.  Is this the best way to organize materials, by equipment? [Read more…]

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We want it now and we want it cheap

We want it now and we want it cheap

These days most of us are used to instant gratification – we want it now and we want it cheap! When it comes to information, entertainment, finding your way around, and communications we more or less have it all at our fingertips. It’s also available to us just about anywhere. We can even order and pay for coffee to pick up on our way from the commuter train to the office – no line ups for delays. We can book houses, rooms, hotels, airlines, vacations, and rental cars at the touch of our fingers with apps that show us the cheapest options. [Read more…]

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How To Use CMMS To Supplement Root Cause Analysis

How To Use CMMS To Supplement Root Cause Analysis

According to the American Society of Quality (ASQ), a root cause is defined as “A factor that caused a nonconformance and should be permanently eliminated through process improvement. The root cause is the core issue—the highest-level cause—that sets in motion the entire cause-and-effect reaction that ultimately leads to the problem(s).”

As most of you already know, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a systematic process for identifying the origins, or root cause, of problems and determining an approach to minimize or eliminate their risk of recurrence. It focuses on preventing problems at the source rather than resorting to a firefighting approach and being reactive every time. RCA tries to be more scientific about asset failures, going one step beyond troubleshooting. [Read more…]

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Effective Root Cause Analysis Means Accepting We Could Be Part of the Problem

Effective Root Cause Analysis Means Accepting We Could Be Part of the Problem

No matter where we work, we will experience failures or ‘undesirable outcomes’ of some kind. As long as we work with other humans, this will indeed be the case. These failures may surface in the form of production delays, injuries, customer complaints, missed deadlines, lost profits, legal claims and the like. [Read more…]

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The Importance of Master Data in Spare Parts Management

Enabling Storeroom Success Through Data

DataHow often does your facility run out of raw materials?  Chances are it is not very often, if ever.  Why is this?  It may be because the organization has invested heavily in gathering the right data, analyzing and developing contracts for the materials.  This prior work ensures a steady supply of materials.

So why is it that within the same organization there is virtually no data to support the spare parts?  Not having a spare part can dramatically impact an organization in the same way as not having raw materials.  The result is no production. [Read more…]

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Guide to Maintenance Management Terminology

Guide to Maintenance Management Terminology

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the vast amount of terminology used to describe maintenance concepts. Even those who are familiar with various maintenance management terms know there is a lack of consistency among sources. This guide to maintenance management terminology serves to help teams better understand the differences between key phrases used in the industry. Browse through our maintenance glossary below. [Read more…]

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Are you on the right track with the right…

Are you on the right track with the right…

Are we on the right track with the right train? Your job is to improve reliability and you have a plan. It focuses on bad-actors, having the right data, cleaning up some parts data that is known to be causing delays in work execution, a bit of training in reliability methods, and your adding engineers. You are certainly on the right track with your plan and the actions you will take should indeed make some improvement. But are you on the right track? [Read more…]