Asset Productivity Articles
Our expert staff is well known throughout the industry for its breadth of knowledge gained through years of practical experience. The following articles, written by members of our staff, have been published in industry journals and Web sites.
The Value of Risk-Based Asset Management
With the forming of ISO Technical Committee 251, it’s clear that asset management will soon have a standard. Now is the time to educate ourselves about the value that optimized asset management creates. Based on the release of ISO 9001, Quality Management Systems – Requirements, there is a valid expectation of hype, confusion and a large outpouring of funds as companies work to achieve compliance. Luckily, like quality management, asset management is about identifying, mitigating and eliminating risk.
Work Smart, Not Hard
By R. Keith Mobley, Principal SME, Life Cycle Engineering
When I state, as I often do, that I am basically lazy, those who know me are incredulous. They know that my work is constant and almost continuous. What they do not understand is that when you work smart, it is not stressful or tiring—it’s actually quite enjoyable, even fun.Extreme Makeover: Storeroom Edition
By Wally Wilson, CMRP, CPIM, Life Cycle Engineering
As appeared in RxTodayIf you’ve ever watched the TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”, maybe, like me, you’ve gotten a little teary-eyed as the narrator tells the story of the family’s plight. And perhaps your eyes got a little misty again at the end of the show as the bus moves forward and everyone cheers when the family sees their new home filled with features they need to improve their lives.
Five Critical Success Factors for Effective BOMs
By Doug Wallace, CPIM, Life Cycle Engineering
As appeared in RxTodayIf your company was manufacturing automobiles, appliances, iPads, or even cardboard boxes, you certainly wouldn’t think about scheduling production without a complete and accurate Bill of Materials for each finished product so you could determine your raw material requirements from a Master Schedule. So why is it that many process industries not only begin operation without equipment BOMs, but go for years – sometimes decades – without them?
Learn from Your Mistakes
By R. Keith Mobley, Principal SME, Life Cycle Engineering
From an early age, my father instilled in me rules that I was to live by—or else. Near the top of his list was one that has, and does, resonate with me almost every day. He explained that making mistakes was a natural part of the learning process—only those who do nothing can go through life and never make a mistake. Sound advice, but he did not stop there.A Simple Expression of Praise Works Wonders
By R. Keith Mobley, Principal SME, Life Cycle Engineering
As appeared in Reflections on ExcellenceA few months ago during one of my frequent walks of the manufacturing floor at a client’s site, I stopped to read the previous shift operator’s comments that appeared to express some frustration. To do so, I had to ask two men who were carrying on a conversation to move slightly so that I could get to the visual control board. As part of my polite request, I made a comment about how proud I was of the operators and what they have been able to accomplish as part of the transformation process. This natural expression of praise was spontaneous and I truly was not even aware of making it.
Can a lack of training actually decrease reliability?
By Bob Call, CMRP, Life Cycle Engineering
As appeared in RxTodayI recently had the opportunity to make a first visit to a new client’s site. As you would expect, upon arrival I was required to attend the Contractor/Vendor Safety Orientation Training before I could be set loose in the site facilities.
Be Effective First, Then Strive For Efficiency
By R. Keith Mobley, Principal SME, Life Cycle Engineering
As appeared in Reflections on ExcellenceWhy is everyone always in such a hurry? Recently, I was approached by yet another production manager who was in a panic to improve the performance of his production area. Nothing would do other than immediate help and instantaneous results. It did not matter that the poor performance that he was so anxious to resolve had existed for years—he wanted improvement right now. Obviously the pressure from above was on and the need for change was immediate.
A Reliable Plant is a Safe Plant
By Ron Moore, Managing Partner, The RM Group, Inc.
As appeared in IMPACT newsletterDuring the global financial crisis, Jack Welch suggested that you should “Cut costs deeper than you’d like, fixate on operational details to wring out all the excess, and focus on cash as if your life depends on it.” On the other hand, a 2010 study conducted by Mascio of the S&P 500 over an 18 year period concluded that during a recession, those who cut deepest delivered smaller profits as long as nine years after a recession. Was Jack wrong in his suggestion to cut deeper than you’d like? My advice is to be tenacious about his second and third suggestions. Costs are a consequence of your systems and practices. Costs are to be managed, not cut, and reduced through waste elimination and process and productivity improvement. There is a huge difference between managing and cutting.
Take Nothing for Granted
By R. Keith Mobley, Principal SME, Life Cycle Engineering
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to work with a client to improve their production performance. The plant consisted of high-speed continuous process systems that, to say the least, were highly variable in output and operating costs. Shift-to-shift and module-to-module, the output had only one common trait—it was always well below the system designed capacity—ranging from zero to perhaps one-half of design.What is Risk Management?
By R. Keith Mobley, Principal SME, Life Cycle Engineering
Risk management is simply the identification, assessment and prioritization of risks, followed by a coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize or control the probability of occurrence and the impact of negative events, as well as to maximize the realization of opportunities. What is considered a risk? Risks can come from uncertainty in financial markets, project failures, legal actions, regulatory liabilities, accidents, and natural disasters as well as simple human error.The Key to Risk Identification: How You Manage Asset Information
Findings from recent catastrophic events, such as that in the Gulf of Mexico, have revealed that information relating to asset health was readily available but not properly managed. Analysis of the Gulf of Mexico event indicated that there were conditions in critical assets that could have impaired performance prior to and after the accident.
Solving Our Competitive Problems
By R. Keith Mobley, Principal SME, Life Cycle Engineering
Recently I rediscovered a passion that has been dormant for too long—I returned to the classroom to lead a group of business leaders through a year-long workshop that will prepare them to lead their companies on the journey to excellence. I had forgotten just how much helping others really means to me. Now that this passion has been rekindled, more of my time will be allocated to the classroom.Does Your Storeroom Layout Make Sense?
By Doug Wallace, CPIM, Life Cycle Engineering
As appeared in the May Edition of RxTodayIf the mission of Materials Management is to provide “the right parts, in the right quantity, to the right place, at the right time, with the right level of quality, and at the least total cost to the organization”, then what part does the storeroom play in achieving that goal? To help answer that question, let’s first look at the three main aspects of Materials Management: Acquisition, Control and Movement.
How do you determine which repair parts are critical?
By Wally Wilson, CPIM, Life Cycle Engineering
There are several elements involved in determining the status of repair parts in a Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) supplies inventory. Some of these parts are essential to the operation of production equipment in a manufacturing plant and other parts do not have such a severe impact on the process.Change is a Personal Choice
By R. Keith Mobley, Principal SME, Life Cycle Engineering
As appeared in Reflections on ExcellenceLast week I attended a workshop on change management—even old dogs can learn new tricks, or at least renew old lessons. One of the first topics discussed was how you change the work culture in a plant or company. As you can imagine, the discussion quickly migrated to organizational behavior, getting people involved and tipping point...
Work Force Development No Longer Optional
By R. Keith Mobley, Principal SME, Life Cycle Engineering
When considering problems that limit reliability and performance, most people would agree that improving work force skills
ranks high. Most corporations, however, invest little in work force development.Improving Operator Care: Checklist Fundamentals
How can you optimize your operator care program and data collection activities? Consider the following...
Safety: A Moral and Financial Imperative for Reliability Excellence
By Sam McNair, P.E., CRE, CMRP
We tend to speak about financial issues more than moral issues in the business world. Safety is an issue that has significant ramifications from both moral and financial perspectives. Safety is a financial imperative in today’s business world.How do you capture safety data?
By Donald Ray, Life Cycle Engineering
After a safety incident has occurred, safety data is captured through an investigation, root cause analysis or other documentation as required by OSHA, MSHA or other regulations. The safety data captured during these investigations is used to identify actions that will prevent re-occurrence. What about capturing safety data before incidents occur?
