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.
How to Establish a Project Governance Process
It had been a long two days at the corporate headquarters and Lesley had a lot of information thrown at her but the statement from her boss, the VP of Manufacturing, is what kept echoing in her head.
“We are very disappointed in your team’s ability to execute on its commitments.”
It wouldn’t have stung so much if it was incorrect. As a Plant Manager, Lesley had the same concerns her boss had vocalized. She tried her best to follow up on projects and initiatives in the midst of the daily whirlwind of activity, but it wasn’t effective enough and time was passing quickly. Three quarters of the year was gone and her team had only spent five percent of its capital budget. Several corporate initiatives that her team had committed to implement had yet to start. Most troubling, some projects that were critical to implement because they drove financial gains had been started, but for a variety of different reasons the projects were not completed nor did they deliver financial gains.
Can you trust your data analytics? Use these tips to check your data integrity
Placeholder
How to Align an Industry 4.0 Strategy with your Asset Management Strategy
Much has been written about Industry 4.0 and there is little doubt that companies will increasingly leverage digital technologies to improve their bottom line. But what specifically does Industry 4.0 mean to your organization? What is the right level of effort for your enterprise to invest in digital transformation? Which new technologies should your organization incorporate into your business?
Preparing for Post-COVID Demand
Post-COVID demand for goods in the United States is expected to create a significant challenge for manufacturers. In certain industries production demand could be boosted even more if a large federal infrastructure bill is passed.
Has the Role of the Reliability Engineer Changed?
Look up Reliability Engineer (RE) jobs on Indeed.com and you’ll find more than 20,000 openings listed. I would argue that emerging technologies are driving some of this huge demand, which raises some questions. Has the role of the manufacturing plant RE changed? What new skills and competencies are required and what do REs need to do to stay on top of the changes and continue their vital role in managing the life cycle of assets?
Six Attributes to Look for When You Hire Your Next Maintenance Planner
Why do maintenance departments need to “invest wisely” when hiring for a maintenance planner? Consider this: a skilled maintenance planner will save three hours in time and/or materials for every hour of effective planning. Having the right person in this position can mean the difference between an efficient planning and scheduling process and one that wastes time and money.
Corrective Action for ISO 55000
How to drive continual improvement through an impactful Corrective Action program
At its core, the Corrective Action (CA) process addresses issues or gaps that have been identified, develops a complete action plan to address those issues or gaps, and resolves them completely and verifiably. The CA process should be rigorous, consistent, repeatable, and accommodate a wide range of uses. Using a methodical approach, a CA process:
Is it Time for an After-Action Review of your Business Continuity Management Plan?
As I write this article we are in the early stages of economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Business leaders are asking “What can we do to recover?” and “What can we do to be better prepared in the future?” While the events of the last few months are still fresh in our minds we need to conduct after action reviews.
Asset Management Strategy: Creating a Business Case for Change
Asset-intensive organizations like manufacturing plants, industrial facilities, and public utilities depend on strong management of physical assets to reliably meet operational and financial goals. To implement an asset management strategy that will produce predictable, reliable, and sustainable results means the organization clearly understands how and where to make the best investments in its asset management system. These investments include designing for reliability and better reliability and maintenance work processes throughout the asset life cycle as well as training people at all levels of the organization.
Five Actions to Win Your Bean Counter’s Approval
If leading business experts, publications and websites are any indication, you know how critical innovative thinking is to your company’s future. But you may also feel frustrated with the approval process at your firm. You may have failed to get approval for great ideas in the past and that is negatively impacting your desire to propose new ideas in the future.
Asset Management Strategy: Leading Through Observation
Asset-intensive organizations like manufacturing plants, industrial facilities and public utilities depend on strong management of physical assets to reliably meet operational and financial goals. Implementing an asset management strategy and system that will produce sustainable results clearly requires executive-level sponsorship. In organizational change leadership terms this translates to being an active and visible leader. So what does that mean for asset-intensive organizations seeking to improve their asset management strategies?
Why Your Facility Needs an Asset Management Strategy
Asset-intensive organizations like manufacturing plants, industrial facilities and public utilities depend on excellent management of physical assets to reliably meet operational and financial goals. Many owners confuse a capital asset replacement plan (a reactive and costly strategy) with an asset management strategy that proactively reduces cost and risks while extending and maximizing the useful life of the assets
Internal Audit for ISO 55000
When looking at the tremendous scale of an asset management implementation, it’s easy to push off some of the “smaller” clauses like 9.2 Internal Audit. In doing so, an organization overlooks a valuable method for gauging project progress and for educating affected personnel about asset management and the ISO standard.
Enterprise Transformation: The CIO’s Roadmap to Operational Excellence
Enterprise transformation, disruptive technology, predictive analytics, Internet of Things, enterprise visibility...As the CIO of a transportation organization you’re faced with enough technology buzzwords to make your head spin. From transit passengers to front-line maintenance workers, the stakeholders that matter to your organization demand easier access to better information.
Reliability Centered Maintenance: 40 Years Young and as Relevant as Ever
Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) is turning 40, but it isn’t “over the hill.” In fact, RCM is just as relevant and strong an approach today as it was when Nowlan and Heap published “Reliability Centered Maintenance” in 1978.
Changing Company Culture: It’s a Matter of Principles
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a client say, “We’ve got to change the culture!” I would be a wealthy man.
Asset Management Plans: An ISO 55000 Building Block
With the increased adoption of the ISO 55000 Standard for Asset Management, released in early 2014, more and more companies are contacting us and asking for help in understanding the standard and developing an ISO-compliant asset management system.
Pursuing a Leaner Spare Parts Inventory
Most organizations have a significant financial investment in spare parts Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) storeroom inventory. Yet only about 8-10% of this investment is commonly used on an annual basis. The remaining 90 to 92% of the inventory consists of critical spares and slow-moving, excess, or obsolete parts. Let’s first examine what makes up the 90-92% portion of inventory and then consider some strategies that can reduce the overall investment required to keep production operating without unnecessary downtime.
Using a Reliability Scorecard to Measure if Your Project is Delivering Results
Let’s assume you have the necessary sponsorship and formal approvals to invest in improving reliability. Remembering Stephen Covey’s second habit (begin with the end in mind), how can you measure if your reliability improvement project is delivering results that align with business objectives?
12 Steps to Inventory Recovery
The original 12-Step Recovery Program was developed in the 1930’s and incorporated by Alcoholics Anonymous to help people deal with their "powerlessness" to stop drinking. Since then the 12-step model has been adopted by many other groups dealing with an array of issues that all have one thing in common: a desire to stop.
