When it comes to strategic planning, don’t forget the people
It has been the norm for decades that organizational strategic plans have been created by upper levels of management. Annually, the best and the brightest
Featured Story
Are you (like many) planning to be reactive?
I was recently facilitating a “Maintenance and Reliability for Managers” four-part series course at a particular site when the subject of planning was raised by one of the supervisors attending. As part of the conversation, he commented “but gee, Jeff, I’m planning for my people now”. As it was Tuesday, I
Lean Manufacturing
Bring plant-floor zombies back to life; let them use their brains!
By Eric Bigelow • on June 24, 2010
This blog will be somewhat short. I apologize, but I wanted to get a thought in this month. I hope that the content, as basic as it may be, sparks your interest enough to conduct some research on the subject.
Lean in Washington? It’s an idea whose time has come!
By Eric Bigelow • on May 7, 2010
Before I start, I want to relay that this is a rough thought, a preliminary idea. I will more than likely revisit this subject after I receive some e-mails and opinions. So, I will strive to make this
Reliability Engineering
Money talks in quest to reduce waste
By Robert Apelgren • on April 28, 2010
Following along with one of my past blogs, “Reliability is a ‘green’ initiative”, I would like to talk some more about waste reduction. Waste is seen in many different forms in manufacturing, and
An examination of problem-solving and the ‘Error Pyramid’
By Bernie Price • on January 21, 2010
When faced with the task of “improving plant efficiency”, the average plant manager breaks the task down by the five or six existing “departmental silos”. Each silo leader subdivides
People Management
A workplace situation. You’re in charge. What would you do?
By Jeff Shiver • on August 10, 2010
Recently, I have been outside of the United States facilitating a “Skills for Maintenance Leadership and Supervision” course. One of the things that I enjoy doing in these supervision courses is to
Developing your leadership skills through mentoring
By Debbie Zmorenski • on August 6, 2010
Mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable
Maintenance Excellence
Employ standard work in maintenance tasks
By Jeff Shiver • on August 4, 2010
In many organizations, the focus on maintenance tasks is too general in nature, trusting the craftsperson to do the right thing. While we should trust our people, most of whom are highly competent and
Answer 10 questions to attain reliability at the lowest cost
By Jeff Shiver • on July 26, 2010
If you want to ensure equipment reliability at the lowest possible cost, you have to plan for it. With any asset, you need to address the following questions: What is the equipment function? The primary
Other Posts
How do I set the frequency on my PM inspections? Is there a standard?
The quick answer to the second question in the above headline is: “No, but there is logic to the madness.” For those of you who want to indulge in
An effective PM program requires a solid foundation
From previous surveys and depending on the audience responding, either everyone (upward of 90 percent) or a minority (less than 40 percent) has an effective
Attain the double vision of reliability AND maintainability
Have you got double vision? I hope you do, but not in the sense I bet that you are thinking. No, I’m not talking about having one too many or that splitting
Do you have a matrix to prioritize work orders?
One of the challenges that many organizations face is maintaining work order priorities in the wake of the emotional squeaky wheel that yells the loudest.
Will you be the next BP?: How to avoid a catastrophe at your plant
From news reports on the Congressional testimony, BP, Transocean, Halliburton and Cameron are all pointing fingers and trying to shift the blame for the
Important considerations for maintenance planning and scheduling
In this post, we will continue with answering a couple of planner/scheduler questions. How do you initially train someone new to the planner/scheduler
How to lead your company to success in a downturn
Leadership is a very broad and nebulous term. Generally accepted definitions of leadership are “The activity of leading” and/or “A person who rules
Answers to some of your questions on maintenance planning
At a recent conference, a number of questions came up that were never properly answered, so I thought I would take try to address some of those. The questions
Emotional Intelligence: It’s link to improving productivity and profitability
What is Emotional Intelligence? If you ask this question, you will probably get many different and vague answers. The fact is that the concept of EI in
