Are you a leader or are a manager? Do you know the difference?
Leaders who lead by example are mentors and role models, building business results through relationships and integrity. Before delving into the topic
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Your CI list is long. Which projects should you pursue?
In my last blog entry, I talked very generally about the PDCA cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act). In the first blog in this series, I wrote about how too many organizations get into the Do, Check, Act cycle without taking time to plan it out. We have covered the need to plan and the big picture process of the PDCA cycle.
Lean Manufacturing
Breaking down the components of the PDCA cycle
By Beau Groover • on October 21, 2009
Since we are all going through the planning process to various degrees, and since I received some feedback about my previous blog, I wanted to follow up with more thoughts about planning. Most of what
Where do you want your CI initiative to go in 2010?
By Beau Groover • on October 7, 2009
In the ever-changing world of continuous improvement (CI), we must always remember to walk our own walk. If we, as CI leaders, are teaching and coaching people in the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) process,
Reliability Engineering
Reliability reduces waste of time, talent and resources
By Robert Apelgren • on October 23, 2009
Following along with my last blog, “Reliability is a green initiative”, I would like to talk about waste reduction. Waste is seen in many different forms in manufacturing. Some of these wastes
Reliability is a ‘green initiative’
By Robert Apelgren • on September 16, 2009
Demand for products has declined in many parts of the world, and with more manufacturing being shipped overseas, reliability of our existing processes is even more important than before. Many of my friends
People Management
Manufacturing improvement and the Rolling Stones
By John Crossan • on October 24, 2009
If you’re like me, you’ve listened to the Rolling Stones over the years. Their contemporaries, the Beatles, became more artistic and lyrical as they evolved. (”Not that there’s
Effective communication: Turn this weakness into a strength
By Debbie Zmorenski • on October 2, 2009
Corporate leaders are trained in economics, strategy and a variety of other business skills. Few are trained in communication, yet experts agree that communication is one of the most important skills
Maintenance Excellence
Expert tips on successfully planning a CMMS project
By Kris Bagadia • on October 28, 2009
A well-planned and executed computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) project can yield a maximum return on your investment (ROI). This return is realized through increased efficiency, productivity
Is there life after the death of predictive maintenance?
By Geoff Generalovic • on September 23, 2009
It is sad how quickly a good predictive maintenance program dies, even though the program has gotten a manager promoted, convinced you and others that there is a lot of value in doing PdM to improve maintenance
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Bringing the message of lean to Africa
I just returned from a trip to the country of Zambia in Africa. I was there visiting and helping some close family friends that are missionaries. John
Lean evolves: How to make the most of process improvement
Lean efforts used to be 100 percent directed at the shop floor. What we have seen recently is that lean is moving into non-traditional areas of business.
The power of a clear, concise vision to improve M&R results
One of the first responsibilities of leadership (of an organization, company, team or country) is to provide a simple, clear view of what the future can
Redundancy is not a four-letter word!
In one of my first blogs here, I mentioned my nuclear submarine background. Among the things I mentioned was the redundancy built into their high-reliability
In the M&R business, good enough never is
About 15 years ago, I was fortunate to attend a conference where the keynote speaker’s focus was quality. This person was a successful entrepreneur
How to accomplish a lean turnaround at warp speed
How can I accelerate a turnaround, or for that matter any implementation? I can’t wait; I have to do it NOW! The first item on your list is to stop
Skimping on the training puts your CMMS project at risk
Training for users of a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is a multiple-phase process. There are three areas of training needs: 1) Basic
Turn around your company by following lean model
Is anything working? Are you in trouble yet? Is it you, or is it the economy? The fact of the matter is, IT’S YOU! Why? You are the one that has
Information management is the key to maintenance performance
One area that we often overlook is that of information management. That’s actually one of the more important areas, but it lacks glamour and excitement
