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What our plants have failed to learn in 25 years
Twenty-five years ago, I left the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine program. As I gained experience in civilian industry, I began to appreciate the Navy’s aplomb for reliable engineering, exceptional training and consistent operations. Their penchant for comprehensive preventive maintenance programs
Can maintenance and operations coexist? A radical process change story
My previous blog described a plant with no supervisors and with self-directed work teams that handled maintenance and operations. Most of us come from traditional plant organizations with an operations group and a maintenance group with their own supervisors and specialized skilled crafts. One of the
Craft skills: Who are you going to call when it hits the fan?
While it seems that every day as of late reminds us of impending doom and gloom, Neil Strauss gives us a new book entitled “Emergency” that details actions to take when disaster strikes. It was the “bonus” tip that struck home. “Make friends with your neighbors, especially
Now more than ever, your plant needs to implement 5S
One of the basic tenets of manufacturing is there is never a shortage of challenges. When times are good, the challenge is how to make more on-time deliveries with the least cost possible. In this current economic environment, the challenge is how to make on-time deliveries with the resources available.