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Flavor of the day: Terror isn’t just for airplanes anymore

Flavor of the day: Terror isn’t just for airplanes anymore

By Ned Mitenius • on January 12, 2010

Christmas Day. Terror in the skies! A bomb and a terrorist pass through airport screening undetected. If not for a failure to detonate, there would be many lives lost over American soil. It will certainly seem that I am rambling off-subject for a maintenance blog as I talk about terror in the skies (and

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You need to take care of your customers, your operators and your techs!

You need to take care of your customers, your operators and your techs!

By Rex Gallaher • on July 10, 2009

The customer is the end reason that the plant exists. However, the people who interact with the customer are employees. Management’s focus must be on those interfaces. They cannot get to the customer otherwise. Therefore, I would direct management to focus on employee development, training, behavior,

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Questions, comments and random thought triggers on maintenance

Questions, comments and random thought triggers on maintenance

By Rex Gallaher • on July 8, 2009

I evaluate maintenance operations on the existence of effective PM programs, a working and meaningful work order and information system, effectiveness of the stockroom, and the processes in place to support the technician. Are there contingent processes in place for handling emergencies? Are there seasonal

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The rise of autonomous operator maintenance and work redesign

The rise of autonomous operator maintenance and work redesign

By Rex Gallaher • on June 16, 2009

My blog entry on the “White Glove Story” got close to the idea of operator maintenance. My study on the coal gasification generating plant was about the ultimate vision of the one employee who has the skills and ability to do whatever is necessary to keep the process operating effectively. What

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The ‘White Glove Story’ and dirty little TPM secrets

The ‘White Glove Story’ and dirty little TPM secrets

By Rex Gallaher • on June 11, 2009

Several years ago, a group called the Maintenance Excellence Roundtable met on the West Coast to present what it had accomplished during the previous year and where it was headed for the coming year. We were privileged to have Robert Williamson in attendance, and he told us a story that stuck with me

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