Are the outcomes different when we use the 5-Whys, the Fishbone or a Logic Tree?  Can deficiencies in our approach to RCA increase the risk of excessive downtime?  These questions will be discussed to determine if we are using Root Cause Analysis or Shallow Cause Analysis approaches.

Download PDF

(93x)

In a year that promises to be a financial challenge for most corporations, we must make decisions as to where to invest our scarce dollars and where to cut from our current operations.  When faced with these decisions, we must be realistic and pragmatic about how short-term decisions impact our long-term goals.  Yes, times are hard now, but how well positioned will we be when the economy picks up (and keep the faith, it will pick up)?

Download PDF

Followed with a  commentary by:
Robert J. Latino, CEO, Reliability Center, Inc.

The Reliability Approach… “Something understood and practiced by engineers and highly specialized technicians,” is apt to be the first reaction of the line supervisor, “certainly not an area where I can be expected to become involved.”  Although this reaction is understandable; nothing is farther from reality. Let’s explore why in this paper.

Download PDF

Good Morning, I ‘m delighted to be here. And here is anywhere. I used to think, as many of you probably think, that 75 is really old. But since the alternative is not too hot I’ve changed my mind. Yes, I am 75 going on 90.

One of the advantages of having someone as old as me on the podium is that I can give you a living history lesson about the Art and perhaps the science of Reliability and its relationship to maintenance. I’ll try to do that but perhaps I can do more because as I have seen events unfold over the years I could step back and see trends that others, who are younger, may not see. This is not a put- down because you can read about what has happened which I suspect most of you do. But for me this rather special oversight of history can be projected into the future, a future that you may shape and certainly encounter.

Download PDF

Financial payoffs promised by so many people. Magazine articles, tradeshow presentations, etc. Hopes and dreams are high. Yes, there are some truly great returns already being accomplished, but how much more can be accomplished with only a little bit more thought. Using various technologies such as infrared, ultrasound, oil analyses as well as machinery vibration to monitor machinery running condition and defects – is not what I call “machinery improvement.” To use any of those technologies to analyze for root-cause followed by good corrections that will bring a machine’s running condition and running smoothness to the level expected from a new machine – is not what I call machinery improvement. Machinery improvement is described as using proactive procedures to perform certain machinery maintenance functions “just a little bit better” and in such a way that the machinery comes out better than expected when new. But do the various people who should cooperate on machinery improvement really know the difference between “reactive” and “proactive”? We’ll have to really look at that one!

Download PDF

(105_guest)

I believe that the main driven force to change from a reactive Maintenance organization to a proactive Maintenance organization is to have the support and the direction from top to bottom. Management should not only commit to this effort, but it should assign a champion or even better a Reliability Manager that reports to the same level of the overall organization that the Maintenance and Operations Manager reports to. This manager should be a person with broad experience in Maintenance and Operations, and most importantly that each level of the organization recognize he or she as a key player in this effort.

Download PDF

(104_guest)

There have been numerous discussions within industry, professional societies, trade associations and educators concerning the future workforce and skilled labor. The purpose of this essay is to explore the US Census Bureau data and compare to Departments of Labor and Commerce data. Is there really an issue? What is the condition of our future workforce and why? Could the change in our skilled labor signify a disaster for the US Economy? What is the impact of overseas industry? Dr. Penrose explores the evidence and connects the dots that are being missed by industry stakeholders, from government to business and industry leaders, in this essay, which is a continuation of the series relating business to reliability and maintenance.

Download PDF

(102_guest)

Globalizations have left many manufacturing and service-oriented companies with the option of pursuing worlds best practices or perish. Many companies now realize the need for the development of world class systems and methodologies, as well as acquiring the “productivity tool” that will let them be in a commercial position to offer competitive manufacturing resource planning that assures customers of quality goods and services and compliance with international quality requirements on different industry fields.

Download PDF

(101_guest)

Change Management is an inherent element to any quality, productivity or improvement project, and represents modifications to the “way of living” inside a company; as a consequence, it needs to be handled in a strategic manner. During my experience as consultant and key user of many diverse kinds of projects, I have found that there are many useful materials for assisting us in understanding this key responsibility. Nevertheless, most of the time we need to spend a quantity of time and resources to understand and combine this concept with project planning and implementation.

Download PDF

(100_guest)

When thinking of combining ISO 9001 standards and software implementation or improvement projects, most companies seek to search for the best financial, commercial and operational results. Nowadays, many prestigious consulting firms/teams can offer such solutions to assist the search. The key is to choose the right value adding consultancy service for your organization.

Download PDF

(99_guest)