Bob Latino

Bob is co-author of numerous articles and has led seminars and workshops on FMEA, Opportunity Analysis and RCA, as well as co-designer of the award winning PROACT® Investigation Management Software solution. He has authored or co-authored six (6) books related to RCA and Reliability in both manufacturing and in healthcare and is a frequent speaker on the topic at domestic and international trade conferences. Bob has applied the PROACT® methodology to a diverse set of problems and industries, including a published paper in the field of Counter Terrorism entitled, “The Application of PROACT® RCA to Terrorism/Counter Terrorism Related Events.”

Bob Latino Articles

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

What’s Wrong With The Term “Root Causes”?

Reading Time: 2 minutes There is great variation when it comes to a common understanding of the term ‘Root Cause Analysis’ or RCA. In a previous, lengthy paper, I

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

The Stigma of RCA: What’s in a Name?

Reading Time: 4 minutes The Stigma of ‘RCA’ Let’s start off with some honesty…the term ‘RCA’ (Root Cause Analysis) is quite vague, misleading and easily misinterpreted by those who

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

RCA in Action: The Space Shuttle Columbia Investigation

Reading Time: 3 minutes As is typical in our manufacturing organizations, oftentimes it takes high visibility events with catastrophic consequences for a full-blown Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to be

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

Root Cause Analysis Without Verification is Conventional Wisdom

Reading Time: 5 minutes Root cause analyses are done every day all over the world. Organizations do root cause analysis because it is good business. From an explosion in

by Bob Latino

Updated: November 12, 2024

Hidden Treasure: Eliminating Chronic Failures Can Cut Maintenance Costs Up To 60%

Reading Time: 4 minutes Every year, U.S. industry spends well over $300 billion on plant maintenance and operations. An estimated 80% of these dollars are expended to correct chronic

by Bob Latino

Updated: November 27, 2023

Workers Are Industry’s Most Important Resource: Harness Their Power by Mastering the Art of Serving

Reading Time: 4 minutes Why are Human Assets Important? A realization that appears to be taking hold in corporate America today is that the answer to increased productivity and

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

Here Lies Troubleshooting: In Today’s Competitive World, “Analysts” Find Real Solutions

Reading Time: 5 minutes In many ways, this article is a requiem for a time-honored function in plants and processing facilities throughout the chemical industry. In today’s competitive environment,

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

Tesoro Escondido: Eliminando Fallas Crónicas Puede Reducirse el Costo de Mantenimiento Hasta en un 60%

Reading Time: 5 minutes Cada año, la industria estadounidense gasta bastante más de $300 mil millones de dólares en mantenimiento de la planta y sus operaciones. Un estimado 80%

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

Become An Equipment Reliability Detective: Preserve Failure Data

Reading Time: 6 minutes It’s amazing how quickly failure data (evidence) can disappear after a ‘failure’ has occurred. Following such an unexpected incident, there is sometimes a lot of

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

Nylon Plant Case Study

Reading Time: 2 minutes This case study took place at a nylon plant in Virginia which at the time provided major amounts of nylon to the tire and carpet

by Bob Latino

Updated: November 17, 2023

Fighting Failure: Changing A Plant’s Culture To No Longer Accept Failure

Reading Time: 6 minutes Failure has become a part of every industrial culture around the world; it permeates everything we do in an industrial facility. It is so much

by Bob Latino

Updated: November 3, 2023

How to Select the “RIGHT” Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Vendor?

Reading Time: 4 minutes With RCA being a buzzword of the weeks, companies are faced with a slew of new vendors with numerous RCA methods and practices to help