A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin.

Methods have to
change. Focus has to change. Values have to change. T he sum total of those changes is
transformation.
by Andrew Grove
Big thoughts and small actions make a difference.
Here’s what we’re working on and thinking about.

What
about
you?

Feel free to share this… pass it along.

T hings to think about (and do) this year.
Featuring…
14 points

Rules for Reliability is by Terrence O’Hanlon, CMRP, and is based on W. Edward Demings 14 Points from “Out of Crisis”.
Terrence O’Hanlon is the Publisher of Uptime® Magazine and Reliabilityweb.com. www.reliabilityweb.com
Assets

25 Years Ago: Assets typically referred to an individual’s or company’s financial portfolio.

20 Years Ago: When someone spoke of Assets it usually referred to the IT Group and their putting barcodes on all the computers. This was an accounting and IT
Group responsibility, not a problem for the Maintenance Manager.
10 Years Ago: Maintenance Managers began hearing about Asset Productivity Improvement, Maintenance Optimization and/or new ERP, EAM or CMMS systems.
The focus was definitely on reducing the rising cost of equipment maintenance and improving equipment reliability.
Today: When we speak of Assets today in the US we are probably talking about the crumbling infrastructure and the need to invest TRILLIONS of dollars to repair
or replace them, i.e. failing bridges, rails, highways, airports, distribution networks (oil, gas and electric) and water & sewer systems. The consensus of insurance,
investment and consumer stakeholders and regulators is in. Equipment reliability just isn’t enough anymore.
Tomorrow: Will your company be able to attract the investment dollars needed to rebuild your business? Will you even be able acquire insurance let alone be able
to afford it? Your ability to demonstrate good governance through the development of policies, strategies and plans that address these concerns while satisfying your
corporate business goals will differentiate you from others seeking their share of the pool of investment dollars.
PAS 55: These are some of the drivers behind the development of PAS 55 and why I’m excited to be part of the vanguard introducing it to America.

Boyd Beal, CMRP, Vilinc Solutions, Inc. Practice Leader for PAS 55, Asset Management & Maintenance Optimization and Organizational Change Management. http://www.vilinc.com
auditing
Training is an essential part of any maintenance and reliability program. When
applied to a predictive technology, it is essential that a technician be properly
trained in techniques when utilizing vibration or oil analysis. However, it is
equally imperative that a technician be audited in their use of the technology’s
methods. How often has a technician been sent to training and received their
certification, only to return and not completely understand how to apply what
they have learned. 
One can combat the issue of proper technique through auditing practices sourced
by internal personnel or external consultation. The size of your maintenance
team and available expertise will dictate how this is approached. Technique
auditing can be a useful learning tool to increase tribal knowledge through
the use of documented procedures. Improper technique can lead to inaccurate
results. Inaccurate results can lead to a missed opportunity to prevent a failure
and that can kill any maintenance program. 
In order to perform a technique audit, a proper procedure for performing
the tasks must exist. These procedures must be readily available and easily
understandable. (Remember: the average person reads at a 7th grade level,
procedures should not be geared towards a rocket scientist). Personnel should
have received previous hands-on training for performing the task properly. You
do not want to subject someone to an evaluation if they have never seen a
procedure or performed the task. When evaluating, look for deviations from the
procedure for the task being performed.
Having techniques in place that replicate what is outlined in a procedure leads
to accurate results. Accurate results are a driving force with any maintenance
program. Auditing personnel can lead to achievement of proper technique
therefore accurate results. Utilizing expertise for the purposes of auditing
enhances the program through the enhancement of personnel performance.

Stacy Heston is the Field Services Manager with POLARIS Laboratories. She is a graduate
of Texas A&M and has the CMRP, MLT, and MLA certifications. www.polarislabs1.com
Awaken
To be asleep is to be unconscious or unaware. Some people live their entire lives and we often won’t do it unless we have no other choice.
asleep; unaware of the effects of their actions. They simply follow the well worn
Proactive maintenance, reliability and uptime are related to our interpersonal
paths of a daily routine, blame others—and wait.
relationships, physical and mental health and happiness. We improve them
When we become aware we must act. We may ignore the issue or face it; either all by being awake, aware and personally responsible. Problems “outside” are
way, awareness implies responsibility. We cannot pretend to have not seen what sometimes best solved by looking inside ourselves and being honest. Wake up
we have seen. in 2010 and do good things for yourself and others!
To be curious and to inquire is to begin to awaken. It is an attempt to understand Alan Friedman has worked in the field of vibration analysis / condition monitoring for 19 years.
the things around us. Why did that machine fail? Why are we always stressed He is currently a senior instructor for the Mobius Institute, a provider of vibration analysis
training courses, training materials and vibration certification. www.mobiusinstitute.com
out and backlogged? How does this work? How can this be done better or more
efficiently?
Attend courses! Read books!
Ask questions! The world
opens up to the curious and
becomes a rich and vibrant
place. We become less bored,
happier and more fulfilled.
But we have to learn to listen
and also to say: “I don’t know”
Observe yourself. When
you interact with your boss
or coworkers what are you
bringing to the table? Are
you trying to help or are you
trying to win? Is it about
solving a problem or is it
really about you; your status;
your desire for reward or your
fear of punishment? Seeing
ourselves as we are is difficult
but essential. We cannot do
this effectively on our own,
bearing defect analysis www.mobiusinstitute.com
reliability & precision maintenance www.mobiusinstitute.com
spectrum analysis process www.mobiusinstitute.com
successful condition monitoring www.mobiusinstitute.com
certified?
Why Qualification/Certification Testing is Needed for Shaft Alignment: The need for qualification/certification testing in specialized tasks such as
vibration analysis, thermography, and shaft alignment is justifiable. Establishing
• Shaft misalignment continues to be one of the most prevalent root cause
the requirements for qualification or certification can be accomplished by
failures on rotating machinery.
appraising the experience level of personnel through an evaluation form that
• Most people who perform alignment have not received adequate training. addresses all of the aspects of the task. Skill requirements for each individual
• The people who supervise employees responsible for alignment typically had can then be assessed and appropriate training can be administered. Written/
no training or alignment experience. oral exams and/or task simulation tests can then be conducted to determine the
• Think that purchasing an expensive alignment measurement system will true proficiency of the individual. Certification examinations can be used as
eliminate alignment problems. an effective tool in verifying an individual’s level of proficiency in any specific
task and a viable mechanism to let someone know where they need additional
• Allow contractors to install rotating machinery who are not qualified to
training.
align the equipment.
• The vast majority of people who are required to align machinery do not Prove you’re proficient, get certified now.
know:
John Piotrowski is the author of Shaft Alignment Handbook.
• How to detect a misalignment condition when the machinery is operating.
• How to find and correct soft foot conditions.
• How to find and correct excessive runout and piping strain.
• That there are five basic shaft alignment measurement methods.
• That there are thirteen different techniques to measure off-line to running
machinery movement.
• That the stationary—movable alignment concept can significantly
increase the amount of time needed to align machinery.
• Don’t know how to model off-line shaft positions and thinks that rotating
machinery stays aligned forever.
challenge
Reliable Manufacturing is a constant challenge. Every day we have to strive to and RCM—all of which are
eliminate waste, produce more with less and outpace our competition. Would it represented in the Reliability
not be great if we could practice before the big game? Now we can. Check out Challenge—provide the
the simulation at http://www.abb.com/reliabilitychallenge. Once you try the processes and tools for
Reliability Challenge read on to learn some of the key points to improving your continuous improvement.
score both online and within your plant.
In Conclusion…
We have grouped the elements into three areas: creating a reliable foundation, There is not one way to solve
changing a plant’s culture, and ensuring sustain ability. reliability or plant issues, just
like there is not one single
Creating A Reliable Foundation
path through the forest.
To win the Reliability Challenge, you must start with a structured foundation of
However, when you have
core elements that are built in a specific order that’s not arbitrary or ad hoc. For
a foundation built on best
example, a company would not implement advanced Predictive Maintenance
practices, a clear plan backed
(PdM) techniques if they did not have proper work control processes, ensuring
up by good change management, and established continuous improvement; you
that the identified defects could be planned, scheduled, and eliminated or
have the winning combination to conquer the challenge.
mitigated. Simply put PdM without an effective work execution process is like
helicopter without a propeller; it may look nice and shiny but it is not going to Now don’t forget the most fundamental rule of any game: practice makes
get you off the ground. perfect! Enjoy the ABB Reliability Challenge and practice the game of change,
so you can win our Reliability Challenge and yours!
Changing The Culture
Similar to the real world, taking short cuts in the Reliability Challenge is a Shon Isenhour is an International Business Consultant with ABB Reliability Services
recipe for failure. The plant did not morph into its current state overnight, nor who specializes in the philosophy, tools, and processes that provide sustainable overall
reliability improvement and increased profits. www.abb.com/reliabilitychallenge
will it be fixed in a 24-hour period. Take the time to create a master plan that
takes into account your project, risk, and communication plans. Don’t rush the
change if the resources are not available and take the time to understand the
dynamics of change. You do have to be reactive to get proactive, but reactive in
a smart way.
Ensuring Sustain ability
In order to sustain improvements, you must ensure that the facility understands
the goals. Once goals have been established, use metrics to insure focus.
Once metrics have been established it is important to drive continuous
improvement, as some elements naturally degrade over time. Lean, Six Sigma
change
Managing complex CHANGE within an organization can often
times be very time consuming and often results in less than desirable
results.
Using the chart below as a guideline can help make sure you have all
of the components to effect change. It can also be used to troubleshoot
areas of deficiencies in your program, project or CHANGE efforts
based upon the type of results you are achieving.
So if you are missing any of the key components or these key
components are not clearly defined, your results will be less than the
desired CHANGE.

Larry Covino is a Product Line Manager for GE Energy Bently Nevada

responsible for 3rd party Strategic Relationships and has 30 years
experience in the application or Condition Monitoring, Predictive
Technologies and Reliability project and program management.
choices
Here are some thoughts to see you into 2010 and beyond, no matter whether
starting a new project or a new role. Life is a journey of a series of roads filled
with many options and blind curves. Your challenge is to leave behind a great
legacy with all those you encounter even when reaching a crossroads, like a
different employer. When it comes to your integrity and trust, even when some
might suggest otherwise; always take the high road. Choose differently and it’s
an easy slide into the ditch. When the path is not clear, choose the road that
becomes an enabler, tactfully showing passion and conviction. Stick to your
core values and beliefs.
Look positively toward opportunities for change. Use the opportunities to re-
invent yourself, to leave failures (baggage) behind, and to carry forward the
successes. Be a continuous learner. With corporate downsizing, they can’t take
away knowledge gained. Use it to build the wisdom that enhances your ability to
navigate. Also, you don’t always have to map the road forward from a leadership
perspective but if you don’t, the path traveled never changes.
Along the journey, you will encounter many people. It’s you who must take
responsibility for the relationships. Every turn on the journey equates to a
decision that makes some happy and someone else sad. Keep your friends close
and hopefully, your few enemies even closer. Recognize you are the shepherd
of the flock. You must foster the growth and well being of those you lead, to
mutually serve and respect. Guide your conscience by checking your reflection
in the mirror frequently. Most importantly, ensure that your priorities are
properly aligned. Strike a balance between work and your life. If you don’t have
your health or your family, not much else will matter in the end.

Jeff Shiver, CMRP, CPMM is a strategic Maintenance and Reliability professional

for People and Processes, Inc. www.peopleandprocesses.com
communication
Communicating is something we do every day with everyone we encounter, but
how well are we actually doing it? There are four common components in the
communication process: the Sender, the Receiver, the Message, and Feedback.
However, in order for these components to work together properly it is necessary
to avoid ASSUMPTION. A key source of breakdown in the communication
process begins with the assumption that someone already knows the message,
the message was properly understood, or the correct person received the message.
The Sender is the originator of the message. The Receiver is the person the
message is sent to. The Message is the idea or information being sent. The
Feedback is the interpretation of the message the Receiver returns to the Sender.
To ensure that the message is understood the Sender should listen for Feedback
from the Receiver. 
If the Sender assumes the Receiver knows the message, the message may never
be sent. This assumption has caused a breakdown in communication. If the
Message was “remove x piece of equipment from service because of a severity 5
oil analysis result,” the Receiver may not be aware of the sample result and the
equipment would remain in service. This may lead to catastrophic failure of the
equipment. 
If the Sender conveys to the Receiver, “remove x piece of equipment from service
because of a severity 5 oil analysis results,” the Sender is responsible to listen for
feedback or a paraphrase of the Message from the Receiver. This will eliminate
the assumption that the Receiver heard the Message, and avoids the possibility
the Receiver heard “remove Y piece of equipment from service...” Feedback allows
for verification of a properly received Message. A properly received Message is
interpreted correctly and received by the right person.
Stacy Heston is the Field Services Manager with POLARIS Laboratories. She is a graduate
of Texas A&M and has the CMRP, MLT, and MLA certifications. www.polarislabs1.com
compassion
In my years of conducting root cause analysis investigations, I often get the sense is the absence of self righteousness.
that leadership is most interested in finding a “guilty party” and punishing them.
Instead, we must each look to how we contributed to the incident or injury.
Leadership then feels satisfied because “something has been done to prevent
Every member of the investigation team should assess what they could have
recurrence.” It is extremely important to prevent recurrence when there has
done differently in the months, weeks, and days preceding the incident that
been an injury, a dangerous environmental release, or a major plant outage. But
might have prevented it. Then blame is shared; then everyone has incentive to
simply punishing an individual does not prevent others from taking the same
prevent recurrence. This includes the extended team: Maintenance, Operations,
course of action in the future. No amount of fear will prevent human mistakes.
Procurement, HR, and Engineering leadership. We must ask ourselves these
So we must go beyond the human mistakes (call them inappropriate choices questions: Did I lay out clear expectations? Did I enforce rules consistently?
at critical times) to a place of understanding what encourages inappropriate How did I respond to requests for change or assistance? Did I ignore small
choices, or discourages appropriate ones. This is the realm of systemic causes problems that led to this large incident? Is our training actually effective?
(latency, managing systems, etc). We must find out what influenced the person
In summary, effective root cause investigations will uncover the ‘why’ component
to choose the action, or lack of action, s/he did.
of human error and will include everyone acknowledging their share of the
If we really, really understand how the workplace environment affects workers’ responsibility.
behavior, AND if we imagine ourselves in their shoes, we will usually confess,
Tom Walker is an Independent consultant and instructor with over 35 years experience
“Given the same set of circumstances, I would have done the same thing.” in manufacturing, maintenance and reliability. Specialties are root cause analysis,
Whenever this is the case, punishment is not appropriate because the situation shutdown/turnaround preparation, manufacturing best practices, and FMEA/RCM.
could have happened to anyone. This is what I mean by compassion. Compassion
confidence

Pursue improvements using cross-functional teams to release the magic of confidence. 

Winston Ledet is the author of “Don’t Just Fix It, Improve It” and creator of The Manufacturing Game®, ad is focused on industrial
organizations interested in becoming learning organizations. www.manufacturinggame.com
costs
The current economic climate dictates that cost management is a critical activity of the company also improves with less chaos and the ability to produce quality
for many companies and their managers. Maintenance is very often seen as maintenance rather than a fix it quick / temporary repair approach. Our evidence
an area where cost cutting targets can be easily and quickly achieved. Many strongly supports the notion that morale and motivation impact greatly on the
maintenance managers take the view that this type of philosophy always ends productivity of companies and the unit cost of production.
up with increased costs in the future. This is not true in many cases.
In today’s current economic climate a company’s very survival could well
Methods of Reducing Cost without Increasing Risk depend on its ability to reduce its maintenance costs while not sacrificing its
viability in the long run. The important point is that cost reduction should
Select a system or equipment item. Document the existing maintenance program
be achieved through proven methods rather than methods based on knee jerk
(formal and informal), including operator rounds List the maintenance tasks on
reactions and management decisions based on a variety of assumptions that are
a spreadsheet or PMO2000® software. Provide some conceptual training in the
intuitively appealing but may prove to be wrong. From a maintenance manager’s
RCM Decision Logic. Note that it is important to keep away from complex
perspective, it would seem better to be in control of cost reduction than have
statistical methods if you want people to believe in the results. Keep it simple.
arbitrary targets imposed.
Discuss operating context of the equipment being reviewed. Then establish the
References: Nowlan F S and Heap H (1978) “Reliability – centered Maintenance”.
failure mode(s) that each task is meant to find (in the case of hidden failures),
National Technical Information Service, US Department of Commerce, Springfield,
prevent or predict (for both hidden and evident).
Virginia.
Review the list to establish two important outcomes. The first is to find tasks
Steve Turner founded OMCS International in 1996. OMCS International is a consulting
that represent duplication of effort and the second is to establish what failure company specializing in asset reliability and maintenance management strategy. For the
modes are missing from maintenance program. The latter is derived from a past 20 years, Steve has worked developing performance improvement and cost reduction
programs for almost every form of physical asset. www.omcsinternational.com
review of failure history (documented or in memory), and a detailed walk
through the documentation associated with the machine.
Analyze each unique failure mode individually and apply RCM decision logic
to create a revised PM program.
Then identify the most costly maintenance and think of ways to eliminate
it through redesign. For evident failure modes that are random and sudden
and cannot be treated with preventive or predictive maintenance seek ways to
eliminate or minimize the consequences of them.
Revise your data gathering system using the method described in another
section.
As the new program is deployed, reactive maintenance reduces and the total
cost of maintenance reduce; very quickly in some cases. The cultural dimension
educate
Today’s economy is no reason to simply let down your guard. That is to say, now is not the time to not
train your employees. Employees need to be kept abreast of the latest trends and/or practices within a
certain filed or technology.
There are Masters of Technologies, individuals that bring within a field of study or technology
information or practices without the bias of a company or an individual paying for that information.
Today’s technicians need the wisdom of those that came before them. Masters of a technology that
have the experience and desire to continue to teach and/or instruct those individuals that are out their
every day trying to not only perform with excellence but to give it everything they have.
I know of several technicians that are extremely proud after attending a class on ultrasound, vibration
analysis, infrared thermography or oil analysis. Proud that their company used what might truly be
called today a “limited” resource to train them. I have listened to these technicians talk about their
companies in a positive attitude, an attitude that only exemplifies today’s modern technicians wanting
more than ever to keep their jobs and keep their company competitive.
When we look at the global world market and how we as Americans are suffering from the many
companies that once made America great and how they have left our shores for foreign soil, foreign
workers, and from restrictive conditions that hamper growth and competitiveness. We can only look
at ourselves and the education of the American worker. A society exists today of individuals that
believe in lowering the education standards of our children even further than they were just a year
ago, particularly in mathematics. I for one know the bias of those that held others back in the 1950’s,
so that others could catch up. That was wrong then, and it is wrong today.
The education of your technicians will forever relate to our competitiveness in the world global market.
Educate, and you will without fail, become more competitive and you will build a better relationship
with your employees for a better tomorrow.

Jim Hall, President of Ultra-Sound Technologies and contributing Editor to Uptime® Magazine. www.ultra-soundtech.com
education!!
Educate yourself. Knowledge is power!!  Second, there are a ton of good blogs on the web on this topic (set up your own
web page to capture the important ones, so when you log on during the day
When you have the knowledge, the skills and the experience you have the power
there they are with the latest updates, this was pointed out to me and it works).
to make the right decisions, if not the right decisions then at the least very
educated ones.  Third, attend webinars, they are usually free and are put on by vendors or
are supported by vendors to promote their product, but there are kernels of
It seems the Maintenance and Reliability world is driven by vendors or
information in all of them, again you can stay at home, spend your hour or so
consultants, touting how their way is the best way, sometimes the only way.
listening, again cost effective rules the day. 
How do you overcome this bias, educate yourself? Understand the terms. There
are several ways.  Four, attend a conference, there is nothing like the interaction with the
practitioners who are so desperately looking for the magic that will make their
First and foremost, in my belief, is to read. Read everything on the topic you
program work, forgetting they are the magic. Meeting others struggling to
can, this is the most cost effective route today, it doesn’t require the travel and
make it happen is the most invigorating thing out there, many friendships will
lodging required to get to a conference, it can be done in the comfort of your
be struck and a ton of e-mail will follow. 
office or home couch, you can highlight the points that make the most impact
on you in the book for future reference. Maintenance and Reliability Best Good luck with your program. 
Practices is the best I have read on the most complex of topics you will run
Geoff Generalovic has been a maintenance electrician for 37 years. He has
across in the maintenance world, with some very good points to be reckoned implemented and improved a PdM program in a major steel mill’s Hot Mill and now
with. There are a multitude of magazines with many articles, with tons of links applies the techniques learned there all over the local plant’s business units.
to supporting material. 
effort­—put in the hard work!!
Put in the hard work!!  the hard work, they want quick fixes for everything that is not right in their
program. Hard work and diligence is what gets it done, everything you put in
There is nothing like hard work and hard knocks to teach you what works
to your program today will reap rewards in the future that you cannot imagine,
and what doesn’t.!! When you have a success or find or breakthrough there is
there is a lot of money to be saved out there. Sure there will be mistakes made,
nothing like it, you drop on to one knee and pump your fist and say “YES!!!!”
something we seem to be averse to, in the long run your technicians are better
with the biggest smile on your face ever, it was all worth it and you walk a little
and more confident for their mistakes, look at the winners of the program of
taller that day. 
the year or other awards, everyday people getting it done, making the magic
In the maintenance and reliability world, there is no silver bullet!! Everyone is happen. 
looking for it, everyone hopes it is at the next conference or webinar or with the
Be the magic your program needs!! Good luck with your program. 
next consultant or with the new CMMS system. When it doesn’t happen, interest
is lost, everyone hangs their head, walking away from the best thing that could Geoff Generalovic has been a maintenance electrician for 37 years. He has
happen to their maintenance program, reliability. Reliability in the process of implemented and improved a PdM program in a major steel mill’s Hot Mill and now
applies the techniques learned there all over the local plant’s business units.
work order planning and implementing, reliability in the process where diligent
execution makes a find which saves downtime and a lot of money, reliability in
the equipment operations relies on every day while they are running and most
importantly reliably saving money. 
Everyone looks for the magic of that silver bullet. Everyone thinks, if only we
could find the silver bullet the world will be all right. Well I have news for you,
you are the magic, you are the silver bullet. Your determination to do things
in a better way will drive a program to places you would never have dreamed
of. Granted you need support for equipment and permission to go to some
training courses. There is one component everyone seems to want to avoid, that’s
execution
Success in improving asset performance is not in the blinding brilliance of your This year focus on your execution more than your strategy, once you are
strategy, but rather it is in its execution. It is important to work efficiently and executing well, refine your strategy. 
make sure you are squeezing every ounce of productivity from your team. It is
Paul Marshall is the Chief Executive Officer of Ivara Corporation, the leading asset
equally important and oft not focused on as much, to ensure YOU have your performance management software solution provider. www.ivara.com
team DOING THE RIGHT WORK.
Make sure you understand not only what is on the check sheets your folks
are using to do their work, but WHY it is on there. There is so much great
predictive technology in our space now that generates data that was never before
available. I encourage you to make sure that the data that is being generated
by the technology investments you have made, is integrated to your work
management system. Technology that is not integrated to work management
and planning and scheduling will not be executed on. Technology is being
deployed in support of very well thought out and articulated strategy. Make
sure you close the Strategy/Execution gap.
Build strategy:
• Identify technology/methodology gaps
• Develop tactical work plan
• Introduce analytic and sustaining technology
• Execute the right work at the right time
• Iterate
expectations
How many of us think we clearly define our expectations? I am sure most of us
think that we are very clear in telling people what we want them to do. Rebuild
that pump. Fix that mechanical seal. Eliminate that failure mechanism. Define
the root cause. All of these are very concise, simple directives. They should all
be easy to understand and execute in a reasonable timeframe. Ah, but have we
clearly defined our expectations? 
When we make the assignment to rebuild the pump, did we define our expected
results? Did we ask that they document the disassembly, clearly noting any
exceptions? Did we identify how we wanted them to handle the exceptions? Is
there a mechanism to document failure comments? Do they understand how it
should be used? What content should be entered and in what format? Did we
define the timeframe when we expect the job to be completed? 
When we ask to eliminate the failure mechanism do we provide a clear
understanding of the parameters the employee must work within (e.g. budget
and schedule)? Can the failure mechanism be eliminated by replacing the entire
component regardless of cost or impact to schedule? That’s doubtful and is why
expectations must be clearly defined.
The examples could go on but hopefully the point is made that without clearly
defined expectations, we will rarely get the results we desire from those that
report to us. Make it a priority to define what you expect. With clearly defined
expectations you will begin to instill a sense of accountability and ownership.

Shayne Jones, CMRP, is the Maintenance Manager at

Navajo Generating Station, Salt River Project.
failures

Avoid failures by creating careful work habits. 

Winston Ledet is the author of “Don’t Just Fix It, Improve It” and creator of The Manufacturing Game®, ad is focused on industrial
organizations interested in becoming learning organizations. www.manufacturinggame.com
FRETT
It would be fair to assume that the readers are reliability professionals. In that
case I’m boldly proposing that they resolve, in the space of six months, to make
an absolutely verifiable contribution to greater profitability of the enterprise
with which they are associated.
They can make this contribution if they unreservedly accept the fact that the
basic agents of component failures are always Force, a Reactive Environment,
Time and Temperature. Putting it in other words, whether the mechanical part
is found in a gas turbine, a home sewing machine, or a reciprocating compressor
is of no importance at all. What’s important is that failure of the mechanical
part is brought on by one or more of the failure agents we express with the
acronym FRETT.
cost-justified for all job functions. If with $500 worth of targeted training one
avoids a $12,000 repair, there is absolutely no rationale for not implementing
targeted training.
Claiming that one cannot afford the required training because the economy
is bad is preposterous, foolhardy, and unworthy of further debate. It is true,
however, that all cogs in the reliability improvement wheel must be engaged;
which is to say that all job functions have to buy into the simple FRETT concept
if progress is to be made.
Heinz P. Bloch holds BSME and MSME degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. As a
professional engineer with close to 50 years of experience he has authored 17 books and over 470
articles on machinery reliability improvement and cost avoidance matters. www.heinzbloch.com

To then achieve failure reductions and to eradicate repeat failures, a mechanist-

maintenance technician must not just replace failed parts, but must authoritatively
determine the contributing agent(s) of FRETT. The mid-level maintenance
manager must actively support the endeavor by allocating the extra time needed
to go beyond mere replacement of parts, and even the ranking top members of
the organization must understand that beneficial change cannot result from
business-as-usual attitudes, or without comprehending that targeted training is
fundamentals
One of the most important and most often overlooked areas of maintenance and reliability improvement lies in the
fundamentals. Many of the facilities that I visit are caught in a game of chase, following whatever new philosophy or acronym
has become vogue (I like to call it “chasing the shiny stuff.”). But fighting the urge and putting the “shiny stuff ” on the back
burner is the basis of good maintenance. You must first take a look at basic maintenance practices and see where you stack
up. Does your facility have a good partnership between maintenance and operations? Do you practice precision maintenance
techniques? Are you capturing and using your maintenance history? Are your preventive maintenance tasks failure mode
based and are they in use by your crafts? Do you truly plan your work? These and many other basic questions need to be
addressed in order to build the foundation that will support true manufacturing excellence. Once these elements are shored
up and strong, then the advanced tools and shiny processes will work more effectively to provide the most fundamental reason
for manufacturing… profits.

Shon Isenhour is an International Business Consultant with ABB Reliability Services who specializes in the philosophy, tools, and
processes that provide sustainable overall reliability improvement and increased profits. www.abb.com/reliabilitychallenge
grease
We all know about oil analysis and the many benefits that this important is ongoing and has demonstrate the capabilities of rheometry in looking for
technology has brought to operators of all manner of oil lubricated machinery. changes in flow characteristics of grease, that can lead to thickening or thinning
When combined with other key diagnostic technologies like vibration, infrared of greases in service, including conditions that lead to “tunneling”, or softening
and ultrasound, the insight into the operating condition of an oil lubricated and loss of base oil from grease, resulting in ineffective lubrication. Sampling
component can allow us to make the optimal decisions for operations and advances have opened the doors for trendable analysis of grease lubricated motors,
maintenance. pillow block bearings, gearboxes and other critical components. And other
streamlined analysis methods like Die Extrusion can quickly and effectively
But what happens when the critical component is grease lubricated? More often
trend changes in in-service grease condition to address Wear, Consistency,
than not, we end up with a machine that has one fewer diagnostic tool at our
Contamination and Oxidation Conditions.
disposal. In some cases, this isn’t that big of a deal, but in others, the missing
lubricant info can result in recurring failures as we fail to identify root-causes. Rich Wurzbach has over 20 years of experience in the development of Predictive
In other cases, we are forced to allow the degradation of the machine to progress Maintenance programs and the applications of diagnostic technologies for industrial
equipment. His expertise lies in the applications of Infrared Thermography and Oil and
to the point where irreversible damage has occurred, before the signs of that Grease Analysis, and the integration of various diagnostic technologies for equipment
damage are seen by ultrasound, vibration, or other indications. assessment. He has worked in the maintenance departments at Peach Bottom
Atomic Power Station and the National Institutes of Health. www.mrgcorp.com
How much more effective could our diagnostic programs be if we could identify
lubricant conditions prior to damage, and correct them pro actively. It happens
all the time in oil analysis. For example, when we see high particulate count
in an oil reservoir, we may employ supplemental filtration or more effective
reservoir breathers to eliminate the abrasive contaminants before they can cause
bearing or valve damage. The same type of concerns exist with greases, not
only including the presence of particulate contaminants, but also mixing of
incompatible greases, changes in grease consistency and other conditions that
lead to later machine damage. By focusing on identifying these conditions as
they develop, we can reduce or eliminate the component damage and improve
equipment reliability. Also, when we know what caused the failure or the
condition that could potentially lead to failure, we can address systemic issues
such as grease mixing, contaminated bulk grease supplies, or equipment specific
operating conditions that require re-evaluating grease types, additives or re
lubrication methods or frequencies and quantities.
The time is right to consider some of the recent advances in grease sampling
and analysis that will allow us to include lubricant analysis for all our critical
machinery, not just the ones that happen to be oil lubricated. Excellent research
interrelationships
Maintenance excellence is achieved by understanding and balancing the
interrelationships between multiple facets of asset management. If a single
dimension is omitted risk will be introduced, it may not be risk of equipment
failure it may be financial (ROI) or process related. Reliability improvements
tend to focus on equipment failures which lead to partial success of a single
dimension of asset management.
The key relationships are identified by understanding:
1. Failure group: Equipment, Process or Business process.
2. Failure Type: Normal, Abnormal, or Random.
3. Life Cycle Stage: Infant, Constant or End of life.
4. Operational loading: Under loading, Optimal loading or Overloading.
5. Operational Stage: Startup, Operating, or Shutdown.
By clearly understanding and identifying each item of a failure the correct
mitigating action will become evident. There are individual solutions for each
sequence if identifying words. All five items may not be applicable, but should
be considered in all cases.
Example 1: A hydraulic unit fails by contamination jamming servo spools on initial
startup.
Equipment Failure, Abnormal Type, Infant, Optimal loading and Operating.
This would signify the requirement for commissioning and startup procedures
ether from the quality assurance perspective or if it was compliance issue,
quality control. The facts supporting this conclusion are that abnormal failures
should not happen and by happing in the Infant stage they should have been
considered and mitigated though commissioning practices. Optimal loading
and normal operation negate any operational issues.
Example 2: During a major shutdown work information is lost for several contractor
jobs.
Business process, Normal, Constant, Overloading, Shutdown.
The fact that this is a situation outside of normal business process (high volume
of work, shutdown) and normal (work information is normally lost during
shutdowns) would drive the creation of shutdown business process mapping.
This concept has been developed by Reliability Laboratory and is incorporated
within a logic driven rule set. www.reliabilitylaboratory.com
I–P–F
The installation to potential failure to functional failure (i–p–f) curve shows the value of precision maintenance. Most reliability experts agree that the first best
chance to have reliable systems occurs during the design and installation phase of equipment’s life. Many organizations have been successful at managing failures
using condition monitoring methods and managing to the ‘p’ of the ‘p–f ’ interval. At the end of the day, condition monitoring is still a form of reactive maintenance.
We are detecting potential failures and reacting to them so that we can reduce the number of functional failures. What if we pro actively eliminate failures by
ensuring that well-designed equipment is installed, commissioned, and operated so that the ‘p’ point is pushed as far to the right as possible? 

Bill Keeter, CMRP, GPAllied

www.gpallied.com
intervene

Your greatest opportunities to influence spare parts inventory holdings are at the beginning and the end of the spare parts life cycle. Yet, most companies put most
effort into the middle of the cycle. To make a real difference to your spare parts holdings this year intervene at the beginning of the cycle—act early—and ensure
that you manage the end.

Phillip Slater is an engineering material and spare parts management specialist, engineer, management consultant, and author of the book
Smart Inventory Solutions. To learn more about improving your spares management visit www.PhillipSlater.com
journey
Reliability is a journey powered by the innovations and diligence of the workers. 
Leadership acknowledges defect Winston Ledet is the author of “Don’t Just Fix It, Improve It” and creator of The
elimination is the key to reliability. Manufacturing Game®, ad is focused on industrial organizations interested
in becoming learning organizations. www.manufacturinggame.com
Everyone is needed to eliminate
70 to 80% of the defects.

Defect elimination through the use

of cross functional Action Teams.
Continuous Improvement
Forums to acknowledge successes
and bestow accolades.
Empowerment of employees to
continue to work cross functionally as
they see fit to accomplish their tasks.

Leadership is passed on to the

workers who now own the process.
leadership

Leadership is needed to make our systems more flexible, to support root cause elimination, to clarify our goals, and to execute our plans. 

Winston Ledet is the author of “Don’t Just Fix It, Improve It” and creator of The Manufacturing Game®, ad is focused on industrial
organizations interested in becoming learning organizations. www.manufacturinggame.com
light bulb
I have fond remembrances, early in my career as a Reliability Professional, of when I made
my first “call” (diagnosis) on a particular piece of rotating equipment that was in early
stage failure mode. It doesn’t matter now who the Client was… but I realized then the
power that I held in my hands. It was a little exhilarating to know that I was so empowered
to help resolve productivity loss issues, help maintain my assigned assets and to help my
organization manage and save money which conversely would help everyone within the
Company. Later that year, while participating in a brainstorming activity to help resolve
another tough equipment failure issue, I told one of my superiors that it was my job function
to “help make you look good!”
Facing these tough economic times and the problems and challenges that surround each
inherently complex and diverse organization, I have always remembered that feeling and
have tried to use that energy in all my efforts helping clients and customers solve their
Maintenance and Reliability challenges. While researching a particular topic, I found the
following Latin translation. “Condemnant quod non intellegunt.” Translated into modern
English this phrase means “Those who do not understand… condemn.” In all my travels, I
have always tried to teach, share, educate, learn, participate and generally foster a positive and
proactive learning environment that surrounds the Maintenance and Reliability philosophy
and how it can help you in your personal and professional life.

Jim Disney has been a practitioner of Inspection, Maintenance and Reliability for over 25 years. He has held
positions such as technician, analyst, field services engineer, program manager and consultant in numerous
plants across several industries. His company web page can be found at: http://jimslubricationservices.com/
lubricants
In December 2009, the maintenance manager of a small process plant made a
rather strange statement regarding synthetic lubricants. He stated there’s not
enough difference between mineral oils and synthetics to warrant his going
with anyone other than the lowest cost supplier. Chances are, if his silly opinion
prevails, he can soon take credit for the demise of his place of employment.
Anyway, while the full conversion of one’s lubrication strategy from mineral
oil to synthetic lubricants might be difficult to cost-justify in every case, we
know of instances where the use of expertly formulated synthetic lubes was
easily justified. Two such instances are cooling tower fan gears and the bearing
housings of centrifugal pumps where repeat bearings have occurred, or pumps
where rising vibration and/or temperatures mandated countermeasures without
shutting down the process.
A tenacious synthetic oil film with improved film strength (compared to mineral
oil) will cause gears to operate substantially cooler. In pump bearings on the
verge of failure, a tenacious high-strength synthetic oil film will greatly reduce
the risk of metal-to-metal contact of bearing components. There have been
numerous instances of bearing vibrations and temperatures being substantially
reduced, when compared to continued operation with mineral oils. In these
“bad actor” pump bearings, an appropriate synthetic is thought to fill the micro-
cracks in a manner that cannot be matched by mineral oils.
Of course, it will make even more economic sense to keep the synthetic oil clean.
Moisture and dirt can largely be excluded with good bearing protector seals;
moreover, oil change or oil replacement frequencies can typically be extended
four to six-fold with synthetics. It will be worth noting the various generic styles
of rotating labyrinth seals being marketed today (see figure on left).
Figure: Generic bearing housing protector seals with configurations that risk O-ring
degradation (top left) due to contact with sharp grooves; a configuration that uses
a V-contoured ring (top right) tending to increase frictional drag; and a modern
design (bottom) with optimally placed O-ring locations.
Heinz P. Bloch holds BSME and MSME degrees from the New Jersey Institute of
Technology. As a professional engineer with close to 50 years of experience he has
authored 17 books and over 470 articles on machinery reliability improvement and
cost avoidance matters. Process Machinery Consulting. www.heinzbloch.com
get connected!
Maintenance and reliability professionals can feel isolated, particularly if
working in asset management in a site remote from contact with like-minded
people. This can also happen in a small workplace without the contact with
fellow professionals that is so important in sharing ideas and talking through
proposals.
Such isolation can also mean that continuing education opportunities are harder
to find.
Ray’s solution? I have thought on this over my 45 years as an engineer.
First… join whatever professional organization is available and take advantage
of its networking opportunities. SMRP, PEMAC, AMC, AMP are examples.
Attend their meetings and conferences (heck, even offer to speak) and use their
on-line forums.
Second… widen your views by regular reading of available journals. Many are
available online.
Third… undertake formal studies. Some universities offer distance learning
programs that lead to a formal qualification, up to Master’s degree. (Conditional
entry is often available for those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree). Many
students well-experienced in asset management have told me that their studies
have widened their views and helped their work performance,

Ray Beebe joined Monash University at its rural campus in Australia in 1992.
He has led its off-campus postgraduate programs in maintenance and
reliability engineering since 1996, with students around the world.

Ray’s first 28 years were in thermal power generation in non-metropolitan locations in

Australia and the UK. He developed condition monitoring by vibration and performance
analysis, and has written two books. He has presented at many conferences and his
papers have also appeared in magazines world-wide. He is active In the Asset Management
Council, and in Engineers Australia. www.gippsland.monash.edu.au/science/mre
manufacturing

The loss of US manufacturing has been staggering in recent years with some industries all but disappearing. Let us turn the tides in 2010 using the “American
ingenuity” that first sent the US to the forefront of the manufacturing revolution. It is what separates us from our competitors. What can we do differently? How
can we create products that are better than any competitors? What challenges can we overcome? What waste can we remove? We can produce goods competitively
but it will not be the way our predecessors did it. What changes will you start today?

Shon Isenhour is an International Business Consultant with ABB Reliability Services who specializes in the philosophy, tools, and processes
that provide sustainable overall reliability improvement and increased profits. www.abb.com/reliabilitychallenge
Networking, Not Working
Here are a couple of questions and ideas about networking:  being selfish or are you simply afraid that you could seem foolish when others
read your contributions? If you have a couple of minutes to be honest with
• What do you want from your network?
yourself you might see things a little differently (or not). 
• What are you prepared to put in so that others can benefit from your
The second question is all about what you are prepared to put in to give a little
contributions?
more freely without the expectation that ‘there’s something in it for me’. What’s
If either of those questions was easy to answer maybe you might want to stop, go in it for you is knowledge that you’re freely and openly helping others, sharing
back and take another look! It may be that when you think of your professional your ideas and knowledge.
network that it seems to be simply a place where you can try to find an answer
So, my thoughts for 2010 revolve around moving forward, making just a little
to a technical work issue that you’re stuck on. OK, there’s nothing wrong with
more time to actively contribute to the reliability / asset management community,
that and most of us do it from time to time. Try thinking about it from a
discovering new friends to share ideas with. My hope for 2010 is that some of
different angle when you simply take from a network a couple of things happen.
you might join me in this effort.
The first is that it is essentially selfish to do that and second is that it deprives
others from the chance to benefit from you. So, the real question here is are you Derek Burley, CMRP is an RCM Practitioner with almost 30 years experience in
reliability and currently works for Rio Tinto as Principal Advisor (Reliability).
operation-ility
Facility Reliability (FR) is the reliability of equipment throughout its entire life-
cycle. It can be thought of as cradle to grave reliability.
The simplest definition of reliability is “The probability that an item will perform
its intended function for a specific interval under stated conditions.”  What
makes this definition context sensitive is the word “operating”. Plant managers
want to operate is such a way to meet their quota. Operations managers want
to use the equipment as much as possible. Design Engineers want equipment
that operates to required capacity. In today’s manufacturing and production
environment there are different perceptions of reliability.
FOR is the ability to produce the required amount of product over a specified
period of time. FR is influenced by design (or inherent) reliability (IR),
procurement reliability (PR), installation reliability (InstR), operations reliability
(OR), and maintenance reliability (MR). In the past these have been treated
individually but not necessarily from a reliability perspective.
IR, PR, and InstR are related and can be viewed as the Initial reliability (InR).
InR is a constant after start up. The combination of OR and MR is the ongoing
reliability (OgR). OgR changes day-to-day.
Therefore: FR=InR x OgR
Where: IntR= PRxIR x InstR
And OgR= OR x MR
One metrics commonly used to measure a facilities performance is Overall
Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). This is the product of availability, process rate,
and quality. OEE can be viewed as a measure of FOR but the relationships
between the two must be clearly understood. Of the three parts of OEE only
availability is impacted by IntR. OgR has an impact on all three parts of OEE.
Therefore, if a company wants to change OEE, they can change IntR, OgR, or
both.
Our industry must begin to think in terms of Facility Reliability as a whole
entity.
Richard Overman is President of Core Principles and has 25 years experience in
maintenance and reliability engineering. His experience includes aircraft, nuclear power
plants, mining, petrochemical and pharmaceutical. www.coreprinciplesllc.com
operators
Operator maintenance is often one of the largest missed opportunities in capital
intensive industries.
Our research shows that progressive companies use operators for between 50%
and 75% of their predictive and preventive work by man-hours. The large
number of man-hours accumulates because operator maintenance is frequent
(every hour or every shift) compared to mechanical or electrical maintenance.
Can you afford not to take advantage of operators and increase your effective
resources by 30% or more?
Here is one way to go about this:
Become a believer that maintenance is a process and not a department. This
means that all inspections, tests and programmed component change outs,
whether they be operator executed or not should be derived from the one
process and method. Engage the production people in this concept. Ensure
the production people see this as a benefit to them by explaining that you
could use your scarce technical resources to add greater value if the operators
were provided good instructions and were completing a many of the frequent
maintenance tasks.
Select a machine or system and sit down with the mechanical and electrical
people and the operators and work through the current maintenance program
and failure modes on the equipment to develop firstly, a new operator
maintenance check sheet, and secondly a target operator maintenance check
sheet. The target is used because it is likely that there will be some tasks that
operators could do with the benefit of some training. The “ready to go” changes
should be implemented immediately. The “need some training” changes can be
introduced as the training is completed.
Steve Turner founded OMCS International in 1996. OMCS International is a consulting
company specializing in asset reliability and maintenance management strategy. For the
past 20 years, Steve has worked developing performance improvement and cost reduction
programs for almost every form of physical asset. www.omcsinternational.com
Participate
Participants in the 2009 Materials and Spares Management Survey discovered
and then understood the strengths and weaknesses in their company’s approach
to materials and spare parts management.
This FREE survey covers six key areas of materials and spare parts management,
reviewing 25 separate elements of execution. Each element has four levels of
response, each equating to a different level of performance. The matrix of good
practice builds a profile of current performance.
The first step to improve your materials and spare parts management this year
is to participate in the 2010 survey.
As a participant you will receive a report showing where you stand against
each level of performance and identifying where you need to act to improve
performance. When the full survey is complete you will also get a copy of the
final report identifying trends and issues across all participants. Please note that
your information will be completely confidential—at no time will we use your
company name in conjunction with the information, except in the individual
report sent back to you.
The survey takes about 45 minutes to complete. For more information on how
you can participate in the 2010 Materials and Spare Parts Management Survey
visit www.PhillipSlater.com.

Phillip Slater is an engineering materials and spare parts management specialist, engineer,
management consultant, and author of the book Smart Inventory Solutions. www.phillipslater.com
performance
On the subject of machines, “Performance” is the most important single word The machine is identified at birth and is managed through to its death.
to the reliability, maintenance, engineering or operations professional.
The machine meets its quality requirements.
A machine’s performance goal is to maximize its productivity while minimizing
Globally we lack statistics that would accurately verify that these characteristics
its cost of operating and ownership over its life cycle.
contribute to the productive performance of machines… but we know that they
Machines that perform well share common characteristics while machines that do.
routinely fail share a different list of characteristics.
Achieving the performance expectation of machines is simple. If it seems
Machines that perform to their expectation are: complicated within your operation, then take a close look at your activities
• Well lubricated and ask a basic question... “does this activity contribute to the productive
• Clean performance of my machine”.... and if the answer is no, then reconsider why
• Well lit when required you are doing the activity.
• Safe to work on and around
Mike Bonga is well known in the Canadian Machinery Reliability industry and has been
• Inspected routinely leading change by promoting innovative reliability concepts for 20 years. www.maxi.com
• Installed accurately and correctly
• Productive
In addition, these machines have a management program which includes:
• Measurement and reporting of their productive performance
• Regular inspection using appropriate technologies
• The criticality of the machine within its process is well understood
• Easily accessible maintenance information
• Query-ability of maintenance and performance data
The machine can be compared with other machines of a similar nature within
a common data management software.
The machine might have been evaluated by RAM, RCM, FMEA or FMECA
study during its lifetime.
planning
Planning is normally thought of as the preparatory work before crafts
persons start work. Such advance planning should save time later during
execution of the work. Yet, in actual practice, new planners at first do
not plan future work. They spend most of their time “chasing parts,” i.e.,
helping crafts persons find parts for jobs already in-progress. Curve A
shows this initial planning effect as first a dip as the plant takes good crafts
persons from the workforce to become planners. The curve then rises as
the planners become “Go-To” persons for quickly using the CMMS,
equipment manuals, inventory systems, and purchasing processes. This
interference with planning sufficiently keeps planners from planning
enough unassigned work. Curve A finally plateaus or falls as chasing
parts can only improve overall maintenance effectiveness so far. Curve
B shows management actively redirecting the workforce not to interfere
with planners and shutting down the parts chasing. Planners now plan
enough work not yet assigned so that the weekly scheduling can select
jobs with estimated skill and labor hours. The weekly goal setting against
available crew hours greatly improves productivity enough to raise overall
maintenance effectiveness. Curve C shows advance preparatory work
finally increasing maintenance effectiveness. Yet, this increase is mostly
possible because planners (still being protected from chasing parts) use
a Deming cycle of improvement. They use feedback from previous work
and avoid planning each job from scratch. Curve D finally shows the
final frontier for maintenance planners and effectiveness improvement.
The planners collect and file work orders with appropriate codes and
information. So equipped, plant engineers make better informed
decisions about equipment refurbishments and focus on the proper plant
improvement areas.

Doc Palmer, PE, MBA, CMRP is author of McGraw-Hill’s Maintenance

Planning and Scheduling Handbook, Managing Partner of Richard
Palmer and Associates. www.palmerplanning.com
PM Review
Our research shows that most maintenance programs have holes in them and
often there is no effort made to change the situation. Sometimes, the opposite
is the case. Every time a failure occurs, the maintenance manager creates a
new task. Best practice organizations understand that it is not practical nor
economical to try and prevent or predict every failure. The flow chart helps
organizations deal with failures caused by lack of maintenance.
Warning! Most organizations are already trying to do too much maintenance.
The application of this flow chart will only add to the problem if there are
insufficient resources to complete the current one. Before this flow chart is
implemented, we recommend you run a PM Optimization or Review program
on the assets to reduce the PM requirement first and up front, eliminate
maintenance that is not cost effective or duplicated.
The starting point [F] is any unplanned failure that has occurred in the plant.
The first step is to define the failure mode or mechanism of failure. Following
this [Failure Analyzed?], it needs to be determined if this failure mode has been
analyzed previously using RCM/PMO logic or is supposed to be covered by the
existing maintenance program (don’t forget to consider operator maintenance).
If it has not [N], then it should be put through an RCM/PMO analysis [Apply
RCM/PMO]. If it has been reviewed [Y], then the validity of the previous
review needs to be assessed against the fact that the failure has now occurred
unexpectedly [Failure Prevented?]. The previous analysis may have recommended
a “No Scheduled Maintenance” policy in which case, the outcome was expected
and no further action need be taken except if the failure has now become more
of a problem than originally thought [Increasing problem?]. Then modifications
and a revision of the RCM/PMO should be undertaken based on the decreased
reliability. If, however, the recommendation was for PM and the PM has failed
[System Downfall], then the source of the problem needs to be identified and
rectification action taken.
Note that when organizations commence this type of process, they document
the failure modes of the system or equipment that maintenance is covering. This
list makes the flow chart easy to complete. Trying to implement this system
without the failure mode list requires a lot of searching through PMs and work
instructions.
Steve Turner founded OMCS International in 1996. OMCS International is a consulting
company specializing in asset reliability and maintenance management strategy.
For the past 20 years, Steve has worked developing performance improvement
and cost reduction programs for almost every form of physical asset.
regreasing
High quality machine re lubrication is a vital component of machine health The operational factors (F values) are:
and productivity. There are many areas to consider when making a quality
Condition Average Operating Range Correction Factor
improvement plan, including lubricant selection, storage and handling, re Temperature Housing below 150 F 1.0
lubrication intervals, contamination control, lubricant analysis for effective Ft 150 to 175 F 0.5
planning. While grease purchases comprise only about 5% of the lubricant   175 to 200 F 0.2
budget, grease re lubrication occupies the majority of the lubrication technician’s   Above 200 F 0.1
time. Most plant grease application intervals are based on speculation rather Contamination Light, non-abrasive dust 1.0
than facts and operating conditions.  Fc Heavy, non-abrasive dust 0.7
  Light, abrasive dust 0.4
Grease intervals can, and should, be calculated. Influences include bearing   Heavy, abrasive dust 0.2
type and size, shaft speed, operating conditions (vibration, heat, moisture, Moisture Humidity mostly below 80% 1.0
atmospheric debris, shaft orientation). AMRRI provides a formula that is a Fm Humidity between 80 and 90% 0.7
modified version of a FAG bearings company formula, as follows:    Occasional condensation 0.4
  Occasional water on housing 0.1
t = K * [[(14*10^6) / (n*(d^1/2))] – 4*d] Vibration Less than 0.2 ips velocity, peak 1.0
Fv 0.2 to 0.4 ips 0.6
Where:
  Above 0.4 0.3
t = time in hours until next re lubrication event Position Horizontal bore centerline 1.0
K = product of all correction factors (Ft*Fc*Fm*Fv*Fp*Fd) Fp 45 degree bore centerline 0.5
n = RPM   Vertical centerline 0.3
d = bore diameter (mm) Bearing Design Ball Bearings 10
F = correction factors (see table) Fd Cylindrical and needle roller bearings 5.0
  Tapered and spherical roller bearings 1.0

An example of the product of this approach is displayed to the side for ball
bearings at 3.5 and 4.5 inches bore diameter, and several speeds. These results
are in DAYS between re lubrication events. A pinwheel interval selector for
common bearing types is available from AMRRI at www.precisionlubrication.
com/tools.

Mike Johnson is the owner and principal consultant at AMRRI. AMRRI provides a
reliability centered approach to operations and maintenance basic care practices for
Process Industries, specifically focusing on application of technology and knowledge
to improve machine lubrication, condition control and assessment through sampling
and analysis, either in small increments or a turnkey approach. http://amrri.net/
REVIEW
From a PdM standpoint whether you have a well established program or just
starting one, they are always in need of review. If you have an established oil
analysis program when were the slates of analysis parameters set up for your
equipment. Have there been new tests established, or are there additional tests
you learned about over the year that might be helpful in catching information
about the lubricant or the equipment. Are you utilizing the analysis report
information to the fullest extent to allow extended oil changes, changing filters
only when needed, upgrading filters and breathers? All of the information you
need is right there in your analysis report, you just need to review it and utilize
it!
When was the last time you looked at your vibration spectrum parameters, or
reviewed or set up fault frequencies for the components of the equipment? Do
your spectrums have enough range to include everything that is going on in
that equipment train, or are you collecting more information than you need?
Has the equipment been replaced by something similar but different when
it comes to meaningful vibration data collection. Does it provide you with
specific information on the internals of the equipment or just overall vibration
amplitudes? When was the last time that alarm settings were modified or
changed? If there is a lot of equipment in alarm condition, is it really a problem
or just incorrectly set alarm limits. Maybe it’s not within industry standards but
it is the best it can be for what it is and the conditions it is running in. You have
several years of data and no unexpected failures on this equipment so why not
adjust your alarms to reflect your equipment history.
So why not take a few minutes and make some adjustments. Tweak some alarms,
add some new or different tests, and make sure you are getting the correct and
needed information to keep your program alive and growing. Why not make it
a point to review and update as needed!

Brian Thorp is a 35 year plus veteran to maintenance. His last 25 years have been in
power generation with the last 10 years as a lubrication specialist. He holds the CLS
and MLA II certifications among many others in the predictive maintenance field.
safety
A reliable plant is a safe plant, is an environmentally sound plant, is a cost
effective plant. Consider the following data:

Engage your people in eliminating the defects in all your processes. Your plant
will be safe, cost effective, and environmentally sound.

Ron Moore is Managing Partner of The RM Group, Inc., and the author of Making
Common Sense Common Practice: Models for Manufacturing Excellence (now in its 3rd
edition) from Elsevier Books, Butterworth-Heinemann imprints; and of Selecting the Right
Manufacturing Improvement Tools—What Tool? When? from the MRO-Zone.com; as well
as over 40 journal articles. He can be reached at 865-675-7647, or RonsRMGp@aol.com
SIX
The figure shows the six key blocks of information you need to know when
aligning rotating machinery. Do you know how to handle the details in each
of these blocks when aligning your machinery? If not, you probably have some
major issues with your alignment program.

John Piotrowski is the author of Shaft Alignment Handbook.

status quo
Short for “status quo ante bellum” meaning “the state before the war.” Used to taking the helm of the Green Bay Packers legendary and hall-of-famer coach,
reinstate property boundaries, ownership, etc after a nation is defeated. As we Vince Lombardi, said to his players “men we will strive for perfection fully
move into 2010, many of us have been defeated by moving from one initiative knowing we will never attain it, because nothing in life is perfect, but along the
to another without fully ever reaching our potential in the previous initiative. way we will find perfection and perfection we will have”.
All too often we are caught up in the day-to-day fight within our organizational
Nothing is ever going to perfect, challenge the status quo!
culture to keep the operation moving in the right direction. Many times that
comes at the expense of our maintenance and reliability efforts. Paul Dufresne is the Field Service Manager for Predict Inc. (A wholly-owned
subsidiary of Trico Corporation). www.tricocorp.com; www.predictinc.com
As we look forward to the New Year, I offer you this challenge to identify the
pockets of excellence within your organizations whatever they may be and to
build upon them. Before attempting to take these areas to a new level, first
identify where you want them to be at the end of the year. Develop your plan,
set your milestones and measure your performance along the way. This will
assist you in attaining your goals. If you do stumble along the way, learn from
it and apply what you’ve learn to improve the processes. In great attempts, it is
even glorious to fail.
When you start building on the pockets of excellence in your organization you
can start to link them together. By doing this, you now move from pockets
to sustainable areas of excellence within organizational culture. Shortly after
steel
“As steel sharpens steel, so one man sharpens another”
With every passing year, more and more good steel retires from the workforce.
The best way to address the gap in skilled labor is to ensure knowledge wrought
from years of experience is captured and used to improve the work force that
will be left in place. Mentoring colleagues, developing procedures and processes,
capturing work order history, refining preventive maintenance documentation,
and participating in Reliability Centered Maintenance efforts can help us
sharpen our steel with steel in 2010. Steel that’s not used rusts, and rusted steel
benefits no one.

Shon Isenhour is an International Business Consultant with ABB Reliability Services

who specializes in the philosophy, tools, and processes that provide sustainable overall
reliability improvement and increased profits. www.abb.com/reliabilitychallenge
SURVIVAL
To remain competitive and economically viable within today’s industrial and re-align the organization into one unified goal of improving the plant’s
world of cost cutting, downsizing and global competition, many anxious equipment reliability and performance while effectively reducing operational
and distressed companies are searching “again” at improvements within the costs.
maintenance departments. Whether implementing a new CMMS, investing in
Operational Excellence (OE) is keyed term for a philosophy of unified leadership,
new Predictive (PdM) technologies or the latest buzz trend, these all remain
unified team work and unified problem solving resulting in continuous
nothing more than a fine tuning of the status quo!
improvement throughout the organization. By having “only” company wide
Most North America’s industrialized production facilities still struggle to goals and budgets, empowering employees and optimizing existing activities
effectively change from the continuous fire fighting maintenance, unacceptable in the process, every individual in the organization is made accountable.
equipment reliability and the associated ballooning operating costs. This is after Accountable to not only improving equipment reliability but also the entire
decades of promoting and implementing continuous changes in the maintenance business effectiveness including improving risk-safety, environmental integrity,
programs, advanced diagnostic technologies, and huge investments in both energy efficiency, product quality, and customer service to mention a few.
manpower and financial support.
OE stresses the need to continually improve by promoting a stronger teamwork
One constant over the decades atmosphere, common goals and plant wide accountability.
is the departmental structure
Kevan Slater has spent the last 2 decades as a senior technical consultant for
of Production/Operations, Maximum RPM developing, advocating and implementing technical, business
Engineering, Maintenance, and operating strategies for improving the reliability of industrial equipment to
numerous companies throughout North America. www.maximumrpm.ca
Procurement, Health and Safety,
and Environmental departments
within most of these facilities.
These departmental silos
inherently protect the expertise
of the people working within
each silo while also  isolating the
people working inside the other
silos. The end result is empowered
departments with individual goals, objectives and budgets.
History has taught us that true change requires a revolution or transformation of
complex systems or organizations by a radical change or complete replacement
of the former way of thinking. With the present global recession, competitive
markets, mergers and/or looming plant foreclosures, it is time for change. Time
for a paradigm shift to breakdown traditional departmental fiefdoms or silos
sustain

One of the key markers of success in 2010 will be an organization’s ability to

sustain beneficial change. When we deconstruct sustainable change we are left
with five key areas:
• Leadership: know what to change and when to change (your leadership style
and your processes).
• Communication: understand what medias to use, how to use them and at what
frequency.
• Change Dynamics: know what to expect when those affected by the change
start the process.
• Risk Identification: understand what could go wrong and what you are going
to do about it pro actively.
• Project Management: know who is going to do which step and when, during
the implementation of the change.
The battle to insure that your organization understands and applies each of these
is the challenge you face. When these areas have been addressed with your change
strategies, you’ll be well on your way to a successful 2010.

Shon Isenhour is an International Business Consultant with ABB Reliability Services

who specializes in the philosophy, tools, and processes that provide sustainable overall
reliability improvement and increased profits. www.abb.com/reliabilitychallenge
SWAPPING
A maintenance practices manual segment on “proven best practices for spare
pump operation” notes that the more frequently a pump is started, the lower
its anticipated Mean Time Between Repairs (MTBR). It correctly explains
start-stop transients as stressing pump seals and bearings. Accordingly, the
manual advocates a criticality ranking of all pumps into four categories and
then alternating operation (swapping) on the following schedule:
Emergency: Every 4 weeks
Normal: Every 52 weeks
Vital: Every 12 weeks
Low: Never
This approach does not follow logic; for the most critical equipment the owners
apply the strategy that, in their words, will give them the shortest MTBR.
Indeed, the manual seems to have overlooked that few pumps will run flawlessly
after sitting idle for 52 weeks. After a year its bearings will have degraded
for two reasons: One is micro-vibration transmitted from adjacent running
equipment; that vibratory motion causes the oil film to be wiped off. The result
is metal-to-metal contact and false brinelling, usually at the lowermost bearing
balls. The second typical result is corrosive damage unless dry sump oil mist is
used.
Swapping every 6 to 8 weeks makes the most sense; it will protect the bearings
and will keep the product in piping and seal regions from partially vaporizing.
Swapping will also serve as a training exercise to keep operators sharp and alert.
Keep it up.

Heinz P. Bloch holds BSME and MSME degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
As a professional engineer with close to 50 years of experience he has authored 17 books
and over 470 articles on machinery reliability improvement and cost avoidance matters.
systems
Why is it that great ideas improve your maintenance, but reliability
processes fall apart not long after implementation? Often you will
see excellent compliance while the situation is being monitored,
but after that things slowly move back to the old ways. The answer
is that the system, process or practice has never become part of the
culture. So how do you embed changes into your culture?
Ultimately for people to accept change they need to value it. I
call this the “What’s in it for me” syndrome. To value a change,
people affected have to have a very clear understanding of the
reasons behind the change and the outcomes expected. They also
need to have a robust system put in place so there is no ambiguity
as to what the change entails. When people value the change and
have a robust system in place, the process can be embedded into
the culture. A good example of this would be building PM’s into
your CMMS. Most people will understand the benefit, it will
provide them meaning full work, and because it is systemized via
the CMMS is likely to still be operating for many years to come.
What do you do if people still don’t see “What’s in it for them”,
but the changes have to be implemented for other reasons? In this
case where you have not won people over, you still must build a
robust system and ensure people follow it. In time, the benefits may
become more obvious, but ultimately continued compliance will
eventually lead to a cultural change. The common denominator
here is that you must have Robust Systems and then ensure
compliance to ensure cultural change. 

Mark Brunner is a Reliability and Maintenance Systems

Superintendent for Onesteel Wire of Newcastle, Australia. 
TEN THOUGHTS FOR 2010
If 50 years of engineering of which 20 dealing with reliability gave me any 7. A CHAMPION
valuable insight, here goes ten thoughts (while not new ideas, it may be a useful For success and sustain ability you must appoint a “Champion”.
summary update for successful action—they are in no priority sequence and, of
8. ALIGNMENT
course, there may be more).
Goals must be aligned. Each specific goal must address
1. SIMPLE vs. COMPLEX the Company Business Goals and values.
Keep it simple!
9. MEASUREMENT
“Simple is beautiful” (quote from Story Musgrave, astronaut)
“If it can’t be measured, it can’t be managed”
2. THEORY + PRAXIS Make sure your KPIs are FEW, correct, valid, understood.
Don’t attempt practical implementation if it is not based on a sound and
10. PERSEVERANCE FOR SUSTAIN ABILITY
proven theory.
If problems strike, face them and solve them. Never give up.
You must introduce theory. Without theory it will never work.
BUT: theory alone will not get you there! Henry Ellmann is Founder and Chairman of Ellmann, Sueiro y Asociados, Management
You MUST turn theory into practical implementation. and Industrial Engineering Consultants, Europe and America, since 1958. Born in
Vienna, Austria, 1933. Engineering graduate, Buenos Aires University. RCM2 (Reliability
Centered Maintenance) Practitioner, certified by late John Moubray. Conducted hundreds
3. RELIABILITY BEYOND MAINTENANCE of profit improvement projects and lectures internationally. www.ellmann.net
Reliability is no more RCM alone.
Just as “quality” had turned into “TOTAL QUALITY”,
now RELIABILITY has expanded to also cover Operations
and more… OVERALL RELIABILITY.
4. NOT ONLY PHYSICAL ASSETS
Precisely because we need to concentrate on Physical Assets, we must
explicitly consider the LINKS these assets have with the other assets:
HUMAN Assets, FINANCIAL Assets, INTANGIBLE Assets and
INFORMATION Assets. PAS 55 clearly explains these links.
5. CULTURAL CHANGE
No implementation can succeed without the accompanying Change
Management. This has to be built into the implementation,
not as an “add-on” but as an integral part of it.
6. MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
A requisite, without further comment…
The Rules
There are some things that are consistent throughout any industry. Let’s call if you can come up with mitigation for whatever it might be. Being proactive is
them ‘the rules’. They are almost universal in their application, with only slight great, but you still have to look at all sides of the equation.
variations from place to place. You can try, but I don’t think there is any way to
Rule Four: Never challenge worse.
avoid them entirely.
Never, ever, utter the words “It can’t get any worse than this”. If you tell a
Rule One: Stuff that hits the fan is not distributed evenly.
mechanic “It can’t be done”, it will be accepted as a personal challenge. If you
When the stuff hits the fan, it tends to affect everybody in the room, not just say “It can’t get any worse than this”, “Worse” will take it as a personal challenge
those who caused the stuff or turned on the fan in the first place. If you are in and SHOW you that yes, it can get worse.
the room, you will be hit by some stuff, and by no means will it be in proportion
Rule Five: Just because you’re different, doesn’t mean you are useful.
to your personal level of involvement. Fair? Of course it isn’t fair. Check your
job description. I doubt you will find the word ‘fair’ in it anywhere. I worked for a manager once that would not—could not—admit he was wrong.
Ever. It was like the word ‘wrong’ wasn’t even in his vocabulary in relation to
The real tragedy here is that in a lot of cases—I would almost go so far as to say
himself, but somehow he managed to say it frequently to others around him.
most cases—the innocent are punished and the guilty go virtually unscathed.
If he got pushed to the limit on something that he was clearly wrong about, he
The ‘fan’ is more like a shotgun than a sniper rifle. If you had nothing to do
would resort to his favorite saying, “It’s not wrong, it’s just different.” ‘Different’
with the event but are in the room and got hit by the stuff anyway, it is just
and ‘wrong’ are not mutually exclusive terms. You can be either, neither, or
the price you pay for being in the room. The real rule here is don’t even be in
both.
building – let alone in the room – when the stuff hits the fan.
Rule Six: All things—either good or bad—will get worse if left unattended.
Rule Two: Eagles soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jets.
This is a basic concept that any technical minded person understands. It is also
If you absolutely must be in the building when the stuff hits the fan, being
the entire reason that your preventive maintenance programs and reliability
a small target is a good thing. Being a small target hiding behind a bigger
programs exist. Yes, you can get away with not changing the oil… for a while.
target is even better. Logic dictates, though, that a large target hiding behind a
Maybe even for a long while, but eventually it will catch up to you. This concept
smaller target not only isn’t very effective, but it casts some serious doubt on the
applies to programs, processes, people, and systems as well as to mechanical
intelligence of the large target. Although being an eagle is cool, but there are
things.
also advantages to being a weasel.
Rule Seven: Two out of three ain’t bad.
Rule Three: If you can’t stand the heat, don’t tickle the dragon.
Cheap. Fast. Good. Pick any two. Yes, this applies to your plan. You can have
Consider the consequences of your action before you take the action. This is
cheap and fast, but it won’t be good. You can have fast and good, but it won’t be
especially true in a ‘management by crisis’ environment. Sometimes the medicine
cheap. You can have cheap and good, but it won’t be fast. You can occasionally
is worse than the cure. Sometimes that ‘knee jerk’ gets a little extreme and ends
get ‘kinda cheap, kinda fast, and kinda good’, but that is just a compromise,
up kicking someone in the teeth.
and all three parts of the triangle suffer. All you can really do is decide which
Think before acting. Try to determine what could possibly go wrong, and see two you want and go for them.
The Rules (cont.)
Rule Eight: Stuff rolls downhill.
Stuff rolls downhill. It is a natural law of physics that stuff starts at the top and
goes to the bottom. This is one of the many reasons why being at the bottom is
not really great. You catch all the stuff coming down from above.
But being in the middle isn’t so great, either, because while you catch all the
stuff on the way down and pass it on, some portion of the stuff that hits bottom
bounces right back up to you, so, in reality, you catch stuff from both directions.
In that sense, it is almost better to be on the bottom, because you are only hit
from one direction.
Rule Nine: What you get done is more important than what you do.
There is an old saying that goes “If you can’t produce results, show furious
activity’. It is possible to be busy—or, to look like you’re busy—all day and
accomplish nothing, or at best, accomplish nothing of value. Results count more
than effort.

Bill Brinkley holds an FAA Airframe and Power plant certification, an FAA Inspection
Authorization, FCC ratings, and an Aviation Maintenance Engineer certification, and is a nationally
published columnist in various maintenance magazines. www.brinkleyandassociates.aero
Unacceptable
Nearly everyone agrees that failure is unacceptable. What we can’t seem to agree on is what a
failure is. The best definition of failure I have read was developed by the Nowlan and Heap
led team that made up Maintenance Steering Group 1 (MSG1) over thirty years ago. The
seminal work they did eventually became the backbone for reliability-centered maintenance.
The team came up with the following definitions for failure and the two primary failure
types. 
1. Failure = “The presence of an unacceptable condition” 
2. Potential Failure = “An identifiable physical condition which indicates a functional
failure is imminent.” 
3. Functional Failure = “The inability of an item, or equipment containing the item to
perform to a specified performance standard.” 
The definitions of potential failure and functional failure led to the development of what we
commonly call the ‘p’ to ‘f ’ or ‘p-f ’ interval. 
Defining failure as the presence of an unacceptable condition makes it possible for
an organization to define failure in its own terms. Reactive organizations are willing to
accept any condition up to functional failure as an acceptable condition. Highly proactive
organizations are successful because their definition of an unacceptable condition is when a
potential failure has been detected. We like to call it managing to the p of the ‘i-p-f ’ curve
where ‘i’ is installation, ‘p’ is potential failure, and ‘f ’ is functional failure. 
Accepting Potential Failure as the actual point of failure changes the entire way we manage
maintenance activities, and makes it much more likely that we will try to find the root
causes of the potential failures, eliminate them, and create a more reliable operation. 
Potential Failure = “Failure a More Reliable Operation”

Bill Keeter is Principal Technical Advisor at GPAllied, Inc. Bill has 25 years experience in
maintenance and has spent the past fifteen years using Reliability Engineering methods
to create reliable operations in a wide variety of industries including chemicals, petroleum,
metals mining and production, and heavy manufacturing. www.gpallied.com
upgrade
So how long have you been pulling oil samples by sticking a piece of tubing into a
reservoir or snaking it down into a motor bearing cavity. You may be getting a sample
for analysis but is it a truly representative sample. Sample fittings are the way to
go for a consistent, representative, sample when installed correctly. There are several
manufacturers such as Checkfluid, Donaldson, Minimess, and Trico, to mention
a few, that supply these fittings in various configurations to meet just about any
application. These companies usually have proper installation information on their
web sites to help you to get them in the right place. There are also several articles
written on the proper placement of sample fittings. Another major added benefit to
utilizing sample fittings is saving time when collecting your routes. On average you
can cut your collection time by 50% or more.
When collecting your vibration routes, are you still hunting a flat, smooth, surface
to put the accelerometer magnet on? On some equipment finding a good spot can be
challenging to say the least and if you don’t have a good surface your readings can
be incorrect. Installing a target or pad can provide a good consistent surface for the
accelerometer magnet to mount. These are commercially available or can consist of
magnetic stainless flat bar. They are either glued with a special epoxy or threaded to
the surface of the equipment in the correct axis and provide a trouble free surface to
stick your accelerometer on. This not only reduces your collection time, but increases
your collection quality by providing a predetermined proper surface for your collection
points.
The last and most costly upgrade would be the installation of IR windows. These
allow you to look into your energized cabinets while reducing the exposure to flash
created when a cabinet is opened for inspection. They also reduce the need to wear
the cumbersome PPE required when opening an energized cabinet. The IR windows
are available in different sizes, styles, and provide a membrane between you and the
energized equipment that does not interfere with the IR camera. 

Brian Thorp is a 35 year plus veteran to maintenance. His last 25 years have been in
power generation with the last 10 years as a lubrication specialist. He holds the CLS
and MLA II certifications among many others in the predictive maintenance field.
visualization
Many organizations have pieced together their functional programs;
maintenance, engineering, procurement, marketing, etc. Over the years
maintenance departments may have initiated a PM program, later they dabbled
with predictive maintenance, RCM and LEAN in an ebb and flow manner.
Success was mostly based on the personality of the person driving the initiative.
When the driver moves on the program languishes, or evaporates.
A glossary of terms and manner of looking at challenges and opportunities can
be developed. This allows organizations to develop a culture of Organizational
Reliability; avoiding the ebb and flow of personality driven programs.
Tom Moriarty, PE, CMRP, MBA is president of Alidade MER; a professional
services firm providing insight, advice and support for maintenance,
engineering and reliability clients. www.alidade-mer.com

More often than not, organizations don’t take the time to think about and
institute a structure for how the various elements of organization fit together.
When leaders and the workforce have a common understanding they can
categorize where the activity fits in the big picture and can take appropriate
action.
Visualization of a model helps people to know where day-to-day activities
(Control & Stability Realm) and continuous improvement (Proactive Reliability
Realm) activities fit in the big picture.
The Control & Stability Realm contains Foundation, Processes and Focus &
Execution elements. Foundation elements refer to having the resources needed to
carry out responsibilities; adequate budget, software, organizational structure,
tools, facilities, etc. Processes are the organized activities that allow people to
perform their functions consistently; work management, inventory management,
etc. Focus & execution is correlated with leadership and management; providing
guidance and support to people and processes.
The Proactive Reliability Realm includes Reliability Improvement Prioritization
(RIP), Reliability in Design (RID) and Reliability in Operation (RIO). RIP
takes data generated from the Control & Stability Realm, organizes it and
prioritizes improvement opportunities. RID is the application of tools to
exploit opportunities (RCM, LEAN, Root Cause Analysis, etc.). RIO contains
standards on how to perform activities; such as lubrication programs, predictive
maintenance guidelines, operator performed maintenance standards, etc.
Visualization of an Organizational Reliability structure should work for all
functions in the organization. In this way, common approaches can be established.
waste
The single biggest barrier to identifying waste is called “the normalization of with the new top ten. It is okay to skip a part that does not yield a solution in
deviance.” This is a fancy way of saying that if you look at a pile of junk long 30 minutes. Simply go to the next one. Don’t forget to have some fun with this
enough, you’ll stop noticing it. The pile begins to seem normal. This tendency method. 
is the bane of PM inspection (when people stop seeing deterioration) and lean
Joel Levitt is a consultant, trainer for 25 years to 15,000 people from 20 countries.
maintenance efforts (when people stop recognizing waste). His experience includes electrician, merchant seaman, manufacturing and property
manager, process control designer/ installer/servicer and CMMS designer.
Sometimes we have to shake up our normal methods of seeing. A great way
is to visit other plants, even in other fields. You’ll be surprised how easy it is
to identify other organization’s waste. This ability lasts a few days—then you
will normalize their deviance. Other eye-openers: going on vacation, taking
a seminar or class, enjoying a book or an audio. But make quick use of your
altered sight. In a day or two, most go back to being blind to the waste.
Another good approach is to start a new list. Example: list the top ten parts
used by part number and usage. The waste is right there and can be seen by
asking the five whys. Why do we use this part? When you get the answer to
that question, ask why that happens. Repeat asking “why” another three times.
In a few minutes you’ll get answers which can help reduce usage of many parts.
Remember, for every part whose usage is reduced, you also reduce the labor
and inventory costs associated with that part. This little trick can be repeated
Credits
All author contributions generously given by their creators.
Conceived by Terrence O’Hanlon, CMRP, Publisher, Reliabilityweb.com.
Produced by Reliabilityweb.com and Uptime® Magazine.
Layout and design by Patricia Serio.

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