About This Site
This site contains over 80 articles, most of which were published as monthly articles on this and other sites, covering all aspects of the maintenance of plant and infrastructure in large industries and institutions based on many years of unique experience, common sense and rational thinking. Topics range from the management of small tools through the selection and implementation of maintenance computer systems to managing large plant shutdowns.
The emphasis is always on processes and activities that prevent breakdowns or other failures, not on how to repair things that fail.
During my 30 years in maintenance management and 15 more years as a maintenance management consultant in many countries I kept a log of things that worked well and things that did not. This website is the result of the contents of that log, with a good dose of engineering logic thrown in.
You’ll see no confusing abbreviations, such as “CMMS”, “MRO” or “CBM” and no reference to TPM, Lean Manufacturing and other initiatives, not because those initiatives are not of value but because the focus here is on the basic principles and logical thinking on which these programmes are based.
And because I have been away from industry for some time I do not include a discussion on the many amazing tools that have been introduced to industry recently, such as wireless machinery monitors that can automatically send an e-mail if vibration, temperature or other measurements become a concern, and can even diagnose the problem. The Internet of Things, I am sure, will revolutionize maintenance in the near future, but only skilled people will be able to make the repairs that machinery requires from time to time. My focus in these articles is on these people and providing with the things they need to do the best job that they can.
All articles are based on my beliefs which are as follows:
– The purpose of maintenance, always, is not to fix things when they break, but to prevent them from breaking.
– Maintenance and Operations together make up the team that leads to success in manufacturing.
– Skilled tradespeople are proud of their skills and ability and welcome any changes that make it easier for them to show what they can really do.
– Maintenance “improvements” are of no value unless tradespeople and their supervisors can see and understand how their jobs have become easier, more rewarding or more valuable.
– Maintenance management is largely the process of ensuring that tradespeople have all the resources they need, roadblocks are removed and they are always working on the jobs with the highest priority and value.
A last word – an apology to the many wonderful women in trades and in maintenance management and supervision. In these articles, the male gender is used for simplicity but you can be sure that you’ve not been forgotten.
Click here to go to the articles list
Management is getting people to do what you want them to do.
Leadership is getting people to want to do what you want them to do (dsa).
© Veleda Services
Don Armstrong, P. Eng (retired)
President, Veleda Services
dsarmstrong@shaw.ca
250-655-8267 Pacific Time