How many tradespeople do you really need?
Several years ago, when I was trying to get approval to hire an additional machinist, my boss, who was a very smart mill manager, said “Don, I do believe that if you had twice
Root Cause Analysis of complex systems
See also – “Root cause, a discussion” There are six key steps in addressing the root cause of problems 1 – Describe all the symptoms of the problem in detail 2 – Identify
PM inspection route tips
A fundamental component of your reliability programme is a well-structured equipment inspection process. If good design standards (such as the use of mesh safety screens for belts and couplings) have been followed during the
Tips for Maintenance Computer System Implementatio…
This article contains a list of a few of the things that should be considered when implementing a maintenance computer system, with some good and bad examples. Many of these tips can also be
Always check your work
As a maintenance mechanic it almost goes without saying that an essential step in most detailed work plans is to check your work before you hand the equipment back to the operator. Sometimes that’s
Should you contract your Maintenance work?
Some principles and a case study As an option to reduce plant costs, plant managers may consider contracting out maintenance work. This may have some merit, depending on many factors, including the nature of
Maintenance Database Design, from First Principles
In other articles on this site, we’ve discussed identifying the required outputs for a maintenance computer system as an early step toward database design. “Outputs” include all those documents or screens used by Maintenance
Daily scheduling
This article will be easier to follow if you have watched Part 1 and Part 2 of the weekly scheduling videos. Following the guidelines in these videos you will be able to produce and maintain