Reliability is a good thing, like motherhood and apple pie. Everyone wants reliability because it means that your equipment always does what it should when you need it to; your business runs smoothly and everyone in the organization sees the benefits of increased uptime and operational performance. So it’s easy to see why the term Reliability has become so polluted.
PCA's VP of Operations, Dan Moss, headlined a lively podcast episode of Maintenance Disrupted Friday, June 11, entitled Journey to Reliability: A Roadmap for Success by Dan Moss. Hosted by Blair Fraser,
Achieving maximum equipment reliability is a journey, and just like any other trip, it requires a functional roadmap to ensure arrival at the desired spot through the most expeditious route. In this month’s blog, PCA Director of Operations Dan Moss draws a parallel between the roadmaps his family used for childhood vacations and the roadmaps that PCA helps its clients develop to ensure the desired outcome.
With the advent of Industry 4.0, facility management may be reevaluating or extending the role of the reliability engineer (RE). Given its process-centered, highly technical focus, Industry 4.0 presents a perfect opportunity for REs to shine. Nevertheless, in my opinion, organizations that assume the majority of the RE’s work will be process centered are making a grave miscalculation.
MRO purchasing is often overlooked by procurement professionals, and opportunities are masked by the transactions themselves which are high-volume but low-dollar. Resources are often allocated to other areas, and responsibilities for the purchasing function are transferred to maintenance or the storeroom where procurement capabilities are limited. In addition, the imperative for rapid repairs drives immediate, reflexive action and prevents the development of long-term strategic initiatives.
Ensuring equipment reliability is one of the great challenges for industrial operations, from plants to mining companies. Many organizations do not have the staff expertise to develop and effectively run an asset management system, including such core functions as reliability-focused maintenance. Often, they have no idea where to start.
