It has now been roughly 20 years and four months since I met with the reliability team of a Well-Known Petrochemical Company—let’s call it “WKPC”—to discuss ways to improve the organization's reliability performance. During about four hours of discussion, we reviewed a reasonably accurate list of how best-of-class performers achieve their often-envied standing and what might be the underlying factors that caused WKPC to fall short of meeting reasonable expectations. 

By way of summary, we considered the fact that top-quartile companies pay much attention to the often overlooked, generally “unglamorous” basics. We made the point that these high performers emphasize the need to understand when, where, and how appropriate work practices and upgrade measures make economic sense. I attempted to express the belief that WKPC would get more rapid, readily quantified results from the near-term strategy of identifying and picking the “ripe, low-hanging fruit” before embarking on the definition, selection, and implementation of plant-wide TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) or similar “packaged” programs.

WKPC elected not to go that route. Instead, it engaged the services of a maintenance-management firm to do what maintenance-management firms did: work on the maintenance process, but not on the reliability process.

Subsequently, as a person who had those business dealings with WKPC, I received, in August of 2001, a note from the bankruptcy court advising me that the company was reorganizing and, alas, seeking court protection from the demands of its creditors.

Choose The Right Priorities And Methods
It has been my experience that the most successful companies have followed the priority path of identifying the ripe, low-hanging fruit. These successful companies have found this path to accomplish, first, an upgrading of the knowledge base of the maintenance-reliability functions in an industrial facility. Next, this type of educational up-lift inevitably facilitates the initial acceptance and ultimate success of TPM or well-focused RCM (Reliability-Centered Maintenance) efforts. We have often expressed the fear that many purveyors of “magic bullet” work processes are themselves not sufficiently familiar with what basics we are referring to here, nor do they have a grasp of the financial loss that accrues from the lost opportunities.

So, going forward, each day and on each project in which you are involved, be sure to ask yourself this question: "Am I using the best approach?"

heinzpbloch@gmail.com

Editor's Note: For sources of additional reading on reliability topics
and associated best practices, CLICK HERE for a list of Heinz Bloch's 22 books.

 

 

 

A Heavy Lift in The Latest
Industrial Revolution

 

Part IV: Take A 'Fingerprint to Footprint'
Approach to Asset Management
(Optimizing Asset Loading)
By Ken Bannister, MEch (UK)
CMRP, MLE, Editor
This process is a team effort. Asset loading, of every piece of equipment, process line, and vehicle used in your operations affects the assets’ health, emissions, and energy use. All of that, in turn, impacts the sustainability of more than just your plant.

 

 

 

 

 

VISIT OUR PARTNERS