It’s time once again for our annual roundup of insightful and inspired quotes from the pages of Plant Services magazine and PlantServices.com. Despite the numerous challenges faced by manufacturers in 2020, the industry rose to the occasion, relying on new technologies, increased efficiencies, and an unrelenting spirit to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.
"The initial investment is far from the only factor that should be considered when deciding what kind of remote monitor to use. When we deal with customers who are seasoned reliability and maintenance professionals, it is clear that one aspect of reliability colors every purchasing decision: criticality."
Jon Karas and Wesley Suplit, SDMyers LLC
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"When I found out that I was being promoted, my initial feeling was pride, like I had received a reward for a job well done. I was excited about this new opportunity and decided to dive in head first. The second feeling I experienced was fear."
Rob Clifton, Motion Industries
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"Though it’s easy to assume that a devastating attack isn’t likely to happen to your organization, consider how we thought about school and workplace shootings – or even cyberattacks – in the not-too-distant past. Countering security threats requires resilience born of expectation, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery planning."
Sheila Kennedy, CMRP, Contributing Editor
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"Because of the immense amount of data, and the problems involved in managing it, we estimate that 97% of data (from smart instruments) is not being used. ... The good news is this data can be brought into plantwide maintenance management and health monitoring systems. It just requires a little system integration."
Keith Riley and Ryan Williams, Endress+Hauser
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"The first thing the leader needs to do is to ensure that direction and guidance specifies what behaviors are required. Often, if you look at your guidance, you will find ambiguities, gaps, and overlaps; all of these allow people to interpret what they can/should do."
Tom Moriarty, PE, CMRP, Contributing Editor
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"Going even further, the scheduling aspect of a program is perhaps its most effective leverage for improving safety. The safest job is the job not done. Does this mean the best way to stay safe is to stay in bed? Not quite."
Doc Palmer, PE, CMRP, Contributing Editor
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"When implementing an online condition monitoring system, there are three main technology factors. The first is data management, which involves using an appropriate data structure, database considerations for easily mining data, alarming capabilities, and the implementation of an aging strategy to manage data volume. The second is data analytics. It involves both real-time decisions and embedded intelligence closer to the sensor source, and performing data analytics on servers using aggregated data from multiple assets. Then a third consideration becomes increasingly important: systems management."
Matthew Bollom, National Instruments
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"Effectiveness in management is doing the right things or getting the right things done. However, much of our focus is on efficiency and less on becoming effective first. You can do all of the wrong things more efficiently, so should efficiency be our focus? This begs the question, what are the right things?"
Joe Anderson, CMRP, CRL, CARO, ReliabilityX
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"Depending on the way in which the systems are patched together, if at all, the maintenance department may never know what the actual cost of the (parts) order was. Similarly, maintenance workers may be forced to record labor hours twice, for payroll purposes and for logging hours against work orders, because of poor integration of the CMMS and payroll systems. An activity-based costing system provides a flexible tool for pinpointing the source and magnitude of costs."
David Berger, The Lamus Group Inc., Contributing Editor
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"Our current dichotomy is that on one hand, we have the amazing new digital twins and machine learning technologies available to transform existing asset management activities. ... On the other hand, we continue to face the same fundamental issues, like work order backlogs and/or limited visibility of operating risks, that were being addressed ten years ago."
Bob Francis, Uptake
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"It’s wise to recognize that change is coming, and that two of the newer technologies are already in common use – permanent magnet motors and reluctance motors."
Thomas H. Bishop, P.E.
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"Essential soft skills for an RE include problem-solving, teamwork, composure under pressure, written and verbal communication, and relationship building. REs shouldn’t be expected to know all the answers, but they need to be able to draw upon expertise within the organization."
Michael Blanchard, PE, CRE, CRL, CMRP, Life Cycle Engineering
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"With in-house 3D printing, the housing was replicated in a couple of days and the equipment returned to service much faster. Moreover, the materials met the special flame, smoke, and toxicity requirements specific to rail. Now, MBTA personnel are finding additional use cases on their own based on train maintenance needs."
Sheila Kennedy, CMRP, Contributing Editor
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