Plant reliability is a complex and involved subject area, in which many experts across many disciplines have offerred their tips and know how in getting the most out of your plant. PlantServices.com Reliability Expert Daryl Mather tackles this subject monthly in a Web-exclusive column. The published author (about the book) and blogger (go to the blog) relies on his years in the industry and first-hand experiences to effectively share and teach the best reliability practices.
Lean vs. Lean Maintenance - The recent popularity in lean manufacturing has spilled over into the maintenance world, with more and more organizations attempting to apply the principles of lean to their asset management departments. But it isn't that simple, says Mather. He explains which principles apply and which don't.
Human Error is preventable - Human error is normally associated with high-risk professions, but every plant should pay attention to this maintenance problem.
Tips to improve reliability via solid data management - Data management is an oft-abused reliability practice resulting in numerous company failings, including large-scale asset management mistakes. These tips will ensure that your plant is gathering and analyzing the right set of critical data.
When is predictive maintenance a burden rather than a benefit? - Are you implementing your predictive maintenance managerial plan correctly? Here's how to get the most out of your program and decrease lifecycle costs.
Establishing effective equipment maintenance - Reliability programs usually fail because of poor implementation. Be diligent and implement reliability initiatives and you can realize your goal of establishing a useful reliability program.
Duty versus standby - Maintenance is about cost-effectively managing assets for a given level of performance and risk. Learn to avoid the mistake many plants make - using faulty logic to set up start-up intervals.
Uses of MTBF - Daryl Mather's new book, "Lean Strategies for Effective Reliability: Asset Resource Planning," takes a different view of MTBF and looks at how companies are using this metric to implement modern maintenance techniques and objectives.
The value of RCM - This article looks at the value of RCM and introduces the value quadrant. This approach to measuring, communicating and representing the value of reliability initiatives has been used throughout the world and is part of Daryl Mather’s new book.