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    • Palmer's Planning Corner

    Palmer’s Planning Corner is a monthly column exploring the productivity piece of maintenance. Planning and scheduling allows a plant to complete extra proactive work even when it has its hands full with reactive work. Plant Services Contributing Editor Doc Palmer explains different principles and issues each month to make successful what should be a rewarding endeavor for maintenance.

    Featured Article

    What is the right ratio of planners to craftspersons for my manufacturing plant?
    Planning and Scheduling

    What is the right ratio of planners to craftspersons for my manufacturing plant?

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says the answer depends on factors such as additional duties, multiple crafts, geography, and planner personalities.
    How to plan and schedule reactive work at your plant
    Planning and Scheduling

    How to plan and schedule reactive work at your plant

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer argues that even emergency work can benefit from the support of planners and schedulers.
    Proper planning and scheduling requires an adult mindset
    Planning and Scheduling

    Proper planning and scheduling requires an adult mindset

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer argues that it can even root out childish behaviors among both work teams and managers.
    Why proactive work dies in the backlog and how to fix it
    Planning and Scheduling

    Why proactive work dies in the backlog and how to fix it

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer wonders whether your maintenance staff is sized for firefighting or for profitability.
    2023 industry wrap-up: The best of Palmer’s Planning Corner
    Palmer's Planning Corner

    2023 industry wrap-up: The best of Palmer’s Planning Corner

    In this year-end wrap-up, we shine a light on Doc Palmer's best articles of the past 12 months.
    Build A Workflow Process That Helps You Better Manage Your Maintenance Teams
    Planning and Scheduling

    Build a workflow process that helps you better manage your maintenance team

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says individual work orders are key so managers can help keep things on track, especially emergency work.
    Why The Most Common Maintenance Planning Kpi Is Hurting Your Department
    Planning and Scheduling

    Why the most common maintenance planning KPI is hurting your department

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says hyper-accurate labor estimating gets in the way of both completed work and higher quality work.
    Kp Is That Count How And Why To Measure Planned Coverage
    Planning and Scheduling

    KPIs that count: How and why to measure planned coverage

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says it’s a useful metric but is a lagging indicator that depends on how “planned jobs” are defined and managed.
    Is It Okay To Break The Weekly Maintenance Schedule
    Planning and Scheduling

    Is it okay to break the weekly maintenance schedule?

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says schedule compliance is really a window into opportunities for improvement, and not just a reason to blame the supervisor.
    How To Take Control Of Maintenance Planning And Scheduling
    Planning and Scheduling

    How to take control of maintenance planning and scheduling

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says the keys to controlling planning and scheduling are people-related.
    Make Maintenance Your Competitive Advantage To Take Your Company From Good To Great
    Planning and Scheduling

    Make maintenance your competitive advantage to take your company from good to great

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says maintenance is not a necessary evil. It is an investment in production.
    How Proper Planning And Scheduling Complement (not Replace) Craft Skills
    Planning and Scheduling

    How proper planning and scheduling complement (not replace) craft skills

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says the unusual principles of planning and scheduling can take some culture adjustment, but will quickly increase job execution.
    Reactive And Proactive
    Planning and Scheduling

    How to do planning and scheduling with reactive work

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says Reactive maintenance that isn’t an emergency will benefit from a quick plan and a day or weeks head start.
    Productivity Schedule
    Planning and Scheduling

    Improve plant productivity with schedule success

    Doc Palmer says maintenance workers will get more work done when loaded with a full schedule and the flexibility to break it.
    maintenance-management
    Planning and Scheduling

    Why micromanaging your plant's daily scheduling doesn’t work

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says a daily schedule will focus that day’s work, but supervisors need the flexibility to react to unplanned work.
    filled-schedule
    Planning and Scheduling

    Why a filled schedule frightens plant supervisors

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says frontline supervisors are the key to accepting that it's okay to break a fully loaded schedule.
    planning-scheduling-calendar
    Planning and Scheduling

    Planning a fully loaded weekly schedule at your plant

    Doc Palmer
    Doc Palmer says planned work should do more than keep crews busy; 100% schedule loading gets more work done.
    Invenergy begins construction on $30 million clean energy training and manufacturing facility in Illinois 
    Marotta Controls opens motor manufacturing facility in Minnesota 
    Worker crushed to death while transporting a die with a crane
    6 sustainability facts to consider when starting your ESG journey
    Manufacturer to pay $2.6 million for denying ties to China when applying for PPP loan
    Podcast: Debunking common fiber optic cable myths and misconceptions
    Steel plant fined $270K for repeat safety violations after facing $364K in penalties 2 years ago
    Compressed air innovations in industry: A 10-year retrospective