>>CASE STUDIES

Holcim (US) Inc.: The A-Team
Maintenance and Reliability Group is the cement that holds Holcim (US) plants together. Read about it in this all-encompassing case study by editor Paul V. Arnold.

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Editorial
Editors Column
On the minds of maintenance
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Paul V. Arnold, RP Editor
• Editorial|Editors Column
Paul V. Arnold takes the pulse of maintenance professionals at recent industry conferences.
 
The Exponent
Rationalizing your investments in reliability
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Drew D. Troyer, CRE, CMRP
• Editorial|The Exponent
Drew Troyer says that manufacturing reliability professionals must get comfortable with the process of defining their world in probabilistic and non-parametric terms.
 
Features
Advisors
Family-oriented reliability
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Tor Idhammar
• Features|Advisors
Tor Idhammar believes the different departments in plants often interact with each other similar to that of families.
 
Centralized vs. decentralized maintenance
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Doc Palmer
• Features|Advisors
Companies ask if planning and scheduling will work if they have a decentralized maintenance organization. Doc Palmer says they need planning and scheduling just as much as a centralized shop.
 
Redefining bearing failure
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Mark Barnes
• Features|Advisors
Whenever you replace a bearing, even if the problem didn't result in any downtime, ask yourself, "Did the bearing last the longest time possible, or could we have done better?"
 
Lessons from my early years
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Wayne Vaughn
• Features|Advisors
When Wayne Vaughn entered the field of maintenance years ago, he had one advantage: He knew absolutely nothing about the field of maintenance.
 
'You have been assimilated'
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: John Ha
• Features|Advisors
Many companies struggle when it comes to ensuring they are the employer of choice. The initial onboarding and orientation process (a.k.a. assimilation) can play a key role in getting a new employee engaged.
 
Resistance to change: Meet the 'Tators'
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Tim Goshert
• Features|Advisors
According to Cargill's Tim Goshert, leading change is one of the most important aspects of implementing a successful maintenance and reliability improvement process.
 
Applied Reliability
Developing meaningful procedures
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Bill Hillman
• Features|Applied Reliability
Standards and procedures are the basis of any good maintenance effort. Bill Hillman provides insights on this important topic.
 
In the News
Attendees learn lean from GM, Harley, Campbell Soup and others
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: 
• Features|In the News
Manufacturing leaders from facilities in the United States, Canada and Indonesia attended Reliable Plant magazine's fourth annual "Lean Tools for Maintenance & Reliability" conference.
 
Safety Report
Plant deaths fall 14.0%
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: 
• Features|Safety Report
Work-related deaths at U.S. manufacturing plants declined 14.0 percent in 2007, marking a rebound from the 16.0 percent increase that occurred in 2006.
 
Special Report
Maintenance pay raises rebounded
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Paul V. Arnold
• Features|Special Report
Pay to maintenance employees at American manufacturing facilities increased an average of 3.06 percent in 2008, a considerable bump from the paltry 1.31 percent average increase received in 2007.
 
Shift your plant from reactive to reliable
• Issue: 11/2008
• Author: Joe Mikes
• Features|Special Report
Most plants have a reactive maintenance department. Turning the corner and operating in a highly effective, reliable environment is an enormous challenge. This article shows how to get there.
 
>>WHITE PAPERS [view all]
• Lubrication Process Design
• Video White Paper: Energy Monitoring and Management
• A Practical Guide to Implementing Operator-Based Reliability (OBR)
• How to Locate Mechanical Problems with Ultrasonic Predictive Maintenance
• Water Contamination: Management of Water During the Lubricant Life Cycle
• Constructing an Effective Lubrication Procedure
• Ten Pitfalls to Avoid When Selecting a CMMS/EAM

>>LATEST BLOG POSTS
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• Let risk and your equipment determine your maintenance strategy
• Keep maintenance simple: Use senses and sensibility
• How do you justify the investment made in PdM?
• Important considerations for CMMS data entry
• How to create a culture by design to retain right-fit talent
• If at first you succeed … try, try again
• Is proper torquing a part of your standard work?
• Can maintenance and operations coexist? A radical process change story
• A walk in the machine park or quality inspections?
• The art of managing layoffs: What to do when cuts are unavoidable
• Signage and labeling: Safety tips you need to use today