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April 2017
Reliability Consulting
 
In This Issue
Emerson Exchange 2017
The Reliability Game® - A Proactive Reliability Simulation
Reliability Tip
Upcoming Events
  Article from Control Engineering – Executive Voice with Jim Nyquist Group President Emerson Automation Solutions

For decades our industry has expanded production by building new capacity. In today’s economy of reduced capital projects, investments have shifted to improving operations as companies are pressured to get more out of existing assets.

A common question I hear from executives is “where should I focus my investment? Safety, reliability or production efficiency?” The answer is all of them, as well as reducing energy use and emissions. While this can seem overwhelming, the good news is that one area affects all of the others. Focusing on reliability as a business strategy, can improve safety, production efficiency, and emissions.

To read the article, click here.

 
 
 
 
EMERSON EXCHANGE 2017
October 2-6 in Minneapolis, MN


You could be the Next Reliability Program of the Year
Emerson and the University of Tennessee are looking for the companies with the best application of integrated maintenance best practices and the most effective use of reliability technologies as part of a “best in class” reliability program, with measurable results on the operation’s performance and savings. A thorough evaluation of these practices will lead us to find the facility that will take the honors for 2017.

“Reliability is not a goal. It's a way to be, to think, to act.”
— Frédéric Thivierge, operations manager at Ethanol Greenfield 2016 Program of the Year

If you would like your company to be considered for this year’s recognition and share your great results, please contact Bruce Hawkins (Bruce.Hawkins@Emerson.com).

Click here for additional information
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The Reliability Game® - A Proactive Reliability Simulation

The Reliability Game® is fun and interactive workshop that demonstrates how to make the transition from a reactive to a proactive maintenance and reliability environment. Trying to change organizational culture is often challenging, but also very rewarding. The primary obstacle is that people have a hard time “seeing” the objectives.

The Reliability Game® is the solution to this problem. This plant simulation clearly demonstrates the value of proactive reliability practices and the positive effect to the bottom line. It is unique way to create a common understanding of your reliability goals. Experience it for yourself.

For more information on The Reliability Game®, click here or call Joe Carolan at 860-945-2375.
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Reliability Tip:

Stakeholder Involvement – A Basic Ingredient in Driving Maintenance Excellence to the Plant Floor

While Maintenance & Repair management teams in most facilities are keenly interested in improving maintenance effectiveness, making process improvements in a vacuum normally generates a poor outcome. Even the simplest change in a maintenance process requires buy-in and action from others outside the maintenance department. At the operational level of most plants, maintenance process “stakeholders” (e.g., mechanics, production management) often also have one or more responsibilities for executing a maintenance process.

For example, a food processing plant decides that all work requests need to be approved by a production line manager before being sent to maintenance for planning, and that only a maintenance planner can requisition repair parts. The goal of this process improvement is to reduce non-value-added and redundant work orders from the maintenance backlog – in an effort to improve maintenance scheduling effectiveness. The plant also hopes to reduce the purchasing of unneeded parts.

In this case, the affected stakeholders include maintenance management, production management, MRO materials management, and the IT department. Why can’t this simple process change be effectively handled through email proclamation? Besides the obvious need to build consensus with stakeholders listed above:

  • The IT department may need to reconfigure the CMMS’s maintenance work request work flow so that requests are routed directly to the equipment’s production manager/owner.
  • Equipment operators need to know the new process.
  • Production Managers need to be trained on both the criteria and process for approving work requests.
  • Maintenance Planners need to understand their altered responsibilities in the process.
  • Mechanics need to know that all work orders must go through a Planner.
  • And, MRO Materials Management needs to understand that they can now only accept parts requisitions from Maintenance Planners.

Big maintenance effectiveness gains are often the sum of a series of small, tactical process improvements. It almost always pays to keep in mind that even the simplest process changes may require buy-in and involvement from many people at a facility.

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UPCOMING EVENTS
The Reliability Conference
April 24-28, 2017

Visit Our Booth

SMRP Symposium
June 7-8, 2017

Workshop - Essential to Top Quartile Performance – Stan Moore

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Your Local Connection

Learn more about local reliability community activities and local access to Emerson’s expertise and accelerators. Click here to connect.

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