Maintenance – A Business Centre Approach
Chris Thomas
During the early stages of my preparation of this paper, I happened to read a very interesting paper given by Gino Palarchio from Canada who is an active business manager and a director of the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals. He told how he had asked a diverse group of managers from maintenance and production the following question:
❛❛ What is the first thought that comes in your mind when I mention the word maintenance? ❜ ❜
Related Articles

Operator Driven Reliability — Who Owns Your Mill’s Equipment?
Over the years, our quest for lower production costs through technology has drastically changed the role the operator in our mills. Once an operator spent the majority of his day “on the floor.” This provided a hands-on knowledge of how equipment worked and what are the signs of it starting to fail. In today’s world, most operators are running the mill via computer-controlled systems.
Over the years, our quest for lower production costs through technology has drastically changed the role the operator in our mills. Once an operator spent the majority of his day “on the floor.” This provided a hands-on knowledge of how equipment worked and what are the signs of it starting to fail. In today’s world, most operators are running the mill via computer-controlled systems.

How to Get the Resources and Support You Need
If you’re getting comments like these, you’re not alone. For those in the reliability field with a technical background, it can be frustrating. Your response might be, “The numbers in the spreadsheets are clear. Why is it so hard to get support from the executive team?” Although your work is backed by hard science and a solid body of work, the fact is many others in the company may not have a good picture of what maintenance reliability professionals do to contribute to its success.
If you’re getting comments like these, you’re not alone. For those in the reliability field with a technical background, it can be frustrating. Your response might be, “The numbers in the spreadsheets are clear. Why is it so hard to get support from the executive team?” Although your work is backed by hard science and a solid body of work, the fact is many others in the company may not have a good picture of what maintenance reliability professionals do to contribute to its success.

The Seven Cs of Procedures
The Seven Cs are a way to help with the effectiveness of your procedures. The business unit of Operations is highly technical but most of all, it is human-centric, and as humans, we are prone to error and to bias. Using the Seven C’s can address the human variable in your procedure’s outcome, ultimately between success or failure.
The Seven Cs are a way to help with the effectiveness of your procedures. The business unit of Operations is highly technical but most of all, it is human-centric, and as humans, we are prone to error and to bias. Using the Seven C’s can address the human variable in your procedure’s outcome, ultimately between success or failure.

Mastering Lean: Balancing Detail and Business Strategy
Lean Manufacturing is an established framework for organisations aiming to streamline processes, reduce waste, and enhance performance. However, one of the greatest challenges in Lean is ensuring that while we meticulously focus on the details, we do not lose sight of the larger strategic objectives that define operational excellence.
Lean Manufacturing is an established framework for organisations aiming to streamline processes, reduce waste, and enhance performance. However, one of the greatest challenges in Lean is ensuring that while we meticulously focus on the details, we do not lose sight of the larger strategic objectives that define operational excellence.

Back to Basics for True Operational Excellence
Many companies are beginning to search for and implement sophisticated maintenance and reliability (M&R) tools and technologies in hopes of finding the next best thing to help achieve operational excellence (OE). Terms, such as asset performance management (APM), predictive analytics, machine learning, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the Cloud, connected plant, etc., are making their way into everything M&R. As game changing as these concepts can be, adopting advanced technologies without first addressing the basic fundamentals of M&R is like building the world’s finest home on a crumbling foundation.
Many companies are beginning to search for and implement sophisticated maintenance and reliability (M&R) tools and technologies in hopes of finding the next best thing to help achieve operational excellence (OE). Terms, such as asset performance management (APM), predictive analytics, machine learning, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the Cloud, connected plant, etc., are making their way into everything M&R. As game changing as these concepts can be, adopting advanced technologies without first addressing the basic fundamentals of M&R is like building the world’s finest home on a crumbling foundation.
Continuous Improvement Leadership – Accelerating Your Success Part III
Part III in this series explores principles 10-14 of Deming's 14 Principles for quality and CI leadership. Each principle is relevant today and transformative in preparing for and upgrading current continuous improvement leadership.
Part III in this series explores principles 10-14 of Deming's 14 Principles for quality and CI leadership. Each principle is relevant today and transformative in preparing for and upgrading current continuous improvement leadership.

Maintenance, Lean Processes and the Drive to Net Zero
Never has there been a greater responsibility for every business to maximise its efforts to drive to net zero. Correct machine maintenance coupled with Lean processes (once just the domain of operations) is now proving to be a force multiplier across maintenance and engineering in the drive to net zero.
Never has there been a greater responsibility for every business to maximise its efforts to drive to net zero. Correct machine maintenance coupled with Lean processes (once just the domain of operations) is now proving to be a force multiplier across maintenance and engineering in the drive to net zero.