Maintenance Cost and Reliability
Tor Idhammar, CEO & President, IDCON INC
Which costs are we interested in? Which cost is it that we’re really focused on targeting? That we’re saying as a team here. We’re doing a business case now. Which costs can we drive down through reliability? “All of them.” Agreed. Long term. Which one is most important? Is the total cost important? I mean the total cost number…fifteen million? If that’s our total cost it’s pretty irrelevant…right? It depends on how many units. If I make one unit, it I make one ton and one square foot in the total cost is really irrelevant. Which cost is most important here? Which one do you want to target? Is the maintenance costs interesting? You hear that a lot from your managers.
Related Articles
Continuous Improvement Leadership: Accelerating Your Success Part II
Though new leadership models are constantly coming in and out of fashion, when it comes to leadership of continuous improvement it is important to look behind the latest book or trend, deeply reflect on the true roots of CI Leadership and ask yourself “Am I prepared for the challenges of CI leadership in 2024 and beyond?”
Failure Teaches Success
I absolutely hate to fail, but must admit that failure is an unescapable part of life. Thankfully most of my failures over the years have been relatively minor. Nonetheless, they have been a true source of irritation and frustration that in many ways outweigh the successes. Fortunately my early mentors taught me to use failure, no matter how serious or minor, as a learning tool and a platform to build upon.
Effective Maintenance Management at Doe Run
The new general manager at Doe Run’s South-east Missouri Mining and Milling Division determined that inaccurate and incomplete maintenance data was a major contributing factor preventing effective management of maintenance costs. Management then decided to obtain the necessary knowledge and tools which would allow implementation and operation of an effective maintenance management program. The company chose to pilot a program at one of the mines, and depending on its success, the program would be expanded to other areas within the division.
Is the Objective Reliable Availability?
I have received untold phone calls over the past several years, from friends in the industry, explaining that their mill is/was undergoing a ‘re-engineering’ of maintenance. Re-engineering in the broadest sense, including panic payroll reduction. The general theme of that re-engineering effort seems to be elimination of the maintenance department per se. Perhaps, however, behind this change, there is a larger, broader expectation.
Maintenance is Really Not the Problem
In late May, Uptime Publisher Terrence O’Hanlon posted on LinkedIn that attendance at maintenance conferences has dropped significantly. Responses to his post offered plausible reasons, including budget constraints, lack of content, recurring content, and total saturation. While these are no doubt contributors, there may be one more growing reason for this decline: more and more organizations are finally recognizing that maintenance is not the source of their competitive or financial problems. This article provides proof for why this reason may be on point.
Go Execute the Continuous Improvement Plan!
So you have a plan, now what? It is now time to execute. Hopefully, you are using some great CI methodologies founded in Six Sigma and the Toyota Production System. Each of the items on your plan may need some additional analysis to see exactly what is involved in the improvement of those items.
5 Key Maintenance Manager Skills Needed in 2023
Today, maintenance managers find themselves in an ever-evolving environment where technology advances rapidly, and expectations for efficiency and competency continually rise. Maintenance managers will need to possess a wide array of essential skills to stay competitive and ensure the smooth operation of their facilities. In this article, we'll dive into the five crucial skills maintenance managers must have in 2023 to excel in their role.
