Traditionally, reliability engineers have been the leaders in introducing new maintenance processes and technologies. With the start of predictive maintenance, many other branches of the organization will become part of the process; at a minimum, there will be strong IT involvement and involvement of the COO or VP of operations. Furthermore, companies might have an IoT strategy unit, a digital unit, or an analytics center, all of which will be interested in the rollout of predictive maintenance.

In some organizations, reliability is not just a word, but a culture that has been built over a period of time. Developing a reliability culture is not solely a top-down approach or dependent on the company’s vision. Sometimes, it is taken as a normal, routine job, while other times, it may get a fast-track status.

Another trite phrase has the answer: The weakest link in a chain is the strongest because it can break it. Preventative and routine maintenance models help alleviate downtime and boost overall production. The most popular method is Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). TPM assigns the responsibility for preventative and routine maintenance to the same people who operate that individual equipment. This puts the people most familiar with the machine in charge of its care.

In the current environment of ever-increasing demands to deliver exceptional results with limited resources, leaders are placing greater emphasis on performance measurement. Performance measurement is defined as the process of analyzing information to determine the progress toward a desired outcome for a given organization.

In today’s competitive funding environment, it’s up to the facility manager to present the case for capital and explain the necessity of addressing deferred maintenance. But where is a facility manager to begin this process when the backlog demanding attention is simply overwhelming?

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) seems like a nebulous concept that encompasses everything from machine learning and robotics to drone delivery systems and intelligent point-of-use vending. There is more information available than ever before, but making sense of all this data can be daunting. This article will help bring clarity to how the IIoT can enhance all aspects of manufacturing.

Learn to Sell…Do not dismiss this statement thinking it does not apply to your situation because you are not a roving consultant or contractor. In-house maintenance reliability professionals need to exhibit the same, or even better, customer service when it comes to driving change or pulling their organization toward a path of continuous improvement.