Efficient Plant November 2017 - 20

feature | voice from the field

Solution
Seeking

vs. Problem Solving
For four decades, Stephen Matthews has been
helping facility personnel improve reliability with
a 'boots on the ground' approach.

STEPHEN'S
CREDENTIALS
 Bachelor of Engineering
Science, Materials
Engineering
 Diploma in Advanced
Production and Inventory
Management
 Manufacturing
Management Program-
Canadian General Electric
 Communication and
Leadership Program-
Toastmaster Intl, Dale
Carnegie
 Continuous self-learning
on "technical" and
"tactical" subjects.
 Discrete and process
manufacturing, from
design to maintenance,
repair, and overhaul
of mobile and plant
equipment.

20

| EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Michelle Segrest, Contributing Editor

YOU WON'T FIND Stephen Matthews sitting in an office, and
Matthews conducts
you won't see him wearing a coat and tie.
a maintenance
task-analysis
"I am totally embedded on the shop floor-100% of the time,"
review in the field.
the veteran reliability consultant said. "Whether it's in operations
Photos courtesy
Stephen Matthews
or in maintenance, I firmly believe that the shop floor is where
everything happens. I also work on all shifts, and that is where you
really see what is going on. I look like one of the guys, and I ask
questions."
Matthews uses his 39 years of engineering, maintenance, operations, and reliability
experience to work with companies on various projects in many types of asset-intensive
industries. Based in Montréal, he works with companies all over Canada, the United
States, and even travels as far as Siberia, Russia, to help companies with various reliability-improvement programs. He evaluates work management, supply-chain management, and reliability engineering practices, in addition to identifying performance gaps
and recommending short-, medium-, and long-term solutions.
According to Matthews, the challenges are the same, regardless of geography. The
focus should be on the process. The secret of his success is immersing himself with a
"boots on the ground" approach from the shop floor.
"In a nutshell, I look at things from all levels," he explained. "I look at them from the
point of view of the maintainer and the supervisor. And I look at them from a point
of view of eliminating as much technical jargon as possible. I am just one of the guys.
It's very hands on. In Canada, engineers wear an iron ring. When I go into a facility, I
always take mine off because I don't want personnel to think that I'm there as an engineer. I'm one of them."

NOVEMBER 2017



http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant November 2017

Efficient Plant November 2017 - 1
Efficient Plant November 2017 - Cover1
Efficient Plant November 2017 - Cover2
Efficient Plant November 2017 - 1
Efficient Plant November 2017 - 2
Efficient Plant November 2017 - 3
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Efficient Plant November 2017 - Cover3
Efficient Plant November 2017 - Cover4
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