Maintenance Technology May 2016 - (Page 6)
UPTIME
Rules, Standards,
And Mainstream 2016
Bob Williamson
Contributing Editor
T
he Eventful Group, Syracuse, NY, is hosting
another U.S. Mainstream Conference
(mainstreamconf.com/us/) this month.
If past installments of this series are any
indication, Mainstream 2016 in The Woodlands,
TX (Houston) will exceed expectations. Scheduled
for May 22 to 25, its focus blends maintenance
with operations and reliability and offers opportunities for all professionals in our arena to learn
what's new, validate what we're already doing, and
network with peers (and would-be peers) for a
continuing dialogue. From a personal standpoint,
the photo of a Formula 1 (F1) racecar on the cover
of the conference brochure is what sparked this
"Uptime" column.
Some readers may be familiar with my NASCAR
race-team studies and how the findings permeate
Where there's no standard, there's
no improvement, only attempts to
organize chaos and temporarily
minimize penalizing effects.
my teachings. NASCAR's approach to racing,
however, varies greatly from that of Formula 1.
The two motorsports organizations have vastly
different rules when it comes to designing,
building, operating, and maintaining vehicles that
compete in their respective circuits. Such rules
serve as "standards" for how things get done in
these arguably dissimilar racing businesses and,
accordingly, help explain why a 2.3-sec. pit stop in
F1 and a 10.5-sec. pit stop in NASCAR can both
be considered superior. That said, let's think about
rules in today's workplace and how they restrict or
ensure the way things get done.
6|
MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
Work rules
We see work rules defining what's allowed and
what's not in countless plants. Many have evolved
over time to improve safety and quality, control
costs, and protect jobs. Some are based on regulatory requirements (safety, environmental, employment), others on certification compliance (ISO
9000, ISO 14001, ISO 55000). Over time, some are
redefined to recognize new realities. Others simply
preserve historical practices, leading to a "we've
always done it that way" mindset.
Paraphrasing the Outback Steakhouse chain, let's
consider a "no rules, just right" work environment.
In the worlds of manufacturing, maintenance, and
facilities, "no rules" would surely imply that chaos
prevails-which could never be a prescription for
business success. Still, there's a nugget hidden in
plain sight in this mantra. The word "right" says
it all. My thesaurus says "right" means "just, fair,
correct, accurate, precise, exact, valid, established,
official, absolute." To me, these synonyms indicate
there must be a rule that defines what is correct, as
opposed to an implied wrong. Thus, for the sake of
consistency in a "no rules, just right" work environment, we would embed standardized definitions of
what right is and "how we do it here."
On the other hand, when we consider work rules
as standards for job performance, we can approach
things a bit differently. If we keep thinking of such
rules only as a way to preserve the status quo, we
miss an opportunity to use them to promote and
preserve continuous improvement. In today's
markets, new rules and standards are requirements
for success in many business sectors.
New rules, just right
Standardized work, a fundamental element
of continuous improvement, is often seen as
restricting individual best practices. Frequently, it's
perceived as an infringement on "how I have done
my work here for years."
There are, however, thousands of examples where
standardized work is successful-including in F1
and NASCAR racing. Looking closely at these
MAY 2016
http://www.mainstreamconf.com/us/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology May 2016
Editorial
Uptime
On The Floor
A 40% Production Boost From Reliability
Beck Helps Women Excel In Engineering
Unleash Your Plant's Hidden Potential
Right-Size Your Maintenance Organization
Respect The Cornerstones of Manual Grease Lubrication
Motor Connection Advice
Maximize Millennial Workers
Compressed Air Filtration
Pneumatic Tubing & Hose Specs
Products
Showcase
Ad Index
Final Thought
Maintenance Technology May 2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/efficient-plant-jan-feb-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/efficient-plant-april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/efficient-plant-october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/efficient-plant-june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epapril2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epmarch2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epjanfeb2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epjulyaug2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epjune2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epmay2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epapril2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epmarch2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epfeb2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epjan2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epnovdec2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epseptoct2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epmay2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epapril2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epmarch2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epfebruary2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epjanuary2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epdecember2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epnovember2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epoctober2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epseptember2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epaugust2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/0818schneider
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epjuly2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epjune2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epmay2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epapril2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epmarch2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epfebruary2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epjanuary2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epdecember2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epnovember2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/epoctober2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtsept2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtaugust2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtjuly2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtjune2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtmay2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtapril2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtmarch2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtfebruary2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtjanuary2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtdecember2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtnovember2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtoctober2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtseptember2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtaugust2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtjuly2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtjune2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtmay2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtapril2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtmarch2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtfebruary2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtjanuary2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtdecember2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtnovember2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtoctober2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/mtseptember2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTAugust2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTJuly2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTJune2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/M
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/0415endress
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTApril2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTMarch2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTFebruary2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTJanuary2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTDecember2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTNovember2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTOctober2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTSeptember2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTAugust2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/atp/MaintenanceTechnology/MTJuly2014
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com