Plant Services - April 2008 - (Page 21)

CRISIS CORNER ‘Reliability Nation’ A movement to move maintenance up on the list of national priorities I technicians are kept in the shadows. That is where SkillTV recently contributed to the Competitiveness Council can help (www.SkillTV.net). We’ll be interviewing the best Compete 2.0 Skills Report that was sent to the U.S. of the best and sharing their stories with media outlets like Congress, advisers at the White House and to each CNBC and other news programs. presidential candidate’s campaign. The report describes how Second, we must share the vision. The biggest contributing to support the “Reliability Nation” initiative. I want to share factor to substandard performance in maintenance is that most with you some of the specific steps with the hope that it people in our society don’t understand that our true purpose is sparks more ideas to propel our industries and country forto provide capacity. The maintenance professional’s value isn’t ward. Here is an excerpt from the report: in the problems that get solved but in the problems that never The true product of any maintenance department isn’t arise because of maintenance handiwork. repair; it’s capacity. Even as companies subWe need to break the SILOS: the selfstitute technology for labor in machine operainterested locations of our society. We need tions, they need more maintenance workers. If we want a to get engineers into classrooms, invite more The highly sophisticated, automated systems competitive students and parents to tour our plants, and require even more care and attention to keep edge in invite HR directors, who need technicians, to plants running at optimal levels. the global speak to high-school guidance counselors. By The stereotype of maintenance personnel as grease monkeys is way off the mark. Industry marketplace, we building these bridges we can develop stronger feeder systems from high schools to facilinow needs skilled technicians, not only for must convert ties. We need to develop incentives for older mechanical systems, but also electrical and our current or retired workers to mentor groups of future electronic control systems, as well as for somaintenance technicians. We also need to challenge MBA phisticated predictive maintenance technoloprograms to educate future business leaders gies like vibration analysis, ultrasonic leak weakness into about the profit contribution maintenance detection and infrared thermography. a strength. and reliability programs can provide. As business and government leaders strive Third, we must adopt national reliability to fund bleeding-edge ideas to get cuttingand maintenance standards for technicians, supervisors and edge results in a global marketplace, they need to rememmanagers. For current workers to receive performance inber that we also must polish the rusty edge of business. We creases and for future workers to gain employment, each can’t forget to perform proper maintenance on the hydraumaintenance professional should earn certification to prove lic, electronic and electrical systems that sustain us today, mastery of specific skill-sets and knowledge proficiencies. as we strive to develop biotech and nanotech solutions for The outstanding initial work that SMRP and EFNMS have tomorrow. If we want a competitive edge in the global mardone on establishing maintenance professional standards ketplace, we must convert our current maintenance weakcould be used as a foundation. ness into a strength. If we become the Reliability Nation by I would love your input on further steps we can take to building a strong foundation of skilled technicians, uptime “maintain” our competitive advantage in the global marketperformance strategies and reliability systems, our country place, so we can add your perspective to future dialogues will become more prosperous, and more high-paying jobs with government leaders. Then stay tuned for future upwill be generated, and stay, in the United States. dates on these exciting developments in the fight against How do we make this a reality? First, we must remove the the maintenance crisis. stigmas associated with perceptions of maintenance. This is probably the hardest step. Why are there so many “American Idol” and athletic wannabes? Because we’ve glorified those E-mail Contributing Editor Joel Leonard at activities in the media. Meanwhile, the best maintenance leonard.joel@mpactlearning.com. www.PLANTSERVICES.com 21 April 2008 http://www.SkillTV.net http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

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Plant Services - April 2008 Contents From the Editor Letters The PS Files Up and Running Crisis Corner What Works Asset Manager Technology Toolbox Cover Story Compressors Motors Flooring Web Hunter In the Trenches Product Picks Classifieds Energy Expert

Plant Services - April 2008

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