Plant Services - May 2008 - (Page 9) PERFORMANCE | RELIABILIT Y | EFFICIENCY | ASSE T MANAGEMENT PUTMAN MEDIA, INC. 555 W. Pierce Rd., Ste. 301, Itasca, IL 60143 Phone: (630) 467-1300, Fax: (630) 467-1120 BACKTALK Our American Idols WWW MIKE BRENNER, GROUP PUBLISHER mbrenner@putman.net EDITORIAL STAFF PAUL STUDEBAKER, CMRP EDITOR IN CHIEF pstudebaker@putman.net RUSSELL L. KRATOWICZ, P.E., CMRP EXECUTIVE EDITOR russk@putman.net LISA TOWERS MANAGING EDITOR ltowers@putman.net DAN HEBERT, P.E. SENIOR TECHNICAL EDITOR dhebert@putman.net STEPHEN C. HERNER GROUP ART DIRECTOR sherner@putman.net JENNIFER DAKAS SENIOR ART DIRECTOR jdakas@putman.net DAVID BERGER, P.ENG. CONTRIBUTING EDITOR PETER GARFORTH CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SHEILA KENNEDY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR JOEL LEONARD CONTRIBUTING EDITOR PERF .PLAN TSER ORM VICES ANC .COM E| RELI anks for the great article, “Reliability Nation” (April, p. 21, www.plantservices.com/articles/2008/058.html). Prior to becoming a consultant, I spent most of my 36-year career as a manager or director in the maintenance department of a large Fortune 500 company. I have observed firsthand the things that you talked about in the article. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people I talk to still see maintenance as a reactive process, rather than a competitive edge. I am glad that people like you who have a large audience continue to attempt to change people’s way of thinking. e “American Idols” of corporations continue to be people in high-visibility, marketing-type jobs. e “factory” is still seen as a place where people with high potential don’t want to go. Keep up the good work. PERF PERF Air audits: Raise you r expecta tions Rethink repair/re motor place dec isions Energy man via CMM agement S ABIL ITY | EFF IC IENC Y| ASSE T MA N AG E M ENT ORM ORM A ANC E N CE | RE R EL I LI A B A BI L I LI T Y I TY | EF F E FF I ICIEN CIEN CY CY | ASSE ASSE T T Rea climate dy for U.S. legislati on? UL98 vers UL508 swit us ches “Reliability Nation” M A N Rus M A N AG AG E M E s finds safe ME N E NT T ty on the Web Dean A. Wallace, CPE, owner Applied Facility Solutions Inc., Jeffersonville, Pa. Preserving the middle class? PUBLICATION SERVICES CARMELA KAPPEL ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER ckappel@putman.net JERRY CLARK V.P., CIRCULATION jclark@putman.net JACK JONES CIRCULATION DIRECTOR jjones@putman.net RITA FITZGERALD PRODUCTION MANAGER rfitzgerald@putman.net CLAUDIA STACHOWIAK REPRINTS MARKETING MANAGER Foster Reprints, (866) 879-9144 ext. 121 claudia@fostereprints.com SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION (888) 644-1803 or (847) 559-7360 ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF JOHN M. CAPPELLETTI PRESIDENT/CEO JULIE CAPPELLETTI LANGE VICE PRESIDENT KEITH LARSON V.P., CONTENT ROSE SOUTHARD IT DIRECTOR ank you very much for continuing your publication’s policy of bringing sensitive but critical problems out into the light where we can all get a look at them (“Giving it all away,” March, p. 11, www.plantservices.com/articles/ 2008/037.html). Your editorial was thought-provoking in a time for the United States that is at least as important as any we have seen in a while. I have a few points: Creating the middle class was a very happy accident, but an accident nonetheless, rising from the development of the American industrial base. Look at the names of the people who created it and you will see no middleclass representatives whatsoever. As a member of this class, I am not entitled to any benefit that rose from this accident. I may claim to be a victim if I do not continue to receive the benefits that have fallen to this class, but so what? Who will defend me if I cannot defend myself? I happen to believe that the creation of the middle class was the best un.PLANTSERVICES. foreseen result that could have come from this experiment. I absolutely disagree with John Ratzenberger when he says that we are “building the middle classes of other countries.” If xenophobia is his weapon of choice, he will lose like others who have tried to pick it up and wield it. Long-term, I think that when Iraq, Iran and Israel have middle classes as strong as I hope ours can be again, then we will have in place the best group to stop terrorism before it can even begin. Here is my motto for us in these times: “We are not entitled to a thing. We will never let anyone turn us into victims.” When I say anyone, I include someone with the gall to get up on a stage and say that with the cooperation of business, “we have saved the U.S. steel industry.” is stuff (change) is hard, and I applaud you [Lisa Towers] and Paul Studebaker for your efforts. Stephen Puryear, Quality Engineer Novartus, Emeryville, Calif. M 9 http://www.plantservices.com/articles/2008/058.html http://www.plantservices.com/articles/2008/037.html http://www.plantservices.com/articles/2008/037.html http://www.plantservices.com
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