Plant Services - October 2007 - (Page 11)

BACKTALK More things that would make the world better I ’d like to add a few items to your “ e world would be a better place if” list from “Still pipe dreaming” (August, page 23; www.PlantServices.com/articles/2007/ 161.html): 1) Any time a manager considered a maintenance person or team to have failed in timing, quality or quantity of work, they would realize that their maintenance program is the root cause of the failure. Much like politics, you get the maintenance program that you deserve. If you want a world-class program, you would do whatever it takes to have a better program – no excuses. 2) Managers who wish to succeed would realize that a successful maintenance program requires a holistic approach, which would include at least: a) A planned and documented training and personnel development agenda that is well publicized and sustained. b) A personnel motivation process using feedback via post-job reviews, metrics, competition, compensation and a proﬁt-sharing package based on equipment availability and sustainability. Also, most maintenance personnel aren’t business majors, but we like to know what’s going on in the business and how our work supports the business plan. c) Well deﬁned guidelines for priorities, procedures, processes, expectations, job descriptions and clear lines of demarcation for help chains. Maintenance personnel aren’t always engineers or production technicians – though we’re often abused as such. It’s maintenance’s job to maintain equipment to keep it as safe and productive as it was designed to be. If you value your safety and productive capacity, don’t distract us from our mission. d) Suﬃcient and appropriate tools. If you care about the quality of maintenance workmanship, it will be reﬂected in the quality of the tools maintenance has to work with. e) Suﬃcient inventory stores and spare parts before needed – not after. ere’s not much that infects maintenance with the “management doesn’t care” perception quite like repeatedly not having the supplies needed to do the job. f) Involve maintenance personnel in the department monthly budgetary process. Let them see the costs, the priorities and the resources there are to work with. is, as much as anything, will help maintenance personnel have a better understanding of what’s going on and why. Eventually, everything we do is reﬂected in the budget. Steven W. Lux, maintenance planner Alcoa Home Exteriors, Ga ney, S.C. A step beyond NEMA Premium In “ e D-Energizers” (May, page 38; www.PlantServices. com/articles/2007/105.html), you and the DOE recommend NEMA Premium motors across the board. IEEE – 841 motors now have identical eﬃciencies as the NEMA Premium machines. e IEEE-841s have bearing protection that the NEMA Premiums lack. at makes the 841s inherently more reliable and, therefore, able to deliver that eﬃciency for a longer length of time in severe duty service. For these reasons, we consider the IEEE-841 motor to be a much better investment for those in the process industries. David C. Orlowski, CEO Inpro/Seal Co., Rock Island, Ill. Support for the Maintenance Hall of Fame I like the Maintenance Hall of Fame concept (June, page 27; www.PlantServices.com/articles/2007/120.html), and believe it’s long overdue. One point from my perspective (old geezer) is that, at this time of my life, the journeymen O that I took my apprenticeship under have all passed on. ey taught me a great deal before we had calculators, computers, NC, CNC, VFD, OSHA, synthetic lube, ceramics, CMMS and all the other things that are taken for granted. Who remembers scraping, ﬂaking, pouring and boring babbit, wiping lead joints, white lead, lard oil, and all the oldfashioned ways that helped get us to where we are? I think of the “old timers” that weren’t afraid to kick your butt, chew you out, or make you do it over and do it right, or else. Apprentice boys had very few “rights,” but the desire to learn a trade was the goal. How I miss those days, but even more, how I miss those men. If I could only shake their hands and say thank you. Please keep writing articles about the importance of training and skilled trades to our country. It appears to me that our national leadership has lost sight of the importance of skilled trades to every aspect of our life, defense, commerce, transportation, and on and on. Keep on going, please. Bill Norris, maintenance supervisor Ralston Foods, Battle Creek, Mich. .PLANTSERVICES. 11 http://www.PlantServices.com/articles/2007/161.html http://www.PlantServices.com/articles/2007/161.html http://www.PlantServices.com/articles/2007/105.html http://www.PlantServices.com/articles/2007/105.html http://www.PlantServices.com/articles/2007/120.html http://www.plantservices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Plant Services - October 2007

Plant Services - October 2007 Contents Monetize It Letters Step into the Blogosphere What it Takes to be a Leader Up and Running Crisis Corner What Works From the Summit Treat Them Right Access Control Out of the Woods Show Me, Don't Guess Condition Assessment Made Easy The Air Above the Floor Power to the Prime Movers In the Trenches Illuminating Maintenance

Plant Services - October 2007

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