Plant Services - November 2007 - (Page 25)

CRISIS CORNER How are you fighting the Crisis? Speak out before the next disaster strikes W hen the next bridge falls, plant burns or pipeline with high-tech solvents and integrated with electrical leaks, are you going to be able say that you tried and electronic systems. to warn everyone you know about the onslaught We wonder why maintenance is an afterthought in our top of pending maintenance problems facing this country? That leadership’s minds. Their MBA programs only taught them you’ve spread the word to other professionals about the benabout the costs of maintenance, not the value. No MBA efits of reliability? Or that you’ve contributed at conferences, program treats reliability and maintenance as a competitive visited schools, talked with executives, raised the standard advantage. How many organizations promote top leadership of excellence of reliability and maintenance at your comfrom the ranks of maintenance? pany, or perhaps mentored an apprentice? It’s a pity that maintenance techs have to educate business Hopefully, the answer is ‘yes’ to all, but leaders how to effectively lead their business for please, do something, because the stakes are long-term sustainability. How can we fix that? high. People’s lives and livelihoods are at risk. Later this year, SMRP will host an executive At a recent TPM course, consultant Robert conference to educate top leadership of major Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, said, “So many corporations on cost savings and efficiency benNo MBA companies’ top executives are apathetic to the program treats efits of reliability and maintenance. More such needs and challenges in reliability and maininteractions are definitely needed for change. reliability and tenance.” I agree, but what’s worse is those To produce future enlightened leaders, maintenance as SMRP, AFE, IFMA, BOMA and other orwho see the problem and do nothing about it. At the 2007 SMRP conference in Louisganizations’ top leadership should lobby the a competitive ville, Chuck Kooistra, vice president. General boards of Harvard, Wharton and other MBA advantage. Physics Corp., asked attendees to write down programs to include contributions of our funchow they planned to solve the problem. Many tion in coursework. Perhaps they could provide of the reliability engineers from the largest guest lecture MBA programs. corporations in the country echoed that severe I also recently attended Converge South to skill shortages are restricting their ability to grow and suslearn effective blogging techniques. Wow! So many smart tain a competitive advantage. Major businesses can’t implepeople blogging profusely about unimportant things while ment the latest automation systems because of the skills gap. ignoring our economy or fighting social causes. Many wanted So many of the 1,000-plus attendees complained that their to learn how to share videos that emulate MTV’s “Jackass.” top management’s only focus is on the short-term bottom Many were surprised to learn about the severity of the mainline and isn’t interested in investing in long-term cost savtenance crisis when they asked me why I was there. However, ing initiatives like apprenticeships, reliability programs and I was pleasantly shocked to see Maintenance Supervisor John other maintenance development efforts. Welch in the crowd (www.welchnet.us/industrial/). I also As the late John Gardner, former secretary of Health met some media producers to learn more about how to launch Education and Welfare, once said, “The society that Skill TV. If we’re ever to fix the maintenance crisis we’re goscorns excellence in plumbing, because plumbing is a ing to need armies of maintenance evangelists to educate the humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy, masses. I hope you’ll join us and share your efforts. because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neiIn the words of St. Francis of Assisi, “Start by doing ther good plumbing nor good philosophy – neither its what’s necessary, then what’s possible, and suddenly you are pipes nor its theories will hold water.” doing the impossible.” Ou society needs to know that plumbing is no longer just bending and connecting pipes. Plumbing systems are E-mail Contributing Editor Joel Leonard at leonard.joel@ now managed by PLC controllers and sensors, lubricated mpactlearning.com. November 2007 www.PLANTSERVICES.com 25 http://www.plantservices.com/articles/2005/453.html http://www.welchnet.us/industrial/ http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

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

Plant Services - November 2007 Contents New Tools Letters Let Us Know Where to Put the Gas Up and Running How are you Fighting Crisis? What Works Why is the Best Practice Transfer so Hard? Who are you Going to Call? Chained to Power Mobile Mindset Making Money in the Lube Lab Grabbing a Moving Target Bagging the BTUs Keeping Mellow Preserving Health and Safety The Power of Reliability Excellence

Plant Services - November 2007

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