Up Time Magazine- August/September 2008

and all other agreements that bind the work-force and corporate culture. It is extremely difficult to develop an accurate, comprehensive understanding of your plant’s performance without outside help. Success depends on a completely unbiased assessment that is not skewed by preconceived opinions or the preconditioned view of the company and its world. This conditioning is a subconscious part of employment and, to a varying degree, affects the entire workforce, from the president to the newest hire in the plant. One phrase that is consistently employed at this point in the journey is “You just don’t understand we’re different; this is the best we can do.” sis has been the greatest limitation of many attempts to improve performance. The corporation or plant is pre-inclined toward Lean Manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance or some other popular, quick-fix program and skew their analysis to provide justification for pursuing this improvement methodology. Most, if not all, of these have merit and address limiting factors that affect most plants; but each of these methodologies is narrowly focused and fails to address all of the factors that limit your performance. Singularly, none of these methodologies will achieve a state of Reliability Excellence. Assure Success The journey to sustainable Reliability Excellence is directly proportional to the level of effort expended on the status assessment and gap analysis. The old question, “How do you eat an elephant” is applicable here; the critical factor is determining the proper sequence of bites. Changing the status quo in your plant will not be easy and false steps in the beginning stages will guarantee failure. Spend the time and effort to do it right. Do not be afraid to ask for help; few companies have the in-house ability to complete this critical part of the journey alone, and this is too important of a process to make mistakes just for the sake of ego. “You just don’t understand, we’re different.” In our next article, we will guide you through the process of developing a viable roadmap, e.g. a master plan, which will direct your journey to Reliability Excellence. Keith Mobley has earned an international reputation as one of the premier consultants in the fields of plant performance optimization, reliability engineering, predictive maintenance and effective management. He has more than thirty-five years of direct experience in corporate management, process design and troubleshooting. For the past sixteen years, he has helped hundreds of clients worldwide achieve and sustain world-class performance. Mr. Mobley is actively involved in numerous professional organizations. Currently, he is a member of the technical advisory boards of: American National Standards Institute (ANSI), International Standards Organization (ISO) as well as American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and others. He is also a Distinguished Lecturer for ASME International. Gap Analysis The data derived from the initial assessment must be converted into actionable tasks or actions that will build upon existing strengths and eliminate, or at least mitigate, deficiencies. As the name suggests, a gap analysis compares two or more sets of data in an effort to identify similarities and differences. The normal practice is to use a “benchmark” standard as the point of comparison; but where do you find a viable standard? For those of you who have looked, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of benchmark data sets and each is touted as the true baseline or benchmark that all others should measure against. The problem is that none of these benchmark databases agree. Selecting the best points for comparison is critical to a successful journey. If you choose the wrong benchmark, your resultant plans will most likely head down the wrong path and little benefit will be derived. My best advice is to seek professional help. One of the strengths that my forty year quest for the perfect company has given me is the ability to see through the mass of conflicting data and opinions and accurately identify the inherent strengths and weaknesses of a corporation or company. I am not alone in possessing that strength, there is a small group of professionals who have dedicated their careers to this quest and they can help you make the right decisions. An effective gap analysis should evaluate all aspects of corporate or plant performance and not be self-limiting by only looking at specific functions, e.g. maintenance or production. Unfortunately, selective analy- www.uptimemagazine.com 57 http://www.reliability.com.au/sapimplementation http://www.reliability.com.au/sapimplementation http://www.uptimemagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Up Time Magazine- August/September 2008

Up Time Magazine- August/September 2008 Contents Upfront Upclose Information Technology Lubrication Infrared Maintenance Management Motor Testing Precision Maintenance Reliability Ultrasound Vibration Upgrade

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