|
|
For a long time, the industry has patted itself on the back for its safety record; perhaps we have had a small part in pulling it up by its leash on this subject. I do think the industry has gone from a time of poor safety performance (pre 1975 or so) to good safety performance (approximately 1975 to 1995) and now, in the last twenty-five years it has regressed somewhat.
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
There are only two or three conditions one has to observe to determine if a maintenance department is effective. Fixing them if they are not is a whole other chapter in our quest for a properly operating mill. This week we'll just look for clues as to effectiveness.
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
As I go around the industry, it seems like the last bastion of old-fashioned prejudice is the maintenance department. It's often the rough and tumble end of the mill and many times the workers in this area may have been overlooked in general training for the softer parts of doing their jobs. It has been a male dominated area forever. I have seen some racial prejudice in this area, but not near as much as I have male/female prejudice.
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
I have been railing and writing about maintenance for decades. All of this energy has not turned the tide on the popularity of maintenance. No one likes it and to the uninitiated it is just a cost. It indeed often seems like an intangible cost, for the results of good maintenance are that everything runs just fine, there is no drama, no excitement. Hence the desire to put it off as long as possible, hopefully until the manager in charge of the budget can get promoted. At least that is the manager's position; employees close to the process always know better because bad maintenance makes their lives miserable...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
I am told others can't wait for August (Corruption Month) when the Pulp Rats come out to play. I'll admit I enjoy that month, too, but I further admit that Maintenance Month is likely my favorite in the Paperitalo Editorial schedule. I contend that lack of proper maintenance is the largest contributor in failing to maximize the spinning of your invoice printer. I'll further contend that once you get behind on maintenance, it takes a serious effort to catch up. In most organizations and cultures, catching up is nearly impossible--everyone fights you...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
Of course, it is hard to say, but I will say this: "I would be leasing all my transportation equipment if I were you, and, further, I would be signing leases with relatively painless exit clauses."
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
A category of business where I see little movement towards autonomous vehicles but where I think there is lots of opportunity is in maintenance and related activities.
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
If you have read my thoughts on maintenance storerooms over the years, you will accuse me of having been all over the place, and you will be correct. At one time, I adopted the attitude that everyone should do what they were best at doing, and in the case of paper mills, this was making paper, so they should outsource storerooms. I still think this is good for small consumables and specialized repairs (such as roll repairs and recovering). However, for other items, such as pump assemblies, screens, motors and so forth, keep your own--but take care of them. This philosophy certainly applies for existing papermills (but read to the end)...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
We have been conditioned to think maintenance is a cost and unscheduled maintenance is acceptable. There is no basis for this logic; it is just a rumor passed around from board room to board room. It is time for your senior management to take a long hard look at the numbers, not the traditions...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
We have spent the entire month talking about driverless trucks, drones, robots and so forth. So what is in the future for humans in this scenario?
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
We have heard a lot about drones delivering packages, but not so much about the return flights--there will be a lot of deadheading going on. Can this wasted transportation resource be put to good use?
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
While last week I was talking about long distance transportation of pulp by pipelines, let's look at what should be done locally, given the current state of technology...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
This is transportation month at Paperitalo Publications. This week, we discuss trucks and pipelines...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
There are a number of actions by mill owners that drive up the costs of capital projects. We'll wrap up this month by touching on these...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
Construction projects are complicated, even the little ones. I can guarantee you that you can watch a five-million-dollar project all day long for its entire duration and you won't know half of what happened, not half the interactions that occurred over its duration. There is one contemporary and one post completion test you can do...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
In addition to the fantasyland I referenced last week, there are other issues in capital projects that are landmines...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
Having been in the industry for over forty years and having written my fair share of expert witness reports, I can tell you that major capital projects (over, say, USD 5 million) are more likely to end up in court than not. This does not have to be. OK, Jim, you say this does not have to be, then why does it happen? There are two or three conditions that cause construction court cases. They come up repeatedly...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
If you have been doing capital projects for only a few years, I think some surprises are just around the corner. Here is my assessment of where we are headed, assuming some natural or human-caused cataclysmic event does not occur...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
Whether you are the CEO, Mill Manger, Energy Czar or a Project Engineer, your job today is more demanding than ever as we deal with energy, the environment and public perception...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
For many years, I have been telling the faithful readers of this column that energy is a political issue. Now the proof is in...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
These two ideas have been around for a very long time, but I am amazed at how many people don't use them, not just in replacement scenarios, but in new installations. The first one I want to mention is regenerative drives. The other application is VFD (variable frequency drives) on pumps...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
We are headed for a crisis. We have a combination of operators who have little physical understanding of the systems they operate, some of them have an attitude, and, on top of that, the hardware and software that serve as their crutches is obsolete. We want to do something about this...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
This week, we talk about some tricks you can use to unplug an innovation log jam...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
I thought I would spend some time this week talking about some of the innovations I have witnessed over the years...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
I concluded several years ago, that while people like me may be naturally wired to be innovative, creativity can be taught. It boils down to several steps or realizations. I don't think I have shared these in such a wide audience before. So, here goes...
Listen to this column in your favorite format
iTunes or MP3
|
|
|
|
