How to Plan a Vacation

Well, now it's my turn for vacation. Here's how I (a planner/scheduler in my past life) plan a vacation:

ID / PRIORITY: Need to plan 4 days worth of meals for a camping trip. Highly critical. Could even be a safety issue if not performed properly.

PLANNING: There are several things to consider. Buy-in from everyone involved in the trip is also very important. Not everyone likes Tofu. Make a note whether or not we will have electricity. This will impact what food is brought and how it is to be prepared. I account for each and every meal from day 1 until we return home. See my scratch sheet. For example, the first day we will leave home around noon, so breakfast and lunch will be eaten before we leave. This is a good day to use up any leftovers in the refrigerator that you aren't "planning" to take on the trip with you. I then continue to plan every other meal through the remainder of the trip. Depending on the mood, however, the "planned" meal may be prepared on a different day. Does this mean my schedule is now out of compliance? I guess so.

SCHEDULING: This takes time, too. We (my husband is an excellent resource) must pre-determine the right time to turn on the refrigerator in the camper. Based on this information, I set a date for doing the grocery shopping.

EXECUTE: Shop & Stock!! A little advise: Do NOT take any "helpers" to the grocery store or you WILL come home with excessive inventory!

GO CAMPING!

FOLLOW-UP: Results are based on my "happy-campers".
ANALYSIS: Review any gaps. If anything was missing add to SOP that will be used for the next camping trip!

"MEOW", says the Policeman

Have you heard this one? Thai police officers caught breaking rules for littering or arriving to work late (to name a few misdemeanors) are being forced to wear a "cute" little armband with a picture featuring Hello Kitty™ for an entire day. Apparently this is supposed to shame them so they will abide by the rules. Click here to view one of many articles featuring this story.

Have you ever been shamed by someone at work? A supervisor? Share your story on our Blog.

Hmmm, I wonder what Dave would make me wear if I came into work late?

Drag Racing Receives An Electric Shock!

Drag Racing Receives An Electric Shock!
It was just a matter of time before electric vehicles arrived on the scene of the motorsports industry. Check out the KillaCycle - The World's Quickest Electric Motorcycle. The current fastest quarter mile run is 8.168 seconds at 155.78 mph!

Unbelievable!

You see, the sparkies have known for a long time that electric motors can provide nearly full torque immediately from a standstill. Combustion engines cannot do that, and probably never will. So, even if you have a nitromethane fueled, 4000 horsepower V8 in your car, you can't compete with a comparable electric motor for acceleration. All that remains for the electric racers to do is find the best way to deliver the power to the ground. There are lots of records to beat, and most of them are still held by the conventional guys. This should be a fun thing to watch!

The weirdest thing about it is the eerie silence when these guys do a burnout. You have to see the video below to see what I mean.

See a video of the KillaCycle in action

Preventive vs Preventative

Last week, I got into a discussion with some maintenance professionals about the usage of two words: preventive and preventative.

Have you noticed that both words seem to be used interchangeably, with no obvious difference? It is common to see both forms of the word printed in documents, even in the SAME document. So, what is the right way to spell out PM? Do you know, or have a guess? Do you care?

We went round and round about the wording, and found some references that said it was OK to use either form. But, since then, we found this reference, which we like. Therefore, since this is our newsletter, it is the law. At least, inside of our pitiful little kingdom :). Check out the attitude on the definitive statement below:

from the Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage (1985) by William and Mary Morris

PREVENTIVE / PREVENTATIVE: 'Preventative' is not a correct word. The form does exist as a mistaken variant of 'preventive.' It is what linguists call 'an irregularly formed doublet' and should be avoided. It is listed in the 'Oxford English Dictionary' and some American dictionaries but 'preventive' is always given as the preferred form. The great English word expert H.W. Fowler remarked that "'preventative' is a needless lengthening of an established word, due to oversight or caprice." Perhaps Americans have fallen into the habit of using 'preventative' because of its similarity to 'representative,' but it represents a serious trend in American speech. The use of 'preventative' for 'preventive,' of 'filtrate' for 'filter,' of 'experimentalize' for 'experiment,' and of 'finalize' for 'end' seems to be a part of a trend toward the elimination of simple, precise words in favor of flowery, pretentious gobbledegook."

Wow! I think I know which word I will be using from now on.

Get Joel Levitt's book on preventive maintenance now
$42.50

Safety - Live with It!

I recently took a trip to the Washington, DC area. As I boarded the airplane, I noticed the pilots reviewing a checklist while seated in the cockpit. As I situated myself in my assigned seat, I was aware that the pilots were still going through their pre-flight safety checklist as the lights flickered on and off, as well as the flow of air and the other numerous lights above my head. This particular trip consisted of 4 segments and each time I boarded my flights I was pleased to see each pilot and co-pilot making sure that my trip would be a safe one.

As a "pilot" of my 4-wheeled vehicle, I wondered what safety checks I should be doing prior to starting my car? Is there a checklist I should be reviewing? I do the typical preventive maintenance on my vehicle to keep it from failing, but am I doing all the right things to keep my family and myself safe while on the road? I did a little research on the world wide web and found some very interesting checklists! I used the search term "vehicle safety checklist" when performing a Google™ search. I found that some of the items on my vehicle are not checked often enough and if not working properly, have the potential of causing an accident. I currently have a teenager who began driving 2 months ago. His permit license doesn't come with a safety manual, so it's up to me to make sure he understands not only how to drive safely but to make sure the vehicle is safe to drive - this makes me a "co-pilot", too. I challenge you to check out one of the lists I mentioned or check your vehicle owner's manual for a safety checklist and review with everyone in your family. Go to our DISCUSSION BOARD and let us know how it goes!

Also, this same Google™ search yielded a link to other websites that referenced OSHA safety training checklists. There may be some checklists worthwhile for use within your company in addition to those you already use.

7/18/07 - Just Another Day..fishing? maintenance?

This past weekend, my husband and I were enjoying a sunny, fairly hot, morning of fishing. So far, though, the only thing I was catching were weeds. We had only been in the boat for about a half hour when we heard engines overhead. Looking up, we could see a rather large, yellow plane with the initials DNR on the side. The plane flew directly over the lake (and us) and began circling back around. All of a sudden it descended on to the lake and began skimming the surface of the water. The pilot immediately throttled the plane down. It sounded as if the plane was going to die right there! Within seconds water began spraying out of the plane just above the belly. Apparently, and I'm making an assumption here, this is some type of overflow to indicate the plane's belly was full. As quickly as the water began spewing out, the plane shot forward with a loud burst of power and lifted off the surface of the water. Another plane, smaller than the first, followed the same course and repeated this performance. Although we didn't see any smoke, we had to assume there was a fire nearby as these planes continued to swoop down upon the lake four more times over the next hour.

As I sat watching (and waiting for the fish to bite!), I couldn't help but compare the work of these pilots to a maintenance worker. Maintenance workers fight fires, too! In some organizations, break-in (fire fighting) is a way of life. I had to wonder if what these pilots were doing right now would be considered "break-in" work or because of the nature of their job would it be considered "scheduled" work? What kind of plans or procedures are used for fighting fires? What PM's are in place fires? What CMMS do they use? Wait a minute...I'm supposed to be at work daydreaming about fishing...not the other way around!!

Tug..tug..tug..A bite!

Nobreakdowns.com is currently looking for our next Maintenance Coach. If you are interested in swapping fishing stories and have an extensive background in maintenance please email your resume to our Human Resources department.

7/11/07 - BOOM!

You folks know how I always mention that the details are what makes the difference between good and great performance. Well, sometimes it makes the difference between disaster and great performance too.

I had a friend who was a newly graduated mechanical engineer at a manufacturing facility. He was an excited and motivated person with a lot of good ideas. Like many of us at that stage of our careers, he was keen to make a name for himself as a solid team member.

One day, my friend (let's call him Spanky) was asked to design a system for unloading bulk chemicals in liquid form from railroad cars. One of the chemicals in question was really nasty stuff, and the idea was to make the unloading process safer. The new system would require no user intervention, and was sealed from leaks very carefully.

The design stage was completed without a hitch, and the job went into construction. Again, no problems were encountered, and the system was finished one morning just in time to unload a railroad car over the lunch hour. So far, so good.

You might imagine the excitement for both Spanky and the operators in the area. They happily hooked up the hose to the underbelly of the railroad car, opened the outlet valve on the tanker and started the unloading pump. Beautiful! So, Spanky went to his office for lunch, and the operator sat down at his desk to eat a sandwich while the railroad car was unloaded.

After some time passed, there was a thunderous BOOM!!!, followed by a lot of noises best left unrepeated. The operator ran out to the train shed to find a terrible sight. The unloading system had unloaded ALL of the chemicals, and then the little unloading pump merrily pulled a complete vacuum on the tank. There was no vacuum breaker on the system, so naturally, the pressure of the atmosphere around the tank crushed it as flat as a beer can on the interstate! Impressive, but not a happy sight, I can tell you.

$150,000 in damage was inflicted on the railroad car in a few seconds, rendering it useless. All of this damage occurred because a vacuum breaker was not included in the system design, and the operator forgot to open the top hatch of the tank before unloading the car.

Small details matter!

Does your maintenance program consider the "small details" like job plans, a well managed CMMS, proper work scheduling, training and a work flow process? No?

BOOM!!!

Can We Offer You Some Help?

6/27/07 - Longest Summer Day (or so it seems)

June 21st....known as Summer Solstice...the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Well it's not any "longer" than any other day. It still has 24 hours in it! It's a day in which daylight lasts the longest. Did you know that daylight will last just 4 minutes shy of 15 HOURS in some areas of the Northern Hemisphere and even longer as you get closer to the Arctic Circle? This could also be among the hottest days of summer.

With that being said, make sure you and others you are working with are drinking LOTS of fluids. Whether it is at work or play. Gatorade™ is a great choice. It even comes in individual packets so you don't have to mix gallons of the stuff. A place I worked at actually stocked Gatorade™ in the storeroom. Many areas in the paper mill had those large, round coolers. You know, the type that you could stick your arm into until the cold , flavored water almost comes up to your armpit? Well, it DID come up to the armpit of one fellow. He decided on a quick and dirty method of mixing the Gatorade™ WITHOUT using a mixing utensil. Aargh!! After hearing this, we immediately did some research with the vendor that already provided the family size Gatorade™ we were stocking and found that miniature, single serve packets were available. This not only kept everyone hydrated as they were working long hours in the heat (and in good health), but also kept the "hairy-one's" arm dry.

To post a comment to this article or past articles, we invite you to share on Our BLOG or our DISCUSSION BOARD. Have a great and Safe Summer!

6/27/07 - Proactive Maintenance

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to work in a totally proactive maintenance organization? Very few of us get that opportunity, and the reason is we are waiting for it to HAPPEN.

Well, if you want proactive maintenance, you have to build it, and that means making some changes. What changes, you ask? I would suggest to you that trying something, anything, even a small change would be a step in the right direction. Even if you make a mistake, you will learn something.

At the root of every great maintenance program is a system. A system with clearly defined descriptions of what is supposed to be done, who is supposed to do it and a procedure for how to do it. Go ahead, right now, draw a block diagram of how a work request travels from an idea in someone's head to completion.

Can you do it? Are you sure it is accurate? Do you see any disconnects or weaknesses? Do people REALLY use the system, or is it just a wish? Until you reach an agreement between maintenance and operations that the system is correct and supported, you will never achieve good results.

The system is the solution.

Would You Like Some Help?

6/20/07 - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

I'm sure many of you are familiar with some version of a CMMS, as there are hundreds of out there. Some companies even maintain their own "home-grown" version.

When I first started working in the maintenance field in the paper industry, we managed work orders by hand. A carbon form was used for requesting maintenance work. All the details were handwritten (I think we employed some wannabe doctors because I couldn't read their writing!). The originator kept a copy and sent the remaining carbon copies to the scheduler. The request was then entered into a spreadsheet. A backlog was created from which reports were printed and distributed to supervisors and maintenance coordinators for review. Ultimately the report was returned to the scheduler with another sheet attached with the title "Top 20". The "Top 20" was then scheduled for the following week using again, another spreadsheet requiring manual entry. A simple system, but not very efficient.

Then came our first CMMS. This program was used to manage our maintenance information such as work orders, planned work packages, labor and material costs, preventive maintenance information, equipment information and much more. In the "early" days, our system was not linked to Purchasing, Accounting or Stores. When requisitioning parts for a planned job a Purchase Requisition form was filled out (by those infamous wannabe doctors) and then sent around the horn for written approvals. At some point the Purchase Requisition ended up in the Purchasing department, but oftentimes after the parts had already arrived. Sound familiar? Eventually, as time would have it, these systems did become integrated with each other. This improved workflow efficiencies, made managing the maintenance of equipment and other assets easier, improved productivity for maintenance and operations and reduced costs. If you want to learn more about how a CMMS (no matter which system you use) will improve your reliability, sign up to attend one of our 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review workshops.

As I mentioned in a past article, I will be highlighting tips relating to Maximo in the upcoming months. You will be able to access these tips via our Nobreakdowns.com website, Blog or Discussion Board. Feel free to post questions, comments or even answers to other users' questions. I look forward to chatting with you soon.

6/13/07 - On the Level?

How did the Bubble Get there?

Did you ever wonder how they got the bubble inside a level? If you know the answer go to Our Discussion Board and let the rest of us in on it!! Even if you don't, take a guess!!

By the way, the Discussion Board is open to all registered users of our site, and you can even add new topics if you like. Let's have some lively communication about whatever (within reason) you have on your mind. We especially like the comments from those of you who are "half a bubble off", like us!

By the way, registering to use the site is painless. If you visit the Discussion Board and do not have a login, don't panic. You will be given an opportunity to register online. It costs nothing, and we respect your privacy.

6/13/07 - Life in Breakdown Mode Case #127.3

Naperville, Illinois - Bob Underhill, 46, lives to perform reactive maintenance. Aside from his generous contribution to excessive downtime at the plant, his personal life is completely reactive as well.

He eats whatever he wants and considers exercise to be optional. When it comes to seeing his physician for an annual checkup he gripes and groans about not feeling bad enough to need the doctor.

In fact, he's gotten used to feeling bad. It's normal to feel a little "green behind the gills" now. When he goes to work and the plant is running poorly it makes him feel better because misery loves company.

Bob had a bit of a scare a couple months back with that pesky "heart attack" incident. But, it was nothing a few days in the hospital and major surgery couldn't fix. It's a lot like when the main cooling tower goes down at the plant. You just deal with it and move on. All in a day's work.

Are you in breakdown mode?

Maintenance is the answer.

I have a friend that has a standard answer for any type of equipment failure. His answer applies in most cases, regardless of the type of equipment.

He and some other close friends and I hunted and fished together, and we all had 4 wheel drive vehicles. The 4 wheel drives were essential to get us to the best places to hunt and fish. We all had snowmobiles for winter recreation.

When ever anything went wrong with the vehicles or associated equipment, such as shotguns and fishing rods, my friend's answer to why something failed was " no maintenance." After spending over forty years in maintenance, I believe in a lot of cases this same answer can be applied to industrial equipment failures as well.

It's amazing what a little attention to detail can do to keep our personal equipment running well. The same attention to detail applies to industrial equipment, and we at Nobreakdowns.com are here to assist you with keeping your equipment at peak performance.

Safety Suggestions From Elaina

Six Year Old Public Relations Manager

Our Public Relations Manager, Elaina, asked us to publish her safety tip drawing to keep all of you out of trouble, and working safely.

She suggested that you don't play around with flammable liquids, as they are a fire hazard, know where the nearest exit is located in case you need to get out quickly and leave the fire fighting to the pros.

Elaina also said that we shouldn't ignore a machine that is making noise or acting strangely. If in doubt, shut it down, and find out what is wrong. Don't just walk away.

Not a bad batch of advice from a person who knows how important it is that we all make it home safely every day!

BOOM!!!

You folks know how I always mention that the details are what makes the difference between good and great performance. Well, sometimes it makes the difference between disaster and great performance too.

I had a friend who was a newly graduated mechanical engineer at a manufacturing facility. He was an excited and motivated person with a lot of good ideas. Like many of us at that stage of our careers, he was keen to make a name for himself as a solid team member.

One day, my friend (let's call him Spanky) was asked to design a system for unloading bulk chemicals in liquid form from railroad cars. One of the chemicals in question was really nasty stuff, and the idea was to make the unloading process safer. The new system would require no user intervention, and was sealed from leaks very carefully.

The design stage was completed without a hitch, and the job went into construction. Again, no problems were encountered, and the system was finished one morning just in time to unload a railroad car over the lunch hour. So far, so good.

You might imagine the excitement for both Spanky and the operators in the area. They happily hooked up the hose to the underbelly of the railroad car, opened the outlet valve on the tanker and started the unloading pump. Beautiful! So, Spanky went to his office for lunch, and the operator sat down at his desk to eat a sandwich while the railroad car was unloaded.

After some time passed, there was a thunderous BOOM!!!, followed by a lot of noises best left unrepeated. The operator ran out to the train shed to find a terrible sight. The unloading system had unloaded ALL of the chemicals, and then the little unloading pump merrily pulled a complete vacuum on the tank. There was no vacuum breaker on the system, so naturally, the pressure of the atmosphere around the tank crushed it as flat as a beer can on the interstate! Impressive, but not a happy sight, I can tell you.

$150,000 in damage was inflicted on the railroad car in a few seconds, rendering it useless. All of this damage occurred because a vacuum breaker was not included in the system design, and the operator forgot to open the top hatch of the tank before unloading the car.

Small details matter!

Does your maintenance program consider the "small details" like job plans, a well managed CMMS, proper work scheduling, training and a work flow process? No?

BOOM!!!

Can We Offer You Some Help?

LIVE!! 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review Course

Hilton Garden Inn - Dallas, Texas Sept. 26-27, 2007 (Discounts end July 31, 2007)

This comprehensive 2-day workshop is designed specifically for busy maintenance professionals. The course is focused directly on the key elements of building a proactive maintenance organization from the ground up.

For those wishing to pursue the Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) exam offered by the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP)*, this course covers all aspects of the Body of Knowledge. While no training course can replace hands-on experience, this course offers a strong review and reinforcement of the concepts of best practice maintenance methods.

Nobreakdowns.com is proud to offer an exclusive 2-for-1 Dealfor readers of The Drift and our website. Until July 31, 2007 you may register 2 students for the course for the price of a single seat. Limit one offer per company, and also limited by available seating. This is a $795 savings over the regular rates!

Learn More or Enroll Here

"...we had 5 folks, 2 Engineers and 3 Maintenance Managers take the class. It's no doubt the time you spent with us was very helpful to these folks, in fact one of the Engineers made a comment around how much the week helped him."
Tony B. - Pensacola, FL

Please join us for this fun and interesting class. You can expect good examples, great stories, ample opportunities to network with other maintenance professionals and a greater understanding of the hidden secrets to better maintenance.

*Nobreakdowns.com is not affiliated with SMRP and taking this course does not guarantee successful completion of any exam. SMRP does not endorse the course.

Maintenance Management Classes Start Aug 15!

Did you ever wish you could find someone who could help you to implement a proactive maintenance program?

Maybe a coach who could help you solve problems and assist you with development of work control systems?

System in a Box™ is designed to do just that, without the high cost of live consulting services, and better yet, it leaves you in control of your own operation. System in a Box™ is a distance learning program that uses technology to accomplish great results. This is not a self-study course, but rather a carefully designed system that includes bi-weekly conference calls to keep you on track.

Compare System in a Box™ with traditional consulting

No matter what the current condition of your maintenance program is today, System in a Box™ is adaptable to your situation. We would be happy to assist you in building a strong and effective maintenance program.

We have space in the upcoming (August 15, 2007) group for a few more students.

Learn More or Enroll in System in a Box™

Maintenance Management Classes Start Aug 15!

Did you ever wish you could find someone who could help you to implement a proactive maintenance program?

Maybe a coach who could help you solve problems and assist you with development of work control systems?

System in a Box™ is designed to do just that, without the high cost of live consulting services, and better yet, it leaves you in control of your own operation. System in a Box™ is a distance learning program that uses technology to accomplish great results. This is not a self-study course, but rather a carefully designed system that includes bi-weekly conference calls to keep you on track.

Compare System in a Box™ with traditional consulting

No matter what the current condition of your maintenance program is today, System in a Box™ is adaptable to your situation. We would be happy to assist you in building a strong and effective maintenance program.

We have space in the upcoming (August 15, 2007) group for a few more students.

Learn More or Enroll in System in a Box™

STUD of the Year Named

Detroit Association for Maintenance Mediocrity Announces Winner

At their annual international conference at the Motel 6 in Hell, Michigan, the Detroit Association for Maintenance Mediocrity announced the winner of its prestigious STUD award (Specialist in Taking Uptime Down).

Out of thousands of nominations, Norman Sanderson, a Maintenance Manager from Bixby Manufacturing came away with the title and is now, officially, a STUD.

Through his 23 year career at Bixby Manufacturing, “Sanderson has shown remarkably dedicated defiance of accepted maintenance best practices”, chuckled Robert Cavanaugh, lead panel judge. “We continue to be impressed with how he manages to remain employed in light of his ridiculously backward beliefs about maintenance management and planning.”

Sanderson did have many tough competitors, and to help himself stand out, he claims his attention to activities unrelated to maintaining uptime, like leading three emergency repair meetings per day, kept him above the crowd. “I’m a busy, busy man. Believe me, I don’t have time to plan at all. That's why they pay me the big bucks, Rubberneck!”

The accolades from this award do not stop at receiving the title. Norman Sanderson, STUD, also received a $20 gift card to a local seafood restaurant, and 6 free issues of a magazine of his choice.

Longest Summer Day..A Safety Reminder

June 21st....known as Summer Solstice...the longest day of the year. Well it's not any "longer" than any other, it still has 24 hours. It's a day in which daylight lasts the "longest". Did you know that daylight will last just 4 minutes shy of 15 HOURS in some areas of the Northern Hemisphere and even longer as you get closer to the Arctic Circle? This could also be among the hottest days of summer.

With that being said, make sure you and others you are working with are drinking LOTS of fluids. Whether it is at work or play. Gatorade is a great choice. It even comes in individual packets so you don't have to mix gallons of the stuff. A place I worked at actually stocked gatorade in the storeroom. Many areas in the paper mill had those large, round coolers. You know, the type that you could stick your arm into until the cold , flavored water almost comes up to your armpit? Well, it DID come up to the armpit of one fellow. He decided on a quick and dirty method of mixing the gatorade WITHOUT using a mixing utensil. Aargh. After hearing this, we immediately did some research with the vendor that already provided the family size gatorade we were stocking and found that miniature, single serve packets were available. This not only kept everyone hydrated as they were working long hours in the heat (and in good health), but also kept the "hairy-one's" arm dry.

Instrumentation Techs Drink 800.23% More Coffee

Many Trade In Their Tools For Mugs

Instrumentation technicians have always been known to carry a cup of coffee wherever they go, much to the chagrin of their coworkers.

With the advent of gourmet coffees and blends of exotic herbal teas and other beverages, the temptation to devote more and more time to sipping java has apparently overwhelmed these maintenance team members.

One plant reported that they have found groups of instrumentation technicians huddled around the coffee maker for hours, mesmerized by the scent of a dark roasted French blend, completely ignoring the ringing telephone and squawking radios calling for help.

Still another facility has identified that only 1 in 8 instrumentation technicians even carries tools, while most have several coffee mugs.

This coffee consumption alarm is the worst threat to maintenance effectiveness since the infamous 1973 "Bottle at Every Break" whiskey fad that swept the millwrights and pipefitters across the country.

6/6/07-Where Do I Start?

One of the most common questions we get from maintenance professionals is, "Where do I start?". If you are trying to establish a proactive maintenance program, and are struggling with reactive work, overloaded staff, a limited budget and competing priorities it makes sense to ask this question.

So what's the answer? Believe it or not, the answer is nearly always the same. You need to find someone at the highest level of the organization to accept a role as your defender and supporter. Without a leader on your side who understands the stakes and the challenges you face, your program is on shaky ground. The kind of person you need is rare. Very few corporate leaders have a background in maintenance.

As a maintenance professional, you can do yourself and your team a huge favor by identifying the most likely top leader for your initiative, and and spending the time to prepare him or her for the role. You don't need to turn them into a maintenance manager, but they do need to understand the basics, and the payback for focusing on reliability instead of short-term results.

It is a big shift in thinking to let go of a production oriented focus to one of reliability. Without it, your operation will never achieve optimum performance, no matter how hard you try. Show your leaders how maintenance can contribute to the bottom line.

We have worked with facilities that have doubled their monthly profits through proactive maintenance. That kind of result is what business leaders will notice.

Learn More in the 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review Course

6/6/07-Dwarf Mechanic Triggers Manhunt

This is no joke. Recently, a woman in Germany witnessed a man throwing what she thought was a small child into the trunk of his car, and driving off. She immediately called the police, who located and stopped the car.

When they approached the car, the driver asked what was wrong, and the police officers confronted him with allegations that he had kidnapped a child, who was in the trunk of his vehicle.

The man opened the trunk to reveal that the person inside was in fact not a child, but a 27 year old dwarf. "Shorty" Mueller was a mechanic at a local auto repair shop, and he had requested that the driver place him in the trunk so he could diagnose a rattle coming from the rear of the car. Apparently he does this all the time.

1 - Hooray for the citizen watching out for our kids. We need more of that.

2 - It's great to hear about a maintenance mechanic who is willing to go the extra mile to fix a problem. It must have been a humbling experience to be a dwarf, and ask someone to toss you into a trunk and drive around with you in there!

3 - Thanks to the police for doing their jobs, but not shooting first and asking questions later. It would have made for a different kind of story if they had.

Google Map Street View

Let's get right down to business. Here's some new technology that will blow your mind.

Google™ has just released their latest service, called Google™ Maps Street View. Right now, you can view 5 different US cities in real time (New York, Miami, Denver, Las Vegas and San Francisco). So what, you say? Go there now, and click the "Street View" icon on the top of the map screen.

You will be greeted with a map of the United States with some camera-shaped icons on it. Click one of them and zoom in to the city. Any street highlighted in blue is available. It is really strange to be able to open a live shot of almost any place in a huge city and then "fly around" using your mouse. Unbelievable!

You can literally go there and see if there are leaves on the trees in Denver, if the surf is up in Miami or the the Golden Gate Bridge needs a paint job.

More cities will be added to the system continuously. What does this have to do with maintenance? I am not sure, but I'll bet we will find some uses for it. In the meantime, this is more than a little creepy.
______________________________________________________

5/30/07-Don't Fall Into This Maintenance Trap

It started just over two weeks ago. Something was not quite right with my reliable car. Lights and messages were flashing but nothing appeared to be wrong. The first indicator light to appear was the airbag. After grabbing the owner's manual and checking the section under messages, I discovered that when this light is on there is a malfunction with the airbag.

Thank you handy owner's manual for clearing that up!

When the low tire pressure light came on and my tires checked out fine I knew I had to take it into the shop. The mechanic hooked up his fancy analyzer and began searching for an explanation, only to discover four separate error messages.

A few days later (airbag light still on) I ran over a deer carcass instead of running into oncoming traffic. Driving in Minnesota is full of obstacles like this! What do you know, the low tire pressure light comes on again. I'm thinking, stupid false alarm, right? Unfortunately, not this time. I actually had a flat tire (darned roadkill). It turned out I had a bone sliver in my tire that caused the flat. With all the complicating electrical testing, the cause of all my problems was a simple fix. Replace the battery. Once a new one was installed the messages cleared, and everything was OK.

In the world of maintenance, I've seen many people get trapped into always assuming a problem is the same every time it comes up. They usually implement a knee-jerk reaction to quickly fix the problem leaving the real issue unresolved. Don't fall into this trap. Pay attention to each problem and look at it as it's own isolated event. Then work it backwards to find similarities (and differences). This is good maintenance.

5/30/07-Man Dies of Information Overload at Maintenance Conference

As the traumatic effects of a third fatality this year sink in, organizers of maintenance training sessions worldwide are reviewing their educational content hoping to find new ways to prevent student deaths. "We didn't really notice he was dead until the end of the day when he did not get up to leave the session", says Bob Maroulis, a trainer on Shutdown Management theory. "He just sort of sat there all day with the same look on his face. I thought he was just a great listener and was really into the material."

A spokesperson from the coroner's office released the cause of death on Tuesday stating that Herb Algrove, 47, Maintenance Planner, died as a result of "synaptic overstimulation and brain swelling". Maroulis added, "I was just trying to give him a great value for his money. I feel horrible. But I'm not sure what I can remove from the training syllabus. It's all necessary information."

An investigative committee has been formed to evaluate all aspects of the training received by the victim. The group's recommendations are expected within 2 months. Until then, maintenance managers are advised to send only their toughest employees to all upcoming educational sessions. Maintenance conference organizers have voluntarily capped all training sessions at 30 Powerpoint® slides per hour.

Managing Maintenance Shutdowns and Outages - Book & CD Combo by Joel Levitt
$67.50

It's a virtual Joel Levitt extravaganza!

5/16/07-When to Schedule Preventive Maintenance Work?

Did you ever try to find the time to schedule preventive maintenance on your equipment, and there WAS NO TIME to do it? You know what I'm talking about. You have ALL those other things going on, right? You don't have time to prevent failures because you are busy fixing the failures you already HAVE.

At least that is what you keep telling your scheduler when he or she calls to tell you that your backlog of PM work orders now needs a system of its own in order to be kept organized. What do you do about it? Well, you refer to Step 12 of "The Dirty Dozen: 12 Ways to Wreck Your Maintenance Program", of course.

Take a few minutes to change your behavior, and fix the problem. Somebody has to have the courage to shut off the failures at the source, and it might as well be you. Stop fighting fires today!

Read Step 12: Walk Away from the Challenge to Do it Right

5/9/07-Are You Serious About Reliability?

Do you and your coworkers really demonstrate that you are serious about reliability? I know many of you who read this newsletter are the leaders in your organization, and you DO support and foster good practices. But, is there more we could all be doing?

It is easy to lose sight of ways to reduce failures, cut costs and improve productivity. We are surrounded with so much information, that much of it is now invisible to us. We ignore it, so we can concentrate on the "big issues". I would like to challenge you to step back and look at your surroundings as if you had never seen them before, and see where you can improve the reliability of your entire operation. Look closely, and don't stop with the obvious "maintenance" things.

Here's an example from our organization:
Last June, we were contemplating the purchase of new computers for the entire facility. This was a sizable investment, but our latest crop of PC's was 5 years old, and getting a little slow and unreliable.

If you recall, this was about the time that Apple began running their now famous television ads poking fun at PC's. It was a lightning bolt for us, because we like to do the same thing with reactive maintenance habits. It seemed like there might be a match. After some discussion and research, we took the leap, and switched to Apple iMacs in every office, and Macbooks in every laptop bag. This was a risk for us, but one we could manage by doing our homework.

Why switch when virtually no one in industrial facilities uses Apple products? It's an easy answer! Apple computers are far more reliable, more stable, faster, easier to learn, require little or no IT support, are almost virus proof and they run Windows perfectly (did you know that?). This simple change has saved us a lot of money and time. Since June 2006, we have had exactly zero problems, and the dreaded "incompatibilities" never surfaced. Those funny commercials are even funnier now, because we know that they are true!

Ask why things are being done the way they are done. Often, you will find that no one knows the answer!

Come on! Slap your competitors silly today. See what they ignore.

5/9/07-Pencil Whipped

Back a few years, I was a supervisor in the boiler house of a large pulp and paper mill. One of my duties was supervision of a shop of about 10 maintenance technicians. I had a great bunch of guys, and we were just like a family. It was one of the best jobs I ever had.

A lot of the work we did was preventive in nature. We did PM's like crazy, many of which I now know were not very well developed. We did the best we could with what we had.

One particular PM job that we did every month was changing a small cylindrical filter on an air line to our boiler bed camera. The air was needed to keep the camera cool while it sent an image of the boiler bed up to the control room. Somehow, through a twisted path of union rules and past practices, the pipefitters were responsible for changing this little filter, which was about the size of a can of beer. Mmmm...beer. Ice cold, tasty beer... Uh, sorry. Back to the story.

One of our two pipefitters on the crew walked into my office one day and handed me a filter for the bed camera. It looked like new. He said, "I have been changing that filter every month for years, and I still have the original two filters. I just swap them around, since they are never dirty."

Now, here is a guy who was diligently trying to support the process be doing the PM. He didn't pencil whip the work order, and just pretend to do the job. So, I guess that's a good thing. But, think about how much it cost to send a skilled person to do this job every month for YEARS! Now, multiply this event times a couple of thousand PMs. How big is this problem? BIG!!

The moral of the story: Make sure that your preventive maintenance is preventing something. Please.

5/2/07-Gridlock: The Lesson We Learned at the Bridge

On our trip out to New Jersey, we traveled up to Portland, Maine to visit a business associate. We knew we were going to drive through some large metropolitan areas, including New York City. Rather than try to avoid it, we thought we would just plan for some delays in traffic, and see some new things.

The drive went smoothly for a few miles after we left Newark, but shortly thereafter we saw a big black sign with yellow text that said, "Expect major delays crossing the George Washington Bridge. Use alternate routes." We would have used an alternate route, we had no idea what route to take, so we continued to drive toward the bridge. We did notice a few cars scrambling across 6 lanes of traffic, desperately trying to get to the right to exit and avoid the jam. I assume these guys were the locals who knew the alternate routes. They are secret, ya know.

For the next 2 hours, we crept along the interstate in short 10 foot hops, wondering when we would even see the bridge. I had the GPS in the car, and it was not even showing a bridge or any water. Not a good sign.

Eventually, we reached a point just before the bridge where there was total chaos. People were frantically trying to switch lanes in all directions, honking their horns and gesturing nastily. Why you ask? Well, they have a toll plaza before the George Washington Bridge, and some lanes take cash, and others only take the Easy Pass used by locals instead of cash, to save time and hassle. Right!

What do you think happens when 6 lanes of cars are forced into a toll plaza, and almost all of them are greenhorns like us, who have no Easy Pass? We all need to get to the right hand lanes to pay with coins. The poor locals who are still in the mob are trying to go to the left to use the Easy Pass, but it is anything but easy!

You could not see the toll plaza until it was too late, and people were trying to guess why people were changing lanes in both directions for no reason. What do you think they did? Yup! They started changing lanes for no good reason, adding fuel to the fire.

After the toll plaza, there was no more gridlock, and traffic sailed along smoothly. Looking back on this event, do you see any parallels with maintenance? We sure do. Why not plan ahead, and give people some directions to use the alternate routes instead of a useless damn sign with no instructions? Why not install more signs to tell people 10 miles back to get to the right if they want to pay the toll with cash, and get to the left for the Easy Pass lanes? This is classic planning and procedure building.

Now, put on your maintenance professionals hat, and think about all of the processes in your maintenance program that create the same kind of foolishness. It is costing you money, wasting your time and making your people mad. Simple changes can usually fix it. If you want proof, take a trip to New York, and cross the George Washington Bridge a few times. That ought to make it all crystal clear.

5/2/07-Have You Heard About the New Work Schedule?

We recently got wind of an organization in Asheville, North Carolina called the Friends of the Five Day Weekend. They are making a case that Americans should adopt a 2 day work week, and start taking some time off.

Apparently, Americans work more hours than any other industrialized nation, and 570 MILLION days of earned vacation go unused every year. That's a lot of days!

I'm not sure about Five Day Weekends, but we certainly support people working efficiently and safely and a big part of that is going home on time. If you are doing maintenance the right way, you should not be spending a lot of your time at work when you are supposed to be at home, or fishing or looking for 4 leafed clovers, or whatever you oddballs do.

What do you think it would be like if everyone worked only 2 days a week? I wonder. Of course, I have worked in a couple of places where people really did only work about 2 days a week, and got paid for 5 or more. It might not be all that different...

4/25/07-He Hasn't Done a Damn Thing in 22 Years...

Somewhere in Wisconsin:
Ron Cherneski (name changed to protect the foolish) recently celebrated his 22nd anniversary as a maintenance technician in a local paper mill. He is proud to say that he has not done a damn thing in all of his time at work, and he is dead serious.

Ron explained that he made a bet with a high school buddy that he could be employed at the mill, and do no meaningful work for his entire career. The bet was $50, and Ron set out to claim the prize.

"I spent the 1985-1987 carrying a 10-foot long piece of pipe around the plant for no reason. By the time I stopped, the pipe was nearly polished to a mirror finish from being handled so much." By 1987, Ron was nicknamed "Clean Ron" because he wore white pants to work and never got them dirty.

Ron was then relocated to a shop where he managed to get himself designated at the crew cook, placing him permanently outdoors tending the grill and deep frying fish. His transfer to the shop was accidentally overlooked, and his supervisor never even knew he was assigned to the crew. This job lasted until 1992, when another crew demanded a cook of their own. Ron was nearly stopped from achieving perfection as a rotten, slacking, good-for-nothing loser. Then, his luck changed...

In 1993, Ron volunteered for a night shift position. Another stroke of luck resulted in no one being aware of his existence. For many years, Ron just punched in and went home for 5-6 hours to watch cartoons. He would then walk down the street to the mill, take a shower, punch out and go home in freshly ironed white pants. Clean Ron was on easy street.

Since 2003, Cherneski has been working on standard operating procedures and manuals as a special project coordinator. In reality, he runs a successful online auction business while at work, and spends the rest of his time drinking gourmet coffee. In February, Ron received an offer from the company to retire early with a full pension and medical benefits for the rest of his life. He told Nobreakdowns.com that he plans to get another job so he doesn't have to go home and do yard work. Ron recently got a check for $50 from his high school buddy with a note that said, "Congratulations, you didn't do it!"

4/18/07-On This Day in History

The Great San Francisco Earthquake struck the city at 5:12 AM on this date in 1906. by the time the even was over, 80% of the city was destroyed by a combination of the quake itself, raging firestorms due to broken gas lines and the desperate attempts of firefighters to stop the fires by blowing up buildings with dynamite.

There was no water available, due to massive damage to the water piping all over the city. 3000 people lost their lives in the catastrophe, and thousands more were injured. The quake registered 7.8 on the Richter scale.

At the time, the population of San Francisco was around 400,000. Nearly 300,000 people were homeless after the disaster.

4/11/07- What The...?!?

A Festival of Frustration

You guys know about the people who push their shopping carts up and down the left side of the aisle at the grocery store. What the heck are they thinking? They're jamming up everything, making shopping into misery! WHY?

The only other explanation is that 2/3 of the people in my store are visiting from the UK or somewhere else where they drive on the left. I don't think so. I would bet that the British have 2/3 of their people walking on the right making a bunch of trouble for the normal ones.

I stood in line at the Post Office today waiting patiently while some goofball tried to exchange 39-cent stamps for 2-cent stamps, in anticipation of the rate hike on May 14. You might wonder why he didn't just wait for the 41 cent version, and exchange for those. No way!

Four of us stood in line for about 5 minutes while he did the math in his head, and asked for 60 2-cent stamps in exchange for 20 39-cent stamps, wasting $6.60 in the process! The postal worker told him that she could not give him any change for the difference due to some government rule. The man said, "OK, well give me 80 2-centers then." She did it, smiled and that was the end of the most ridiculous exchange I have seen in quite some time.

So, next I can expect to stand in line watching someone balance their checkbook before they will get their butt in gear and let the rest of us buy our plastic junk and go home.

4/4/07-LinkTank is Online

We're Gonna Tell You Where To Go!

We keep adding functions to our web site for maintenance people all over the world, hoping to generate enough steam to create an explosion of proactive behavior.

The LinkTank is a listing of links to all kinds of useful web sites for busy maintenance people. You can even submit your own link for consideration if you like. Check it out!

Our site is a veritable paradise of delicious tips, tasty tools and hand-picked products. Mountains of super services, towering over lakes of sarcastic commentary, forests of books and fuzzy little bunnies who represent our bosses and their funny behavior.

There is the fresh mountain air, crisp with the hope of planned maintenance, which smells just like apples and massive quantities of beer and 1/2 pound hamburgers.

OK, just buy some stuff already!

4/4/07-"Secret" Function on Nobreakdowns.com Site

Our Calendar is Actually Your Calendar Too!

A few months ago, one of our site visitors accidentally stumbled onto a programming error on our web site. He was able to add events to the site calendar from the user side of the system, and loaded up some fantastic preventive maintenance tasks, so he could track them. The only problem was EVERYONE ON EARTH could see his entries, which was not so good.

Well, at first, we thought we had a disaster on our hands! But, after a few minutes of discussion, we thought, "Hey, this is a neat little feature!" So, we had our web developer build anew function into our calendar, allowing anyone to enter and view their own calendar items on our site. Don't you just love it when a mistake results in something good?

Now, here is the twist. You actually can enter items 2 ways:
1 - Without logging in, enter an event. This sends the event to the site admin user, who will review it for posting to the public calendar. If your event is something maintenance people might want to know about, this is how to share it!

2 - Login, and the calendar switches automatically to "personal mode", and you can enter events that only you can see when logged in. The tool is quite powerful, allowing repetitive events and other features.

Take me to the calendar now...

I need a login...

I don't give a rat's ass about your calendar...

3/28/07-Probabilities 2

Maintenance or NOT?

Here at Nobreakdowns.com, we travel a lot. Sometimes we sit in airports, watching the people walk by, all busy and puffed up about their jobs. That's exactly how we get some of our best material for this newsletter and other products.

One of the oddest things lately has been the boom of people walking around wearing these ridiculous earpieces that let them talk on their wireless phones without using their hands.

It's not so much that the idea is bad, but that people wear these things 24/7, like they MUST be available at a moment's notice, or the world will end. Come on! Not many people have a job so important that they need a permanent telecommunications device implanted in their head. If you DO need this, I am impressed, my friend! Still, I'll bet the world would function just fine if you spontaneously combusted.

Even funnier is the pompous looks you get from people wearing earpieces, like you are less important because you don't have a plastic cockroach feasting on your ear. I have even seen people take a 3-1/2 hour flight with an earpiece on, and never remove it, even though we KNOW they couldn't have taken a call.

The manufacturers of these silly things say that they are stylish, exclusive, cool and sleek. Those are not the words I would use. How about foolish, unnecessary, nerdy and clunky? I am having a hard time imagining such a doofus-attracting thing ever catching on with maintenance people. Please don't disappoint me, folks.

Oh, and what about actually being able to HEAR with your ear? In addition to all of this, I can't get used to someone standing alone, talking out loud like a madman, only to realize he is "on the phone". They seem to be unaware that everyone around them can hear them ordering Viagra with a credit card.

3/14/07-Cloning Eyed As Solution to Labor Shortage

Many Angered Over "Clones Work Free" Policy

Minneapolis, MN - Severe shortages of skilled manpower in the United States has reached a crossroads. Manufacturing facilities strapped for maintenance technicians and managers have turned to technology to relieve the burden.

A group of businesses has created a system by which they can inexpensively and quickly clone their best personnel, creating an unlimited supply of competent workers. Under the current conditions, these clones must be created offshore, due to US restrictions on the practice. The country supplying over 85% of the clones is East Elbonia, where there are no laws.

"We have had great success, particularly since we perfected the transfer of knowledge from our original subject into each of his or her clones. They are essentially equal in all ways." said group spokesperson Eleanor Greable.

Employees have expressed anger at widespread denial of wages and benefits for their clones.

"All 6 of my clones get paid nothing, and receive no benefits. The company expects me to take them home with me every night! I am a slob, and now it is 7 times worse. Nobody cleans, and we are all wearing dirty clothes to work. I cannot afford to feed myself, now that I have 6 more mouths to feed." complained Matt Henderson, a local pipefitter.

Early attempts at cloning were disasterous, when the first batch was developed using a donor who was a total jerk. "By the time we got them into service, we had 240 whining, lazy, worthless slugs lying all over the plant. It was terrible." quipped foreman Charlie Hicks.

These early prototypes have been moved to customer service positions at a major PC manufacturer.

3/7/07-Communication in the "Good Old Days"

Old Joe Tells Us How It Was

You might think things were better in the past, but Old Joe has a thing or two to say about that. Listen to his "interesting" viewpoints on communication then and now.

You might reconsider your opinion after you hear this!

Old Joe has been hanging around here looking for a part-time job at Nobreakdowns.com. He has a lot to say, so maybe we should consider his offer. What do you think?

He refuses to use a computer, and keeps calling me "Punk"...


Listen to Old Joe Now

3/7/07-Name That Tool ANSWER

February 28, 2007 Tool Identified!

Last week's Name That Tool photo was correctly identified by Christer I. of Raleigh, NC. He identified the tool as a sugar cutter. The device was used to cut pieces of sugar from bulk cones or blocks that were supplied to general stores and restaurants years ago. The jaws of the tool are modified blades, which cut the hardened sugar when the user squeezed the handles.

The most common answer from readers was "some kind of device for leading a bull around by his nostrils". There is a tool for that, and it looks similar. Hopefully, the two were not used interchangeably...

Christer will be receiving a Dirty Dozen: 12 Ways to Wreck Your Maintenance Program t-shirt. Thanks to everyone who replied.
We will run another contest like this shortly.

By the way, for those of you who would like a Dirty Dozen t-shirt will soon be able to buy one at our new Nobreakdowns.com Storeroom site. Opening next week!

2/28/07-What's Your Name?

Titles Make a Difference

We work with a lot of clients around the world, and we see quite a lot of variety in job titles. A Maintenance Coordinator in one plant is called a Team Leader in another. A Planner is called a Planner/Scheduler in another location. Everyone has their own logic for how they name their roles and assign responsibilities.

There is nothing strange about this, until you run into the really weird titles. We know of a site that used to call its lubrication technicians Grease Monkeys! No kidding, it was written in their work instructions, the union contract, everywhere, just like that. Grease Monkeys.

Now, it's funny to read this, and I am pretty sure there must be a story from the good old days how this title came to exist. But, how do you think the title affects the professionalism of the person doing the job?

• Grease Monkey
• Oiler
• Lubrication Technician

Same job, 3 different names. BIG difference in how we view the role! Maybe we need to think about titles when we set our expectations for our people?

Now, let's not carried away either. His Majesty, the Third Earl of Precision Alignment is a bit much...

2/28/07-Car Trouble Leads to Surprise Culprit

No Heat & Sluggish Performance a Mystery

I really enjoy working in my garage on projects from time to time, and winter is getting kind of old here in Minnesota. So, when my wife mentioned that her car was acting up, I was looking forward to doing some maintenance work.

Lori said that the blower on her car was making a lot of noise, and sounded like it was broken. I drove the car, and as you might expect, there was no noise. Everything seemed to be OK.

A few weeks later, the problem returned, and was even worse. I drove the car, and the noise was terrible. It sounded to me like the fan had come loose from the motor shaft, and was completely shattered.

I got out my tools, and after some fooling around to get to the blower under the dash, I pulled the fan down, and found it to be full of dog food! About 2 pounds of it, I would guess. Once this was removed from the blower, everything was fine, and the fan worked perfectly again.

We have a lot of wildlife in our yard, so I figured that we had a chipmunk in the garage, swiping food from our dog, Ruby. Great watchdog! Her bowl is 2 feet from her bed, and she sleeps there all night!

I took the car for a drive, and it seemed kind of sluggish. Thinking that maybe the air cleaner was dirty, I pulled it out, and guess what? Full of dog food. This time it was the entire air intake, the resonating chamber and the housing in front of the filter. At least a half a bag of dog food was crammed in there. Now, I was sure we had an army of chipmunks in the garage, plotting my demise.

I drove home without the dog chow pre-filter in place, and was able to smoke the tires with authority. I set traps all over the garage, slathered with peanut butter. Surely, I would catch a dozen critters. In the morning, I got my answer. One little mouse was caught, and not another one since. That little mouse carried all that dog food up into my wife's car, one piece at a time! 10,000 trips at least!

A quick check of my truck resulted in another 5 pounds of dog food located in the air cleaner there! That mouse was a hard worker, and he knew his way around under the hood. I'll miss him... Yeah, right!

2/28/07-Name That Tool

What the Heck IS That Thing?

Take a gander at the picture of the antique tool below. The first person to correctly identify the tool gets a free Dirty Dozen: 12 Ways to Wreck Your Maintenance Program t-shirt.

Send your guesses to us by clicking here. Go ahead and ask your buddies about it. This is a tough one!

While this thing looks kind of nasty, it's not for bull castration!

If you have any rare tools, and would like to share your trickiest ones with the readers of The Drift, send us a digital picture with a clear explanation of the purpose of the tool. If we print it, we will send you a free t-shirt too.

2/21/07-The REAL Meaning of CMMS Fields

Translated into "Reactive Speak"

1. Work Order Number - Some number that the maintenance techs keep asking us to give them. They claim they need it. Ignore them, or make up a number. Use the same one until you retire.
2. Safety Work Order - Use these to get anything done fast. Almost all work can be framed as a safety issue somehow.
   
3. Short Description - A one word description of the job. "Pump" or "Leak" are commonly used. Keep it as vague as possible.
4. Long Description - No one uses this field. Ignore.
5. Equipment Number - Just use the department number. It is posted on the wall next to every PC. If a technician asks you where the equipment is, tell him to refer to the Short Description.
6. Need by Date - Right now is the default. Not sure of other options.
   
7. Priority - It is best to keep it simple, and mark everything as an emergency. Use the Safety option to add emphasis. There is a huge backlog, so using a lower priority dooms your job to the back of the line.
   

If any of the above is eerily familiar, please see the coupon below for our 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review course. We can help you fix it, and we guarantee it will be refreshingly fun to do. This course was designed and scheduled for YOU. Don't be a victim!

You will get 2 days of solid, useful training, a copy of the course CD-ROM and a free 3 month subscription to our online KPI tool, SystemEyes™. Early Bird discounts end March 1.

2/21/07-New Maintenance Books Released

Keep Your Reference Library Up To Date!

We just added four handy new books to our extensive roster of technical topics. Take a look and order today. We'll get them right out to you.



This is the new 2007 edition of the Questions and Answers version of this popular and easy reading book. Don't melt metal without it!

Welding Essentials - Questions and Answers, Second Edition $37.50







This comprehensive book contains just about everything you could possibly want to know about HVAC. Even if you never read it, this huge book left lying on your desk will make you look like Einstein!

HVAC: The Handbook of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning for Design and Implementation $125.00



The Handbook of Manufacturing Processes includes 1500 different descriptions of how things are made, from metal products to plastics. If you ever wondered how the heck something is made, this is your book! A great idea generator.

The Handbook of Manufacturing Processes $115.00







This handy little pocket reference guide is straight to the point, a quick source for AutoCAD information. Newly updated.

AutoCAD Pocket Reference $19.95

2/21/07-Tip for Getting People to Read Work Orders

Sometimes, a Little Persuasion is Useful...

One of the most difficult habits to form when trying to establish planned work methods, is getting people to actually read the work orders. In the past, work orders may not have contained much useful information, so nobody read them.

Now that your work orders have a full work plan attached, with instructions, drawings, parts lists, safety considerations and permits, how can we effectively change how maintenance technicians use them? If no one reads your fabulous work packages, they have no value.

Here's a fun trick that we have used to build a new habit for reading work orders. Find a simple reward, like movie tickets or gift certificates to a local store. Have your maintenance planners add some text to a few work orders every week like this:

"The first person who sees this message, and calls me, gets 2 free tickets to the movies." Bob, The Planner

For just a few dollars weekly, you can drive some change, and make it fun to read the work orders. Try placing the messages in different places in the materials to encourage thorough viewing. Don't make it too easy! Once this system gets rolling, we have seen great response to it.

Give it a try!

2/14/07-It's Hard To Love a Whiner

"But, I Don't Like To Plan!"

Butch Fudgeberry is no stranger to whining. This 20-year veteran of the maintenance profession started complaining and throwing tantrums early in his life, as shown by the photo of him to the right. Since that time, Butch has whined about something nearly every single day, earning him the nickname "Butch The Crabass".

A coworker, who requested to remain anonymous said, "Nothing can get done around here without Butch throwing a fit. First, he whines about how little we plan. Then, the next thing he yells is that we don't have time to plan. What a jerk!"

Other team members have started an informal betting pool to predict the next thing Butch will whine about. One lucky millwright won over $250 when he successfully predicted that Butch would complain that the free Thanksgiving turkey the company gave him was too big.

We followed Butch around for several hours, listening to him ranting about getting his pants dirty, losing his glasses, getting taxed on his bonus check, how the coffee cups were too small and the coffee too strong.

Do you have a whiner like this on your team? Here's a great book to help you deal with all kinds of trouble:

Successfully Managing Change in Organizations: A User's Guide

2/7/07- Maintenance Related Aircraft Photos

You've Gotta See This One!

A few weeks ago, we got an email from someone showing a Chinese 747 with one of its engines strapped down with 3 seat belts. It was flown to Frankfurt, Germany on 3 engines, full of passengers!

The plane was grounded, and it ended up requiring 3 new engines, as they were beyond repair. How would you like to fly on that one?

Anyway, after some exhaustive searching, we found the source of this cool story, and were shocked to find the site contained a HUGE amount of other great content. You have to look at it to understand. Go there, NOW!

See More Aircraft Pics Than You Can Handle

1/31/07- Embarrassment & Split Rim Safety

Make Sure You Understand The Instructions

Some of you might have seen maintenance technicians assemble split rims for truck or automobile tires years ago. These rims have largely been removed from service, because they had a tendency to fly apart explosively when the tire was inflated, if the ring on the outside was not properly seated.

For the most part, these rims are no longer a common safety hazard, but it pays to know that they exist, and you might run across one someday. Be aware that split rims require special care, and when inflating, a special reinforced cage is used to contain the tire and rim while inflating, thereby keeping flying steel safely away from people.

So, here's the funny part. We know someone who worked in one of the large iron ore mines in Northern Minnesota some years back, and a young mechanic was being trained to work with split rims. The foreman told him to be sure to use the safety cage when inflating a new tire on the rim. He then left the new guy to do the job.

A little while later, the foreman returned to the shop to see how things were going. He was treated to a good laugh, as the green mechanic had climbed into the cage, and was reaching through the bars to inflate the tire, which was standing outside the cage! I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat.

1/24/07- "It's The Best We Can Do!"

The Phrase That Killed a Million Good Ideas

When you are working hard to make your maintenance program more effective, there is nothing more defeating that to hear the dreaded words, "It's the best we can do."

Consider this: You want to establish a planning system for work orders, and ask for some planners to be hired to staff the role:

Your boss says: "We can't give you any new people. But, the technicians can plan their own work."

You reply: "But, we know that won't work. They will spend all day chasing parts and struggling. We need dedicated planners."

Your boss replies: "It's the best we can do."

When we translate this into English,you have just been told to buzz off, and never return. Spending your time trying to convince this person is unlikely to result in a good outcome.

There is an enormous difference between "the best we can do" and " the right thing to do". The first statement is a lazy, cowardly way to avoid taking a stand, and the second is an honorable, courageous commitment to drive the task to completion, even if it hurts.

So, what kind of people do you hang around with? Those who do their best, or those who do it right? Maybe it's time to make some changes.

1/17/07- Are You Ready America?

Find Out How To Prepare For Emergencies

We got a tip from a friend that the Department of Homeland Security has a website called Ready.gov, that is designed to inform and educate citizens about preparing for disasters of all types (weather, terrorist attacks, epidemics and so forth).

After taking a look at it, we are 110% thrilled to see a really good plan in place. It isn't a lighthearted topic, but those of us in the reliability field know that being prepared and vigilant is critical. The site has great information for home, business and even a special section for kids, with well designed checklists and job aids to help people GET IT DONE.

This is much better than the silly terror alert system by the same organization. After about 2-3 years of Alert: Elevated (orange), you don't even notice it anymore.

Please check out this site, and share it with anyone you care about. Whether you get hit by a hurricane, snowed in, sick or attacked by idiots, a plan is important for your safety.

Click the link above, or the green Ready America image in our Featured Items section, and make sure you are ready.

1/10/07- Mandatory Blood Donation Saves Company

Literally a "Give Us All You've Got!" Initiative
Butterford, Indiana - Employees of Chicken Masters, Inc. have saved their company through a unique program called "Give Us All You've Got!".

The market for highly processed and chemically altered chicken products has been dwindling over the past few years, due to concern over the safety and health affects of radiated and genetically manipulated chicken. This led the company of 1100 employees to look for ways to supplement their income.

Twice a week, each employee is required to donate a pint of blood plasma at a local center, which pays Chicken Masters $40-$45 per pint. In return, the employee gets to keep his/her job. The donation must be done on the employee's own time, which creates additional savings.

"The program generates an average of $93,000 a week, which results in a small profit even if our sales of whipped chicken is way down." says company spokesman Ducky Hamilton. We asked Hamilton if there had been any resistance by employees about being forced to donate blood. He replied, "No, not really. People know that jobs are tough to come by in this area, and we all work together to cut costs."

When asked why the company has not considered updating its product mix to appeal to modern tastes, Hamilton appeared puzzled, and replied, "We're going for the low hanging fruit first, but that might be an option someday."

The company has plans to expand the program to organ donation in late 2007. The market for lungs and kidneys is great, and each employee has an extra one of those to contribute.

1/10/07- Look, Daddy! It's a Dinosaur!

Two Living Dinosaurs Spotted in Minnesota

In the past week, I have personally seen two honest-to-goodness dinosaurs walking through our small community. My 6-year-old daughter saw them too, and stood there pointing, with her mouth hanging open.

I am not kidding. Two people, a T-Rex and and a Velociraptor if you will, told me adamantly that there was no way that equipment maintenance could be done ANY OTHER WAY except by reacting to emergency failures. The topic was not open for debate with these two, yet we are still here, apparently making a living doing something that does not work.

I was speechless (and that is rare). Once in a while, you still hear an old timer griping about how things were better in the good old days and all that kind of stuff, but NEVER two rock solid "The World is Flat!" guys in one week! There are only 8000 people in our town, and 2 of them evidently missed the period from 1970 to the present entirely.

I wonder if there have been any sightings in other areas of the globe?

1/3/07- Planning: Day One

From Nothing to Something in 60 Seconds

My first exposure to a real, honest to goodness maintenance planning organization was some years ago now. It was quite an experience!

Our company was committed to doing a world class job of building a great maintenance program, and they invested heavily in training and hiring. It was an exciting time, and nearly everyone was fired up about our new lease on life. As a maintenance superintendent, I had the best job of my career.

Since we were brand spanking new from the planning perspective, we had nothing to work with on the first day. There were 7 of us, and we were given an empty room as our headquarters. We had no furniture, no computers, no phone and no network connections. Looking back, it was a ridiculous situation, but we were full of hope. We did have a fantastic view of the river from our window, which was nice.

So, the first thing we did was steal a PC from the Engineering Department, and moved some folding tables into the room, so we had a place to sit and work. For several weeks, we used a phone hanging on the wall in the hallway as our only connection to the outside world. It was quite a challenge to use a single PC by taking turns between 7 people, but we did it.

Slowly, we got organized, and within a day or two, we sat down to review the backlog of work orders, which were 99% unplanned, and there were about 2000 of them, if I recall. We printed them all out, and divided them up equally, not knowing much about how to prioritize them at the time. Man, were we green! We were all seasoned veterans of reactive programs, with tons of hand-on experience, but this was totally new for us.

I left the plant 4 years later to dedicate 100% of my time to Nobreakdowns.com, and at that time, the planning organization was strong and capable, and had everything they needed to be successful. I am still very proud of our team, and what we did there. It was quite an experience, and not always easy, but we stuck together and did great work.

When I run across someone who says they can't make changes because they don't have this or that, it brings a smile to my face, because I know that it CAN be done with nearly nothing, if you want it to be done.

I am sure most of you have some maintenance stories of your own, and if you send them to us, we may share some of them in this newsletter, with your permission.

12/20/06- ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas - Maintenance Style

(Adapted from A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore, 1823)

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the plant,
not a creature was stirring, not even an ant.
The socks were installed in the bag house with care,
all ready to filter the dust from the air.

The managers were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of profits danced in their heads.
And Jim in his hardhat, and I in my cap,
had just settled down for long night shift nap.

When out in the sewage plant arose such a clatter,
I leapt from my chair to see what was the matter.
To the exit I flew like a madman on fire,
Tore open the door, looking low, and then higher.

The moon on the clarifier shone with a glow,
and gave a clear view of the valley below.
When, what to my bloodshot eyes should appear,
but a rusty sleigh and eight scrawny reindeer.

With a tired old driver, all dirty and sick,
I thought for a moment “That can’t be St. Nick!”
Slower than turtles, his scurvy deer came,
And he wheezed and rattled and called them bad names:

“Now Loser! Now Slacker!
Now, Doofus and Creepy!
On, Convict! On, Coward!
On Blunder and Sleepy!
To the top of the sludge press!
To the top of screw!
Now fly away! Fly away!
Fly away! Pew!"

Like welding slag blown away with a hose,
the old sleigh shuddered and slowly rose.
So up to the rooftop the stinkers they flew,
with the sleigh full of tools, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, with an echo, I heard on the roof,
the stamping and stumbling of each tired hoof.
As I went back inside and was turning around,
down the vent stack St. Nicholas slid with no sound.

He fell on the macerator pump with a crunch,
It was filled with turds and yesterday’s lunch.
A bundle of tools he had strapped to his back,
And he looked so miserable opening his sack.

His eyes—how they squinted! His grimace, how mean!
His fists were all withered, his face was pale green!
He grumbled and muttered about his sad plight,
How his elves and paid helpers kept him up all night.

I expected a pipe to be hanging from his lips,
But instead he swigged whiskey, and not little sips.
He was ornery and bitter, and he seemed very stressed,
His maintenance program was not the world’s best.

He was skinny and worn, not a jolly old elf,
and I pitied the fool, in spite of myself.
And a twitch of his eye, and a scratch of his ear
I knew that St. Nick gave me nothing to fear.

I stepped into the light and said, “Hi!” with a smile,
And we sat down together to talk for a while.
He told me his troubles with machines and his elves.
Emergency repairs made with no parts on the shelves.

When he finished relieving himself of his worry,
He sprang to his sleigh, in the new falling flurry.
But I heard him exclaim, as he flew into the night,
“Merry Christmas, Mechanic! Have a wonderful night!”

12/06/06- Rage Overcomes Man

Computers to Blame

A local businessman went off the deep end today, releasing weeks of pent up frustration on his personal computer.

An interview with the man after the incident resulted in his admission that he had indeed repeatedly jumped on the computer, reducing it to scrap.

The computer refused to allow him to open and print a report that he had been working on for 2 weeks, and a fatal error refused to allow him to recover any data.

One thing is certain; the computer has been punished for its behavior, and will never do it again.

Hint: We at Nobreakdowns.com switched to Apple computers exclusively in July. Well, we kept one PC "just in case". Since making the change, we mostly point at the PC and laugh at its incompetence. Don't be concerned, The Apple's are easy, fast and reliable.

11/29/06- New Legislation Forces Standardization

All Maintenance Techs to Be Called Bob

Casper, WY – The Wyoming state legislature has introduced and passed legislation that will force all maintenance techs in the state to be called Bob. The law stops short of forcing a legal name change, but does stipulate 100% compliance with the ordinance during working hours.

The bill was read and passed during a slow period in the House, around 3:45 am. The bill passed unanimously with a 7-0 vote. House representatives, when asked why they had voted this way responded, “We're really tired, and we just want to get home.”

Representative Tom Addersly, who introduced this bill, stated “We already have a lot of Bob's in the maintenance field,and this is just an opportunity to standardize.”

Addersly already has plans in place for bills to force all legislators to be called Tom, all nurses to be called Sue and all rock stars to be called Sïd.

Reaction to the decision was quick from all sides. Trade unions denounced the resolution as an “attack against the freedoms and ideologies of the entire world.” The A.S.G.N.B. (American Society for Guys Named Bob) are extremely happy with the outcome although they would have preferred that everyone legally change their name to Bob.

Women’s groups are coming to grips with the reality of female techs being called Bob, but they are lobbying for an amendment to allow females to be called Bobbi.

Pipefitter Works So Hard That His Ass Actually Drags

"I Felt Something Tugging Me As I Walked to the Locker Room"

Mike Birchfield works at a local power plant as a shift pipefitter. During a recent maintenance outage, he was scheduled to work eleven 12-hour shifts in a row, doing a major overhaul on one of the boilers.

As the outage was nearing completion, the pressure was on to complete dozens of add-on work orders, as no planning or scheduling is done at the plant. Mike was exhausted, and was not feeling quite right.

"I can remember this funny feeling that I was moving in slow motion. It seemed like everyplace I went, I was having trouble getting around, getting stuck in tight spaces, knocking over things and stumbling.", said Birchfield from his hospital bed.

Birchfield made it to the end of his shift, and walked back to the locker room to shower and dress for the ride home. It was then that he realized that something was seriously wrong with him.

"People were pointing, and their mouths were hanging open. I looked behind me, and there on the floor was something I never expected, my own ass!", explained Mr. Birchfield.

This extremely rare medical deformity called worksohardima dragginass, brought on by excessive labor and stress, afflicting only 1 in 500 million people, and has not been seen in the United States since 2 farmers from Indiana came down with the ailment after putting up hay for the winter in 120 degree heat during the summer of 1947.

Mike is expected to make a full recovery, but will require extensive physical therapy to regain full use of his ass. Donations to help the Birchfield family defray medical expenses for Mike's care can be sent to the local hospital, care of "Save Mike's Ass Fund".

11/22/06- "If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say" Speech Backfires

CEO Endures 2 Hours of Dead Silence At Local Plant

Hibbing, MN - Harlon Crenshaw, CEO of Crenshaw Industries, a local manufacturer of snow shovels and precision optics presented what was supposed to be a 2-hour long speech to motivate the employees of the struggling plant.

He was met by heckling, booing and a hail of spitballs and rotten eggs. Workers were furious over the announcement that the customary Thanksgiving turkey that the company gives out each year as a gift to each employee would be replaced by a small bag of granola.

Shouting from the back of the room, one meeting attendee screamed, "We're gonna get you for this, Crenshaw! You better run to your car when you leave, because we're gonna tar and feather you if we catch you!"

Crenshaw desperately tried to regain control of the riotous crowd, saying, "We had to do it! The anti-meat people protested if we gave you meat! The anti-nut people said they would get sick or die if we gave out peanuts! The anti-alcohol folks said we couldn't give out wine! Dammit, all we had left was granola with no nuts, and it's even organic! The bag is small because the FDA said obesity is on the rise, and our lawyer said we would get sued if we gave out a bigger bag!"

The crown would have none of it, and began chanting, "Down With Crenshaw!" The CEO kept his composure, and speaking clearly into the microphone, said, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." After a few snickers and hoots, the crowd of over 200 settled into total silence.

For two solid hours, there was nothing but absolute silence in the room, with the exception of a single worker munching granola in the back row, wearing a Greenpeace t-shirt and Birkenstock sandals. He was very happy.

11/15/06-"New" Land Speed Record

November 15, 1965

Craig Breedlove set a new land speed record by reaching 600.601 mph in his Spirit of America Sonic 1 at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah on November 15, 1965.

This bettered his previous fastest pass, also a world record, of 555.485 mph, set just 13 days earlier.

You might say Craig was quickly going faster.

11/15/06-"Scroodex" Officially Becomes a Word

Coined by Nobreakdowns.com

Scroo-dex |skroo•deks|, noun

The elimination of a major problem, by another major problem, resulting in no problem. In effect, two wrongs DO make a right.

Example:
Dave travels to speak at a maintenance conference, but his flight is delayed due to a passenger dressed like a pirate running around yelling, "Ahoy, Mateys!!!" on the plane. He is hopelessly trapped in Chicago.

When he finally does catch a later flight, he is doomed to be trapped again in Atlanta because his flight from there has already left. But, the second flight is also delayed, due to the pilot being too drunk to fly, so everything is OK.

Usage:
"Today, I was in big trouble, but thanks to a scroodex, I was saved."

11/15/06-Disgruntled Foreman Writes Work Order to Tear Down Plant

Job Done Before Anyone Noticed

Workers at a northern Wisconsin paper mill were "shocked to arrive at work and find the plant torn down", a union spokesman said early Thursday. “Where do I punch in?” was the common lament among workers.

Darrell Kemp, a company representative said that a “disgruntled” production foreman had put a request into the recently computerized work order system, telling the maintenance technicians to tear the plant down.

“It appears the maintenance guys executed the work order before the error could be caught. The work order was marked as an emergency, so they went right to work.”, stated Kemp, visibly shaken.

Displaced production workers quickly went about finding the cafeteria, so they could get a cup of coffee to fend off the November chill.

It is unknown whether the plant will be rebuilt. “To do that, I would need to put in a work order, but at this point I can’t find my desk”, said a chief engineer, who asked to remain anonymous.

With Christmas approaching rapidly, the price of wrapping paper is expected to make a serious jump. The company is trying to move the production to other plants until the crisis is resolved. “This is not in our long range plan. We will have to come up with a strategy to deal with this.”, said Marvin Schlep, Director of Corporate Strategy.

Sasquatch Helps Local Man Change Tire

"He Was Real Good With the Tools."

Local maintenance technician Glen Harding experienced the surprise of his life yesterday, when his truck got a flat tire outside Grand Rapids. He was on his way to deliver a piece of equipment to a customer, and found himself stranded in the early morning hours along US Highway 2, with little or no traffic.

He was struggling to change the front passenger side tire on the truck, when he heard a rustling noise in the spruce swamp behind him. Out of the stunted evergreens came something he never expected. Recent reports in the area of Bigfoot have been ridiculed as a hoax, but no more! Standing in front of Glen was a Sasquatch, nearly 9 feet tall according to the badly shaken mechanic.

There was nowhere to run, so Glen reported that he simply froze in his tracks, not sure what to do. Then, the giant beast picked up the flashlight Glen had dropped on the ground, and pointed it at the tire, grunting and gesturing at the lugnuts. Glen said, "It was just like my partner Chuck was there. That big hairy dude just held the flashlight for me while I changed the tire in the dark. It was the damndest thing I ever saw. He even smelled like Chuck, kinda."

In a few minutes, the tire was changed, and the Bigfoot set down the flashlight, and lifted the front end of the truck so Glen could remove the rather puny jack from under the vehicle. "It was like he was used to working with tools, really spooky!", said Harding.

Local manufacturers, shorthanded and looking for skilled workers have expressed an interest in hiring the Sasquatch. Glen simply said, "That's fine with me. He was real good with the tools. The only thing I can say is they will definitely need to make him wear some clothes. He might work and smell like Chuck, but I have to draw the line somewhere!"

Wacky Winter Weather....in MAY

I woke up around 6:30 a.m. yesterday (Sunday) and couldn't believe my eyes. Winter was back-aargh!! Okay, I'm thinking "wait a minute...this is May. Right? I was just wearing shorts two days ago because it was 70 degrees outside. And then I remembered...I live in Minnesota. They say only in Minnesota can you go from having the defroster in your car on in the morning to the A/C in the afternoon. I guess they are right. Anyone else having any Wacky Weather?

90% Early Mortality for Equipment?

I spent some time with a group of Operations and Maintenance personnel from a water treatment company over the past week, and got a great opportunity to see some of their plans for enhancing reliability at their plants.

Now, this is not a secret, but I saw a figure that really woke me up to the HUGE reliability savings that are still waiting to be claimed on one of the slides they had in their presentation. These figures were collected from known sources, so verify away!

As maintenance professionals we need to know that 90% of the equipment we install and operate fails earlier than it was designed to fail! Wow! Why is that?

- Bad design of the system
- Installation errors
- Lack of precision assembly
- Poor care
- Improper operation
- Contamination
- Improper lubrication
- Overload
- Bad environment
- and so on....


We have a long way to go Amigos! Don't retire early. There is a lot to do yet.

Oldest Unclosed Work Order Discovered

Paul Revere's Silversmith Shop - Boston, Mass.

Researchers working at the location of the silversmith shop once owned by American patriot Paul Revere have discovered what is believed to be the oldest unclosed work order in existence.

The document was written on a sheet of parchment, and clearly states the task to be executed; "Construct a copper chamber pot for Mr. Pickford". While the project was not a glamorous one, it reveals the everyday nature of the business in 1798.

In addition to the normal work order text, there is a small notation in the right margin that says, "Hurry, William! Mr. Pickford doesn't have a pot to piss in. Thanks, Paul"

The 208 year old document contains no comments in the area reserved for closing the work order. The fate of Mr. Pickford remains unknown.

Switzerland Invades Liechtenstein!!

Have you heard about the little military foray of the Swiss into their neighboring country, Liechtenstein? Apparently, a couple of hundred reserve troops were on a training exercise, fully armed and equipped for battle, and accidentally invaded the tiny country of 34,000 residents.

The word is that they got lost on a night navigation training mission, which obviously exposed some opportunities for improvement.

No one was hurt, and there will be no major "Cold War" situation between the two peaceful and friendly nations. In fact, no one even noticed the presence of the soldiers. Liechtenstein has no military, and it seems to work just fine for them.

Snowstorm in Duluth, MN Pics

We got a quite a bit of snow recently, and a friend of mine sent me some pictures he took in Duluth, MN. There hasn't been much snowfall this year, so the latest dumping caught people off guard.

Along with the snow, we got a lot of wind, which makes for some "interesting" snowdrifts.


Welcome Home!

Old Joe The Maintenance Guy Talks About Communication

Our friend, Old Joe recorded his insight into how communication has changed over the years with respect to maintenance. It appears that things have changed quite a bit, and expectations are different these days.

Take a minute to listen in on Joe's thoughts. We think he puts the whole topic into perspective quite nicely.

Listen to Old Joe Now

Learn about our 2-day 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review course, April 19-20, 2007 - Las Vegas, NV - The Flamingo Hotel & Casino

5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review Course

Location: The Flamingo Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Dates: April 19-20, 2007 (New Date!)
Instructor: Dave Krings - CMRP
Cost: $795/person. Buy 2, Get 1 FREE! (Free offer ends March 1, 2007)

Attend this fun and interesting 2-day course, covering all aspects of the SMRP standards for the Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) exam. If you are planning to take this important and difficult exam, this course is designed specifically for you.

Did you know that only 1200 CMRP's were earned out of more than 2000 exams taken by the end of 2005? Thats a 60% pass rate, at best. Don't take the exam without getting prepared. There are 140 books in the recommended reading list at the back of the Study Guide. Do you have that kind of time?

We guarantee that you will learn a lot about building a great maintenance program, and freshen up your knowledge of maintenance practices if you plan to take the exam. Either way, a trip to Vegas and a great class is reason enough to join us! It's going to be a lot of fun, and lots of students are planning to stay for the weekend to win big!

Click here to learn more...

Review of Datastick Vibration Spectrum Analysis Training

I just got back from Campbell, California, headquarters for our friends at Datastick™ Systems. They put on a fantastic three day course, covering the basics of vibration data collection. Their new resident vibration expert, Derek Norfield conducted the course, and did a fantastic job.

Mr. Norfield has been around the business for over 30 years, and he has many great experiences to share while teaching the topic in a fun and interesting manner. I can tell you that the days flew by, and I am much more knowledgeable about the subject. You can sign up for this class by contacting Datastick™.

As many of you know, Nobreakdowns.com is a licensed distributor for Datastick™ products, and we are proud to represent them. Their new VSA-1214/1215 line of Palm™ based vibration spectrum analyzers are revolutionary, making this valuable technology affordable for any business. They are easy to use, durable and powerful.

If you would like to see the VSA1215 in action, check out the demo video. If you are interested in a quote for a Datastick™ device, you can contact Nobreakdowns.com at (218) 327-3114. We would happy to help you get started.

Dirty Dozen ePoster Released

Many of you have been steady readers of our Dirty Dozen: 12 Ways To Wreck Your Maintenance Program tips over the past few months. as promised, we have created a downloadable ePoster of the tips in a format that you can print and hang up in your office.

Click here to download the poster

If you are new to the Dirty Dozen series, or you would like to view the complete text of the tips, you can get them in all their glory by clicking here.

A Tight Spot

Inspecting wicket gates sounds like just another maintenance task, but it's not a job for the claustrophobic. A while back in my tenure with an electrical utility, my partner and I were assigned the task of inspecting the wicket gates on a small hydro-electric turbine the utility owned.

A small log was thought to have gone through the gates, and the plant supervisor wanted to check if any damage had been done. The first thing that had to be done before we entered the scroll case, was to close the ten foot diameter butterfly valve that supplied water to the turbine.

After the valve was closed and locked out, we proceeded into the pipe which rapidly got smaller as it transitioned into the scroll case. Soon we were on our hands and knees, and then stomachs as we arrived at the wicket gates which were about sixteen inches high.

During our short trip in the pipe, I noticed that some water was leaking by the rubber seal on the large butterfly valve. As we were looking for damage, I kept hoping the valve wouldn't fail somehow, and allow the full 100' plus head of water to force us through the gates like the log.

Fortunately the engineer that designed the valve knew what he was doing and we finished our inspection without incident. That was one time when I was really in a "tight spot."

Remove the Blindfold

Imagine if you will, that you are wearing a blindfold and are expected to navigate a maze with not only dead ends, but dangerous pitfalls. Let's say that numerous people depend on you negotiating the maze unharmed, and you have to do so everyday.

Some days you might get lucky, and make it through with only a scratch. That's good for all the people depending on you. On another day you might end up with a twisted ankle, causing one or more of the people who depend on you to have to work overtime to make up for the loss of your contribution.

The worst thing that could happen would be for you to fall and break your leg, taking you out of the picture entirely for an extended period. Now many people are left floundering, because no one ever thought of the simple solution: Take the blindfold off!

Isn't this kind of like a maintenance department doing it's best keep a facility running by employing the "fire-fighting" method of maintenance? Eventually fire fighting techniques won't be enough to keep up with the failures, and all the people that depend on the maintenance department will suffer.

The solution is to remove the blindfold by implementing maintenance planning and scheduling, and experiencing what it's like to see again.

Rude Awakening

I think most of us have heard the term rude awakening. I experienced a rude awakening one early morning back in the summer of 1970. I was working on a blacktop crew and we were on a dawn to dusk schedule. This meant I had to leave home at 3:30 am to arrive at the 5:00 am starting time.

Things went well for about a week, and then the pace started to wear me out. On the sixth day of this schedule I was heading for the job bright and early. I started nodding off in about ten minutes, and soon I was nearly breaking my neck as I would catch myself dozing.

A thunder storm had passed through the area overnight, and I saw a lot of debris on the road. What I didn't see during one of my short naps, was a poplar tree about four inches in diameter laying across my lane. As I ran over the tree at fifty plus miles per hour with my 1960 Chevrolet, I experienced a rude awakening!

After that incident I never had a dozing problem the rest of the summer, and by the way, my 1960 Chev came out unscathed. Try that with the new low riders.

WWII Russian Tank Recovered From Lake

Check out this story we got from our good friend Lloyd. Some folks in Estonia located a WWII vintage T34 tank submerged in a lake and buried in mud. They pulled it out with a Komatsu skidder, and when you see it, I am sure you maintenance guys are going to appreciate it BIG TIME!

Watch the video, and see the tracks still turn after 53 years under water! The story says they were able to get the old diesel running too. Unbelievable...

The other unique feature is the tank was apparently captured by the Germans, and was repainted with Nazi insignia. The theory is that they ran it into the lake intentionally when retreating from the Russian Front in 1944.

Read the story

You Think Hitting a Deer is Bad?

We just got an email from Jeff's brother showing some spectacular images of a moose/car collision. It occurred in Ontario, Canada, and the woman driving only suffered a broken wrist. Amazing!!

So You Want to Be a CMRP, eh?

What the hell is a CMRP, you ask? Well, it is a Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional, and Nobreakdowns.com wrote a nice review course for the certification exam.

If you are a maintenance professional, getting your CMRP is a very big deal, as it is an internationally recognized measure for excellence. The Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) developed the certification, and it is a fantastic addition to our field.

The exam is difficult, and many people take it several times before passing. The trouble is, the exam covers everything from the management side of the business, to training, to operations and the usual maintenance process. Very few people are exposed to all of this material at work, and fewer still have seen it done correctly.

So, we took the bull by the horns, and made a live course, and a CD-ROM based course for those wishing to review and make sure that they have all the bases covered. it's called the 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review. We have taught over 300 CMRP candidates since 2005.

If you would like more information about a live course, either at a maintenance conference or your site, please just email us.

Buy the CD-ROM version

Chilly Grip™ Gloves

Once in a while, we at Nobreakdowns.com run across a product that is truly great. When that happens, we try our best to add it to our list of products, so you can buy them right here.

Well, we have a really good one this time. Chilly Grip™ Gloves! These gloves are made for hard working people, and they are tough! At the same time, they are comfortable and provide fantastic grip, even in wet conditions.

We found these gloves locally, being used by loggers in the Minnesota woods, because they are warm, and have such a super tough textured rubber palm. Then, the son of a guns showed up in bait stores, because fishermen are wearing them to keep warm and grip the fish they catch. You all know about our great fishing up here, so they must be seeing some hard use.

We offer Chilly Grip™ Gloves in Medium, Large and Extra large, but we recommend you try a size smaller than you usually wear. They are stretchy, and the snug fit makes the fingertips much more able to handle small items in cold weather. People who order a pair nearly always come back for a dozen!

We have a special going on right now, that offers the dozen packs of Chilly Grip™ Gloves for $86.28, and we pay the shipping. Whether you buy a pair or several dozen, we know you will like them. We usually have them in camouflage color, but sometimes they are blue or another color (never pink, though). You'll look cool, no matter what!

Click here to buy some Chilly Grips!

Click here to pop some bubble wrap (We want you to get some value even if you pass on the gloves)

Catapult

In the summer of 1970, I worked for a building contractor as a manual laborer. The contractor was in the process of building a two story senior citizens center. One day as I was cleaning up trash around the work site, my foreman asked me to help him lift a concrete support made of nailed together 2 x 4's, up to the second floor. The support was about twenty-five long, and needed to be lifted through a second story window.

I went to the window to haul up the support. As I stood in the rough opening, I noticed that there was a scaffold about three feet below the window that the masons were using to install the building's brick fascia. In order to get the support into the window, my foreman placed the edge of it on the outer pipe of the scaffold.

He then started pushing the support up to me, until he was standing on his toes with his arms fully extended. I had the other end underneath my arm. My foreman's last words were,"Do you have it?" I said "Yes," confident that now my end of the support was inside the building. When he released his grip, I found myself being catapulted out of the window! To my momentary horror I realized that my end had not been inside the building!

The scaffold pipe was now the fulcrum as the lower end of the support swung towards the wall, and somehow I had the presence of mind to lift my legs as I was flung over the scaffold.

In less time than it takes to say" Oh Boy,"I found myself standing next to my foreman. I landed in a pile of mortar sand the masons were using for the brick fascia. He did a double take, and looked back up to the window as if he expected to see my twin standing there. The only thing he could say was "Walk for me!"

I was just as surprised as he, that I was unscathed. I didn't get so much as a sore ankle from the fall, but I don't think I would have faired as well if the mortar sand had been placed somewhere else.

Infant Mortality

Until recently, I thought infant mortality only applied to children. The maintenance definition of infant mortality is- the relatively high conditional probability a piece of equipment will fail immediately after it is returned to service.

Those of us that have overhauled an engine have experienced the momentary doubt felt as the starter is engaged. If everything was done right, the engine would have good oil pressure and not overheat. The first five minutes were critical, if the engine didn't grind to a stop, it would probably survive for many thousands of miles.

When I worked as a gas turbine field rep, I felt the same doubt, only magnified by a thousand, every time I gave the OK to start a unit that had been down for a month or more for repair. There was a lot more at stake if something had been overlooked during reassembly. Bringing the turbine up to rated speed was stressful enough , but the real stress came when the unit had to be accelerated to approximately twenty five percent over its rated speed to test the mechanical over speed trip device. I never saw one fail, but it was always a relief to hear the unit shut itself down as it was designed.

I'm sure that there are field reps around the world that are still crossing their fingers when they give the OK to start up, hoping they don't experience infant mortality.

Fishing Reel to the Rescue

I was on my way from Eau Claire, Wisconsin to Minneapolis, Minnesota one day in 1974, when my Suburu car suddenly died. That was back in the day when a person could work on a car.

I pulled onto the shoulder of I-94, lifted the hood, and started looking for the problem. I knew I had fuel by looking in the carburetor as I actuated the throttle, and seeing gas squirt from the accelerator pump.

I then concluded I was lacking spark. So I removed the distributer cap, and saw that the points had come apart. What failed was the tiny rivet that held the points together. I was a little disappointed, because the car had only 20,000 miles on it.

I knew I didn't have a spare rivet, but I did have my trusty Mitchell 300 fishing reel in the trunk. I removed one of the side plate retaining screws on the reel , and it was a perfect match for the rivet.With some difficulty, I fastened the two pieces of the points together by peening the brass screw. I reinstalled the points, and set the gap with a match book. After replacing the distributer cap, I started the engine, and it ran fine. I never replaced the points again, and sold the car when it had 130,000 miles in it.

I've always been thankful I had that fishing reel in the trunk. It saved me an expensive towing charge.

Life on the Road

Finishing college is a beginning for most graduates. Now real life rears its head, and can be intimidating. I have a suggestion for those that are undecided.

My first job was with a utility company, and I soon realized I wasn't being challenged. The job was too predictable, and I had to find something more exciting. As fate would have it, the company redirected my career.

In order to upgrade their system, the company installed two gas turbine generators. During the construction, I talked daily with the gas turbine field representative, and learned what life on the road was like. Through these discussions, I learned that his company was hiring field reps nationwide.

I submited my resume, and after a brief, and informal interview, I was hired. As it turned out, that was the best decision I ever made.

Life on the road isn't for everyone, but for me, it was just what I wanted. An opportunity to travel and work with different people, but best of all, no chance for boredom.
Each new assignment meant a new challenge, and just when things would start to slow down, I'd get a call, and be off on another adventure.

If you're a recent graduate, life on the road might be the right choice for you.

Respect

During my career as a maintenance supervisor, I learned a lot from the people that worked for me. No matter how inexperienced a technician in an industrial setting might be, he or she wasn't born yesterday. Most maintenance people I have worked with had a mechanical background, and I always made a point of listening when to their suggestions, whatever the topic.

In turn, I've received the same respect for ideas I have contributed to solving a problem. The bottom line is , most people give what they get.

To me, being honest and respectful is a great way to build a maintenance team. If you tell the truth, you never have to remember anything.

CMRP Review Course Invitation and Poll

Nobreakdowns.com would like to invite the readers of our blog and The Drift maintenance newsletter to attend a special invitation only session of our 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review course.

We have selected three popular destinations for the event, and would like to get your opinion on the best location. Whichever location gets the most votes, is the place the course will be held. Cast your ballot below, and let's see what happens! We hope to see you there...or there....or there.

This course is very popular, and is designed to provide a complete review of the topics and skills included in the Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) exam, which is the international standard for maintenance leadership excellence.

The Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) offers the exam at dozens of locations throughout the year. A little studying goes a long way toward ensuring your success on this difficult exam.

The 2-day course is priced at $795/person, and will be held on Thursday- Friday, February 22-23, 2007. Plan to stick around for the weekend, and enjoy the other attractions in the area with your family or coworkers. If you are interested in registering for the course, send us an email with your contact information at Class@Nobreakdowns.com, and we will call you to complete the process by telephone. Seating is limited to 36 attendees. Groups of 3 or more will receive a discount of $100 per person.

Favorite Location for Feb. '07 CMRP Review Course?
	Las Vegas, NV
	Orlando, FL
	Branson, MO
Free polls from Pollhost.com

We cannot guarantee you will pass the CMRP exam, and we are not affiliated with SMRP. SMRP does not endorse our course. Do not eat the course, or heat it in the microwave. The course is not intended to cure any diseases, or conditions.

Industrial Tricycles

In any large manufacturing facility, maintenance technicians spend a good deal of time walking to and from different areas, to complete work orders. I've found that an industrial tricycle is an excellent alternative to walking. The tricycles are available with a platform on the back that can accommodate even large tools or parts, thus saving the technician several trips to the work site.

The three wheel design is much safer than a bicycle when traveling across wet floors, and the narrow width makes negotiating tight areas a breeze. I have put countless miles on a tricycle, and can say that it beats walking.

For any facility considering a tool to improve the lives of their maintenance technicians, I vote for the industrial tricycle.

New Year Resolution

This is the time of year we all make resolutions. Mostly to quit smoking and to lose weight, but how about a resolution to wear Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)? Accident statistics reveal that most injuries result from not wearing PPE, even when it's a condition of employment.

I know many people in maintenance that dislike wearing PPE. The excuses I hear are mostly about comfort. Perhaps if we resolve to return to our homes in the same condition as when we left for work, comfort would be a secondary consideration.

Let's give it a try. I think it's a resolution that we all can keep.

Happy New Year from Nobreakdowns.com

Happy New Year from all of us at Nobreakdowns.com. Thank you for making 2006 a success for us. We wish you a prosperous and exciting 2007!

It's in the Grip.

One of the strongest men I've ever known wasn't a body builder. In fact, I doubt if my friend ever considered working out. He was a iron worker, and had the strongest grip I have ever known.

He was around fifty years old when I met him, and one day on a construction site, someone addressed him as "old man." This prompted him to request a 16 pound sledge hammer, which he stood on its head. He then asked no one in general, if they could pick up the hammer between their small finger and their thumb. There were a few takers, but none could lift the hammer.

Before long, my friend was asked to lift the hammer. He did it with such ease, that it almost made the others who tried, look like they had been faking. He lifted it several more times, which prompted all of the men watching to give it a try. Out of a group of a group of around twenty men, no one was able to lift the hammer. To add insult to injury he lifted a 20 pound hammer several times as well.

I've repeated this story in many maintenance shops over the last twenty-five years, and have yet to see anyone match his strength.

If you know someone that likes to show his strength, ask him to lift a 16 pound sledge hammer.

Cordless Tools

I often think about improvements in tools for the maintenance technician, and one that is at the top of my list is the battery operated portable power tool.

Almost every 110 volt portable power tool has been replaced by a battery operated one. No longer does the technician have to bring one or more extension cords to the job site, and then hunt for an outlet.

The first cordless tools had short battery life, and the technician usually had to bring a spare battery to complete a task, but that is no longer the case. Manufacturers have made huge gains, that have greatly extended battery life.

In the beginning, the cordless tools lacked real power for drilling or sawing anything but wood, but today's tools can do any job their corded counterparts do.

Battery operated tools have changed the home owner's life as well. Just the other day I used a cordless drill to mount hinges on a storage building, that was 150' from the nearest outlet, and thought,"What a time saver."

Split Bearings

Split bearings are used in many applications today, but back in 1978, they weren't very common.

I was a maintenance supervisor in a foundry then. One day I got a call from a production supervisor, who told me the inner bearing on the bag house blower had failed. I sure wish we would have had a split bearing on the shelf that day. What could have been a two hour job, turned out to be eight hours.

Because the bearing was captive on the shaft, we had to remove the entire blower and shaft, and bring it to the maintenance shop. Removing the bearing required a cutting torch, and before installing the new bearing, the shaft had to be sanded smooth. All of which takes more time than production managers like to see.

After the bearing had been replaced, and the blower restarted, the bag house supervisor ordered a split bearing for stock.

I recall that it took a couple of years before the next inner bearing failure, but the maintenance department was ready with the new split bearing. The bad bearing was cut off with a torch in place, the new split bearing was installed, and the blower was back in service in two hours.

Thinking back, everyone was less stressed about the repair than the previous failure, because someone had decided to" work smarter, not harder."

CMRP Training and Products

Did you know that Nobreakdowns.com offers a multitude of resources for those seeking to become Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (CMRP)?

We have a full selection of maintenance and reliability books, many of which are on the recommended reading list that the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) has built in their study guide for the exam.

We also carry the CD-ROM based review course, which we developed in-house. It is the complete course, with the same material covered in our live version of the program.

If you prefer the live course, you can contact us to arrange a date or get more information. We offer the course publicly in several locations every year, and if you have a group of 8 or more, we can come to your site to do the course. It is 2 days long, and covers all 5 Pillars of the CMRP Body of Knowledge in detail.

If you like the humor and technical discussions offered on all of the other Nobreakdowns.com information sources, this course will be a great fit for you.