Global Aircraft Solutions Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Hamilton Aerospace Technologies Inc. (HAT), has earned the FAA’s Diamond Certificate of Excellence for maintenance training—its fourth consecutive year. The FAA’s highest honor recognizes programs that encourage both technici

When my colleagues at Noria Corporation and I began shaping the editorial framework for Reliable Plant magazine, we sensed we were building something exceptional—though its full impact was yet unseen. Reliable Plant launched in July 2005 and has quickly captured industry attention. Today, the print

As a plant reliability consultant, I frequently answer the question: can equipment operators perform the maintenance tasks that have traditionally belonged to mechanics, electricians, and other specialists?In this piece we’ll call the practice operator‑involved maintenance (OIM). It’s the same as To

Norias 2005 Lubrication Excellence & Reliability World Conference Breaks Attendance Record More than 1,200 industry professionals gathered for Noria Corporation’s inaugural Reliability World conference, co‑located with the fifth Lubrication Excellence conference, from April 25–29 at the Henry Gonza

The Reliability in Action section showcases reader‑submitted case studies that illustrate real‑world challenges and solutions. Submit your own by emailing parnold@noria.com or mailing to Reliable Plant, P.O. Box 87, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Selected stories will earn you an official Reliable Plant T

Every day, business leaders decide on matters that affect hundreds or even thousands of people. While the stakes can feel intimidating, effective leaders appear to do it effortlessly. They confidently make multi‑million‑dollar choices by combining data with intuitive judgment. Behind those smooth

The U.S. paper industry has evolved dramatically over the past five years, driven by fierce foreign competition and a sluggish domestic economy. Consolidation has become the norm, leading to frequent plant closures and workforce reductions. In this environment, mills must look inward to maintain com

In today’s competitive pulp and paper market, new low‑cost entrants and shrinking global demand press traditional mills to the brink. To remain profitable, every operation must exploit the full value of its assets, and that starts with maintenance. Historically, maintenance was seen as a necess

By fine‑tuning the type, quality, and timing of shutdown work, Potlatch Corporation’s Cloquet, Minn. pulp and paper mill cut maintenance cost per ton by 83 %. Effective shutdown management is the linchpin of mill performance. Poorly planned outages erode equipment reliability, compromise product qu

Best‑practice in maintenance is often easy to define, but implementing a continuous improvement culture that sustains high reliability is a far more complex challenge. Having state‑of‑the‑art techniques, procedures and systems does not guarantee a flawless operation or record‑low failure rates. Succ

Modern maintenance leaders operate at the intersection of lean manufacturing, TPM, reliability excellence, and integrated operations. To add true value, a maintenance manager must evolve into a full‑fledged business unit manager, standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder with other plant functions. Maintenance

The 70/30 Rule: Why 30% of Workers Deliver 70% of Results When front‑line supervisors ask whether everyone on their team is performing at the same level, the answer is rarely “yes.” Across industries—from mechanics and electricians to planners and engineers—roughly 30% of employees complete 70% of t

In this reliability article, I share insights from my work with organizations that consistently outperform others in maintenance and reliability. The difference? They implement, rather than merely plan, proven strategies that become ingrained habits. Most companies spend excessive time drafting plan

Transforming Operations & Maintenance: A Practical Guide to Effective Planning Imagine a plant team navigating a busy road: the maintenance manager, blindfolded, the plant manager peering from the rearview, and the production manager shouting to speed up while warning of a flat tire. This chaotic im

Front‑Line Leadership & Key Performance Indicators for Maintenance Excellence Developing and documenting improvement plans is essential, but they must translate into measurable performance gains. If front‑line maintenance—supervisors, planners, and craftspeople—doesn’t show improvement, resources ar

In 2004, USA Today published a comprehensive set of statistics that linked health‑care spending, physician density, and life expectancy across many countries. Using the data, we sorted the nations from the highest health‑care cost (as a percentage of GDP) to the lowest. We then plotted each country’

Many organizations spend far too much time chasing the next reliability or maintenance concept while neglecting the fundamentals that sustain day‑to‑day performance.In a recent visit to a mid‑size integrated mill, I met with supervisors, planners, and craftspeople—the frontline of maintenance—and he

In many plants, reliability and maintenance projects stall because teams across departments operate in silos. Operations, maintenance, engineering, and storage often pursue separate objectives, creating friction and missed opportunities. Why the Misalignment Persists Project managers focus on sched

Begin With Preventive Maintenance, Then Move to Root‑Cause Elimination In continuous improvement, the question often arises: should we tackle root‑cause problems first or strengthen preventive maintenance and scheduling? Root‑cause problem elimination (RCPE) is vital, but it becomes a waste of time

I receive frequent inquiries: How can I tell if my organization is world‑class in maintenance and reliability? The answer lies in the adoption and execution of proven systems and practices. This article is best read by a cross‑functional team that includes managers, engineers, supervisors, and