Augusta, Kentucky—home to actor George Clooney, singer Rosemary Clooney, and Miss America 2000 Heather French Henry—now also hosts a Clopay Corporation manufacturing plant that has earned a reputation for world‑class maintenance and reliability. Clopay’s Augusta facility, the company’s largest emplo

In the realm of maintenance planning, the key to success lies in striking the right balance between detailed job plans and the ability to process a full backlog efficiently. The planner must adapt the depth of each plan to match the complexity of the work, the skill level of the crew, and the overal

Transforming a condition‑based maintenance program isn’t about buying the latest gadget, software, or system. It’s about reshaping the mindset that drives every decision and action. As Earl Nightingale famously said, “We become what we think about.” Every maintenance strategy begins with the thought

During the installation of a 150‑gallon‑per‑minute centrifugal pump powered by a 125‑hp motor, the unit produced alarmingly high vibration levels on its very first start‑up. After several days of meticulous alignment checks, pump teardowns, bearing inspections, motor‑uncoupled runs, and vendor techn

Maintenance employees at U.S. manufacturing plants received an average pay increase of 2.9% in 2006—an improvement over the 2.32% rise reported in 2005—yet still slightly below the 3% benchmark that many U.S. workers expect. This data comes from Compdata Surveys of Olathe, Kan., which collected payr

For decades, the debate over how to measure maintenance has simmered—what metrics truly reflect value, and how can they drive continuous improvement? The Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals hosts a dedicated committee that tackles these questions, yet the industry still wrestles with

Great Lakes Region of the U.S. is winding down one of its most successful years in capital and maintenance spending. At midnight on December 31, the region will have launched more than $27.8 billion of work across 1,166 projects since January 1, 2006. The region isn’t resting on its laurels as 2007

Proper maintenance is essential to ensure the safety of aircraft, passengers, and crew. With airlines increasingly relying on outsourced suppliers for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), evaluating the quality management systems of these contractors has never been more critical. NSF Internation

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) has been honored with a Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award at the Defense Manufacturing Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The award recognizes project teams that significantly advance defense manufacturing techniques, processes, and practic

“Lead, follow or get out of the way.” Lee Iaccoca’s words, once a rallying cry for Chrysler Corporation, resonate even more strongly today in machining and manufacturing. To stay efficient, effective, and competitive, leaders must embrace innovation. Hands‑on machining experience is invaluable, but

Most commodity manufacturers now understand that continuous, uninterrupted production is the cornerstone of operational excellence. Reliable manufacturing unlocks full asset utilization and maximizes key financial metrics such as return on investment (ROI) and return on net assets (RONA). When opera

SKF has entered into a performance‑based Integrated Maintenance Solutions (IMS) agreement with Valero Energy Corporation, the largest refinery operator in North America. The deal covers the Valero Paulsboro Refinery in Greenwich Township, New Jersey, and extends the use of performance‑based contract

American Airlines Maintenance Services (AAMS) and Allegiant Air, a subsidiary of Allegiant Travel Company, have entered into a comprehensive four‑year maintenance agreement valued at more than $30 million. The contract covers engineering, planning, technical, and reliability services, component and

Despite robust plans for enhancing availability, reliability, efficiency and compliance, many power generation firms now hit a performance plateau that hampers corporate objectives. Aging assets, right‑sizing drives, a shrinking skilled workforce, and restrictive OEM contracts further deepen the gap

The United States, according to the Federal Network for Sustainability, consumes roughly 8 million tons of office paper each year—enough to build a 20‑foot‑high wall stretching 6,815 miles. To keep pace with this demand, paper mills relentlessly pursue efficiency and quality improvements. Among the

In the Reliability Forum section of Reliable Plant magazine, leading power‑tool manufacturers shared their expertise in response to editor Paul V. Arnold’s query. “What factor do consumers frequently overlook or misinterpret when shopping for a cordless drill/driver?” DeWalt: Balance Torque, Speed

  Reliability teams often focus on the technology that detects problems and the cost savings from preventing unplanned outages. Yet we frequently stop at the surface: we fix the physical defect but miss the underlying latent cause. A more proactive approach—tracing a detected issue back to its

In a rolling‑element bearing, fresh grease is essential for reducing friction, yet it can also precipitate failure if not applied correctly. The key problem arises when new grease is introduced into a bearing that has long accumulated hard, crusty deposits from prior lubrications. During long interv

In the manufacturing sector, maintenance often ranks among the top three expenses. To stay competitive, leaders must transition from reactive downtime to proactive, data‑driven maintenance strategies. Implementing condition‑based, predictive maintenance (PdM) can sometimes yield a negative return on

In Part 1 of this series on maintenance leadership, we highlighted two foundational concepts for maintenance leaders. Maintenance leaders must have a clear vision of where they are heading to lead effectively. Leadership is about influencing others to act in alignment with that vision. Let’s expand