In industrial operations, reliability is the direct outcome of maintenance. Accurately measuring it is essential, as maintenance investments can be substantial and their value must be clear. Reliable data informs decision‑making, drives continuous improvement, and keeps collection effort minimal. Th

Recent industry surveys reveal that operator error accounts for over 20% of unscheduled downtime. Yet a deeper look shows that more than 70% of equipment failures are self‑induced, with human error responsible for up to 40% of those incidents. This highlights a critical gap across engineering, maint

Trained troubleshooters are a scarce asset in today’s manufacturing landscape. Senior managers at major plants often struggle to locate qualified technicians. Historically, basic training programs left the nuanced art of troubleshooting to long, on‑the‑job apprenticeships. With many seasoned worker

GE has announced the launch of Predix Cloud, a cloud services platform specifically engineered for industrial data and analytics. Predix Cloud is a platform‑as‑a‑service (PaaS) that ingests and analyzes the high‑volume, high‑velocity, and highly varied machine data generated by industrial assets, al

The U.S. Air Force has entered a new maintenance agreement with Northrop Grumman, aiming to expand B‑2 stealth bomber availability while driving down long‑term sustainment costs. Under the contract, each B‑2 will receive a comprehensive, end‑to‑end overhaul—known as programmed depot maintenance (PD

Siemens has entered into a comprehensive 10‑year service and maintenance agreement with Minnesota Power, covering 149 Siemens D3 wind turbines at the Bison Wind Energy Center in North Dakota. The contract encompasses turbines from the first three phases of the Bison complex, as well as Phase 4, whi

Boeing has unveiled a cutting‑edge digital records‑management module that enhances its Maintenance Performance Toolbox suite, helping airlines cut maintenance costs and improve operational efficiency. The Records module offers an industry‑standard platform for managing both scanned and digitally pro

Entergy’s Palisades nuclear plant in southwest Michigan has resumed operations after a $58 million overhaul of equipment and inspections, coupled with a $63 million investment in fresh fuel. The outage began on Sept. 16, 2015, when the plant entered a scheduled refueling shutdown and was back online

\nEffective maintenance planning is the cornerstone of operational excellence. When a task is meticulously mapped out before it begins, it typically takes only half the time of an unplanned effort, elevates quality, and eliminates wasted labor.\nPlanning, in its simplest form, is deciding *what* nee

Managing maintenance is as strategic as any other business function. To deliver the expected value of reliable assets after allocating repair and maintenance (R&M) dollars, you need objective data, not gut instinct. Key performance indicators (KPIs) supply that data, guiding decisions toward mea

Assigning criticality ratings to equipment is a common practice, yet its overall benefit can be uncertain. Equipment criticality is generally defined as the consequence of equipment failure. A typical rating scale for production impact in a multi‑line manufacturing operation is shown below. When suc

SFA Soft, a trusted developer of technical resources since 2004, has introduced two free smartphone apps—Electric Calcs and Pump Calcs—designed to streamline calculations for electrical engineers and pump specialists. Available on both Apple and Android, the apps offer more than 30 technical calcula

Maintenance represents a fundamental cost of doing business and must be disclosed in financial statements. In many manufacturing plants, all maintenance expenditures—labor, parts, and overhead—are allocated to work orders, which in turn are assigned to specific assets, typically at the equipment or

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reached a settlement with Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) that resolves several ongoing and potential enforcement actions. Under the agreement, BCA will strengthen its certification, design, production and maintenance planning processes to reinfor

Many organizations rush into launching internal reliability initiatives without first assessing their existing maintenance practices, leading to disappointing outcomes or even program abandonment. This lack of success stems from failing to evaluate current maintenance processes and create a compreh

Noria Corporation was recently named among the top workplaces of 2015 in a survey of Oklahoma companies conducted by The Oklahoman and Philadelphia‑based research firm WorkplaceDynamics. The study examined 1,210 companies with at least 35 employees across Oklahoma and selected the best 70. Noria

Managing a work‑order backlog may seem routine, but without an accurate, up‑to‑date list, critical tasks slip through the cracks. Effective backlog management is the foundation of sound maintenance planning and scheduling.Defining a BacklogIn practice, a backlog can mean different things. The most u

The ChallengeAs a maintenance or plant manager, you likely see a familiar pattern: a handful of tradespeople handling tasks that could be handled by one, idle staff in the storeroom, questionable work that adds little value, and a work schedule that feels ad‑hoc. Reliability may be acceptable, but t

Over the past few years, the Industrial Internet has emerged as a game‑changer for manufacturers and end users alike. By embedding connectivity into machinery, analytics, and people, it turns routine operations into proactive, data‑driven processes. The Industrial Internet While consumers enjoy the

The U.S. Navy has inaugurated a state‑of‑the‑art maintenance training center at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, dedicated to the P‑8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. Designed to fully integrate the Poseidon into the fleet, the facility houses a comprehensive suite of interactive trainin