Southwest Airlines has announced plans to build a state‑of‑the‑art, 240,000‑square‑foot maintenance facility at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. The new two‑bay hangar will accommodate up to six Boeing 737 aircraft, complete with paved parking, dedicated wash stations, taxiway access, and loadin

Modern vibration data collectors routinely support multiple simultaneous sensors, enabling the powerful cross‑channel phase analysis feature. To perform cross‑channel phase you only need one additional cable and sensor beyond the standard analyzer and vibration‑route cable. Cross‑channel phase can u

In the manufacturing sector, many professionals mistakenly equate reliability with a simple risk‑based approach. This misinterpretation can obscure critical productivity gains, inflate maintenance budgets, and ultimately erode profit margins across plants worldwide. When a machine fails on the shop

In a recent discussion I challenged the practice of relying solely on serial numbers to flag “rogue” parts—those that fail faster than their OEM counterparts. Serial tracking does not guarantee reliability; the real issue is identifying components that fall short of OEM performance. Consider bearing

A true reliability professional is built on years of hands‑on experience, industry certifications, and a proven track record of transforming maintenance programs into high‑performance reliability engines. Key attributes include: Journeyman‑level trade skills (mechanical or electrical) and, ideally

In every science‑fiction narrative—from Plato’s The Republic to the Federation of Star Trek—a world free of unplanned downtime is the ultimate dream. For manufacturers, that dream is becoming a tangible reality, thanks to predictive analytics and real‑time monitoring. Unplanned downtime costs the g

Electrical equipment never lasts forever. Over time, wear and tear compromise reliability, safety, and compatibility with modern cloud and IoT systems. While budgets and downtime concerns often delay upgrades, the advantages of timely modernization far outweigh the costs. Why Management Often Resis

Maintaining electrical equipment demands meticulous planning and regular inspection. Only through systematic, scheduled checks can potential failures be spotted early, ensuring smooth operation and extended asset life. Trained operators bring a sensory toolkit to the job: a keen nose can detect bur

In every organization, the seamless collaboration between maintenance and operations is essential. Yet, one of the most critical—and often overlooked—partnerships is that between maintenance teams and their storeroom. Delivering the right parts to the right people at the right time is the cornersto

Wouldn’t be nice if every new piece of equipment or system worked flawlessly from the moment it was installed and initiated until the first breakdown occurred many years later. That would be an exception with most industrial equipment. When it comes to setting up equipment, we may find som

Throughout my career, I’ve observed maintenance organizations across the spectrum—from reactive to proactive—and the common trend: most drift toward a purely reactive stance over time. This shift is not about short‑term crises; it’s a long‑term slide that occurs as leadership changes. While many de

At its core, a maintenance manager’s role is to preempt issues before they arise. Charles Kepner and Benjamin Tregoe observed in The Rational Manager that while many leaders are rewarded for solving problems, those who foresee and prevent them rarely receive the same recognition. This reality mak

Allegiant Air has chosen Honeywell to deliver comprehensive maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for its auxiliary power units (APUs) and select avionics components across its fleet of new Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. The agreement also covers the replacement of existing APUs with Honeywell’

In the world of industrial maintenance, the most common profile is the confident, independent technician—often labeled a type‑A personality. They value their hands‑on knowledge and pride themselves on getting the job done. While this mindset drives innovation, it can also create resistance to forma

A U.S. start‑up, Nectome, founded by AI researchers, is exploring a controversial method to preserve human brains by uploading them to the cloud. Their current prototype requires the subject’s death, and a working upload has yet to be demonstrated. The experiment raises the question: has cloud compu

Many manufacturers choose to treat maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) as a low‑priority item, opting for the cheapest spare parts and reacting only when a machine fails. This short‑sighted approach can derail your obsolescence management plan and inflate long‑term costs. MRO includes all the

The boiler at Tulco Oils’ Tulsa, Oklahoma, plant has never been out of service—and the company is determined to keep it that way. During a multimillion‑dollar expansion that added 15,000 square feet to the main facility, the mid‑size industrial lubricant manufacturer invested in a computerized main

The Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) has just released an expanded suite of over 70 standardized industry metrics, designed to sharpen insight into asset‑management effectiveness and precision across the maintenance and reliability sector. These updates equip professional

United Airlines has inaugurated a new, 125,000‑sq‑ft wide‑body aircraft maintenance hangar at Washington Dulles International Airport. The $45 million investment expands United’s technical operations, enabling simultaneous maintenance on two wide‑body or multiple narrow‑body aircraft. Dulles hosts r

Metso has announced the construction of a 31,000‑square‑foot service and repair facility in Mesa, Arizona, set to open in the fourth quarter of 2014. The new center will be seamlessly integrated with Metso’s existing operations in the region, providing faster, more localized support for customers ac