For On The Floor: How Real Are Reliability Program Challenges?

With the growing emphasis on reliability across the industrial landscape, some recent “word on the street” talk came as a big—and disturbing— surprise. If true, the reported difficulties some sites are having hiring reliability engineers to staff and grow their programs may just be more fallout from the technical-skills crisis. We asked our EP Reader Panelists several questions about the situation.

Q: What’s the state of your organization’s reliability efforts (or those of your client[s]), and has your organization (or your client[s]) found it difficult to staff this type of program?

“Our reliability efforts have been renewed. For the first eight months of the year we had a consulting company come in and work with both management and trades on our maintenance-and-reliability program. Since they worked with us, we have seen a reversal in our reactive versus proactive jobs. The team bought in after seeing results.”

… Maintenance Leader, Midwest

“Our efforts are lagging. We are not permitted budget room to make any efforts other than required repairs. Improvements or upgrades are almost non-existent.”

… Sr. Facilities Engineer, Southeast

“Currently, we are in a transition period from moving our organization to be a more reliability/proactive-driven group. Historically, the makeup has been primarily preventive and emergency-driven activities. We are starting activities that are more predictive and data-driven based.”

… Sr. Maintenance Supervisor, Midwest

“We have invested in some new equipment to improve our reliability, such as thermography, ultrasonic, and vibration, but the duties have been given to existing maintenance employees.”

… Sr. Maintenance Mechanic, South

“In what we do, reliability efforts are simple and controlled with OEM-required dates on equipment maintenance schedules and the like. As it relates to industries we serve, some are adapting and taking control of reliability, and others wish they could, but are understaffed and on the concept of run to fail. This is evident in the metals industry, which is struggling right now in North America.”

… Industry Supplier, Midwest

Q: What difficulties, if any, has your organization (or your client[s]) experienced in staffing, building, and/or growing its reliability program or efforts?

“There have been several attempts in the past that failed mainly due to no follow through. We still run into scheduling issues due to production needs. This is something that is being addressed.”

… Maintenance Leader, Midwest

“Lack of commitment by management: love to talk about improving uptime and reliability, but not willing to invest.”

… Sr. Facilities Engineer, Southeast

“Difficulties have been around wrapping the team’s heads around what the structure and goals of the team are in this new culture. Overall, people don’t like change and don’t see that being proactive and planned in our activities will actually make their jobs easier. Some people only think of reliability as buying the newest tools/instruments/technology. They don’t realize you have to have a plan/strategy to utilize those tools or ‘toys’ and the information they provide.”

… Sr. Maintenance Supervisor, Midwest

“We have talked about a dedicated employee to perform predictive maintenance, but we haven’t moved on it yet. Our hope is the work load will balance out once most of the time-based maintenance is replaced by work needed, based on the reliability-equipment findings for actual machine condition.”

… Sr. Maintenance Mechanic, South

“Many are laying off, idling operations, and status of the market is unknown to predict and have budgets for maintenance. Funny thing is, they went from cleaning and taking out garbage in offices and restrooms daily, now down to twice a week to save money, but that savings was not put into the budget for other things, just reduced.”

… Industry Supplier, Midwest

“Deterioration of a reliability program is almost never the people in the plant or their reliability skills. It is the lack of education of their management. If the plant has shortsighted management that runs to the financial results at the end of the next quarter, the reliability program is not going to grow and contribute significantly to the bottom line.”

… Consultant, Northeast

What’s fueling the situation: lack of qualified job candidates, lack of interest, lack of enlightened managers and management support?

Q: What advice do you have for other organizations seeking to attract and hire new generations of reliability personnel?

“My advice is to find a program that involves everybody in it, from planning to the final stage. A lot of our programs in the past were basically force-fed to the people that were the end users. Most programs that were implemented met resistance because the people that use them had zero input in the planning.”

… Maintenance Leader, Midwest

“Be willing to commit and give it the time and backing it deserves. You can’t harvest what you don’t plant.”

… Sr. Facilities Engineer, Southeast

“It’s difficult trying to get personnel. I don’t know if I can offer any advice. Finding someone that is interested is the key and trying to maintain that engagement is the hardest part.”

… Sr. Maintenance Supervisor, Midwest

“I think to work effectively as a reliability person, you need experience with the machines you are testing. My personal opinion is reliability people should be promoted from within the maintenance department.”

… Sr. Maintenance Mechanic, South

“I think it is critical in long-term performance to work under predicted or planned maintenance, but it truly is a caveat situation when the future is unknown for many organizations that are just trying to survive. Power generation, marine, and other industries we serve aren’t having the same issues or are doing things right.”

… Industry Supplier, Midwest

“What is needed is management education and a reliability champion who will lead the program with a 10-yr. (or some similar long-term) goal.

… Consultant, Northeast  

About the EP Reader Panel

The Efficient Plant Reader Panel includes approximately 100 working industrial-maintenance practitioners and consultants who have volunteered to answer monthly questions prepared by our editorial staff. Panelist identities are not revealed and their responses are not necessarily projectable. Note that our panel welcomes new members. To be considered, email your name and contact information to jalexander@efficientplantmag.com with “Reader Panel” in the subject line. All panelists are automatically included in an annual cash-prize drawing after one year of active participation.