Reliable Plant Home Page

How Ladders Enhance Safety, Reliability

2012-04-16T08:56:04-05:00

Everyone can remember a time when they needed a stepladder to get nameplate data, but with none around, climbed on top of something nearby instead. As we become more aware of safety in all of our daily activities, this behavior raises a red flag. The opportunity for a slip and fall injury here is too high to ignore, and yet human nature says it will happen too often.

When you consider the initial costs against the potential benefits, having enough ladders staged at handy intervals in your plant is a good return on maintenance dollars. You leverage those dollars by getting multiple advantages from the ladders, such as increased safety, better labor utilization and improved work quality.

Safety improves when technicians use the ladders instead of climbing on motors, oily gearboxes, handrails and u

Keep the Customer in Mind When Applying Lean Principles

2013-01-23T09:11:44-06:00

I recently had cause to visit a state government office to conduct some business. Prior to my visit, I decided to do some legwork to see what I was in for and to ensure that I was prepared for the visit. The website was simple enough, and I had no problems discovering what I was looking for in preparation. So, I spent 15 to 20 minutes reviewing the website thinking (very incorrectly) that I might save myself some time if I prepared.

The next day, I visited the office. I stood in line for almost 30 minutes to finally speak with a woman who proceeded to tell me the things that I had already read on the website while also asking a series of questions that the website had pointed out. She then gave me three pages of paperwork to fill out and directed me to wait "over there&qu

Build Processes that Drive Consistency

2012-07-27T08:48:11-05:00

As I’ve gotten older, I have tried to curtail my consumption of fast food. I’m aware that the fat content, calorie counts and general nutrition levels are not the healthiest available. I know that as we age, we should watch our cholesterol, our weight and make sure that we eat healthy. I also know that my diet will directly contribute to the length and quality of my life. With all that being said, I love fast food. I am usually pretty good at keeping a balance of healthy eating and not-so-healthy eating, but sometimes I just want something that comes quickly and cheaply even though it may not be the best thing for me.

I recently decided to partake in some fast food in spite of the long-term potential health consequences. As I was standing in line reading the menu, I was watching the processe

Timken Completes Plant Upgrades

2013-04-11T09:57:14-05:00

The Timken Co. recently announced the completion of three capital-investment projects totaling $85 million. The steel business investments include an open-die in-line forge press at the Faircrest Steel Plant in Canton, Ohio, along with an intermediate finishing line and a second induction thermal treatment line at the Gambrinus Steel Plant, which is also in Canton.

The 3,300-ton forge press offers Timken and its customers sound-center engineered steel bars that can unlock new market opportunities and operating efficiencies. The forge press uses an innovative large-bar forged-rolled process, which Timken developed and installed to enhance center soundness of a larger cross-section of Timken special bar quality steel.

"The forge press opens new market spaces for customers and Timken, providing particular value where performance in extreme operating conditions is of critical importance," said Timken’s Rich Kyle. "Adding this forging step prior to rollin

SKF Unveils Intelligent Bearing Technology

2013-04-09T09:23:33-05:00

SKF recently launched SKF Insight, an intelligent bearing technology that enables bearings to communicate their operating conditions continuously with internally powered sensors and data-acquisition electronics.

"These innovations are set to revolutionize condition monitoring for bearings, especially in critical machinery and technically challenging applications," says Tom Johnstone, SKF president and CEO. "SKF Insight technology will make condition monitoring more widely available, especially in applications where it was previously impossible or impractical. With our integrated diagnostic technology, our customers can get even better control over the life cycle of their machinery, leading to lower total costs with higher reliability and machinery uptime."

Previously, condition-monitoring techniques could only monitor damage after it had occurred. Now, by sensing directly on the bearing, SKF is able to monitor the damage from the first microscopic eff

Bosch Rexroth to Expand South Carolina Hydraulics Plant

2013-04-04T10:24:35-05:00

Bosch Rexroth recently announced plans to expand production at its new manufacturing campus in Fountain Inn, S.C., and convert an existing 260,000-square-foot industrial warehouse into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that will initially produce the Rexroth A10VO hydraulic pump.

With the addition of the new building, Bosch Rexroth will double its production capabilities at the location, making the Fountain Inn campus its largest hydraulics manufacturing site in North America.

"The Bosch investment for expanded production in Fountain Inn increases our ability to serve the needs of our local and regional customers," said Berend Bracht, president of Bosch Rexroth Americas. "In turn, this enhances their opportunity to participate in industrial and mobile equipment markets on a global basis, drawing on the support of a partner like Bosch Rexroth that is recognized around the world for superior technology, reliability, applications expertise and service

Notable Solutions Earns 2013 Kinetic Process Innovation Award

2013-04-02T09:47:17-05:00

Notable Solutions Inc. (NSi) recently received a 2013 Kinetic Process Innovation Award in the data capture category for its work with Toyota Industries North America (TINA). The 17^thannual awards program recognizes excellence and innovation in the application of information technology.

"NSi has helped Toyota Industries of North America to automate many of their manual processes, thereby eliminating many paper-based systems, streamlining operations and enabling various departments within their organization to more effectively participate in their business processes," said Mike Morper, vice president of marketing at Notable Solutions. "We are extremely pleased to be recognized for the work that we have done to help Toyota securely automate many of their business processes and create a more collaborative environment."

Toyota selected NSi to better manage thousands of paper and electronic documents for the groups involved in the manufactu

Arabian American to Build 2nd Hydrocarbon Processing Plant

2013-03-28T09:30:41-05:00

Arabian American Development Co. recently announced that it has signed a contract with Gevo Inc. to extend toll-processing services of the hydrocarbon processing demonstration plant at its South Hampton Resources (SHR) facility in Silsbee, Texas, and construct a second demonstration unit to provide Gevo with toll-processing services necessary to process up to 16,000 pounds per month of mixed octane materials produced on the existing isobutanol to jet demonstration unit.

The new demonstration unit will produce paraxylene for polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This will allow Gevo to supply early adopters with product so they can test material, make samples and start their selling cycle. The contract is for a year and a half with one-year extensions available thereafter. The demonstration plant is slated for completion later in 2013. SHR will complete the final design and engineering package for the unit from preliminary plans supplied by Gevo and will

Georgia-Pacific Announces Third Great American Worker Contest

2013-03-26T11:18:12-05:00

Georgia-Pacific Professional will again honor the champions of America's workforce with its Brawny Industrial Brand Great American Worker contest. The company is seeking individuals who combine a history of workplace safety and high work productivity with a commitment to community involvement for the chance to win a Ford F-150 truck.

The contest, which will be accepting nominations through July 7, 2013, encourages plant managers, floor supervisors, assembly line operators, truck drivers, mechanics and workers in manufacturing, automotive, construction, logistics, food service and other U.S. industries to nominate themselves online. Contestants must submit a short essay telling why they are the Great American Worker and how their commitment, dedication and leadership have made a difference on the job and in their community.

After the submission period has ended, entries will be narrowed down to a top 10 and then entered in the grand-prize community-voting phase, which

Honeywell Cuts Energy Use at Puerto Rican Wastewater Treatment Plants

2013-03-21T10:16:12-05:00

Honeywell recently announced an agreement to upgrade wastewater treatment plants for the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), the largest water and wastewater utility in North America.

The energy-saving program will start with $16.3 million in improvements at treatment plants in Barceloneta and Caguas, Puerto Rico. This includes installing advanced process controls, new blowers and diffusers, and other high-efficiency equipment, which will save the authority almost $2.7 million in annual energy and operating costs. In addition to the equipmen

Rhode Island Manufacturing Jobs Drop

2013-03-19T09:55:34-05:00

Industrial employment in Rhode Island declined 2.2 percent during the past year, according to the 2013 Rhode Island Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. (MNI). MNI reports Rhode Island saw a loss of 1,325 manufacturing jobs between December 2011 and December 2012, and is now home to 1,792 manufacturing companies employing 58,197 workers.

"Manufacturers in Rhode Island have yet to fully recover from the recession, and high taxes combined with uncertainty over the state's massive debt burden have put a damper on hiring," says Tom Dubin, president of MNI. "However, the state's educated workforce and access to capital continue to be a draw for new business."

According to Manufacturers' News, industrial machinery and equipment accounts for the most manufacturing employment in the state with 6,066 jobs. Second-ranked fabricated metal products accounts for 5,973 manufacturing jobs, whi

Ohio Manufacturer Cited after Worker's Finger is Amputated

2013-03-14T09:36:52-05:00

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Smithville Manufacturing Co. in Wooster, Ohio, for 21 health and safety violations, including one willful, after receiving a complaint that a worker's finger was amputated at the facility by an unguarded press machine. OSHA has proposed penalties of $65,800 as a result of the December 2012 inspection.

The willful violation was cited for failing to ensure point of operation guards were in place on mechanical power presses at the stamping facility, which does short-run productions of automotive parts. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

"Smithville Manufacturing has a responsibility to follow all safety guidelines, including the use of properly adjusted and adequate machine guarding to protect workers from injuries, such as amputatio

MicroVention Opens Plant in Costa Rica

2013-03-12T08:09:20-05:00

MicroVention Inc. recently opened a new manufacturing plant in San Jose, Costa Rica, marking the company's first facility outside the United States and the first neurovascular manufacturing facility in Costa Rica.

The plant's opening ceremony was attended by numerous dignitaries and executives from the business district including the vice president of Costa Rica, Luis Lieberman Ginsburg.

"MicroVention will be the first company specializing in the neurovascular segment, and we are excited to welcome MicroVention to the Alajuela region," commented Gabriela Llobet, director general of the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE).

The new facility, which measures 80,000 square feet and encompasses a 25,000-square-foot clean room, will support the growth and expansion of products offered under the MicroVention and Terumo brand. The company has hired approximately 150 associates with plans to expand in the coming years.

"We a

Vermont Manufacturing Jobs Decline

2013-03-08T08:40:48-06:00

Industrial employment in Vermont declined 1.4 percent over the past year, according to the 2013 Vermont Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. (MNI). MNI reports Vermont saw a loss of 634 manufacturing jobs between December 2012 and December 2013, and is now home to 1,415 manufacturing companies employing 42,921 workers.

"Manufacturers in Vermont have yet to fully recover from the recession, and the state's large debt burden combined with uncertainty over the fiscal cliff and sequester has put a damper on hiring," says Tom Dubin, MNI president. "However, the state's educated workforce and abundant natural resources continue to be a draw for new business."

According to the industrial guide, electronics manufacturing is Vermont's largest sector by manufacturing employment with 7,052 jobs, down 8 percent over the year. Second-ranked food products account for 5,218 manufacturing jobs,

Azima DLI, NRG Energy Announce Predictive Maintenance Agreement

2013-03-06T08:54:25-06:00

Azima DLI recently announced the details of its predictive maintenance (PdM) agreement with NRG Energy Services, operator of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station (ISEGS). Azima DLI's Watchman analysis program will be implemented to ensure reliability of more than 700 of Ivanpah's rotating equipment pieces located across 3,500 acres of California's Mojave Desert.

Ivanpah will run a 392-megawatt solar-power facility using mirrors (heliostats) to focus sunlight on solar receivers atop power towers. Solar-generated power from all three plants will produce clean, reliable energy to more than 140,000 California homes. Using electricity generated at Ivanpah means displacing more than 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year and decreasing water use by 95 percent when compared with wet-cooled solar plants.

The Azima DLI Watchman analysis program will be fully integrated as soon as the plant reaches commercial operation. In most scenarios, plants take prevent

Fuel Company Cited After Worker's Death

2013-02-28T09:14:58-06:00

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Export Fuel Co. with 18 serious safety violations following the death of a worker who was crushed by a pavement roller in August 2012 at the company's facility in Export, Pa.

"Training workers to recognize and address hazards is essential, and Export Fuel failed to train its workers on the operation and maintenance of the pavement roller, which ultimately led to a worker's death," said Christopher Robinson, director of the OSHA Pittsburgh area office. "It is the employer's responsibility to provide a safe workplace by finding and fixing hazards so all workers are protected."

The serious violations include fall and electrical hazards, lack of machine and equipment guarding, lack of energy-control procedures, the company's failure to provide employee training in the maintenance and operation of construction vehicles, and a safe exit and mean

Holcim Plant Wins Business Partner Award

2013-02-26T11:09:14-06:00

Holcim (US) Inc. recently announced that its plant in Ada, Okla., has received the Outstanding Business Partner Award from East Central University. The award recognizes institutions that have cultivated partnerships within their communities. The business partnership excellence award furthers a higher learning environment through the Oklahoma State Regents' Economic Development Grants.

"Holcim is committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with the communities in which we operate," said Filiberto Ruiz, president and chief executive officer of Holcim (US). "I am proud of the Ada plant and its employees for being recognized by East Central as an outstanding business partner and look forward to their continued commitment to furthering that relationship."

Holcim's Ada plant will receive a grant of $500 each from the state and East Central University. The grants may be used for tuition waivers for employees, paid internships for curre

Aggregate Industries Receives Environmental Awards

2013-02-22T13:10:43-06:00

Aggregate Industries US recently announced that a number of its facilities were awarded the Environmental Excellence and Community Relations Awards from the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA).

"We are extremely proud of our facilities for receiving each distinction," said Filiberto Ruiz, president and chief executive officer of Aggregate Industries US. "I commend the employees for their continued commitment to the community, environmental stewardship and sustainability. These initiatives are the foundation of Aggregate Industries' mission and contribute to our company's success."

The environmental excellence award recognizes facilities actively executing local sustainability strategies through measurable technical and regulatory benchmarks. Accokeek Sand and Gravel, located in Fort Washington, Md., received the gold environmental excellence award. St. Croix Sand and Gravel, located in Chisago, Minn., earned the bronze environm

SKF Launches Online Maintenance Network

2013-02-20T09:56:24-06:00

SKF recently launched an online maintenance network that enables maintenance professionals to connect with other maintenance experts globally, get their feedback on specific problems and find potential solutions.

With today's ever-challenging business environment, increasing uptime in manufacturing operations can make the difference between staying competitive and struggling to survive. Consequently, maintenance departments play a crucial role in finding fast answers to equipment breakdowns and thereby minimizing downtime.

Every hour of downtime costs the company money and causes high stress levels. In many cases, the fix is only a partial solution that allows production to go on, while the real problem is not tackled until the next maintenance shutdown. The new SKF network service is designed to help find more long-lasting solutions.

The website includes discussion rooms where people can discuss hot topics as well as specific problems and take advantage o

UE Systems to Host Ultrasound World

2013-02-14T13:27:49-06:00

UE Systems Inc. will present the ninth-annual Ultrasound World "Top Gun" Conference in Clearwater Beach, Fla., from May 6 to May 10, 2013.

South Carolina senator and former Alcoa executive Paul Campbell is returning as keynote speaker.

"Based on his enthusiastic reception at Ultrasound World VII, Senator Campbell is guaranteed to energize, motivate and inspire attendees as they prepare for five days of cutting-edge education and professional advancement," said Doug Waetjen, the program organizer.

The conference program will consist of presentations from industry leaders and interactive workshops that will focus on the latest trends in ultrasound best practices in condition-based monitoring and reliability programs. The conference will also feature exhibitions introducing attendees to the newest and best advancements in the industry along with post-conference courses for specialized software.

"This is a great venue for

Georgia-Pacific Professional Receives Performance Award

2013-02-12T10:16:11-06:00

For the sixth consecutive year, Georgia-Pacific Professional has received a Partners in Performance Award at Grainger's annual supplier conference in Rosemont, Ill. The award was presented for exemplary achievement and service as a supplier.

"Grainger is proud to recognize Georgia-Pacific Professional for its outstanding supplier performance," said Fred Costello, Grainger vice president of product management. "Grainger provides customers access to all of the products they need to keep their facilities safe, clean and functioning, and our suppliers are a critical part of that focus. We appreciate Georgia-Pacific Professional's commitment to providing superior products and outstanding service to our mutual customers."

Grainger's Partners in Performance Awards recognize suppliers who achieve excellence in several categories, including responsiveness, information integrity, on-time shipping and variability, management commitment and order fulf

Acme Brick Reopens Texas Plant

2013-02-07T10:05:35-06:00

Acme Brick Co. recently reopened its plant in Bennett, Texas, with a ceremony observing the first load of brick produced at the facility.

The plant, which is just west of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and built in 1996, is located on the site of Acme's first brick-making facility that began producing hard-fired brick in 1891. Acme is also reopening a portion of the company's Texas Clay plant located in Malakoff, Texas.

"It's very exciting to see this brick plant back in the business of making quality brick for our region's homes," said Dennis Knautz, Acme president and CEO. "I believe that we can finally say with confidence that our local homebuilding market is coming back. Given the recovering construction sector and the strong demand seen at other Acme plants, we believe that it is an absolute necessity to restart operations at this facility in order to have an adequate supply of brick for our homebuilder customers."

At full

Virginia Gains Manufacturing Jobs

2013-02-05T09:51:46-06:00

Virginia gained 284 industrial jobs over the past year according to the 2013 Virginia Manufacturers Directory published by Manufacturers' News Inc. (MNI). MNI reports Virginia is now home to 6,420 manufacturers employing 329,788 workers.

"The state continues to see its manufacturing sector improve," says Tom Dubin, president of Manufacturers' News Inc. "Virginia has fared very well economically compared to most other states in the region."

Several manufacturers operating in Virginia announced expansions over the year, including Rolls Royce's site in Prince George County, Kraft Foods in Frederick County, Utility Trailer in Marion, Sabra's snack dip plant in Chesterfield County, M&H Plastics in Winchester and Hanes Brands fabric plant in Patrick County. In addition, nutrient manufacturer Balchem announced plans to establish a new manufacturing facility in Covington, and RTI Metals opened a new plant in Martinsville.

Illinois Plant Cited for Exposing Workers to Hazardous Materials

2013-01-31T11:37:39-06:00

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Flex-N-Gate Corp., which operates as Guardian West in Urbana, Ill., with six serious safety violations for failing to protect workers from exposure to hazardous materials and provide adequate emergency response plans and training at the company's bumper manufacturing plant.

The inspection was initiated in July 2012 after OSHA received a complaint alleging workers were being exposed to high levels of hydrochloric acid following a release of the acid during refilling operations. Proposed fines total $41,200.

"Manufacturers such as Guardian West, which are the subject of repeat complaint inspections, need to demonstrate a commitment to properly training and protecting workers from exposure to hazards," said Tom Bielema, OSHA's area director in Peoria, Ill. "OSHA is committed to protecting workers on the job, especially when employers fail to do so."

Honda Plant to Use Wind Energy

2013-01-29T09:18:50-06:00

Juhl Wind Inc. recently announced an agreement with Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America Inc. to develop, install and operate two utility-scale wind turbines that will generate electricity for the plant in Russell's Point, Ohio.

Once the turbines begin operating later this year, the Honda Transmission plant will be the first major automotive manufacturing facility in the United States to obtain a substantial amount of its electricity directly from wind turbines located on its property. The turbines, with blades approximately 160 feet long, will be installed on 260-foot towers on the Honda property, which is suited for a maximum of two wind turbines.

Juhl Wind is supplying full development services along with construction management of the $8-million project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2013. Juhl will also provide ongoing operation of the turbines.

An evaluation of the project showed that renewable energy from the two wind turbines will su

58 Health, Safety Violations Found at Hoover Dam Power Plant

2013-01-24T09:37:23-06:00

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found 50 alleged serious and eight repeat safety and health violations during a comprehensive investigation at the Hoover Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant located 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas. The U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Reclamation maintains and operates the power plant.

"We are concerned to have found this number of serious safety and health violations at the Hoover Dam plant," said Ken Atha, OSHA's regional administrator in San Francisco. "We expect to work closely with the agency to rectify these deficiencies and provide a safe and healthful work environment for employees."

The 50 serious safety and health violations included fall and electrical hazards, a lack of required guards on machinery, inadequate personal protective equipment, lead contamination, and the potential for overexposure to hexavalent chromium. OSHA also identified

CertainTeed to Open Asphalt Shingle Manufacturing Plant

2013-01-22T10:10:25-06:00

CertainTeed Corporation recently announced plans to open a state-of-the-art asphalt roofing shingle plant servicing the central United States. The company is currently evaluating several locations for the plant throughout the Midwest.

The new facility is expected to employ approximately 125 people and will be CertainTeed's first greenfield roofing plant since the company built its Oxford, N.C., plant in 1978, which is currently the world's largest shingle plant.

"We're proud to be building a brand new facility, which means local construction jobs, local production jobs and local transportation and material-supply jobs that will bring renewed vitality to the chosen community," said Tom Smith, president of CertainTeed Roofing.

The plant's construction and positioning will help CertainTeed meet increased market demand for asphalt shingles and reinforce the company's commitment to service and easier access to customers.

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Women in Manufacturing STEP Award Winners Announced

2013-01-18T12:08:47-06:00

The recipients of the first Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Awards were recently announced by the Manufacturing Institute, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the University of Phoenix and Deloitte. The awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry.

"These 122 women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing," said Jennifer McNelly, president of the Manufacturing Institute. "We chose to honor these women because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole."

The STEP Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and best practices for attracting, advancing and retaining strong female talent.

Nissan's Mississippi Assembly Plant to Build Crossover Vehicle

2013-01-15T09:46:55-06:00

Nissan recently announced that its vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Miss., has earned the sourcing contract to build the next-generation Murano crossover, becoming the eighth vehicle built at the plant and requiring several hundred employees for production. The announcement comes as Nissan begins celebrating 10 years of manufacturing in Mississippi.

Since it was established in 2003, the Nissan Canton facility has become a cornerstone of the company's North American manufacturing operations. Over the past decade, Nissan Canton has grown from building one model to seven, including the Altima, the Armada full-sized SUV, the Xterra mid-sized SUV, the Titan and Frontier pickup trucks, and NV commercial and passenger vans.

"As we look back on 10 years of manufacturing in Canton, it's become clear throughout the Nissan network that 'Made in Mississippi' is a stamp of quality and great people," said Bill Krueger, vice chairman of Nissan Americas. "

Ford to Expand 6 Michigan Plants

2013-01-10T10:05:15-06:00

Ford Motor Co. will spend more than $773 million on new equipment and capacity expansions across six manufacturing facilities in southeast Michigan as part of its commitment to invest $6.2 billion in U.S. plants by 2015.

The investments in Michigan will create 2,350 new hourly jobs and allow the company to retain an additional 3,240 hourly jobs. The 2,350 new positions are part of the 12,000 hourly jobs that Ford is adding across the U.S. by 2015.

"Even as we wrap up an incredibly busy year of capacity expansions and product launches, we are continuing to look to the future," said Jim Tetreault, Ford vice president of North America manufacturing. "These investments, many of which are already under way, will ensure our southeast Michigan manufacturing facilities can support our aggressive growth plans."

Expansion work at several plants started earlier in 2012 to increase Ford's capacity to provide transmissions and axles to support

New Hampshire Gains Manufacturing Jobs

2013-01-08T09:57:45-06:00

Industrial jobs in New Hampshire increased one-half percent over the year according to the 2013 New Hampshire Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. (MNI). MNI reports New Hampshire gained 335 manufacturing jobs from October 2011 to October 2012 and is now home to 2,628 manufacturers employing 82,132 workers.

"New Hampshire continues to see its manufacturing sector improve," says Tom Dubin, president of Manufacturers' News Inc. "The state's educated workforce and low business costs have made it easier for manufacturers to expand."

Several companies manufacturing in New Hampshire have announced expansions including Foss Manufacturing in Hampton, Kluber Lubrication in Londonderry and Freudenberg North America's locations in Bristol and Northfield. In addition, Webster Valve announced the establishment of a new facility in Franklin, while Atrium Medical will open a newly expanded fac

New York Frozen-Food Plant Cited for Safety Violations

2013-01-04T09:35:25-06:00

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently cited Rosina Food Products Inc. with nine serious violations of workplace safety standards at its production facility in West Seneca, N.Y. The manufacturer of frozen-food products faces a proposed penalty of $54,750.

The inspection, which began in September, identified several deficiencies in the plant's process safety management program, a detailed set of requirements and procedures employers must follow to proactively address hazards associated with processes and equipment involving large amounts of hazardous chemicals. In this case, the process was the operation and maintenance of the plant’s refrigeration system. The chemical was anhydrous ammonia, which is used in the refrigeration system.

"The stringent and comprehensive requirements of OSHA's process safety management standard are designed to prevent catastrophic incidents, such as the uncontrolled r

SC Johnson Adds Wind Turbines at Wisconsin Manufacturing Facility

2013-01-02T11:49:25-06:00

SC Johnson recently added two new wind turbines at its Waxdale manufacturing facility located in Mount Pleasant, Wis., marking another step in the company's goal of increasing worldwide renewable energy use to 44 percent of total electricity by 2016.

The addition of wind power means that the facility is now able to produce an average of 100 percent of its electrical energy on-site, reducing carbon emissions associated with powering Waxdale by 6,000 metric tons annually. Each 415-foot turbine features a permanent magnet, gearless generator, which requires less maintenance but produces higher energy yields than the more traditional gearbox-type system.

"SC Johnson has been making green choices for our products and operations for decades," said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. "Waxdale's new wind turbines enable us to manufacture our products while having an even smaller impact on the environment – and that's something the peopl

Stay Focused to Sustain Reliability

2013-04-10T10:26:45-05:00

A terrorist with a bomb passes through airport screening undetected on Christmas day. If not for a failure to detonate, many lives would have been lost.

When this brazen attack occurred, one of the things made evident was that many of us had let our guards down since 9/11. We had grown less interested than we once were.

I recognize this in a related area of my professional life. When I am not working on maintenance systems, part of my consulting practice is in "food defense," the concept of keeping the bad guys from intentionally contaminating our food supply.

There was significant interest in this topic after 9/11, as you might imagine. I regret to share with you that today there is far less interest, at least in the United States. Paradoxically, workshops I have taught in Peru, Thailand, Panama and the Caribbean have received considerable interest from their governments, universities and food industry (factories).

I have a couple of theo

How to Create Employee Engagement

2013-04-03T10:36:33-05:00

Every organization has rude customers, operational and financial challenges, and employee turnover. However, the tough economy, the feeling that job stability is a thing of the past, the ever-decreasing benefits and bigger workloads have created an atmosphere of malcontent and distrust within the employee ranks.

Unfortunately, most company executives are too far removed from the front line to realize that conditions are ripe for a tsunami of turnover when the recession ends. Supervisors on the front line are busy scrambling to keep their own jobs and are just as frustrated, worried and exhausted as their employees, creating an environment of "every man and woman for themselves!"

A recent Harris Interactive survey uncovered the following statistics on American job satisfaction:

Across America, 45 percent of workers say they are either satisfied or extremely satisfied with their jobs.
Only 20 percent feel very passionate about t

Develop Leadership Skills by Mentoring

2013-03-27T10:08:30-05:00

Mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The receiver of mentorship was traditionally referred to as a protégé or apprentice. Today, the term "mentee" is gaining acceptance and becoming widely used.

There are several definitions of mentoring. Foremost, mentoring involves communication and is relationship based. In the organizational setting, mentoring can take many forms. The formal definition that best describes mentoring is as follows:

"Mentoring is a process for the informal transmission of knowledge, social capital and the psychosocial support perceived by the recipient as relevant to work, career or professional development; mentoring entails informal communication, usually face-to-face and during a sustained period of time, between a person who is perceived to have greater relevant knowledge, wisdom or experi

Using Value-Chain Analysis for Effective Talent Management

2013-03-20T10:17:18-05:00

Would you like to maximize the value impact of your talent-management process? Consider conducting a value-chain analysis of your organization’s logistical activities for recruiting, hiring, retaining and growing your human capital.

Companies most often think of the value chain as it relates to manufacturing and technical processes, but seldom do they consider their value chain when designing talent-management processes. However, to maintain a competitive advantage, especially during hard times, managing the human resources value chain is a critical component of an organization’s future success.

The term "value chain" was first introduced by Michael Porter in the book Competitive Advantage: Sustaining Superior Performance. Typically associated with manufacturing firms in the past, value creation and subsequently competitive advantage through value-chain analysis and management provides an effective strategy for all businesses seeking stream

Train Supervisors for Success

2013-03-13T08:33:41-05:00

One of the things that I enjoy doing in my maintenance leadership and supervision courses is to provoke the group with situational scenarios and ask them how they would respond. These scenarios are based on real-life experiences that typical organizations fail to prepare supervisors to handle. Truthfully, in many cases, little if any training is given to supervisors, especially those transitioning from hourly roles to leadership and supervision positions.

With that said, I would like to share a true scenario to help illustrate my point. So, here it goes …

You are the only supervisor on duty at the site (no other managers are here), and are actually filling in for the normal supervisor, who took vacation. The site is very large, employing nearly 1,000 people. It happens that only one manufacturing line is running across the weekend, so only about 40 people are present on Sunday’s day shift. You happen to be in your office near the plant floor doing one of man

Increase Performance with an Engaged, Healthy Workforce

2013-01-03T11:23:46-06:00

As you begin a new year in your organization, you must commit resources to answer the latest challenges and bring success to the bottom line. One of the main concerns in many companies is employee well-being and health. Indeed, to meet all of the challenges you face this year, you will need to ensure that your workforce is engaged and healthy.

For many people, the resolution of daily exercise is made each year only to dwindle and flame out over the coming days, weeks or, in a few fortunate cases, months. Some folks actually do make it a lifelong way of life, and I applaud those who do. However, the vast majority of people typically fall back into their old routines without making any real changes to improve their health and well-being.

Within an organizational setting, ergonomics and stretching

How a Visual Workplace Improves Safety

2012-05-11T10:27:04-05:00

What does a visual workplace have to do with your safety program? Well, it can be one of your best tools for promoting and maintaining awareness among your employees as well as a subtle training program.

Human beings are visual creatures. We are geared to perceive our environment through our primary sense: vision. You see, interpret and catalog enormous amounts of data through your sense of sight every day. A great deal of this is subconscious, but very real. Why not piggy-back onto this completely natural process to teach safety principles, transfer information on safety resources and keep safety in your employees’ daily thoughts?

OK, you ask, “How do I do that with visual aids?” It seems fairly intuitive to me that you think about what you see, so let’s put thi

Lean Principles Help Bus Company Reduce Downtime

2012-02-10T09:14:26-06:00

Collins Bus Corporation in Hutchinson, Kan., recently reinvented itself through implementation of lean manufacturing principles.

On peak days, Collins Bus used multiple 55-gallon drums of undercoating per day. The problem was the company experienced excessive overspray of its undercoating. The overspray drifted into the plant, creating a hazard for plant personnel. The overspray also fell onto finished buses, causing additional clean-up and thus additional production delays.

In addition to these issues, the 55-gallon drums installed in the spray booth caused further production delays, because when a drum emptied, spray operations had to stop until another drum could be installed. This took a half hour or more out of production for each changeover to a new drum.

Daubert Chemical took a proactive role in helping Collins Bus achieve its objectives by first examining how it could solve the overspray situation. The result was a reformulation of the undercoating, wh

Inherently Safer: The Future of Risk Reduction

2012-08-10T09:55:23-05:00

An explosion at the Bayer Crop Science plant in Institute, W.Va., which killed two workers and injured eight others in 2008, raised the question of whether there was a safer alternative for storing and using highly toxic chemicals. This U.S. Chemical Safety Board video illustrates how industries can benefit from incorporating the principles of inherently safer design into making decisions while preventing accidents and reducing the consequences of accidents should one occur.

Reliable Plant 2012 Conference Highlights

2012-05-21T10:13:56-05:00

Watch this brief video for highlights of the 13^th annual Reliable Plant Conference and Exhibition held in Indianapolis on May 1-3, 2012. The international conference, which is the premier event for lubrication, oil analysis and reliability professionals, drew nearly 1,000 industry experts, decision-makers and practitioners from around the world.

Be sure to save the date for Reliable Plant 2013 on April 16-18, 2013, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Maintenance Supervisor Coaching

2012-03-12T14:04:54-05:00

In this 3-minute, 3-second video, Dave Berube of Life Cycle Engineering discusses how to coach a maintenance supervisor to be more effective. Learn the three areas of concentration for maintenance supervisors and how using a coaching card can help maintain focus on these three areas.

Why Vibration Troubleshooting Instruments are Inadequate for PdM

2011-11-07T09:51:41-06:00

This video explains the difference between troubleshooting instrumentation and the types of instruments and software that are used to implement predictive maintenance programs. Often providers of troubleshooting instruments confuse the industrial market as to the differences between their capabilities and true condition monitoring.

Reliable Plant 2011 Conference and Exhibition

2011-02-13T16:35:54-06:00

The Reliable Plant 2011 Conference and Exhibition is coming to Columbus, Ohio on April 19-21, 2011. Get the details at Conference.ReliablePlant.com. This brief video shows highlights from the 2010 conference.

How to Lead in Tough Times

2013-03-07T09:33:58-06:00

Leadership is a very broad and nebulous term. Generally accepted definitions of leadership include "the activity of leading" and/or "a person who rules, guides or inspires others." By these definitions, anyone can be a leader, whether you formally manage and lead a team as a manager or supervisor, or if you just happen to find yourself in a position to influence others.

During hard times especially, you need leaders who have the ability to see and seize opportunities as they present themselves. Possessing leadership capabilities does not necessarily have anything to do with a title but has everything to do with future-thinking professionals who are willing to proactively step up to the plate and buy into a culture of progressive action.

The grid below shows characteristics of managers vs. those of leaders. The questions for you to answer as a business professional or aspiring business professional are: "Which are you?" and "For which at

Make it Clear that Change is not Optional

2013-02-27T09:37:37-06:00

Charles Barkley is one of those polarizing public figures who tend to divide people into two groups – fans and detractors. Known as much for his off- and on-court antics as his basketball talent, there is a lot in his history to support either side. Nevertheless, whichever way you feel toward Sir Charles, two things are true: He is a very talented athlete, and he also knows change.

When faced with the prospect of his daughters dating, the "Round Mound of Rebound" focused on a key change principle. Referring to the young gentlemen showing an interest in his maturing daughters, he proclaimed: "I figure if I kill the first one, word will get out."

OK, so technically Barkley is more interested in avoiding change than managing it, but the principle is sound – when there are consequences, people pay attention.

Change and leadership share a common goal – influencing behavior in others. When an organization faces change, there are

Don't Forget People in Strategic Planning

2013-02-25T10:23:10-06:00

It has been the norm for decades that organizational strategic plans have been created by upper levels of management. Annually, the best and brightest division heads come together to brainstorm the company's strategic challenges and solutions, articulate the vision for strategic growth, and formulate the plan for optimizing organizational resources. They will spend days conducting a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis, identifying critical success factors, analyzing the market and formulating the execution process for the new plan.

Yet with all the time and money spent on strategic planning, often there is a lag in putting the plans into action, or the execution fails to achieve the desired results. All managers know that execution is critical to the success of the strategic plan, but making the plan work is an even bigger challenge than creating the plan, in large part because execution requires a disciplined process or a logical set of connected activit

Getting Better Returns from EAM Software

2013-02-21T08:38:22-06:00

Nobody implements enterprise asset management (EAM) software without an idea of what return they expect on the investment, but too often either due to the selection of inadequate software, subpar implementation or poorly articulated goals, EAM software projects do not deliver a measurable return.

This article will examine a few of the specific ways that EAM software can deliver that sought-after return on investment (ROI) so you can plan your selection and implementation around these deliverables. These five tips should help you take advantage of the cost savings and revenue-enhancement features EAM has to offer while avoiding the pitfalls associated with an overly complex or problematic implementation.

Reduced Maintenance Inventory

As is the case with other types of enterprise software, including enterprise resource planning, inventory reduction is a key area where EAM can deliver a return. Maintenance inventory is jus

The Importance of Visible Leadership

2013-02-19T09:20:00-06:00

Recently I caught a few moments of the reality show where the CEO goes out "undercover" – albeit with a film crew – to capture what is really happening in the trenches of an organization. It reminded me of how frequently we fail to understand what is going on in our own world during the off-shifts and so on.

As I have mentioned many times in the past, you cannot manage people or build relationships with them from behind a desk. You have to get out where the work occurs and inspect and interact. In the end, we get what we inspect. It is not just getting out during the day shift, but how many of you as managers actually rotate around on the different shifts?

One plant manager that I know required her staff members (all of them, including those in finance and human resources) to pull a six-week shift rotation every year, covering all production shifts. It forced them outside of their comfort zone to learn about the issues in the factory and how they co

How to Deal with Difficult People

2013-02-15T10:36:50-06:00

One of the first people to study difficult employees in the workplace and to assign specific characteristic descriptors to these groups of people was Robert M. Branson. In 1981, he wrote a book called "Coping with Difficult People." In this book, he identifies seven categories of difficult people:

Hostile-aggressive
Complainers
Silent and unresponsive
Super agreeable
Know-it-all experts
Negativists
Indecisive

Today, these seven categories have been consolidated into three broad categories with very distinct characteristics. These three categories incorporate the characteristics and behaviors of Branson's original seven categories. They are:

Aggressor
Victim
Rescuer

Most experts believe that it is useful to characterize difficult people and then try to understand them as individuals. F

Create a Culture to Retain Top Talent

2013-02-11T09:44:34-06:00

Now more than ever it is important to understand what keeps people working and doing their best for the organization. While the current economic situation has created tough times for businesses, it has also created one of the highest unemployment rates in decades. However, there is a misnomer related to today's high unemployment rates, and that is that people will not leave their organization because it is too difficult to find a job.

The fact is that talented people can find a job anywhere. One of the ways to lose talented workers is through passive recruiting. This is a process where companies who are hiring (and there are still plenty of them) are vigorously recruiting talent who are not looking for another job. For all intents and purposes, these employees are happy with their current company and satisfied to have a good job. The recruiting company approaches these people offering more money, better working conditions, more benefits, higher status, etc.

Surge protector: Superconductor cable prevents grid blackouts

2010-07-19T13:29:13-05:00

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is supporting a technological advance that could reduce the chances of blackouts. The Directorate's Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency helped fund the development of an electrical cable that could be used to link substations, providing backup sources of electricity in the event part of the grid experiences an outage.

Cook Composites and Polymers pursues energy efficiency

2010-03-24T10:54:48-05:00

Cook Composites and Polymers, a world leader in synthetic resins, is one of five plants that partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program to participate in a pilot project that tested the criteria and assessment methods for a voluntary energy-efficiency certification program for manufacturing plants.

Cool software tools for managing industrial energy use

2009-05-13T00:00:00-05:00

Industrial system assessment software tools from the DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program demonstrate that tools do have the power to shape the way we conduct our business. Using these powerful software tools to find ways to reduce your industrial energy use can be a good first step on the path to developing a long-term energy management plan.

ITP’s software tools – for compressed air, pump, fan, motors, process heating and steam systems – were developed to meet industry’s need to measure and reduce energy use. Over time, these tools have laid the foundation for a variety of ITP activities, including end-user and specialist qualification training and Save Energy Now energy assessments.

Since 1

Cutting costs with energy auditing

2008-11-14T00:00:00-06:00

University helps to green the pharmaceutical industry

2007-10-25T00:00:00-05:00

Working under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants of more than $200,000, Rowan University’s College of Engineering (Glassboro, N.J.) is expanding its work in “green engineering” with several regional pharmaceutical companies. Green engineering is the design, commercialization and use of processes and products that are feasible and economical while minimizing the generation of pollution and risk to human health and the environment.

Led by project director Dr. C. Stewart Slater, a Rowan chemical engineering professor, with co-directors and chemical engineering professors Drs. Mariano Savelski, Brian Lefebvre and Robert Hesketh, the project team is composed of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students from Rowan and engineers from pharmaceutical firms.

How Reliable is Your Training?

2012-06-06T08:35:22-05:00

Training is the backbone of preparation to perform the assigned duties in any position you hold. I cannot think of a single job in the world that does not require some kind of training to at least improve performance of the task.

The question then becomes, “What kind of training do I need for this job?” Throughout the years, I have attended and provided many different types of training, and every instance was different. Some training seemed lackluster and really did not provide much benefit for the time spent, while other training sessions were the winning ticket.

What does this have to do with reliability engineering?

Reliability engineers have to deal with a lot of different failure causes, including the human-related kind. Many times the human-related cause of the fail

Achieving Zero Failures is Possible

2012-02-20T12:15:37-06:00

In his book, “Making Common Sense Common Practice,” Ron Moore of the RM Group explains that plant safety and reliability are linked and interrelated. He acknowledges that you can get better safety performance by solely focusing on improving safety practices (e.g., wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), implementing better permitting, using proper lockout/tagout procedures, etc.). However, Moore is also of the firm belief that best-performing plants are very disciplined about all their practices, and from that get a synergistic effect in all of their performance measures.

Figures 1 and 2 show examples from a larger set of data that demonstrate the strong correlation between reliability (asset utilization capability) and safety (injury rate). This supports the statement that a more reliable plant is a safer plant.

Solving Maintenance Problems with Mobile Collaboration

2012-01-25T08:41:27-06:00

Time is money. For companies with operations spread across the globe, delays in equipment maintenance issues or production line problems can kill the bottom line. If the most skilled engineer is located in New York or Detroit and the most important machinery is in Mexico or China, costs mount quickly when decisions are delayed. Typically, the expert (or a whole team of experts) would board a plane to go and try to solve the problem, causing further delays and incurring expensive travel costs. With mobile collaboration, no one leaves their desk, let alone the country.

Secure Mobile Video

The standard form of video collaboration facilitates face-to-face meetings in video-conferencing boardrooms. However, for manufacturers, the heart of their business is often the plant floor —

Using Dynamic Electric Motor Monitoring to Identify Mechanical Issues

2011-12-14T08:50:54-06:00

Dynamic electric motor testing is often called on-line testing because it requires the motor to be running and generally assumes the motor is in its natural environment. Dynamic testing involves the connection of voltage probes and current transformers. Connecting dynamic test equipment is safe, quick and non-intrusive. Data is acquired and results are displayed in a summary format. The collected data is compared to the user-entered nameplate information and is presented in a pass/fail format with both current test data and trending logs displayed after each successive test.

The Need for Motor Testing

Every reliability technician knows that costs associated with motor failures can be devastating to any business operation. Finding that a motor is operating with conditions that create excessive heat or stress is a guide to the technician to make changes in the motor’s operation and to monitor its insulation. Knowing that a motor is in imminent dang