Condition Monitoring/Predictive Maintenance

Maintenance Management

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Not another maintenance management article on the latest fad. What is it this time Lean, 6 Sigma, TPM, TQM, RCM, BPR? Yes and no, certainly all those tools and techniques (and a good few besides) have their uses and I have a few articles that refer to aspects of them in this series, but that is not what core maintenance management is about. In my 30+ years experience of managing operations, maintenance people and equipment and specifically some of the scenarios I have come across in my last ten years of commercial troubleshooting, mentoring and training to a variety of industry, public and private sector organisations I keep coming up against the same basic problems, and they are basic, they cannot be overcome by the perceived panacea of computer software (although it can be a valuable management tool), they require leadership across board, senior and operational management level and like it or not that means maintenance management taking the initiative and some pretty mundane but essential work to set things up. Yes we are talking basic maintenance management, because that is what I so often see so poorly understood and mismanaged. It’s not just the small companies, we are talking blue chip organisations here, who are spouting ‘best practice’ initiatives but quite literally do not have, comprehensive or accurate listing of what equipment they have or up to date Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (P IDs). Yet these same organisations demonstrate their compliance to the Health Safety authorities, auditors and client review teams. What they have is a pyramid of systems, processes and procedures balanced, inverted, on a too often extremely poor basic knowledge of what they have and how it is operating (whether it be service or production). This creaking structure

Improving Operational Maintenance

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Improving operational maintenance brings many benefits but do you have the time or depth of resource to achieve change fully or effectively in house? That sounds pretty obvious; improving any management system will bring benefits. Looking back at my own experience the last thing I needed when I was fending off the Production people or ‘fire fighting’ a load of breakdowns that all needed the same man or giving in and donning the overalls myself to deal with a particularly ‘critical’ problem was someone saying “…you should not be in this situation in the first place.”

The Basics of Maintenance Management

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1. Introduction Not another maintenance management article on the latest fad. What is it this time Lean, 6 Sigma, TPM, TQM, RCM, BPR? Yes and no, certainly all those tools and techniques above (and a good few besides) have their uses and I refer to aspects of them in other articles, but that is not what it is about and I have not found, invented or put together any new ones. I am relating my 30+ years experience of managing operations, maintenance people and equipment and specifically some of the scenarios I have come across in my last ten years of commercial troubleshooting, mentoring and training to a variety of industry, public and private sector organisations. The trouble is I keep coming up against the same basic problems, and they are basic, they cannot be overcome by the perceived panacea of computer software (although it can be a valuable management tool), they require leadership across board, senior and operational management level and like it or not that means people taking responsibility and some pretty mundane but essential work to set things up. Yes we are talking the basic systems here because that is what I so often see so poorly understood or managed. It’s not just the small companies, we are talking blue chip organisations here, who are spouting ‘best practice’ initiatives but quite literally do not have, comprehensive or accurate listing of what equipment they have or up to date Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (P IDs). Yet these same organisations demonstrate their compliance to the Health Safety authorities, auditors and client review teams. What they have is a pyramid of systems, processes and procedures balanced, inverted, on a too often extremely poor basic knowledge of what they have and how it is operating (whether

Industrial Maintenance Consultants

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The differential CSA offer is practical implementation. Our consultants have a range of experience and expertise and are skilled in the practical implementation of solutions. As a company we offer a range of services either partnering associate organisations or managing and leading our own associates independently. We are currently employed on some exciting and innovative projects across a range of areas including Distilling, Defence, Food and Drink and Oil Gas production. As well as industrial maintenance consulting we provide a comprehensive and cost effective range of training courses that can be tailored to your needs and provided 'on site' if required. Please browse the links on the sidebar for more information on training courses and to read our maintenance articles. Not sure you need help? Why not try our questionnaire and see if we could help you? Click here for maintenance assessment questionnaire (images/maintenance_assessment.pdf). Or here for general management assessment questionnaire (images/management_assessment.pdf).

Effective teamworking: can functional flexibility act as an enhancing factor?: An Australian case study : Table of Contents

Team Performance Management >> 
Table of Contents from the most recently published issues of Team Performance Management
Abstract:
Purpose – Two of the most sought after properties in today's dynamic and competitive manufacturing environment are labour flexibility and effective teamworking. This is due in no small part to the growth of modern manufacturing philosophies which strongly advocate the need for both teamwork and flexibility. This paper aims to explore the impact of two labour flexibility strategies (functional flexibility and intra-cell flexibility) on teamwork in a cellular manufacturing environment. Design/methodology/approach – Using a revised input/process/output (IPO) team effectiveness model a questionnaire was designed and a case study undertaken at a large Australian manufacturer. The knowledge, skills, and ability (KSAs) gained from job rotation (flexibility) was quantitatively tested against team processes and team performance. Findings – It was found that functional flexibility had an overall stronger, significant effect on the five team processes tested (communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, goals and performance, tasks and planning) than did intra-cell flexibility. In regards to output (team performance) functional flexibility performed better in areas such as customer delivery, inventory holdings and quality, while intra-cell flexibility performed better in the area of absenteeism. An inconclusive result was obtained for the fifth output measure, efficiency rate. Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted at a single organisation, which limits the generalisation of the outcomes, therefore broader research on the area is recommended. Practical implications – The study provides evidence that the individual benefits of both functional flexibility and teamworking may be enhanced while being practised concurrently. With labour flexibility and teamwork being key factors in most modern organisations, the practical implications are much wider than the field of manufacturing. Originality/value – Individually, the literature offers much on teamworking and flexibility but studies exploring the combined effects of these two important elements are rare, especially in the field of manufacturing. The present paper fills some

Characteristics of routine, development and idea networks in teams : Table of Contents

Team Performance Management >> 
Table of Contents from the most recently published issues of Team Performance Management
Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose that there is not one ideal network structure of knowledge flow, but many, and that the network structures of knowledge flows between employees in teams are task-related. Design/methodology/approach – Ideal knowledge network structures in teams are examined on the basis of the literature. A case study of a well-established team, presented with social network analysis methods, reveals the different structures of knowledge flow. Findings – According to the case study, it is shown that the network structures of knowledge flow are different in different tasks. It is suggested on the basis of theory that the ideal knowledge network structures are hierarchical for routine tasks, core-peripheral for development tasks and ego-centric for idea generation tasks. Research limitations/implications – The research design presented in this paper should be applied to more cases to ascertain its validity. Practical implications – This paper provides means for understanding, assessing and managing knowledge networks in teams. Originality/value – Flows of knowledge have been found to be an important area in network research. This paper shows how they are structured according to the nature of the tasks.

How much is too much?: The role of emotional intelligence in self-managed work team satisfaction and group processes : Table of Contents

Team Performance Management >> 
Table of Contents from the most recently published issues of Team Performance Management
Abstract:
Purpose – The primary purpose this paper is to empirically assess the efficacy of using an ability-based measurement of emotional intelligence (EI) as a predictor of self-managed work team satisfaction of undergraduate business students. Design/methodology/approach – The study explored EI as a predictor of group satisfaction using a sample of 74 undergraduate business students from a mid-western university. Regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings – Contrary to much of the literature regarding EI, the results indicate that higher levels of managing emotions and understanding emotions may significantly decrease certain facets of group member satisfaction for highly emotionally intelligent individuals. Research limitation/implications – The study employed a student sample, which to some degree raises questions of sample representativeness and generalizability of the results. Future research needs to use employee samples representative of workplace organizations to determine if the results reported here can be replicated in other samples. Additionally, future research may employ the use of larger sample sizes and qualitative approaches in order to confirm these findings. Practical implications – Organizations should be cautioned from using a blanket strategy of selecting those applicants with high EI. Based on the current study's findings, it is suggested that each team member's level of emotional intelligence on each dimension be considered. Originality/value – The paper serves as an initial step toward filling the void in the literature regarding credible measurement of EI in team processes.

Effective self-regulating teams: a generative psychological approach : Table of Contents

Team Performance Management >> 
Table of Contents from the most recently published issues of Team Performance Management
Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and defend a generative model for understanding effective self-regulating teams from a distinctively psychological perspective that has implications for both research and practice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper complements Hackman's work on the critical conditions for effecting “self-regulated” teamwork with an understanding of team psychology, as the basis for evolving a propositional model of effective teamwork. Findings – Assuming various structural pre-requisites, it is proposed that effective teamwork is generated by a social self-identification process, upon which there are “emergent states” across affective (commitment, cohesion), motivational (drive to secure and maintain positive self-esteem), cognitive (shared cognition) and behavioural (intra-team and inter-team processes) dimensions. Research limitations/implications – Considerations for further testing, conceptual and methodological refinement, are highlighted. Practical implications – The model affords clear pragmatic implications for leveraging more effective teamwork in organizational contexts. Originality/value – The propositional model in the paper integrates and builds on previous thinking into a more generative understanding of effective team work (i.e. what makes teamwork possible and how can this be sustained) that takes into account the importance of context in accounting for team success.

Emotional intelligence abilities and their relationships with team processes : Table of Contents

Team Performance Management >> 
Table of Contents from the most recently published issues of Team Performance Management
Abstract:
Purpose – This paper aims to identify whether relationships exist between emotional intelligence (EI) and specific teamwork behaviours that are associated with transition, action and interpersonal team processes using the ability model of EI. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 68 MBA students comprising 13 randomly assigned teams completed a pencil and paper performance-based test of emotional intelligence. Some 14 weeks later a score reflecting the extent team members engaged in a number of teamwork behaviours consistent with transition, action and interpersonal team processes was obtained from peer ratings. Findings – Emotional intelligence was found to explain direct and unique variance in transition and interpersonal team processes. However, only three individual branches of EI were found to be of any significance, and these differed in each instance. Practical implications – These findings add to the growing body of literature suggesting emotional intelligence may be an important aspect of individual difference amongst team members that can contribute to team effectiveness. Individuals with differing EI abilities may be particularly important to teams dependent upon the team's activity phase. Originality/value – The paper shows that blanket assertions regarding the significance of emotional intelligence for team effectiveness are far too simplistic. Differing EI abilities are associated with particular teamwork behaviours, which in turn become important during different phases of team activity. The findings suggest a need for more sophisticated frameworks regarding how EI relates to specific cognitive, verbal and behavioural teamwork activities.

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SPM Instrument launches revolutionary measuring technique for condition monitoring

In  conjunction with the company’s 40th anniversary, SPM Instrument AB now presents the next generation of its well-known shock pulse method.

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