The next step for manufacturing reliability: surveying our industry.

In the mid-1990s, the Paper Industry Management Association (PIMA) established a new specialist group to focus on a difficult but important part of our industry--maintenance. Since that time, our group has changed its name to the Manufacturing Reliability Specialist Group. One of the goals of the group is to create reliability-focused programs at the PIMA International Management Conference each summer Our name expresses the contribution the critical support function of maintenance contributes to the bottom line of our capital-intensive industry, first, through reducing costs, second, through increasing plant capacity, and finally, through extending the life of our working assets.

Two critical meetings held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, crystallized the vision for our specialist group. Raising awareness was our first step to moving maintenance out of its "forgotten" status to one of partner and contributor.

Two years ago, our specialist group launched an ambitious program to survey the industry. Our goal was to raise awareness of the business opportunity before us to reap dramatic bottom line savings through reliability-centric thinking while partnering with those who have a stake in the asset. The results of the first survey were collected, analyzed, and presented at PIMA's International Management Conference in San Francisco, California, last year. The results were stimulating and controversial, to the point where we decided to survey the industry again this year. Our results will be presented in New York, New York, on July 1 at PIMA's International Management Conference.

A key architect of the surveys, Rod DeLuca of Update International Inc., said: "Unlike many traditional maintenance and reliability surveys, the Manufacturing Reliability surveys were designed specifically to determine PIMA Member awareness and commitment to formal maintenance and reliability programs, methodology, appropriate metrics and reporting practices. Survey questions were also designed to stimulate an appreciation for the significant competitive advantage and bottom line benefits that derive from proactive, precision maintenance and reliability practices."

Joe Konkel is co chair of the PIMA specialist group, and manager, maintenance and information technology, North American consumer products, at the Green Bay East Mill for Georgia-Pacific Corp. "As a reliability professional, I'm interested in the in-depth thought and discussion the surveys provoke," he said. "The goal of the Manufacturing Reliability specialist group is to raise the bar for reliability in pulp and paper and bring controversial aspects of maintenance and reliability to the forefront. We are a capital intensive industry and our survival is based on our ability to maximize return on our assets."

SURVEY RESULTS

John Yolton, a consultant for SKF International and a member of the specialist group, noted that PIMA's 2002 Manufacturing Reliability survey revealed intense interest in the outcome of a protracted effort among many in the industry to achieve improved reliability. The survey results highlighted three notable outcomes that mills achieved with a reliability focus.

"First, mills that responded to the survey indicated they experienced an increase in incremental capacity achieved through improved reliability," he said. "Nearly 50% showed an increase of 5%-10%, demonstrating significant improvement in the mills' ability to focus on the right maintenance.

"Second, improved reliability can significantly affect costs," Yolton continued. "Overtime was reduced by focusing on the right work to be done, enabling the workforce to be more efficient.

"Third, mills participating in PIMA's 2002 Manufacturing Reliability Survey indicated they experienced an improvement in product quality as a result of their reliability and maintenance improvement efforts, another significant benefit to any capital intensive organization."

Yolton said that the efforts of the mills responding to the survey to improve maintenance and reliability resulted in improved quality, consistent runnability, and reduced costs--corner-stones of a sustainable operation.

Editor's Note: The PIMA Manufacturing Reliability Specialist Group has a full program planned for the morning of July 1, 2003 at the PIMA International Management Conference in New York City. For more information go to www.pimaweb.org, or contact PIMA at [phone].

About the author: Gail Petersen is asset management consultant for Datamasters, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is a member of the Solutions! Editorial Board and is a member of the PIMA Manufacturing Reliability Committee, Contact her at [e-mail].

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