People - A Reliability Success Story

About this title

It didn’t take long for me to realize that we couldn’t carry on as we were – we needed to change something if the mill was going to survive but the questions were – what and how?

We had to learn on our feet and we had to find the talents and skills we needed. What became apparent immediately was that whatever it was we wanted to do, it involved people and that was a different challenge to anything I had experienced before.

Along the way I learned how to bring on board those that didn’t believe, encourage and support those that did and eventually celebrate the success with all. The story of our journey is one made up of the journeys of the individuals and highlights the need for involvement and engagement in order to succeed.

Along the way, we took risks, made leaps of faith but always believed in our path – the rewards more than justified our exploits.

Bob Edwards inherited a totally reactive maintenance group and he’d been asked to make the plant more reliable. Join him as he moves towards World Class, using the best tools available to him – people. In this book, you will learn how empowering and engaging garners the collective strength and how listening becomes a key skill.

Testimonials

"I heard Cliff Williams talk at International Maintenance Conference (IMC) in Florida in December ’12. It was an interesting talk about 'America Got Talent'. It was about what knowledge/skill-sets, a maintenance manager needs to have. I also picked up few new books from the MRO book store at the conference and one of those books was People and I didn’t realize that the author was same Cliff Williams till I started reading the book during the Christmas-New Year holidays. I had to finish, in fact I got attached to it till I read it completely. What a fictional novel he had put together of a real plant scenario with all kind of teaching best practices in a subtle way. How he got people engaged in learning, exploring and implementing new practices was fascinating? He tried to cover the importance of small practices such as:

• Calibration of gauges/instrumentation, if not done properly may cause major breakdowns
• Communication –flow of information among technicians, one shift to another and supervision etc.
• Importance of technology and people skills, etc…

This book reminded of book Goal by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt. That book came out in 80’s and was also a fictional novel format about plant operational issues. This book really talked about 'Theory of Constraint' and became (and still is) a must read for every business management student. I feel the same for this book and should be a must read for all M&R professionals and students.

Good job Cliff W!"

Ramesh Gulati, A fellow M&R professional

"In this book, author and long-time Machinery & Equipment MRO Magazine contributor Cliff Williams tells the fictional story of a plant manager, Bob Edwards, who inherited a totally reactive maintenance group. He had been asked to make the plant more reliable … but how? Although the story is fiction, the concepts, methods and ideas presented are based in fact. Join Edwards as he moves towards World Class Maintenance, using the best tools available to him – people.

In People – A Reliability Success Story, you will learn how empowering and engaging people garners their collective strength and how listening becomes a key skill.The basis for the book was a series of articles written over a period of two years for Toronto-based Machinery & Equipment MRO magazine.

Williams is a firm believer that maintenance is all about ‘people’ and enjoys the challenge of developing them to their full potential. He offers a unique vision about the world of maintenance management and the secret to success. The book is an ideal read for anyone involved in managing or supervising maintenance and reliability."

Bill Roebuck

Acerca del Autor - Cliff Williams

Cliff Williams is a thirty year plus veteran of the maintenance field. He has worked in the pulp and paper and steel industries, as well as with food giants such as Coca Cola, Kraft and Wrigley. Cliff has been involved in maintenance from the shop floor to the corporate office and into consulting. His wide experience has allowed him to assist companies in their maintenance efforts by using the latest tools and techniques with a focus on dealing with each site’s specific problems. Cliff’s early experiences were based in the United Kingdom but for the last thirty years he has lived in Canada with his wife and three daughters.

Cliff’s introduction to Maintenance Management was over 30 years ago when he helped implement one of the first CMMS at British Steel He has built on that early baptism by pushing the boundaries of ‘accepted’ maintenance practices. He is a Green Belt in Six Sigma and a keen follower of the Lean Manufacturing world encompassing many of their tools in his maintenance practices. However, Cliff’s success has not been built on the maintenance tools and techniques he has used- it has been built on the success of those who work with him. Cliff Is a firm believer that maintenance is all about ‘people’ and enjoys the challenge of developing them to their full potential. In an effort to give back to the field that has supported him for so many years, Cliff speaks at conferences around the world, teaches Maintenance Management at local colleges and writes for trade magazines in Canada. Cliff brings a unique vision to the world of Maintenance Management and the secret of success.

Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Finding Our Starting Point
• Chapter 2: Starting To Listen And Learn
• Chapter 3: Developing The Case For Improvement
• Chapter 4: Explaining And Engaging
• Chapter 5: Disaster Strikes!
• Chapter 6: Dealing With Negativity
• Chapter 7: Seeing How The Best Do It
• Chapter 8: All On Board The Improvement Train
• Chapter 9: Facing The Inevitable
• Chapter 10: Delegation And Authority
• Chapter 11: Finding Success
• Chapter 12: Spreading The Word
• About The Author