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Making Common Sense Common Practice

Reliabilityweb.com® and MRO-Zone are pleased to announce the 5th edition of Making Common Sense Common Practice: Models for Operational Excellence. The 5th edition includes several changes and additions, including a model for determining whether your company is ready to apply lean manufacturing principles (many are not); a new case study that clearly demonstrates the value of applying lifecycle cost principles in capital projects; an additional, and more simplistic, model for helping determine what spares to carry in the storeroom; additional data about the risk of inducing defects and failures during startup; a new way of linking maintenance safety and production process safety into an integrated approach; an updated model for PM optimization; an updated section on asset management; and a new section on performance measurement principles, including an update on leading and lagging indicators. In addition, numerous editorial changes were made to assure clarity and accuracy in the book. We hope you will benefit from and enjoy this latest edition. 

An in-depth view into the best practices of the best manufacturing companies in the world. This book presents proven models for achieving world-class performance. Using a case study of a fictional company called Beta International, Moore illustrates how to increase uptime, lower costs, increase market share, maximize asset utilization, apply benchmarks and best practices, ultimately increasing your company's performance. Gain an expert view of plant design, procurement, parts management, installation and maintenance, training, and implementation of a computerized maintenance management system. In discussing the success and failure of the world's premier manufacturers, Moore outlines a stable path of growth for almost any manufacturing company. In today's tough competitive markets, this valuable information greatly enhances your company's chance to succeed and profit.

What Tool? When?

This book describes several of the more common and popular methods, including case studies, being used by manufacturing companies to improve their business. Even before we cover these tools and strategies, we cover several fundamental issues-if present, almost any tool will be effective, but if absent, almost not tool will work, i.e., the need for leadership and several models thereto for creating an environment that brings out the best in people, the need for innovation throughout the organization, including what I call big innovation- R&D and new product/process development, but also little innovation- using the proper tools in a disciplined way to lower our costs and improve quality so that we have higher margins to pay for the big innovation. We will also cover the use of cross-functional teams in applying these methods, and a process for managing change, as well as a model for measuring performance and demonstrating that operational and business goals have been achieved. Finally, we will review a process that I call business level failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) for identifying the right projects for improvement, and for selecting the right tools for that projects.

This second edition takes a quantum leap over the 1st edition with a new chapter on using Weibull Analysis methods to quickly and easily separate operations-controlled losses versus maintenance-controlled losses.

The new edition also includes additional data on the poor success rate related to implementation of the improvement tools as well as additional information on organizational alignment. It provides additional information on managing cultural change, and particularly that the best way to change and sustain an organizational culture is by first changing management behavior. It also adds additional clarity and data to specific tools such as TPM, RCM, PDM, and lubricating practices.

About the Author - Ron Moore

Ron Moore is Managing Partner of The RM Group, Inc., and an internationally recognized authority on strategies and practices for manufacturing and operational excellence. He travels worldwide, typically working with large manufacturing and industrial companies in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia.

Prior to The RM Group, Ron served for five years as President of Computational Systems, Inc (CSI), a supplier of industrial equipment condition monitoring technologies, principally instruments and software for vibration, oil, infrared, and ultrasonic monitoring and analysis of industrial equipment condition. During his tenure, the company grew at 30% per year, while concurrently maintaining healthy profits and cash position, and a strong balance sheet. Prior to that, he worked for several companies that served industrial operations and manufacturers, mostly in nuclear and fossil power stations, but also designing nuclear submarines. He holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire, a MBA from the University of New Haven, and is a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional.

Ron lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with his wife Kathy.