Maintenance Manager Mel wakes up and turns on his EU (entertainment unit), a combination of a television, music system, computer, and Internet access rolled into one. As he drinks his first cup of coffee, a streaming download from work appears in the corner of the screen. As he watches the news, he also sees that the third shift has completed preventive maintenance on the HVAC unit in building one.

He also notes that 15 new work orders have come in during the night, most of them generated automatically by the building's systems. The moisture sensors on the fifth floor picked up a small roof leak, accessed the warranty information, and have already forwarded the work order to the roofing contractor. He has already posted that he will be out by noon to start the work. Two airflow sensors picked up a drop in performance in some of the HVAC equipment and have created work orders based on the data and posted job plans based on the probable causes.

Mel marks these for review by the shift supervisor to pick the best course of action. Before Mel leaves the comfort of his home, he assigns the work orders to the shift supervisors using a Neural Input Device (NID) that he wears on his fingertip. It provides him the capability to use the computer without typing, using his own brain to control the data.

On the way into work he opens a communications link and does a check of his day's calendar and of the current backlog of work. The system has assigned a number of work orders already to his staff. In the car, he makes some last-minute adjustments. The car is tied to an auto-guide program that sets its speed and literally chauffeurs the vehicle to the office with no human intervention. While he finishes that second cup of coffee, Mel pulls down a copy of the Washington Times to check the sports scores from the night before. He is a little old-fashioned, still going to the news sites rather than the direct data feeds from the teams themselves.

At the office, the maintenance team is already on the job. Each is wearing a tiny device that holds out a small transparent piece of plastic in front of the eye. The device is fitted with a camera and is lighter than a pair of eyeglasses. On the small square of transparent material, an image is projected showing the details of the work order.

What makes the work order so different from old fashioned ones is that it can play video and audio as part of the instructions, all done by voice command from the wearer. It also is linked directly to the manufacturer of both the parts and the equipment itself, pulling down whatever specifications are necessary as well as the exact manufacturing standards. This information is constantly updated and current because it is stored right at the manufacturer, and includes all parts recalls, known problems from other customers, and their resolutions.

As a worker opens the equipment, he notices some burn marks near the circuit housing. Using the camera in the tiny headset, he zooms in on the image and opens a communications link to the manufacturer. A check of known data does not show any probable causes, so the maintenance worker is directly linked to one of the engineers who designed the unit. He can see the image being broadcast and asks the maintenance worker to remove the panel. Inside he sees a burned out board. Asking the worker to zoom in on the part number, he pulls up a feed to the part's manufacturer. It turns out that a recall was in place on this part. Any damage caused by it is covered by the manufacturer.

An RMA is cut online, while the worker pulls the board and checks inventory to see if there are any others in stock. There is, in a crib across town. He reserves the part and, using the messaging system built into his headset-data feed, asks a runner to go over and pick it up. Using his own finger-worn NID, he updates the work order and includes a video image of the burn marks so if the problem occurs again, no one will have to waste the 15 minutes it took him to track down the problem.

Yes, this sounds like fantasy, but in reality, all this technology exists or is being developed today. NIDs are still in their infancy, but by 2012, they could be reality. The integration of this technology is happening all around us and is in the process of being tested and deployed. The impact on the maintenance operations, as well as the business world as a whole, is not too far away. This passes the era of the smart buildings, and enters the realm of smart departments/companies.

Robert C. Baldwin, CMRP, Editor

We also gather reader opinions in other areas. This year we investigated the relative importance of various reliability and maintenance issues such as installing CMMS, training, predictive maintenance, spare parts management, contract service management, maintenance work planning, safety and environment, and dealing with upper management.

The questionnaire asked the reader to "indicate the relative emphasis or effort being expended by you and your department in the following areas".

Survey participants were asked to provide answers for their personal effort and for department emphasis using the following scale: 4 = emergency priority, 3 = major effort, 2 = considerable effort, 1 = routine, under control, and 0 = none.

The reliability and maintenance issues on the questionnaire, arranged here in decreasing importance by the simple average of respondent scores, were:

• Responding to challenging health, environmental, or safety issues. Average score was 1.79, with 29 percent of respondents stressed by major effort (3 or 4) and 49 percent of respondents OK, having this area under control (0 or 1).
• Improving work planning and job scheduling systems and processes (1.64 score, 20 percent stressed, 49 percent OK).
• Finding and training reliability and maintenance employees (1.53 score, 19 percent stressed, 47 percent OK).
• Installing or improving condition monitoring or predictive maintenance systems and processes (1.50 score, 20 percent stressed, 52 percent OK).
• Developing improved strategies and processes and negotiating with upper management (1.44 score, 16 percent stressed, 54 percent OK).
• Improving parts procurement and inventory management systems and processes (1.35 score, 13 percent stressed, 59 percent OK).
• Installing or improving CMMS, EAM, or other information systems (1.25 score, 16 percent stressed, 61 percent OK).
• Managing and directing contract service providers (1.23 score, 11 percent stressed, 66 percent OK).

By all measures, the spotlight is on safety, health, and the environment. Are you comfortable with your focus? MT

Audits in general are associated with investigation and reform, particularly in present industrial environments where change is interpreted as a survival strategy rather than a controlled improvement process. Many organizations have experienced audits in safety, quality, or environmental and financial management; however, few companies have considered maintenance audits.

Maintenance costs have been quoted to represent between 5 and 40 percent of the total cost to make a product. Furthermore, the effectiveness of maintenance directly affects equipment performance. As competitive pressures grow, management must look for ways to reduce costs. Quite often decisions involve a reduction of employees, contractors, spares, and training when other options may exist. Unfortunately, these decisions are often made without a real understanding of the consequencesand, most importantly, without understanding the real cost drivers.

Business owners are good at making strategic product decisions because that is their core competence. However, very few business owners can make good business decisions regarding maintenance because maintenance is not their core competence.

Case studies
Here are three typical scenarios showcasing reasons companies may want to conduct maintenance audits.

Scenario 1. A paper company was in the process of purchasing three paper mills in different locations. These mills were not meeting performance standards, and there appeared to be a need for quick improvements to the process, the organizational structure, and the overall maintenance performance.

The new owners reviewed the papermaking operations and knew what was required to achieve business budget requirements. They requested a maintenance audit in order to understand their total investment needs.

The audit revealed the need for a greater investment in maintenance tools, systems, organizational structure, training, and maintenance strategy effectiveness. With this information available, the owners recognized the potential for a quick return on their investment by concentrating on their core businesspapermakingand outsourcing maintenance to a company whose core competence was the business of maintenance.

The resulting business partnership was successful because it was based on expected performance indicators and continuous improvement.

Scenario 2. A large cement company was building a new plant next to an existing plant that had not been performing to budget expectations. A maintenance audit was carried out to identify maintenance effectiveness and specific requirements needed to improve performance at the existing plant and, most importantly, to provide management with a clear understanding of the maintenance requirements of the new plant.

The audit identified an improvement strategy for the existing plant. By operating the existing plant more efficiently, the company achieved potential cost benefits to actually fund the existing plants improvement program and the maintenance tools and strategy development for the new plant.

Scenario 3. The corporate body of a company with seven plants at different locations wanted to improve overall plant performance and increase profitability. The company used the maintenance audit process to identify opportunities for improvements at each site and to create common benchmarks, standardization, transfer of best practices, methods, tools, and resources.

The audit was customized to represent the business and was sold to the company. A working team of plant managers was formed so they could be trained in the maintenance audit and best practice maintenance business. An audit engineer was assigned to the working team to lead the project and to assist in developing individual plant improvement programs and corporate benchmarking requirements.

Why conduct audits
The main reason for conducting maintenance audits is to improve plant performance and to increase profits. Put simply, companies produce a marketable product for profit and businesses invest in equipment and processes to produce this product with confidence.

However, the availability and productivity of the equipment and processes are determined by maintenance effectiveness.

Most companies do not have a core competency in maintenance management and, in particular, do not understand the true consequences of maintenance inefficiencies.

The maintenance audit identifies the effectiveness and maturity of key elements in the maintenance business and provides accurate data for decision making with the best interests of the company, business, and the organization in mind.

The audit process
The audit process is conducted on site and reviews key elements systematically. This is done by:

• Interviewing key people in the organization (including preferred suppliers and preferred contractors)
• Conducting site inspections of equipment and facilities
• Reviewing process flows and mapping maintenance functions and controls
• Reviewing stores management, documentation management, and control
• Demonstrating systems application
• Attending key meetings
• Becoming involved in all maintenance functions
• Validating plant, equipment, and maintenance performance

Maintenance audit results
It is imperative that the audit results are represented in a format understood by management and the people audited. Carrying out a presentation before and after the audit ensures maximum understanding and cooperation.

Audit results are provided in the following format:

1. Management summary and essential recommendations
2. Audit evaluation table for each element
3. Audit summary sheets for each principal function
4. Audit comments and recommendations for each element

Based on the audit results and recommendations, a continuous improvement plan should be developed and implemented to achieve optimal results.

Auditing tools
Siemens Westinghouse Technical Services has developed a number of tools to use when it conducts a maintenance audit.

Organizational structure determination. Most organizations are divided into three segments: Management, Systems and Procedures, and Personnel and Resources (the workforce). Each of these areas is made up of key elements and vital links to determine the effectiveness and success of the organization.

Management responsibility is aligned with the value chain of the business and represents the who, what, why, and how in order to successfully maintain or capture market share of the product. Most importantly, management determines the business reasons for maintenance.

Systems and Procedures are the tools, either imported or developed within the organization, to effectively administer management's visions and requirements and to provide best practice assistance to the workforce.

Personnel and Resources carry out the work within the performance expectations of management.

The links between these three key areas are the drivers of organizational culture and directly represent management's commitment and leadership.

A thorough maintenance systems audit has to question all of these areas and links in order to present a total understanding of the business. Management then will have a benchmark with appropriate recommendations to minimize waste of resources and employ best practice principles to areas or service in line with the business plan.

Audit evaluation table. The audit evaluation table is formatted to provide an objective assessment of each element. The purpose of this is to provide the auditor with an understanding of the status of the maintenance function development within the company.

The Assessment Levels pyramid is based on the principles of continuous improvement. The top of the pyramid represents the most specific, advanced level of assessment. Similar evaluation tables are commonly used to represent progress in maintenance organizations.

Audit summary sheets. These summary sheets are commonly used to prepare short- and long-term improvement programs focused on recommendations and requirements.

For example, if management agrees that financial control is an element that has to be improved to better manage maintenance expenditure and asset performance, these decisions have to be made:

• The level of control which should be achieved in the next one to two years
• Whether support systems are in place
• Who will be responsible and what the performance requirements are
• Required training
• Benefits that can be achieved and measured
• Cost of this exercise

As each element result is compared to the business plan, management can use a report summary to represent the continuous improvement plan required in order to achieve future business direction.

If this is carried out correctly, management will invest wisely to improve the principal elements in order to achieve their goals. Furthermore, they also will provide a plan for the future that can be reviewed to ensure that the improvement plan is on target.

A maintenance audit should be the building block for proactive decision making because cost-effective improvement can be accomplished only when management understands the effectiveness of the maintenance organization. An audit provides the framework and benchmarks for targeted continuous improvement with a clear understanding of the gaps and needs among the three primary areas of the organization. MT

Joe Zancolich is a senior maintenance consultant for Siemens Westinghouse Technical Services, a business of Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc., 100 Technology Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30005; (770) 740-3639.

While there are a number of issues to be resolved, the wireless world seems inevitable, at least according to the reviews by industry experts. The convergence of the Internet and this wireless world holds the promise of many opportunities for maintenance personnel to increase their efficiency and ultimately reduce operating costs.

With computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) now available for use over the Internet from application service providers (ASP) for a rental fee, one part of the puzzle is in place. The promise of wireless technology is that maintenance personnel can access, from any work location, their CMMS application to review work orders, check manuals and equipment drawings, enter labor and parts used, or browse the Internet for pertinent information.

For more than a year now, on-line software rental has allowed organizations to use sophisticated software applications on their personal computers for a low monthly service fee. Internet delivery of maintenance management software reduces the overall cost of the CMMS application, while it eliminates the need of organizations to maintain and upgrade these software modules. This is all part of the service included in the monthly rental fee, as is implementation assistance, training, and on-going support. (See accompanying section "ASP Delivery Model.")

The wireless connection
With this CMMS software delivery model in place, we have to determine the part to be played by wireless technologies. These technologies need to be reviewed to evaluate what benefits flexible communications can bring to the maintenance department. Ask the following questions:

• Is the fundamental design and concept reasonable? Is it feasible to have a general-purpose handheld device that allows access to all of the features of a CMMS, and what are the benefits of increased information, such as drawings and manuals, on a handheld device?
• Is immediate notification about the receipt of an inventory part required, or can the stockroom simply notify the tradesman via the paging system?
• Is time saved by entering work time on a handheld device? More importantly, do we want the tradesman burdened with another tool when he can have a full-sized PC screen to enter his time?
• Are the technologies available to deliver these features? We have not seen a single PDA that effectively delivers voice, data, and Windows, and standards are still evolving for the communication between these devices.

The cost of supporting wired infrastructures and their inherent static design provides a significant opportunity for wireless technology. We are in the early stages of delivering the technology to a maintenance department because much of what is reviewed is material such as pictures, drawings, text, and manuals.

Three tools or one?
Based on my review of the state of wireless technologies, a maintenance staffer would need a pager, cell phone, and handheld computer in his toolbox to deliver all of the hype promised. He also would need communications protocols from one of the five or six major suppliers.

Unfortunately, these protocols are neither standard nor compatible between different devices. Europe has adopted a standard called Global System for Mobile Communications, while North America has several competing standards. Pagers will work in most environments, cell phones will work only in certain areas, and handheld devices are supported only in large cities for on-line Internet access.

In certain specialized areas where mobility is the main criteria, such as for service management personnel, contractors, or managers of multiple facilities, there is definitely a benefit to using wireless technology to provide information at the service site. For plant maintenance personnel, wireless has a fairly limited application at this time because of the size of the devices and the need to have more than one device.

But, there is hope. The next generation of devices is predicted to combine the necessary features that would be beneficial for a maintenance department. The incorporation of an Internet browser in a cell phone allows the sourcing of parts and specifications via the Internet. It also allows limited database access to the CMMS. The necessary communications protocol will be available in most areas of North America in the near future.

When these events take place, maintenance personnel will be able to remotely sign on to their Internet-delivered CMMS application, review parts availability, select the preferred supplier, call the supplier, place a requisition on the system, receive notification when the part arrives, and surf the Internet for the latest manual on the appropriate piece of equipment.

The convergence of these technologies is happening today, but until that time, I suggest we continue to use the proven approach of a phone, pager, bar coding, and desktop PC to provide the information needed for maintenance operations. MT

Information supplied by R.W. (Bob) Mutch, president of MegaMation Systems Inc., Oakville, ON; (905) 844-9947.

In the baseline article for this series, "Be Brilliant With the Basics" (MT 3/00, p 41), six basic elements of maintenance were proposed. The third of these basic elements was to make work planning an integral part of the maintenance process.

That article posed the following questions for this element of maintenance where the answers gauged a facility's adherence to the basics:

• Are there permanently assigned maintenance planners?
• Are there identified and trained back-up maintenance planners?
• Is the planner's "product" a well-developed job package, which clearly details the scope of the work to be done?
• Do the maintenance planners plan for the future and not engage in day-to-day activities such as expediting parts for emergency work?
• Do maintenance planners have access to a complete and accurate bill of materials for the facility assets?
• Do maintenance planners have an accurate and active backlog of work?
• Are maintenance planners' contributions to the maintenance organization equal to or greater than their costs?
• Is the effectiveness of maintenance planners measured?

The job planning process is that portion of the overall planning function that focuses on the efficiencies of individual work orders. In reality, job planning only provides the opportunity to achieve efficiencies and to avoid delays. Taking advantage of opportunities created by job planning requires coordination and cooperation of production supervisors, maintenance supervisors, and maintenance craftspersons to use job planning in ways that actually reduce the time it takes to complete each job.

Although it is recognized that not all work orders need to go through the entire formal job planning process, all jobs actually get planned to one extent or another, either before or after the work starts. Depending on the nature of the job and its affect on safety or production, it is most often an advantage to plan work before the job actually begins.

Planning adds value
Why have maintenance planners, a planning organization, and a planning structure that drives proactive maintenance? Well-established and trained planning organizations bring value to businesses in excess of their costs. More maintenance work is accomplished in less time using the same resources than would be the case if the planning function did not exist. If the bottom line is not improved by having a planning function, it is usually the result of poorly defined roles and responsibilities, an absence of understanding of the planning role and its value, a lack of support from management, insufficient planner training, or having the wrong people in the planning role.

The way work is planned in industry varies widely. In some plants it is a process driven by the culture of the facility. At others, it is a blend of culture and a formal system. In some facilities, it is strictly a process-driven function. Some plants do not feel the need to have a planning organization. Others have tried to implement planning, but have not been successful for a variety of reasons and have dissolved the planning organization.

Some organizations have maintenance planners in place and functioning within a planning model that is structured and controlled. In this environment, planners plan. Their focus is the future, one to two weeks out. Their days are consumed with the fundamentals of producing planned job packages, and then working with maintenance and production to schedule the most appropriate date and time to implement the work package. The planners in these organizations own the backlog. They keep the backlog clean through periodic scrubbing to eliminate duplicate work, work that has been accomplished and not reported complete, or work that is no longer desired to be done.

Others have organizational charts that show planners who, in reality, are mostly parts expediters for current work activities. These individuals do not produce work packages that improve the efficiency of the craftspersons because they do not have time. The planner in this type of organization is reacting to current events instead of planning for future events, which is a fundamental violation of the basics of maintenance. It is well recognized that someone needs to perform the expediter role but it is always recommended that it not be the planner. Some organizations do not have trained back-up planners so a gap caused by vacation or illness is filled by the maintenance supervisor or one of the craftspersons.

Some organizations have the area maintenance supervisor perform the role of planner. In this situation, the supervisor is rarely the one who does the planning activity. It is pushed down to the craftsperson. The results are that several individuals (the craftspeople) are performing tasks they were not trained to perform and wasting productive time trying to figure how to resource each job. Each is identifying the work to be performed, the parts needed, and craft or contractor support requirements. Eliminating the craftspersons time in planning efforts and concentrating that time on completing planned work is where the intrinsic value of the planner is realized. A basic of maintenance management is that planners plan and supervisors supervise.

There are appropriate circumstances for the maintenance supervisor and the craftsperson to be engaged in planning issues. The maintenance supervisor and craftsperson should be planning reactive emergency work. This work cannot wait to be processed through the normal planning cycle to be addressed. The planner should not be tasked to address this type of work because it is not in the future, it is now.

How to plan work
The actual job of planning begins with selecting a job from the planning backlog and validating the requested work:

• Is the work request clear on what is to be done or is more information needed?
• Is the priority coding for the work request correct?
• Is the equipment properly identified?

If any of these are in error, the planner should make the correction before proceeding. The planner also should examine the equipment maintenance archives for same or similar jobs and print out the previously used job plan if one exists.

The next step is job scoping and estimating. Work cannot be entirely planned from behind a desk. The planner must visit the job site and further validate the requested work. The planner evaluates each request independently. Using a facility-developed scoping and estimating check sheet, the planner determines if:

• The requested work is what really needs to be accomplished.
• Pre-work can be accomplished to expedite the repairs and minimize the equipment downtime.
• The work impacts other equipment. The planner looks for opportunities to accomplish conjunctive maintenance to other equipment.
• There is interference to be removed to make the repairs.
• Repair parts are needed to accomplish the work. An accurate and complete bill of materials for all critical equipment is necessary for the planner to efficiently plan.
• Craftspersons, contractors, or vendors need to be involved in the work, and how long the job should take for each craft, contractor, or vendor involved.
• Permits will be required to accomplish the work.

To continue the job scoping and estimating the planner should:

• Take pictures (digital cameras are a wonderful planning tool) and draw sketches.
• Consult with maintenance craftspersons, maintenance engineers, operators, and anyone else who can contribute to the job plan.
• Map the major steps of the job: shutdown, isolate, remove, repair, replace, test, and restore to service.
• Evaluate previously used job plans for applicability in the current situation. If it fits, reuse the job plan. If it does not fit in its entirety, look for opportunities to leverage reusable information.

Set up the job plan
Next comes the detail job plan development. The purpose of the job plan is to provide all of the information that the craftsperson needs to accomplish the job safely and efficiently. Every job package should consist of enough information and identified materials to enable maintenance craftspersons to complete the job without having to spend additional time searching for information or material.

A packet should be provided for each job with the following information, included as needed, to carry out the assigned tasks:

• Copy of all purchase orders for material
• Bill of materials list for equipment
• Copy of the work order
• Drawings required
• Job scope/estimating sheet
• List of stores stock parts
• Feedback and history information
• Special tools required
• Permits required
• Equipment location directions or sketch
• Safety procedures
• Special instructions on equipment
• Lock-out tag-out procedures
• Equipment inspection sheets
• Job procedures (detail tasks)
• Alignment cards if required

The amount of detail that goes into a job plan is largely dependent upon the qualifications of the maintenance team. If the team is composed of highly skilled, equipment knowledgeable individuals, then little detail is necessary. However, if the team contains a mix of skills and equipment knowledge or the facility plans to hire maintenance novices, then more detailed job plans are desirable. Well-written maintenance plans are an excellent training tool. Consider this the new standard job plan for this work activity.

Now that the job plan has been developed, the work order moves from the planning backlog to the ready-to-schedule backlog. Coordination between the maintenance planner, the production supervisor, and the maintenance supervisor is required to select the most appropriate opportunity to execute the job plan. The planner plays an essential role in bringing together the mutually agreeable equipment availability and maintenance resource availability. At this point, the job plan is turned over to the maintenance supervisor for implementation, which is the subject of the next article in this series.

It is recommended that each facility undertake a critical examination of its planning organization. Identify shortfalls and take the steps necessary to realize the intrinsic value of maintenance planning. A facility's bottom line will be improved by this effort and maintenance craftspersons will thank you.

Previous articles in this series include "Be Brilliant with the Basics" (MT 3/00, p 41), "Know What It Is You Have To Maintain" (MT 5/00, p 33), and "Identifying and Approving Work" (MT 7/00, p 27). Future articles will cover work hand-off, quality and safety, and information capture. MT

John Rasberry is an associate with Performance Consulting Associates, Inc., 3700 Crestwood Parkway, Suite 100, Duluth, GA 30096; (770) 717-2737.